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.

[quote checkingusernamezzzz]@iggly none of my gripes there come down to funding. They're about the lack of accountability to people in the public sector. The work from home for half a day person is on circa £50k. That's not acceptable. Work full time or give up half your wage to pay for extra colleagues. The day trips away person is on around £40k. The covid excuses were acceptable at the height of the pandemic... they're not anymore yet I still get them when I deal with the council.[/quote]
Hmm, most of us in the public sector are accountable to endless numbers of people. Elected members/politicians, auditors, inspectors, service users, etc.
I don’t recognise what you’ve described as typical, certainly not in local government.

Hybrid approach with a clear number of days in the office seems the best way forward.

As for the comment about council/public sector response to customers, banks and Ryanair are not in the public sector, nor are BT, and they have been just as bad from the knowledge I have. Not that anyone should give bad customer service.

The worst performance of all during the pandemic has come from a group of people who have largely been in the office, the cabinet and the Prime Minister.

WFH during the pandemic has been different because schools were closed for much of it. Also what's with the public sector bashing on here?

none of my gripes there come down to funding. They're about the lack of accountability to people in the public sector. The work from home for half a day person is on circa £50k. That's not acceptable. Work full time or give up half your wage to pay for extra colleagues. The day trips away person is on around £40k. The covid excuses were acceptable at the height of the pandemic... they're not anymore yet I still get them when I deal with the council

You’ve made a sweeping statement - yet actually you’ve got a gripe with one person?
Make up your mind.

And local authorities have been underfunded for years - so any issues you have will be linked to underfunding.

Unless you have a problem with this one person? Then that’s one person.

As for lack of accountability? You’ve no idea 😂

Also as for client/customer satisfaction - I think B2B has been pretty OK IME and that of my friends involved in that. B2C more challenging. As a customer I've been pretty OK but I know others who are waiting too long on things like insurance pay-outs and can't move on with things because of that.

I work in exec search. Employers who don't allow flexible and home working are going to find themselves with a limited pool of employees to choose from. We're already seeing it.

@Ihopeyourcakeisshit with all respect you don't know me. I work in a hospital. I've done four days in the building all the way through, 50% of that time being ward based. I've done the driving around various hospitals using my own petrol to pick up PPE. I've driven my whole family two hours away to do a COVID test in May last year when it was acceptable to just isolate for 14 days just so I could go to work the next day to make up for the people who were shielding or WFH. I've come in when needed, stayed late, increased my hours, changed roles, cleaned when we had no housekeepers, worn scrubs, made tea for knackered HCP's, ordered pizzas. I've done everything I could to support the NHS during this shitty pandemic and now all I want is to carry on with my one day at home. Which is a day with no clinics (not a Friday.) I feel like I've done all I can to help my trust and they're treating me like a naughty child.

@ThanksIGotItInMorrisons

Wonder how long it will take for work to be moved abroad for cheaper costs if everyone is allowed to wfh??? All those suddenly redundant jobs....

To add to all the redundant public transport workers, city centre shop workers, city centre takeaways/cafes, etc. All gone because of people working from home. Fine, if that's what people want, but let's have a proper conversation about the implications and consequences, such as increased taxes to pay for the unemployment benefits etc.

How many people on this thread are meant to be working from home at the moment but are actually on mumsnet instead?!
I'll throw myself into that too, although my excuse is that I'm 40 weeks pregnant today!

Does your workplace have a flexible working policy? Maybe ask HR, you should be able to put a case forward as to why you feel you and the company would benefit from blended working

It’s silly not to have a consultation on the issue with staff. Employers are under pressure from the government who are under pressure from their rich mates who own the buildings...

@Tealightsandd

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.

My clients have had the exact same service from me while I'm WFH. My direct dial gets through to me, I reply swiftly to emails and my case management system also works just fine.

Some places may have had service levels drop, but it really isn't as universal as you're suggesting / wanting us to believe.

In fact, when I've had to ring my bank / credit card company / A N Other supplier for any reason, I can't say I've had any complaints about service.

@NotAllTheOnesWhoWanderAreLost

Hmm *@HalzTangz*, I think that the numbers from the Bank of England show that the economy has been quite badly hit my the pandemic. I think you are naive there.

Not the mention the hundreds of billions of pounds we've had to borrow to pay the generous furlough etc that have enabled a few million workers to sit at home on 80% pay with no commuting nor other work related costs. Not a bad deal for them really. No wonder that spending has been maintained. When furlough stops, things will be very different with all the inevitable redundancies and then the tax rises will come!

OP just apply for flexible working and make your case. It seems likely to me you would get it.

@JeanClaudeVanDammit

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.

I do wish people wouldn't post opinions as facts.

Your comments are simply not correct. The current ONS economic activity and social change in the UK report state that "The volume of motor vehicle traffic on Monday 21 June 2021 was at 97% of the level seen on the Monday of the first week of February 2020".

