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.

Why should they? They pay you. They say where you work. If you don't like it get another job.

But widening it hugely is a massively bigger data risk. Also where is all this up to date hardware able to run software with increased security protection coming from?

@Jessop5

But widening it hugely is a massively bigger data risk. Also where is all this up to date hardware able to run software with increased security protection coming from?

Exactly. A lot of companies not only use old and outdated hardware but appalling network security policies. It won’t be long before someone hacks into a corporate VPN and manages to intercept packets travelling through the network. In offices there’s an additional layer of protection via the office internet being hidden through various subnets but over the general internet It’s a lot easier.

@Jessop5

But widening it hugely is a massively bigger data risk. Also where is all this up to date hardware able to run software with increased security protection coming from?

I am not sure what your point is.

You wanted to know how the got round data protection. I told you, they don't need to get round it. They already have policies, in place.

Many companies, before no have wen extending flexible working. So it's always widening. That's why they have the policies and review them regularly.

It’s not polices but data protection laws. Letting anybody who wants to wfh with data means data will go off site unnecessarily in hugely bigger numbers with a hugely increased risk of breaches which will not be policed. Our data training made it clear data was not to leave site unless crucial.

Then there is the hardware and software issue. I don’t want my data at risk like that. Companies should be made to share who takes data off site, how necessary it is and measures taken. Bet they wouldn’t let anybody who wanted to wfh then.

@CovoidOfAllHumanity definitely - I work for a small contact centre (maybe 20 people) and WFH makes absolutely no difference to me, same job, same monitoring
People can begrudge me WFH all they like but I was shielding so couldn't go into the office. My boss still doesn't want me back in as there's no room, and no windows so no ventilation and we are in an area with high cases

You have to push employers where you want change, sadly. Vote with your feet.

DH and I and most other senior professionals we know decided even 5 years ago we would no longer accept jobs that would not permit at least 1 day wfh where practical. Even pre Covid everyone I know in an office/computer based role was doing 1 day/week at home or more.

The tide has turned on this one, and employers who refuse to change will get left behind.

@Jessop5

It’s not polices but data protection laws. Letting anybody who wants to wfh with data means data will go off site unnecessarily in hugely bigger numbers with a hugely increased risk of breaches which will not be policed. Our data training made it clear data was not to leave site unless crucial.

Then there is the hardware and software issue. I don’t want my data at risk like that. Companies should be made to share who takes data off site, how necessary it is and measures taken. Bet they wouldn’t let anybody who wanted to wfh then.

Plus also think of the conversations that are being overhead by people’s families, flatmate or even worse random people if using a shared workspace like We Work which has been suggested as an alternative in this thread

If you are working with confidential information (can be client/customer details or internal policies) then you shouldn’t be sitting at your kitchen table, regardless of it means that you can’t walk your dog or pick your kids up from school

Public sector too.
We've had more and more time wfh even pre Covid - just because there is no money to pay for enough office space for us all. One desk between 10 of us.
Also less heating ( we pay our own) and with more virtual meetings less travelling expenses too.

@Mayaspecialist where I work colleagues who work with customer data directly were never allowed to WFH. Pandemic arrived and they were all supplied with brand new hardware. They also use a different, more secure method to connect to the internet.
However it is very expensive to run and maintain all of this … if it were extended to thousands of staff it would cost the company less to maintain offices .
This is talking about customer relevant data containing identifying information. Not even corporate client data…

Jessop5

I've had full access to all company data from my laptop, whether at home or travelling for work, for the last 10 years. My company didnt need new data policies covering home working as most staff, senior especially, already worked at home a day or more a week.

Adding - despite my company have done flexible working for years and very open

@Jessop5

It’s not polices but data protection laws. Letting anybody who wants to wfh with data means data will go off site unnecessarily in hugely bigger numbers with a hugely increased risk of breaches which will not be policed. Our data training made it clear data was not to leave site unless crucial.

Then there is the hardware and software issue. I don’t want my data at risk like that. Companies should be made to share who takes data off site, how necessary it is and measures taken. Bet they wouldn’t let anybody who wanted to wfh then.

It's not necessary to allow data offsite to be able to work with it at home. And not that expensive either - in the grand scale of corporate IT (which is all expensive).

My Dh is struggling at home on an ancient laptop that can barely run the software he needs to write code. He must have access to a lot of sensitive data. No shiny new hardware able to run new packages has been offered to him. In fact he recently had to use an ancient second hand replacement they struggled to find when he had hardware issues. Big shiny company that kind or relies heavily on what he and others produce.Doubt very much all those call centre staff will have bang up to date secure tech. The thought of all my financial, medical and personal data on thousands of crappy laptops left on kitchen tables is terrifying.

