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.

@CookieMonsterMunch

I agree with you. I see it as masked sexism. Women have been asking for more flexibility for years and we’ve thoroughly proven that our jobs can be done more flexibly yet some employers are still resisting change. The company I work for and a lot of other companies near me are letting people work primarily from home with 1-2 days in the office per week. Ultimately they thought we’d all leave if they didn’t compromise. You could leave for an organisation that does allow wfh or do you have a union you could take it up with?

On the other side, it’s also well known that if women wfh, it’s also expected they can take on many other responsibilities (putting the washing to dry, receive the shopping, pick the dcs from school and work a bit later on) etc.. that we would never ask from men.

I think the pandemic has highlighted all of that even more when those women were supposed to wfh and also homeschool their dcs etc…

As a woman, if i st ill had young children, I think I would dread been asked to wfh just because of that.

The public sector body I'm currently working for has already decided not to renew the lease on one of the two offices it has in the city. They are not expecting people back full time.

I can understand not wanting to go back to the office if you're enjoying working from home however they pay you to do what they want/need you to do and if that's working from an office then that's what it is.
It was never supposed to be forever.
NHS and retail have worked all the way through and many many people have lost their jobs and businesses have gone under so...

OP, would you be as happy if you were single, living on your own in a small flat/apartment with no garden?

Better to make that comparison when there isn’t a pandemic going on? I know plenty of young graduates in those circumstances who happily worked from home the odd day a week before covid. During covid, lockdown restrictions meant they were trapped with only one daily exercise trip allowed.

My eyes hurt from all the eye rolling.

On the other side, it’s also well known that if women wfh, it’s also expected they can take on many other responsibilities (putting the washing to dry, receive the shopping, pick the dcs from school and work a bit later on) etc.. that we would never ask from men.

Agreed. I think wfh is fairly disastrous for women. It’s important to think these things through properly.

My husband's employers wanted him back in full time, he asked for a risk assessment as he has a physical disability as well as an underlying issue and they've suddenly gone very quiet. He seems to think that his manager's manager has got wind of what his manager was tryi to do and has blocked it.

By complete coincidence I'm sure, they're now suggesting hybrid working for everyone.

I’m surprised how many bitter jealous people there are on this thread. I think its actually one of the major benefits of what’s happened over the last 18 months - that there’ll likely be more options are available in terms of where and how we work. it’s exactly what parents, carers, and people with disabilities have been asking for for years. It’s called inclusion and it improves diversity. Let’s promote it rather than knock it down out of jealousy

@mullmara

It's a sure fire recipe to have inadequate, possibly insecure, equipment and set up both at home and at work. It detrimentally affects how we commute when we do get to commute (need to haul the equipment & anything else you need while at work place back and forth).

It's very job dependent. DH has an exact replica of his work station at home so no need to lug anything. Everything is very secure with a key needed to access everything. One screen was playing up & another one was couriered over in a hour.

To be able to have the exact replica, you first need space in your house though. So great if you have an office/spare bedroom. Not so great if you are working on the corner of the kitchen table….

@80caloriesofbiscuitplease

A hybrid approach is all I'm asking for. A rota system with 50% in and 50% at home.

Then find another job. This isn't your employer's problem and there are plenty of people who lost their jobs in the pandemic who are looking for work and willing to go office based.

Everything's about you with a few tidbits about the environment to justify what you want.

Well, the employer is about what they feel is best for the business.

It was temporary because of the pandemic, the WFH, not 'suddenly' taken away.

If that doesn't suit you, get another job.

Service has gone to shit with WFH despite all these MNers who do the work of 3 suddenly because they work from home.

If you have so great environmental concerns then do something personally about it rather than assuming a pandemic that has probably killed even more worldwide by increased poverty happened for any other reason than random chance.

You have a month to find another job.

@TheKeatingFive

On the other side, it’s also well known that if women wfh, it’s also expected they can take on many other responsibilities (putting the washing to dry, receive the shopping, pick the dcs from school and work a bit later on) etc.. that we would never ask from men.

Agreed. I think wfh is fairly disastrous for women. It’s important to think these things through properly.

Being in an office makes it a million times harder actually. Rushing off at 5pm to get the kids etc. Missing impromptu trips to the pub because of childcare etc. Let’s not pretend that being in an office would make it better.

People need to separate working arrangements during covid vs when all restrictions are lifted.

Wfh during covid with home schooling was horrendous. But does that mean I’d rule out WFH in normal times? No, because they are very different beasts.

@CookieMonsterMunch

I’m surprised how many bitter jealous people there are on this thread. I think its actually one of the major benefits of what’s happened over the last 18 months - that there’ll likely be more options are available in terms of where and how we work. it’s exactly what parents, carers, and people with disabilities have been asking for for years. It’s called inclusion and it improves diversity. Let’s promote it rather than knock it down out of jealousy

It's a pandemic that's coming to an end.

As an employer so many things have suffered whilst WFH
Team spirit, productivity, shared responsibilities, helping others, client experience worse, new staff not being supported, gaining experience etc by shadowing and spending time with more experienced staff
I cannot wait for less team and zoom meetings and more face to face over a coffee
For those who’ve had so much more time eg with children in really hoping that it is by saving your commute time
not by having them around during work time
Pre Covid I was a very flexible boss - this last year plus has really shown a different side good and bad to some of the team
It has coloured my view of the whole situation and when redundancies hit as I’m sure they will - at least I know who I can trust and rely on

I am planning to go into the office next week for the first time since early March 2020 haven’t missed it in the slightest.

