to think what Boris Johnson has said today is unacceptable?

[NoviceNewMN]

first he has said (I'm guessing as a sop to commercial landlords complaining about properties being abandoned by businesses) that everyone needs to go back to work because they will be gossiped about:

"You have got to be able to come in, you have got to know what everyone else is talking about – otherwise you are going to be gossiped about and you are going to lose out"

Really? Firstly so what? and secondly, it's basically condoning bullying as a reason to get back to work.

Then he has said

'It's not the job of government to come in and try and fix every problem in business and industry."

Boris says it is 'not my job to fix all of the UK's problems': PM’s astonishing claim as he denies nation is in 'crisis' and DISMISSES inflation spike fears, fuel shortages and empty supermarket shelves as 'just part of his new approach'

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10060043/Boris-denies-claims-supply-chain-chaos-just-ending-UKs-low-wage-economy.html

You have got to be able to come in, you have got to know what everyone else is talking about – otherwise you are going to be gossiped about and you are going to lose out
I couldn’t care less what people talk about or whether they gossip about me. If people want to gossip behind your back then they’re going to do it whether you’re in the office or not. I also don’t care if I lose out - as long as I still have a job then I’m willing to sacrifice progression for the convenience of WFH. Boris is under estimating how much people value WFH.

It's not the job of government to fix every problem but it is the job of government to fix every problem that they have created.

He's such a fool. Hopefully he'll have secured enough lucrative contracts and titles for his loved ones soon that he can step down. Then another over-stuffed old boy can take one for the team.

Why on earth should people "get back to work"? Those working from home are already "at work". Work is a verb - a thing you do, not a place.

And companies that cannot move with the times will lose talent.

Is there really any reason why people shouldn't be back in the office now?
Because they don’t want to. It’s inconvenient and unnecessary. The world has moved on and technology has freed us from having to commute. I see no good reason to go back.

The government should not be interfering in this. As long as it meets legislation then it is none of the governments business where employees work.

And it will not work anyway. This would be like the government telling us to shop in our corner shop instead of a supermarket. Times change. Commercial landlords have to adapt just like any other business.

@Dreamstate

As a previous poster said the Tory politi s aren't to micromanage peoples lives for them. That's socialism and they are not socialists. You want thr state to basically do everything for you go vote Labour in and see how you like being molly coddled.

Some of you would probably like it if the government paid for everything, dealt with everything and gave you xx amount to spend on whatever you like without having to worry about paying bills etc.

Sounds like being a member of the Royal Family.

Working from home can lead to lower productivity in some businesses, got nothing to do with management. Not all businesses are exactly the same.

No, but it's not an inevitable consequence of WFH, either.

And certainly in the cases where the lower productivity is blamed on staff behaviour ('skiving') rather than because the business relies systems or processes that are objectively carried out more effectively in person, then you can very easily point to management as a factor.

@Newoneagain20

Never a great fan of Boris and the random stuff that falls out of his mouth!

But we as a company have started going back with a mix of WFH and office. A few people have pushed back as they used to travel distance for work (usually in the office mon-thur) and would stay in a hotel locally in the past but they are now unwilling to come in - which seems unfair as it was their choice to accept a role so far away!! Same as the people that have moved away, our company always said they would do a hybrid working arrangement and it seems to be have taken as permanent WFH so they also pushing back about coming in!

We’ve closed our local office so I do have to travel further and spoke to my LM with balancing school drop off with the impact of travel and they’ve been ok and I make my hours up on the days I WFH.

Our place is finding that unless they offer working from home as an option, they are not attracting the best. Up to employers of course, but the best candidates seem to be choosing employers who offer the choice of wfh, office or hybrid which mine does.

In my office the people who haven't returned have been spoken about, its been noticed. Now they've been told by management they have got to come back to the office.
They’ll all probably be straight on the phone to a recruitment agency looking for jobs that offer WFH. It’s a free market and if employers don’t offer what people want they’ll find themselves with no employees.

@JassyRadlett agreed. My employer invested in home working. I have been shocked at how some people are expected to work without access to info. My friend works for Experian and before the first lockdown they tested out home working so they could adapt systems for the inevitable lockdown. They deal with very confidential info, but planned and invested. Now a lot of staff are hybrid.

@NumberNineTwo

Is there really any reason why people shouldn't be back in the office now? Because they don’t want to. It’s inconvenient and unnecessary. The world has moved on and technology has freed us from having to commute. I see no good reason to go back.

