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Original poster

to think what Boris Johnson has said today is unacceptable?

211 replies

NoviceNewMN · 05/10/2021 14:00

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

OP posts:
Ionsion · 05/10/2021 16:39

@HouseworkDodger

Also home working decimates smaller businesses like sandwich shops, restaurants and high street shops which have relied on office workers business so he has got a point there.
It seems a bit extreme to force everyone back to the office for the sake of the sandwich and coffee shops. Besides when I’m wfh I often go out at lunch time to get lunch from the local shop so it’s not as if they lose any of my custom
tempester28 · 05/10/2021 16:41

He is right sorry.

Kleptaklunky · 05/10/2021 16:41

Boris is absolutely right
People should get back to work and stop loafing around in their pj's all day

pilates · 05/10/2021 16:42

I agree with him

CBroads · 05/10/2021 16:42

He talks so much shit, his arsehole is jealous. This oxygen theif literally runs the country, no wonder we're a laughing stock to the rest of the world.

EarlGreywithLemon · 05/10/2021 16:43

@lonsion quite. Sandwich and coffee shops in the city centres will lose out, but local independent shops in the suburbs will do well. But I guess they’re not big Tory donors

SusieBob · 05/10/2021 16:44

@Kleptaklunky

Boris is absolutely right People should get back to work and stop loafing around in their pj's all day
Yeah because it totally is a binary choice between those extremes. Not that what you are wearing has any impact on performance at work, for most people, of course.

Boris can't on one hand say it's not his job to fix business problems and then say "oh, but everyone should be back in the office".

EarlGreywithLemon · 05/10/2021 16:47

@Kleptaklunky

Boris is absolutely right People should get back to work and stop loafing around in their pj's all day
Speak for yourself. Most of us have been working pretty hard at home. I’d say Boris needs to go back to work, but there’s no “back” as he’s never done a stroke of work in his life.
rrhuth · 05/10/2021 16:47

@Kleptaklunky

Boris is absolutely right People should get back to work and stop loafing around in their pj's all day
It always amazes me what people believe, they know nothing of the real world.

They project what themselves onto the world, so lazy people assume others are lazy.

JinglingHellsBells · 05/10/2021 16:52

Senior manager in a large company.

Not enough detail @EarlGreywithLemon

I guess you might be late 20s, or early 30s and you seem to know enough about this colleague to know how he's built his entire career around working from home. Or has he only worked from home since you have worked there?

I'd be really interested in the sector. A 'manager' is meaningless.

Is there a reason why he does that?

EarlGreywithLemon · 05/10/2021 16:56

@JinglingHellsBells

Senior manager in a large company.

Not enough detail @EarlGreywithLemon

I guess you might be late 20s, or early 30s and you seem to know enough about this colleague to know how he's built his entire career around working from home. Or has he only worked from home since you have worked there?

I'd be really interested in the sector. A 'manager' is meaningless.

Is there a reason why he does that?

Think again about my age - I’m nearly 40, and have been working there a while myself. I won’t disclose the sector, but it’s a US colleague who chose to move away from a big city a while ago.
JesusIsAnyNameFree · 05/10/2021 16:57

@Kleptaklunky

Boris is absolutely right People should get back to work and stop loafing around in their pj's all day
Some of us have been working more than we ever did in the office as we don't have a commute anymore. They can forget that now they expect me to drive in to do exactly what I do from home; fucking Teams meetings.
Andante57 · 05/10/2021 17:03

@RumblyMumbly

Why do people always preface their comments with 'I'm no Tory' or 'I'm no Boris fan'?

Apparently, there are no Tories or Boris fans out there, so it's quite remarkable how he managed to become PM.

I’ve often wondered this.

If Labour win an election in the future I wonder if every political thread will start “I don’t vote Labour” or “I’m no Keir (or whoever is leader) fan”.

