To think colleague shouldn’t be on permanent WFH due to his DW’s Covid risk?

[oober6]

As in the title really.

The world has opened up, social distancing requirements have gone, vaccines have given us all plenty of protection.

We are key workers who have worked throughout, coming into work every day. I would love to be able to WFH! It would be a lot less pressurised, and of course, no commute etc.

AIBU to think management should now be telling our colleague that he has to start coming back into work? He is healthy and fit.

I’d suggest making the points about your own workload to your managers without saying anything at all about the colleague with the WFH adjustment agreed.

Concentrate on your own job. If you’re being asked to do too much, then raise that as the issue, regardless what you think is causing your additional workload.

Are you saying that he doesn’t do as much work when at home as he would in the office? If so, that’s the only part of this to concern yourself with. Are you genuinely having to do work he’s not doing because you think he’s slacking off? If yes, then you go to your manager and tell her/him that you can’t manage Dave’s workload as well as your own, and ask her/him to sort that out.

If you’re just imagining that he can’t possibly be producing as much work as you because his bum is on a seat in his spare room rather than at a desk in your office, then you need to butt out. People can work just as productively from home, often more, because they haven’t got the commute to deal with and they are more likely to use that time for additional work. Whole organisations are moving to remote working because they get better results.

If you think you have a case for permanent home working, then you should be making a positive business case for it to your manager. Not looking enviously at someone else. And try to have some empathy for a colleague who is worried about his wife becoming seriously ill or dying.

Not every ECV person can have the vaccine. Something many are not aware of. I, for example, am in this category and supposed to still be shielding (long as to why I cannot). If I lived with a another person, even physically fit and healthy, then they’d be expected to wfh, assuming possible to do so. If not then we’d be expected to live separately.

Covid contrary to various conflicting information on the internet or from various government ‘advisors’ is still a nasty bugger. Cases, hospitalisations, deaths all going up. Our hospital has been closed for two weeks due to covid admissions. In my family I've seen what it does to people, and, in relation to other conditions too.

I'm double vaccinated. Heavily pregnant. Did everything I could to protect myself.

Dh double vaccinated. His workplace doesn't give a shit about Covid. Works with members of the public - many of them from communities that won't vaccinate.

Dh brought Covid home and infected me. I'm super pissed off. Just put unnecessarily at risk.

Would have been nice if his employer had taken dhs family situation into account.

I think you need to get a clearer sense of what is and is not your business and then go to management.

Your additional workload = your business
Your desire to WFH = your business

What your colleague has in place with his employer = not your business, don't mention it
Your colleague's health = not your business
Your colleague's wife's health = not your business
Your colleague's childrens social lives = not your business

You can legitimately raise the first two points, but you'll shoot yourself in the foot if you veer into the others.

When the pandemic hit, we suddenly placed the needs of the vulnerable at the forefront of society. The majority were happy to go along with it, and protect them, even at the expense of our own liberty.

However, some are still clearly of the thought that that's what should be ongoing...... and it's neither realistic or practicable.

We've all been summoned back to the office including face to face meetings as we're all double jabbed. The day after our last meeting, a colleague tested positive for coronavirus. He was ill with it (needing oxygen). Another colleague tested positive the next evening and is now on a ventilator, despite being double jabbed and apparently fit and healthy.

The vaccines have reduced the numbers of people getting seriously ill, but it can still affect people badly.

Everyone is enjoying giving you a good telling off, OP! Not sure if you really deserve the pile on, though. Surely many many people in reality might feel a bit miffed if it seemed like someone at work was getting a seemingly easier ride for whatever reason. Doesn't necessarily mean you are a nasty, ungrateful, jealous psycho. But no, the mumsnet saints would all be perfectly happy to do the extra work because they are so appreciative that they don't have a vulnerable family member. Rubbish! Nothing wrong with feeling a bit irritated by the situation, it's not like you're sending death threats to your colleague or something!

@PiglingBlonde

We've all been summoned back to the office including face to face meetings as we're all double jabbed. The day after our last meeting, a colleague tested positive for coronavirus. He was ill with it (needing oxygen). Another colleague tested positive the next evening and is now on a ventilator, despite being double jabbed and apparently fit and healthy.

The vaccines have reduced the numbers of people getting seriously ill, but it can still affect people badly.

OP, this is why.

None of your business if he's been given permission. Try not to be so unpleasant.

@RubyTuesday70

When the pandemic hit, we suddenly placed the needs of the vulnerable at the forefront of society. The majority were happy to go along with it, and protect them, even at the expense of our own liberty.

However, some are still clearly of the thought that that's what should be ongoing...... and it's neither realistic or practicable.

So vulnerable people were considered valuable a year ago, but are dispensable now because everyone else has got a bit fed up of being compassionate? How long do we allow people before we get fed up of taking care of them? What a horrible way of looking at things. Even in ancient societies people who couldn’t take care of themselves were looked after. I thought we were at least as civilised now.

@ImUninsultable

Stop doing the extra work.

If your employer has decided that this employee can permanently work from him then they need to ensure that all the work is being done.

Call a meeting with your manager, explain the impact of the added workload because of this person's absence and ask how they are going to take the pressure off you and give the work back to them.

If you're feeling so much pressure to get the work done because this person is doing less work (for the same pay) that you're feeling this resentful then maybe you need some time off. If you're feeling the stress build up then get signed off for a week or 2 and take a break.

Don’t do this. Stick to the bits that affect you and leave the colleague out of it entirely.

