About the level of fear over returning to the office?

[Hilyie]

We all currently WFH, our employer has said that this is the way forward, and we won't go back to working even weekly in the office - indeed we can't as our building has been partly sold off so there's only room for a limited number at any one time . The suggestion by our organisation is that within our teams and workgroups we try to attend the office 'a few times a year'. Apparently the ideal is once a month but there's no hard and fast rules.

As a department, we're currently trying to make arrangements to get people in the office a couple of times before the end of the year. But the level of anxiety is unbelievable.

Most people are vaccinated (personally I'm not, but the majority are), under 50, and with no underlying health conditions, not carers for those who are high risk etc. Very few have had Covid (that they know of)

Yet so far we've had some refusing outright to come in at all because they don't feel safe, others saying they would come to the office but refuse to use public transport as it's too dangerous, some saying they would come in if everyone had done a LFT beforehand (this is not required by our employer, though they are doing other checks) some saying they'll come in but want to sit 2m apart from anyone and if we get together for a meeting insist on everyone wearing masks or that we'll have to sit outside. Someone else wants to go home at lunch because 'its not safe to eat in the office' and so on. There are probably even more examples of what people won't do.

These people all worked side by side 18 months ago, ate lunch at their desks, chatted by the water cooler etc, all very normal. Yet now it feels like they're scared to leave the house.

Are we just unlucky or are other people this concerned? It feels like any semblance of our work environment will never return!

I suppose it depends on their roles, but lots of people have been able to do shorter hours at home but still get paid the same and nobody has noticed. That might have something to do with it. They have effectively been enjoying part time hours on a full time salary.

Hilyie Your workplace sounds very supportive. I've no idea what field you're in, but do you have any jobs available? 😅

Been back in the office for a couple of weeks and it’s absolutely fine. The level of fear you describe is absolutely absurd.

Well some immunosuppressed people who aren't going to get any benefit from it might decide not to bother. But it's wrong to say they can't have it.

We have a quite a few that are uncomfortable mainly with public transport, which I get, most coming in have taken to driving and paying more for parking to have more peace of mind. Me included as the bus I would need is full of unmasked secondary schoolers. Though to be fair it’s that full I might not get on anyway.

Our office though does ask for a negative lateral flow test within 48hrs or you not be allowed in, so the office feels safer.
I agreed some will be using it as an excuse as they are wanting to stay home

Another “try being a teacher”.

I go from a whole staff meeting of 200 adults, no masks, no distancing, to the corridor (hundreds of teens, no masks or distancing), to lessons where maybe 20% of each class are off with Covid, (tbf I have one slightly ajar window) until I pop to Tesco where my mask goes on and I don’t go within ten feet of anyone and the cashier has a screen.

Well OP we were all marched back in full time and then we're back WFH within a fortnight because over half of colleagues caught covid. A couple now have long covid. My employers are also negligent and not following all the promised rules of the risk assessment. If that is how they are behaving, I am sure others up and down the country are similar.

A lot of people are very comfortable, don’t want to go back and are making excuses.

Some are genuinely anxious, some with good reasons, others probably less so.

Obviously it’s important to know who is genuinely vulnerable, but apart from those people I’m not sure the softly softly approach is actually the best approach. Once people come in a few times they’ll get used to it and not find it intimidating. Some are clearly just swinging the lead.

As a manager it's part of my role to know about the health of those who report in to me. We had a lot of discussions as a business in the early Covid days about supporting staff members who were vulnerable or who had family members who are/ were. It's something we are expected to know about, part of doing my job properly.

People don't have to give you details of their health and certainly not their families health. It's is none of your business.

Ditto I talk tell you ever to the people who report in to me about how they spend their time outside work, I know how many children they have, they tell me when they go to local festivals, out with their kids, for a meal for their dad's 60th, or their wedding anniversary or whatever. We talk about non work things regularly.

I'm sceptical that the people you say are too anxious to go into the office are going to festivals. You don't know the circumstances regarding a family meals etc. They may only mix with people who are vaccinated and are careful. They may only eat outside pubs and restaurants. You aren't going to know the details.

We haven’t gone back yet and are still discussing it, and a fair number of my colleagues are the same.

Some people have various kinds of vulnerabilities in themselves or families, and some people clearly just really enjoy WFH, but there are definitely some people who have got into a mindset of the outside world being scary and germ-ridden and unsafe and social contact of any sort being dangerous.