JassyRadlett · 05/10/2021 17:05

@HouseworkDodger

Also home working decimates smaller businesses like sandwich shops, restaurants and high street shops which have relied on office workers business so he has got a point there.
Meanwhile, there independent cafes, a sushi place and a bakery have all opened within a ten minute walk of my house since the pandemic, and are thriving. It’s a well to do commuter town, which means that daytime footfall has increased significantly with higher levels of WFH.

Any profits from those businesses are more likely to go back into the local community, rather than to a Luxembourg-based holding company.

Almost like - what do they call it - levelling up outside city centres.

CoughingInAisle15 · 05/10/2021 17:06

I don’t see much wrong with either statement. In any event, not agreeing with a particular viewpoint doesn’t make it unacceptable. It just means you disagree with it.

BlueMongoose · 05/10/2021 17:09

@MintJulia

Well, he's right that it's not the govt's job to set employment practices. That's between employer and employees.

As for being gossiped about - really!!! Who cares? Just achieve your kpis, maintain good contact with your colleagues and show that wfh can be a success.

Actually it IS the government's job to see that working practices are safe and fair. They set the legal frameworks for work, and any penalties for wrongdoing. They're also supposed to enforce those laws, though this shower have cut the staff that are supposed to make sure workplaces are safe, etc.
MintJulia · 05/10/2021 17:11

@Rosebel But why should people go back to the office at all? Why waste time and petrol and congestion travelling 40 miles each morning and each evening for absolutely no benefit whatsoever.

I'm sitting here with email, videoconferencing, instant messaging and access to every system I have in the office. I don't need to be physically in an office more than once a week maximum.

This is our opportunity to cut emissions, to convert commercial land to residential land, to make better use of our assets, to improve our quality of life, reduce stress and limit damage to the environment.

It is a chance for people not living in or near major commercial centres to have decent jobs and decent wages. It's a chance for real levelling up. For God's sake, let's not throw it away.

Mythologies · 05/10/2021 17:16

it's not the govt's job to set employment practices
Like the poster above, I cannot believe the stupid downright lack of understanding of this comment.
It is ABSOLUTELY the government who sets LEGAL working practices - or shall we bring back slavery and/or the working conditions of the Victorian Britain Thatcher was so fond of.
Oh wait - The US has different legislation - no sick pay, no maternity, not holiday, no pension, no rights on losing your job ...
Looks like Boris has already brought in the working practices this government and a whole load of the posters here want.

DixonD · 05/10/2021 17:20

Well he’s right about one thing - those who refuse to go in WILL be gossiped about by the ones who do go in. It’s been happening at my office since March 2020!

JesusIsAnyNameFree · 05/10/2021 17:21

@DixonD

Well he’s right about one thing - those who refuse to go in WILL be gossiped about by the ones who do go in. It’s been happening at my office since March 2020!
You had people go into the office in March 2020? Surely your job can't be done from home then as anyone who could do their job from home should have done so.
Unsure33 · 05/10/2021 17:24

I don’t see a major problem with what he has said and it should not be taken out of context. It is up to each business to get people back to work and pay their staff a fair wage whilst maintaining profit .

And sometimes people are too quick to blame any government for anything without taking personal responsibility.

And I loved his wording for the protestors.

Unsure33 · 05/10/2021 17:26

@MintJulia

But that is up to employers to find out what works for them surely ?

Some industries do not work well at home and some do .

And I agree that some people are

Unsure33 · 05/10/2021 17:27

Taking the Piss by just assuming they can work at home for ever. It’s not fair on staff who can’t

Unsure33 · 05/10/2021 17:31

@EarlGreywithLemon

So refreshing to see throw away comments like that . You step up and do the job then . Through a pandemic .

The whole world had serious supply chain problems at the moment not just the uk . What China and russia do affects us as well .

So you are welcome to the job. That also by the way pays less than many regional NHS managers

ReuniteTracyandEliska · 05/10/2021 17:33

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