WFH, suddenly taken away, are we really just going back to the old way?

[80caloriesofbiscuitplease]

Today my (public sector) employer announced we were all expected to be back in the office, full time from a months time, with home working only to be used in emergencies.
I know that response to WFH has been mixed from other professionals and some employees have frankly been less productive from home. I would have been happy with one day per week from home as a compromise.
My argument is that there should be a consultation period where we could put forward our rationale for being able to maintain an aspect of home working. Also are we really going to go back to the old way, packed buses, packed trains, traffic, pollution, all for presentism?
I feel that we've seen another way, with happier employees, healthier employees and an improvement in the environment. I work in a grey concrete wasteland where I regularly sit at my desk all day without a break. At home I can open my doors, hear the birds, stroke my cat. My mental health has improved so much and that makes me a better employee. Today two of us were in the office and four were working from home. They really want to go back to six of us coming to work all day, every day to answer emails and input data which we could do from home?
I know I could look for another role but I like my job and I'm quite good at it. I don't want a role which is completely home based, but I feel saddened by the whole world going back to the way we lived before.
And yes I know some have worked out the house the whole way through. It's not a 'my life is harder' competition.

Anyone?

How was it 'suddenly taken away', it was always presented as temporary.

As has been mentioned for months on MN, what you consider working better from home is not in comparison as to your line managers looking at the numbers.

There was always going to be difficult endpoint to lockdown, either you go back to the office for the new MN rhetoric of presenteeism or businesses look at why they cannot fill your job from someone living in the north/abroad for cheaper with full time wfh, it's a big business dream where the offshoring prospect is going to hit the middle grade public sector/management worker.

Sounds bliss wish I got to WFH no wonder you have enjoyed it.

@Justanotherlurker how do you know I'm not living up North already?

I think it has been a mixed bag. Some sectors were always going to revoke it as soon as they could.

DH will only be in the office a day a week. They're opening it 2-3 times a week and having whole teams in on a rota. They have employees not even in the UK, anyhow

Totally agree. We’re back in the office a couple of days a week and whilst it’s nice to see people, everyone agrees it’s actually more “clunky” to work from the office.

Luckily my employer is planning on sticking with 2-3 days wfh.

I think it’s a real missed opportunity if things just go “back to normal”… what a waste of leveraging learnings from such an interesting time to live in.

I agree OP. In our case we were consulted and they ignored the findings - we are also being ordered back asap. Half my team have resigned since the news!

And I've heard of several cases this week of people who have had both vaccines getting covid. This idea that it is over is clearly ridiculous. I hope they do bring a right to work from home because as someone who will need to take 2 modes of transport every day, I am scared. I requested only a day or 2 from home.

@PickAChew we have a rota at present, I was hoping 1 day per week would be ok.

I think hyrid working should be the new way of working. In my experience employees are more productive if happier and have some control of where they work. It's true that businesses might seek cheaper employees from overseas but then who will buy stuff on our high street?

I really think we've been given this chance to improve our quality of life, ease parental guilt, live healthier, enjoy more time with family and we're going to go right back to the stressful rat race of pre 2020. This will also cost businesses in the long term, time off sick, stress effecting productivity, commuting time.

Hmm, @Justanotherlurker, I work for a public sector organisation and we've just been told that no-one is allowed to work from abroad any more due to the complications that arise, so I don't think your prediction of swathes of middle management being offshored is likely.

I think it's really short sighted of your employer OP :-/ We've been told we will be able to work from home up to 3 days a week if we fancy, but we've been making big strides on the diversity front and have good technology. I wish other employers were more progressive, I think they will lose competitive advantage (even the public sector has to compete for staff)

What has your union said? They should have been at least informed if not given the opportunity to consult

I've been WFH since last March and I can't wait to get back to the office. I hate my work life intruding into my home. I want the 2 to be be completely separate from each other again asap.

Cg

From a customer and client perspective WFH has been terrible. Standards of service have significantly dropped.

But also the office based industries bring in billions and billions to the national economy. It's the same in other countries, and it's why the Bank of America has recommended people return to the office.