I should add my Dh is vigilant. Keeps his work screens in a locked office, kids aren’t aloud into. Never leaves screens in view etc.

Not everybody has secure working conditions or are as vigilant. Who checks?

YANBU.
In addition WFH has been a great leveller for many, women particularly - this report shows we've found it easier to speak up and be heard away from what can be intimidating board and meeting rooms. Physical authority ie posturing and presence is pretty much irrelevant online. Also for those with disabilities for whom navigating a physical space is hard. It's not all roses but this levelling of the playing field is huge.

"Atlassian - The Rise of Work Anywhere: New Atlassian Research Uncovers the Everyday Truths of Employees During the Pandemic" investors.atlassian.com/financials-and-filings/news/news-details/2020/The-Rise-of-Work-Anywhere-New-Atlassian-Research-Uncovers-the-Everyday-Truths-of-Employees-During-the-Pandemic/default.aspx#

Data protection leaks can happen at home or in the office - those sensitive MOD papers found this week would have been better in someone's bedside table than behind a bus stop!

No women have had to handle the added pressures wfh cause which have mostly been dumped on them.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

Jessop5

I've had full access to all company data from my laptop, whether at home or travelling for work, for the last 10 years. My company didnt need new data policies covering home working as most staff, senior especially, already worked at home a day or more a week.

Yes in a previous job I'd been there about six months when they moved offices. They already had lots of people working part-time, visiting clients, working in other offices and at home so they deliberately went for about 70% office space (ie if they had 1000 people they had 700 desks). So their data policies covered home and remote working from the time of the office move (and probably before actually).

And there would have been less chance of those papers in such an insecure environment with fewer wfh.

@Jessop5

It’s not polices but data protection laws. Letting anybody who wants to wfh with data means data will go off site unnecessarily in hugely bigger numbers with a hugely increased risk of breaches which will not be policed. Our data training made it clear data was not to leave site unless crucial.

Then there is the hardware and software issue. I don’t want my data at risk like that. Companies should be made to share who takes data off site, how necessary it is and measures taken. Bet they wouldn’t let anybody who wanted to wfh then.

Not sure why you aren't getting this.

There aren't any data protection laws that ban wfh. Or say only a certain portion of staff can wfh.

The policies are in place for an employer to show they have done all they reasonably can to protect the data. These policies are reviewed regularly, either by a specialist in-house team or external specialist. These will include a review of the IT security. To ensure they comply with the law.

And of course they know who takes data off site because those people will have done get training and the competency tests. As if something did happen the company would have to prove it was completed.

How many other people are working outside the office, doesn't impact it a flexible working requests.

Your data is carried around all the time, by people working for lots of different companies you use.

And also, as I said, some of the worst breeches have been done inside offices. By people who never work at home or anywhere else.

[quote CastawayQueen]@Mayaspecialist where I work colleagues who work with customer data directly were never allowed to WFH. Pandemic arrived and they were all supplied with brand new hardware. They also use a different, more secure method to connect to the internet.
However it is very expensive to run and maintain all of this … if it were extended to thousands of staff it would cost the company less to maintain offices .
This is talking about customer relevant data containing identifying information. Not even corporate client data…[/quote]
But some companies alreadty use similar and are happy to pay for it.

My job was remote prior to Covid but my Company gave people who were not a choice between home working 9ffice based and hybrid. The thing is the wfh and less commuting has really benefited the environment and it would be a shame to lose that.The world changes and the office only way of working is on the way out its just a question as to how long it takes.

@Jessop5

My Dh is struggling at home on an ancient laptop that can barely run the software he needs to write code. He must have access to a lot of sensitive data. No shiny new hardware able to run new packages has been offered to him. In fact he recently had to use an ancient second hand replacement they struggled to find when he had hardware issues. Big shiny company that kind or relies heavily on what he and others produce.Doubt very much all those call centre staff will have bang up to date secure tech. The thought of all my financial, medical and personal data on thousands of crappy laptops left on kitchen tables is terrifying.

Then your husbands company would likely to fined an absolute fortune, at minimum if they can't prove they have taken the appropriate steps to protect data.

If Your husbands employer doesn't care about data protection outside the office, they will be lax inside the office too.

And that one company isn't representative of all companies.

And yes, call centres have been running trials of wfh for while. And do take data protection extremely seriously and after bene at home so long, will have improved it.
One of the big data breeches I saw was inside one of the big energy providers call centre by a staff member, sat at his desk.

Maybe companies will need to prove the tech security they are giving out,how up to date and what quality software/ hardware are,how secure home working environments are, health and safety re desk/ seating..,.,

Oh that will cost £££££ and discriminate those with less favourable home working conditions.

Maybe not.