Bit worrying really. In many ways the “I just like WFH but don’t want to outright say it so I’ll insist the everyone in the organisation permanently changes the way they all work too For Safety” people are easier to deal with. But how do you manage people who are genuinely scared of normal life now? One of my colleagues has even said she’s not that worried about covid as has had it plus been double vaxxed, but is still really anxious “thinking about all the cold and flu bugs out there”

I'd refuse to come in too for a team building exercise. Got enough work to be getting on with without wasting a day on that kind of crap.

@Neron

For the majority, they more than likely enjoy the convenience of WFH and don't want to give it up. People can say they're scared to return, companies can't push them to prove it, so have to accept what people say.

This. All this. The lazy shit in my team is pulling every wellbeing trick in the book to avoid having to pay for after school care and do the commute.

I'd loce to sack him but HR are too spineless to give any formal policy (be nice) or back up managers who might actually try to manage staff.

It's very difficult to work out what's best for everyone. Most of DH's (small) office are very happy to continue working from home (probably regardless of covid). However the one person who needs to be in the office lives alone, and he's going out of his mind because he's on his own all the time. I think they may organise a rota for being in the office largely to give him some company!

People are entitled to their own feelings and opinions. However, I must admit that it does seem a bit odd to me that people who work in offices are so anxious about going back/have the option to refuse

I'm a secondary teacher and have been in throughout. 4 of my students across 2 classes tested positive last week, yet I am still in a room with up to 30 kids at once and in a school with around 2000 people

I do wonder if some people just like wfh and don't want to return to offices.

@RollerGirl7

It's possible I misunderstood but it was a segment about the reasons people don't get it rather than how effective the Vax is in different ppl. I remember clearly he said there's no immune system in those cases for the vaccine to stimulate. I could be wrong though.

Either way jumping on the OP for not getting it is wrong imo.

I have 2 pregnant friends, one chose to get the vaccine the other will after she delivers. I respect both those choices and wouldn't call either selfish so don't think anyone should judge without the facts

Nobody has no immune system. If people have severely immunosuppressed immune systems it is less likely to be effective but they are very strongly advised to have it as even a small amount of immunity to Covid is better than nothing.

I'm not calling pregnant people who don't want the vaccine selfish. However, those people will now be at high risk of Covid and I very much doubt they would have OP's attitude unless they were stupid.

@PumpkinPie2016

I think we are lucky in one way that we’ve not been isolating and haven’t got that fear drummed into us that we are afraid to go to a socially distanced office. That would be hard to overcome

The behavioural scientists advised the government on how best to get people to comply with staying at home. The advice was to scare people into it.

@Rhubarbsoup

I imagine they just can't be arsed, and it's a nice convenient excuse.

You put it perfectly. Some people are being utter knobs. I work in a large emergency services workplace and never been out of the office, but just been sensible about how we all interact. We’ve had 2 outbreaks in 18 months. People need to get a grip and stop dreaming up a new thing to “have anxiety” about

I've been going to the office once a week for about 6 months now, I've not seen any fear or heard any excuses made not to come in. Our workplace seems to enjoy that day of normal

I don't really get the "if I can't wfh then no one should attitude" If it works for businesses and individuals to wfh good luck to them. However asking people to come in 10 times a year I don't think is too much of an unreasonable request.

Been going in to the office from day 1. At the beginning, no masks, sanitisers, social distancing or vaccine. All fine.
They’re just making excuses.
I wish the vaccine police would just piss off. The vaccine doesn’t stop you getting it ffs!!

@Invasionofthegutsnatchers

Pffft. Try being a teacher breathing in 32 people's air all day as they paw at you and lick things.

Just what I was thinking.

I'm not scared to go back to the office, though I'd much prefer not being on the tube for an hour, that bothers me far more than the actual office.

We're still not back though, as when we did start going back a few months ago a relatively large amount of people caught covid from a single meeting.

@Fizbosshoes

I don't really get the "if I can't wfh then no one should attitude" If it works for businesses and individuals to wfh good luck to them. However asking people to come in 10 times a year I don't think is too much of an unreasonable request.

I've no issue with people WFH but it's galling when they make out it's too risky to go back to the office. If it's safe enough for key workers then it's safe enough for everyone.

I'm not keen to turn this into a vaccination debate. But no one knows when they go to a shop, supermarket, pub, gym etc who around them is and isn't vaccinated

Work in a school nearly 100% aren’t vaccinated.