Your employer will lose employees, and find it hard to recruit from a wide pool of talent, as they will only find people who want full time office work. They may or may not be the best candiates. It's so shortsighted.

Most employers (including mine) are doing hybrid working. I won't be going into the office on any regular basis but will attend ad hoc meetings if there's some reason they can't be done on Zoom. Some will do 2 - 3 days at most. No, this doesn't mean that they will hire people from abroad - do you not think that if this was a viable option companies wouldn't already be doing it, pandemic or no pandemic?

We are never going back to how it was before the pandemic. Never. If your employer wants to cling on to the past then you just have to decide if you're going to stick with them or vote with your feet.

Why do people feel the need to be consulted? WFH was always a temporary response to a global pandemic.

And it has been known for a long time you can still catch covid if you’ve had the vaccine...the point is the symptoms should be less severe and it’s less likely to be a serious case.

Your employer will lose employees, and find it hard to recruit from a wide pool of talent

Well not really. There are huge numbers of people perfect for those jobs - who can't apply due to being unable to afford the spacious comfy home environment suitable for WFH.

It's shit for customers and clients, and rubbish too for young just starting out in the world of work. Stuck working from their childhood bedroom or a crappy room in a houseshare.

And, the impact on the economy can't be ignored. Billions will be lost. We can't afford that.

I really think we've been given this chance to improve our quality of life, ease parental guilt, live healthier, enjoy more time with family and we're going to go right back to the stressful rat race of pre 2020

If your employer won't prioritize these things, make sure YOU do. Find a job that is more flexible and enables you to ring fence the things that make your working life/home life work better for you.

Your employer will lose employees, and find it hard to recruit from a wide pool of talent, as they will only find people who want full time office work.

Everybody knew this was just a temporary thing, and that one day full time office work as you call it, would revert to normal.

as they will only find people who want full time office work.

Lots and lots and lots of people might not want full time office work, but only a minority can afford not to. Homes suitable for WFH are the preserve of a privileged few.

Also, with the country in massive debt, our battered economy really could do without losing the billions that it gets from the office based industries.

And I really can't state enough how shit WFH has been for customers and clients.

@GreyhoundG1rl

Your employer will lose employees, and find it hard to recruit from a wide pool of talent, as they will only find people who want full time office work. Everybody knew this was just a temporary thing, and that one day full time office work as you call it, would revert to normal.

Except it isn't and it won't.

Let your employer recruit the people desperate to cram themselves back into soulless buildings and commuter trains, OP so that Tory landlords can continue to make millions. There seem to be a few of them. But it certainly won't be the majority.

Tory landlords can continue to make millions.

Yet it won't be them who suffer if full-time WFH continues. It's everybody else.

Public services reliant on the health of the national economy.

The little small businesses relying on office workers - cobblers, dry cleaners, sandwich and coffee shop workers, bus, train, and taxi drivers, postroom staff, office cleaners.

And of course the customers and clients receiving lower standards of service from WFH.

And again. It's only the more affluent who do well out of WFH. People who can't afford a suitable home environment will be locked out of jobs. That's not right (and means employers will miss out on many talented would be employees).

@80caloriesofbiscuitplease

I really think we've been given this chance to improve our quality of life, ease parental guilt, live healthier, enjoy more time with family and we're going to go right back to the stressful rat race of pre 2020. This will also cost businesses in the long term, time off sick, stress effecting productivity, commuting time.

This! It’s so sad that people talk about going back to before as if it’s the only way because that’s how it was before! I mean people didn’t used to have weekends off work but hey look at us now!!! I feel some real progress has been made for some over the last year but also fear that we’ll be slowly dragged back to the rat race. I think the last year has definitely made me think we work to live, not live to work. It’s been nice to actually see the home me and my husband spend a huge chunk of our wages on and have more time with our children. Wfh doesn’t work for everyone but we’re in 2021 - I think flexibility must surely be considered more by firms in future and the importance of work/life balance.

The genie is well and truly out of the bottle and it won't be going back.