The colleague has an adjustment agreed. The OP has no idea why or what exactly the adjustment is. She’s not entitled to know. A vague ‘because of his wife’s health’ could mean anything at all. It might just be a vague story because the circumstances here are forcing some kind of disclosure.

Going in an complaining about it and demanding that the work be given back to that colleague is not a good plan. The colleague may well have grounds for a complaint of bullying related to a protected characteristic (disability - because actually you have no idea that the adjustment isn’t really for his health) and even a discrimination case (because he’s being forced to disclose personal information and being blamed and victimised because of a workplace adjustment).

If your workload is unreasonable, that’s what to focus on. Don’t mention the colleague at all.

@BadlyFormedQuestion he has been very open about it actually.

I just wonder when the end point is?

@Duckerbizzle

Everyone is enjoying giving you a good telling off, OP! Not sure if you really deserve the pile on, though. Surely many many people in reality might feel a bit miffed if it seemed like someone at work was getting a seemingly easier ride for whatever reason. Doesn't necessarily mean you are a nasty, ungrateful, jealous psycho. But no, the mumsnet saints would all be perfectly happy to do the extra work because they are so appreciative that they don't have a vulnerable family member. Rubbish! Nothing wrong with feeling a bit irritated by the situation, it's not like you're sending death threats to your colleague or something!

Why is the immediate assumption that WFH is ‘an easier ride’? I am contracted for 36 hours a week. I rarely work fewer than 45, often more. I have worked from home for over 15 years and am a high performer. Just because I am at home doesn’t mean I’m not working. Any decent manager knows if people are producing what their organisation needs them to, and how to tackle it if they’re not.

This idea that wfh = slacking is infantile.

But no, the mumsnet saints would all be perfectly happy to do the extra work because they are so appreciative that they don't have a vulnerable family member.
Nobody has said they would happily do all the extra work.
They're saying the OP should focus on her own job and keep out of her colleague's business because the likelihood is she doesn't know as much about colleague's situation as she thinks.

She can raise her workload with her manager. She can put her own flexible working requests in. None of that involves speculating about a colleague's situation.

[quote oober6]@BadlyFormedQuestion he has been very open about it actually.

I just wonder when the end point is?[/quote]
You don’t know that this openness is the truth though.

Sometimes the circumstances (and the general feeling from colleagues that they deserve an answer) means people will appear to be very open about things because they have to. But the actual truth might be very different to the story you’re getting.

His managers have made a decision based on the information he’s given them. They may well have agreed a ‘cover story’ with him.

The point is: you don’t actually know.

Stick to the bits that are relevant to you.

Nothing to do with you

1. You are almost certainly not in possession of all the relevant facts
2. It's an issue for the management, not you
3. Time is precious-don't waste yours simmering over the possibility that someone might be getting a better deal than you.

@BadlyFormedQuestion

There is no way to say, "The added workload created by his working at home is untenable" without mentioning the workload created by him being at home.
She isnt asking for him to come back to the office. But she can ask her managers to find a way tin solve the problem because they cannot continue with the current workload.

@BadlyFormedQuestion

I’m going to put it to you that you do not know as much about your colleague’s circumstances (or his wife’s health) as you think you do.

This stuff is personal and people don’t broadcast it.

Your colleague has clearly discussed this with his manager(s) and they have agreed that a WFH adjustment is appropriate.

Rather than deciding you know better and getting on your high horse, maybe you could feel grateful that you don’t need to ask for this kind of adjustment (and have your colleagues get all judgemental about it).

This.

@MrsTulipTattsyrup Not my personal opinion at all by the way. Just that the OP said that she'd love to be able to work from home and avoid the commute and all that side of it. I certainly don't think that people working from home are slacking or anything of the sort. Just wanted to make that clear!

I just wonder when the end point is?

Yes you're within your rights to wonder this if you're picking up the slack. Have you raised it with your manager?

UABU as you said in your op you would love to do this so it is only down to jealousy on your part that you don’t want your colleague to be able to.

I don’t have much sympathy for people who don’t like it when others use their rights or privileges at work whatever they may be.

Someone in your house hold could get sick tomorrow and become vulnerable then you would need the same level of support from your employer. There by the grace of God go you or I!

You are also unreasonable to assume it is all sunshine and roses. There may be additional benefits for your colleague but unless you know in great detail about DWs condition he could well be dealing with additional caring and other responsibilities on top of his daily work load if she is too vulnerable to leave the house.

[quote ImUninsultable]@BadlyFormedQuestion

There is no way to say, "The added workload created by his working at home is untenable" without mentioning the workload created by him being at home.
She isnt asking for him to come back to the office. But she can ask her managers to find a way tin solve the problem because they cannot continue with the current workload.[/quote]
There is.

You just leave out the colleague working from home.

The OP’s complaint is that her workload is currently untenable. It doesn’t matter that she attributes this to a colleague WFH. All that matters is that she has more work than she can do in her working hours and it’s up to her manager to find a way to cover the work without overloading her.

No need to mention any other colleague at all.

It's fine for him to do his job from home permanently if that works for the company/institution/business. If him doing that doesn't work and involves you and other people 'picking up the slack' then that's a management issue. Talk to them and ask what can be done to ensure his workload doesn't become your responsibility.

Also don't assume you know every detail of his health or that of his wife. He may tell you a lot, he may be very open about some things but that doesn't mean he tells you everything.

@Daenerys77

1) You are almost certainly not in possession of all the relevant facts 2) It's an issue for the management, not you 3) Time is precious-don't waste yours simmering over the possibility that someone might be getting a better deal than you.

3 is the magic number