To think that they should have made a decision about WFH by now?

[LivinginWFHlimbo]

I'm feeling quite fed up and not sure whether that's reasonable! My employer (a university) has still not made any long-term decision about working patterns/remote working for non-teaching staff. Non-student facing teams (including mine) are still currently fully WFH, but this is always said to be until the start of the next term and then gets pushed back and back and they've been promising some sort of long-term plan since about June 2020... The latest promised date for this update has come and the update is that we'll still be WFH for the spring (shock!) but that there is a 'long-term ambition to have some degree of campus working for most people', which seems to mean nothing. I really want/need to get special permission to come into the office even though the rest of my team aren't but keep being told to wait on this decision that never comes. Ultimately if we're going to WFH forever I need either a new job or a new house, and I'm so frustrated with feeling like this really quite large aspect of my life is in limbo. Am I being unreasonable to think that surely most employers have sorted this out one way or another now? Are lots of other people still not sure what's going to happen at their workplace long-term?

I was saying this to my husband the other day. At some point companies have got to make a decision.
If WFH is working for the business then make it formal. If it's not then be clear about a future return.

The not knowing makes it worse. People are making life decisions about housing, childcare etc and need to know where they're expected to work.

I work for a University and have been doing a mix of wfh and office since August, so you are not unreasonable. Management can make these decisions if willing to.

@Boood

Given the sector you work in, I’d guess that your employers are putting all their energies into trying to persuade teaching staff of the importance of giving students a bit more than Zoom lectures for their £9k a year, and they’re fobbing you off because where you work has less of an impact. Shit for you, but I can understand it.

I think this is one of the reasons that they're trying not to address the issue, because there's already tension around people being forced to teach face-to-face. I don't think it's working, though, because I know there's some resentment from some of the academics about the fact that big swathes of other staff are still fully WFH.

I don't think it's working, though, because I know there's some resentment from some of the academics about the fact that big swathes of other staff are still fully WFH.

But this doesn't really add up as a reason at its the same in loads of sectors. There are some roles which can be done 100% remotely and others are front facing and require attendance at the workplace.
My DH leads a team which has about 30 staff who have to be in workplace while he and another 2 staff work from home. It completely depends what the job role is.

I agree that it's irrelevant that teaching staff are in, I was just speculating that one of the reasons that they're endlessly kicking this down the road is that the controversy with academic staff (and the union) is making the executive team reluctant to open any more discussions about where people work. It clearly is seen as a sensitive issue for whatever reason; I was at the last meeting for all professional services staff (KIT day) and someone asked a question about it and everyone acted like they'd said something vaguely distasteful...

I also work in university professional services, based in Scotland. We've been doing a hybrid of WFH and office since October.

We've been told they won't even look into us going back until the middle of next year
I find it so lonely and soul destroying. I've worked there nearly 20 years but I think I need to find something else as this just doesn't suit me anymore

It should be irrelevant that teaching staff are in but I've found that's there's a bit of a them and us attitude between academics and professional services staff. I'm sure it's the same in other universities. The executive team are constantly walking a tightrope to keep both sides on board.

My DH's company is still dithering, which means we're still in limbo. Other way round for him, he loves working from home and we'd like to move out of London so whether he's able to remain WFH, expected back in the office FT or a mix of the 2 will determine how far we're comfortable moving. It's really frustrating.

My company made their decision a few months ago now.

@WildStallyn

My DH's company is still dithering, which means we're still in limbo. Other way round for him, he loves working from home and we'd like to move out of London so whether he's able to remain WFH, expected back in the office FT or a mix of the 2 will determine how far we're comfortable moving. It's really frustrating.

My company made their decision a few months ago now.

Sympathy to you, it is really frustrating - and that's the thing, I'm not annoyed because I don't want to work from home, I'm annoyed because I think this is too long to leave people not knowing very basic details of their terms of employment. I can't believe someone upthread said 'oh well, you've lived with uncertainty and not being able to plan your life for 20 months, why not carry on'!

Yes. I could absolutely accept my work not being able to say exactly when they are expecting us to return to offices, I know they’re following government guidance and that’s still very up in the air at the moment where I am. So all right, they don’t know when.

But surely after 20 months somebody could make some decision about what the future looks like, whenever it comes! WFH forever? Back as in 2019? Some form of hybrid but we aren’t sure what? We have been ‘discussing’ future work plans since summer 2020 and have gone from “oooh, not sure, lots to think about, we’ll have to do a staff survey” to “gosh it’s all very complicated, isn’t it? Who can say, really.” FFS just decide something!

I’m giving it another couple of months for them to do SOMEthing other than dither, and then I’m giving up and looking for a job elsewhere.

My workplace is prioritising people like you who don’t have a suitable work station at home, putting them on a priority list to get them back as soon as possible. Hopefully yours can do the same!

I personally love working from home but I have colleagues who have been sat on beds, at dining tables and even on the floor this entire time because they don’t have suitable space at home. And then you go on a Zoom call with the big boss who calls in from their gigantic study with hundreds of books behind them, sat in a big leather office chair, raving about how great it is that everyone gets to WFH now and it’s utterly maddening!

I also work in a University and although they can be pretty rubbish about making some decisions, they've been on it with our new way of working and we've had an agile working policy in place since September. I now WFH four days a week and our whole team goes into the office one day a week. You can go in any additional days if you want, you just have to book a space in the office so all the desks aren't taken when you get there.

However all Universities are different and where we have all our teaching back face to face on campus, I know another University in the same city is still teaching online for a lot of their courses. A friend at the same place is still WFH and hasn't set foot on campus since March 2020.

It's all really unsettling. DH is a cross-border worker and the two countries have to agree that WFH can continue otherwise tax and social security become complicated. The agreement has been extended at least 4 times, but only for 6 weeks at a time, and only at very short notice (so we heard last week that the agreement has been extended from mid-November till the end of the year). So he will have at best a few days notice that he will have to go from 4 days WFH to 4 days in the office. The employers can't do anything, it's all in the hands of governments really.

Disagree that it’s ‘irrelevant’ that teaching staff are in. Not at all U for employers to consider wider employee relations issues in taking - or postponing - decisions about specific employee groups.

You are being unreasonable to work for a university and actually expect them to have a policy in place. After 3 million steering group meetings, xyz stakeholder input, court meetings, union input you might have an answer in about 5 years.

After 3 million steering group meetings, xyz stakeholder input, court meetings, union input you might have an answer in about 5 years.

Oh god, the steering groups! We have so many I can't keep track of them anymore!

@Toottooot

You are being unreasonable to work for a university and actually expect them to have a policy in place. After 3 million steering group meetings, xyz stakeholder input, court meetings, union input you might have an answer in about 5 years.

This is absolutely true and fair.

And then after those million meetings and 'consultation events' everyone will still be up in arms because 'no one asked me'.