For me, my work life balance is immeasurably better with DH and I both working from home 2-3 days a week. The kids never need to go to breakfast club. They are home an hour earlier than they were before the pandemic. I no longer have any stress related to making sure my commute works perfectly, that I leave the office right on time, that I'm not stressing and calling round to see if friends can get my kids if there's a delay with trains.

I get to spend more of my discretionary time with my kids rather than on a train.

I get to save a bit on breakfast club and our mornings are less rushed and stressful.

It's a real benefit, and I would now automatically discount any employer that required more than 2-3 days a week in the office. I'm fortunate in that my skills are in demand so I'm able to be choosy. But in a talent-constrained marketplace (as we currently have) the 'won't someone think of the property developer donors!' argument may not cut much ice with either employers or employees.

Leaders in industry have been saying for months that successful careers and businesses are best achieved when people work face to face.

If you read the business pages of the broadsheets, many respected CEOs are saying that the way to get on in a company is to be there, physically, and also that interaction between colleagues in informal settings ( lunches, over the coffee machine etc) are vital to good working practices.

You can't build a career working from home for the rest of your life.

* Working from home can lead to lower productivity in some businesses, got nothing to do with management. Not all businesses are exactly the same.*

It doesn’t have to. Case in point, in Asia, most GPs wfh for at least part of their day. But technology is so advanced that they can diagnose virtually. In the UK most NHS GPs have to work from the office even to make telephone / virtual appointments because the tech is so shit you need to physically see someone if you’re not sure.

Similarly DH works in engineering. They are permanently wfh and have been for 30 years. They have an output based management style. So as long as they produce x output each month they can work however they like. Number of hours spent online means nothing if you miss your targets.

[quote julieca]@JassyRadlett agreed. My employer invested in home working. I have been shocked at how some people are expected to work without access to info. My friend works for Experian and before the first lockdown they tested out home working so they could adapt systems for the inevitable lockdown. They deal with very confidential info, but planned and invested. Now a lot of staff are hybrid.[/quote]
Totally! Organisations that expected home working to happen just as in person working did, without any changes to systems, processes or support. And then moaned about the results.

You can't build a career working from home for the rest of your life
Agreed. But people want hybrid as a minimum. And some people don’t care about building a career, they just want to pay the bills and be around to look after their kids.

@JinglingHellsBells

Leaders in industry have been saying for months that successful careers and businesses are best achieved when people work face to face.

If you read the business pages of the broadsheets, many respected CEOs are saying that the way to get on in a company is to be there, physically, and also that interaction between colleagues in informal settings ( lunches, over the coffee machine etc) are vital to good working practices.

You can't build a career working from home for the rest of your life.

This only applies to young people at the start of their careers & Sunak and others have been clear about that because Wfh actually is better for people of colour, older workers & women as it destroys discrimimation in the workplace.

@JinglingHellsBells which is why hybrid working is becoming popular. I spend time on spreadsheets during the week. I do not need anyone's input and tbh doing it in a busy office is difficult. Doing it from home is ideal.
But I can see if you work in a relaxed office without much work, then being in the office and chatting a lot will make you more likely to be promoted.

Most businesses are now being flexible.
Most people are combining WFH and 2 or 3 days in the office.

It's not all one or the other.

People often need to be face to face to pick up on body language, especially during hard negotiating in business.

It's behavioural psychology and it makes a lot of sense.

It's a bit much him saying it's not governments job to fix every industry when it's government foul ups that have caused most of the problems.

It is just realistic to say people will miss out if they don’t come in to the office. I’m no Boris fan either!

I thought this was going to be able his views on misogyny as a hate crime.

Also we have stuff like a watercooler virtual chat online once a week.
But being honest, i do not want to build a career and a lot of people don't. They just want to do their job and get paid. What works for high fliers is different to what works for everyone else.

But I can see if you work in a relaxed office without much work, then being in the office and chatting a lot will make you more likely to be promoted.

Oh no, quite the opposite.

The people I know who are IN offices are snr management, who need to talk to each other face to face. They don't have time to chat or slack if that's what you mean!

I should point out that most London / Canary Wharf jobs have always been hybrid working & even analysts who are at the bottom of the pole would be able to wfh on Fridays.

@JinglingHellsBells

Leaders in industry have been saying for months that successful careers and businesses are best achieved when people work face to face.

If you read the business pages of the broadsheets, many respected CEOs are saying that the way to get on in a company is to be there, physically, and also that interaction between colleagues in informal settings ( lunches, over the coffee machine etc) are vital to good working practices.

You can't build a career working from home for the rest of your life.

Of course you can, and the best businesses have fully embraced this.

Companies that don't are bleeding staff.