I appreciate that I am lucky I am 40 with two kids who have a mad schedule, My days socialising with Work are behind me, I have a nice home in a Rural setting with a dog so whilst I’m working in a corner of the lounge (improvement from the desk in bedroom scenario lived with until last month) I am able to switch between work and home easily.
My job does not require me to be in my contractual office my team and stakeholders are national and therefore there will be no benefit to returning to the office.

Our company is applying an agile model where we have the ability to choose where we need to be to do our job. I’m currently thinking I might show my face once or twice a month if I absolutely have to. I previously worked from home one or two days a week anyway so it was never a huge adjustment for me.

I too despair at the rush to return to normality this was an opportunity for us to reset how we live our lives from a health and well-being perspective from an environmental perspective it’s like we are completely incapable of learning lessons.

Hope your employer sees sense and questions the value of their policy

I personally love being in the office so would hate 100% remote but I appreciate one day or so.

Then find another job. This isn't your employer's problem and there are plenty of people who lost their jobs in the pandemic who are looking for work and willing to go office based

And this attitude is exactly why our society is as shit as it is 🤷🏻‍♀️ People on low wages, working in crap conditions because the employer “said so”.

Have a look at your employers flexible working policy (assuming they have one). Make a request backed by your business case. Previously worked for public sector for many years and wfh full time, regular one or more days a week or ad hoc arrangements were not uncommon. However pre pandemic these invariably started on a trial basis subject to a 3 or 6 month review and included a proviso that the arrangement could be suspended/terminated with agreed notice periods if business needs changed. In addition an assessment was required of the home working space to ensure health & safety and confidentiality requirements were met. So appropriate desk/table & chair, lockable storage for any paper records, equipment etc.

@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.

But that's just your company. Some companies have closed the office completely and implemented permanent working from home, many many more have implemented hybrid working. Pre pandemic my company never did WFH, now we are moving into hybrid working (3 in office, 2 at home). I think for the majority of office workers hybrid will be the new normal. What ever a business decides, employees will either like or hate it. I know colleagues that have opted for full return to the office (WFH just didn't work for them) and I know colleagues that woul prefer full time WFH, also know many that prefer the hybrid option. I personally prefer full time WFH as I get so much more work done (an to a higher quality, when working from home and getting none of the distractions from the office). I don't miss all the office politics either. But equally I'm happy to go on twice a week, after all, when I took the job it was an office based role, I also knew the pandemic rules were just temporary so knew WFH was never here to stay. I rather hybrid as a compromise and won't complain about it

The pandemic is not coming to an end, far from it.

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.

I wasn’t in a stressful rat race pre Covid. If you chose to be, that’s your decision. Mental health absences have increased in my team because a lot are struggling with the full time wfh.

Those people in health care, education, food production/retail, social care, etc, haven't had the chance to work from home the whole way through this pandemic. So maybe those who have been WFH and have enjoyed it, should just count themselves fortunate for the time they have had.

To be able to have the exact replica, you first need space in your house though.So great if you have an office/spare bedroom. Not so great if you are working on the corner of the kitchen table….

Well of course, I've not argued that some people don't have space.

To those moaning about customer service I think you underestimate how hard it’s been for the last year and how hard lots of people have worked! The company I work for are well under head count in our call centre, but that’s because when they needed to recruit last year they didn’t as they had no idea what would be happening and didn’t want to take people on then make them redundant later. They are now working on that but it takes time to train people and for them to be effective. It’s not just like companies have thought sod the customers we’ll just let our service go to shit. There have been non stop meetings and initiatives to try and improve service. But while the issues with schools and childcare remain its hard as lots of call centre staff have young families.

@Livelovebehappy

I’m going to wfh full time, and am happy in doing so. I think if I was 20 years younger I might think differently, and want the social aspect of working in the office. But I’ve been there, done that, and am tired of office politics. I’m happier and more productive wfh.

This is exactly how I feel too! I do feel sympathy for younger people who are missing out on the social aspects of work though. My work are giving people the choice on whether they work from home or not and have said they would prefer people to be in the office for a couple of days a week, but it's up to the discretion of the line manager. So I've had it agreed that I just need to go in once per week.

In terms of productivity, we've noticed with our team that people have been working harder at home - there are so many opportunities to slack off in the office, but no one really says anything, but if people are slacking off at home it's more noticeable. Also people seem so much more fresh thinking and enthusiastic - probably because they have been getting decent amounts of sleep rather than having to get up much earlier to face the commute!

As for trying to get people back into the coffee shops and other retail places by getting them back into the office, personally I have saved so much money over the past year by not frittering it away on coffees and lunches that when I am back in the office I won't be making those kinds of incidental purchases anymore - it's really opened my eyes to how much money I had been wasting and I'm sure that's the same for a lot of people too!

@UndomesticHousewife

I can understand not wanting to go back to the office if you're enjoying working from home however they pay you to do what they want/need you to do and if that's working from an office then that's what it is. It was never supposed to be forever. NHS and retail have worked all the way through and many many people have lost their jobs and businesses have gone under so...

Why do people compare jobs you are able to WFH doing with those you cannot. It's none comparable

I too despair at the rush to return to normality this was an opportunity for us to reset how we live our lives from a health and well-being perspective from an environmental perspective it’s like we are completely incapable of learning lessons.

But the evidence isn’t there to support either health and well being or environmental improvements resulting from this.

Transport data I review for work shows that traffic is actually up in many areas compared to pre-pandemic, while public transport usage is still hugely suppressed. More people driving alone in cars is not good for the environment. More people individually heating their homes all day all through the winter is not good for the environment.