And there have been studies carried out that have shown that offices consume almost twice as much energy as individual houses. Employees who WFH are more aware of their consumption and are more conscious when regulating heat or air conditioning. There is not a single scientifically proven negative impact of remote working on the environment.

@mag2305

How many people on this thread are meant to be working from home at the moment but are actually on mumsnet instead?! I'll throw myself into that too, although my excuse is that I'm 40 weeks pregnant today!

Being in an office didn’t stop me mumsnetting 😂

I'm absolutely dreading the return to the office.
My company has announced they are an office based company and we WILL return to the office for a set number of hours over the 5 days.

I've been interviewing for other roles but every interview I've had so far, the interviewer is an extrovert and has been "Oh I CANNOT WAIT to go back to the office!!!"
So in my area in particular it seems like all the companies are returning to office based working at least 3 days a week if not more.

I personally find it so much easier to WFH because people talking around me is so distracting. Precovid people were coming up to my desk constantly with queries or "a quick chat" (for some reason when I disclosed my husbands MH issues, they decided I was the best person to go to with all their MH issues! 🤦🏻‍♀️).
I know my productivity is going to decline massively when I return to the office so I will end up WFH in the evenings to catch up, as the time in the office will just be wasted.

OP
It does sound like you have worked very hard, however your opening post did read like entitled office bod rather than the situation of your later post.

@SofiaMichelle

Having actually read the OP properly (I know! Don’t castigate me) she isn’t U - company should definitely have had a consultation.

Why? Why should they have "had a consultation"?

It's a business not a fucking democracy.

Because business which need talented people care about what their employees think. And a business is somewhat of a democracy. As in you only need a critical mass of people to agree before you do something - but there has to be agreement. If you do something everyone doesn’t like you’ll (in theory) be kicked out. Nobody gets away with just doing what they like in the world unless you’re very rich. Or powerful. But you or your ancestors will have had to kiss a lot of asses to get there in the first place.

[quote 80caloriesofbiscuitplease]@Ihopeyourcakeisshit with all respect you don't know me. I work in a hospital. I've done four days in the building all the way through, 50% of that time being ward based. I've done the driving around various hospitals using my own petrol to pick up PPE. I've driven my whole family two hours away to do a COVID test in May last year when it was acceptable to just isolate for 14 days just so I could go to work the next day to make up for the people who were shielding or WFH. I've come in when needed, stayed late, increased my hours, changed roles, cleaned when we had no housekeepers, worn scrubs, made tea for knackered HCP's, ordered pizzas. I've done everything I could to support the NHS during this shitty pandemic and now all I want is to carry on with my one day at home. Which is a day with no clinics (not a Friday.) I feel like I've done all I can to help my trust and they're treating me like a naughty child. [/quote]
And the gravy train has stopped I'm afraid. As people keep telling you, WFH was only ever temporary.

I'd love my boss to rearrange my job and the workplace just to suit me, but life isn't fair.

Like I've said earlier....if you don't like it then get another job. Simple.

@80caloriesofbiscuitplease

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

You don’t get to ask, because it’s not up to you. It’s up to your employer.

If you don’t like it you’re free to find another job.

@mag2305

How many people on this thread are meant to be working from home at the moment but are actually on mumsnet instead?! I'll throw myself into that too, although my excuse is that I'm 40 weeks pregnant today!

How many people who are working outside of the home are commenting on this thread? I was mumsnetting in my breaks away from my stressful job when I was predominantly office-based, nothing has changed there.

@ThanksIGotItInMorrisons

Wonder how long it will take for work to be moved abroad for cheaper costs if everyone is allowed to wfh??? All those suddenly redundant jobs....

Despite what people think not everyone's job can be just moved abroad. The ones that can have always had that risk.

I worked in call centres all through my 20s. This was a constant concern and on everybody's minds.

Have of the 'we could just move abroad' is used by companies to stop employees kicking up a fuss about shit employers.

Yes, jobs would be at risk. But they always were.

And everyone else shouldn't be back in the office, if it there's other things that work, because of these roles.supermatkets are reducing their staff and have been for years. Their jobs might not be going abroad, but are at risk of not being needed anymore.

Its like 'you will lose your job' is the last ditch attempt from people, who inexplicably hate the thought of others working outside an office, to try and make people go back.

@ancientgran

I wonder how it will work for school leavers/graduates joining the workforce. I think they learn alot from being with more experienced staff so could be an issue for the future.

It won't work and we'll have more young adult unemployment. Lots of jobs/professions simply can't be "taught" in formal/educational settings. It's "on the job" training/mentoring that is needed which is usually a lot more fruitful/useful than learning from a book or online. Lots of professional firms simply aren't taking on the usual apprentice/trainee positions this Autumn. They're not taking them on because they know they can't effectively "train" them in house without staff being in the office with them. That will have major knock-on effects in future years.

@80caloriesofbiscuitplease your opening post sounds entitled but after reading the rest (massive drip feed btw) you’re actually asking why your one WFH day was removed?
I think that’s a reasonable question. Everyone on here are probably getting emotional about the topic (like I was initially) because it’s so raw…