Socialising at work

[jgw1]

I have been told that many people had social gatherings at work, with cake, singing happy birthday and perhaps booze during the lockdown in May and June 2020.

AIBU to think that this is nonsense?

Most places had too many restrictions too have parties. Unless your the ones making the rules , then it all goes vague

Unless you work in a very very tiny office most workplaces had people in. Ours had people who didn’t have the option to WFH, the IT bods who look after the server room and fix people’s computers, mail room staff, cleaners, security, out of about 2000 people around 50/60 where on site on a given day.

They often had takeaways etc, most departments had a beer and chocolate cupboard. I went in one day to collect some things and opened my departments cupboard, left a sign saying help yourselves. Purely as a thanks for coming in and keeping the company going so I am still employed kind of gesture.... never occurred toe that any of this would be rule breaking

Nhs front line community outpatients here. Absolutely not. We still have all the same physical distancing, restricted room capacity, hygiene procedures and PPE requirements in place that we've had all through the pandemic. Any socialising was done via Teams. We had retirements, baby showers, special birthdays and leaving dos all on Teams. Still haven't had a full in person meeting or gathering.

Are you in Scotland mother or China? Why on earth are you not having meetings still?? Every single restriction bar none has now been relaxed. So unless you are working with the ultra CEV or terminally ill, I can not think why you are not having meetings as before.

I find this whole clinging on to restrictions even when they are not needed and everyone is living completely normal lives now really stupid. Why bother? You will be going to parties/restaurants/flights and all the rest without a moments thought, so why does it need to be any different in a work environment? I am sure someone somewhere is benefitting and not happy to change.

My assessor for my coursework still can't visit apparently, and has to do everything on zoom 'to be safe' It is just pure fucking laziness most of the time.

Scotland. With extremely clinically vulnerable children and their families. I don't see why that is being questioned or perhaps lumped into the 'pure fucking laziness' category.😯

Well I'm not in Scotland and we haven't had meetings either. Every month they are cancelled because our meeting room is tiny and we are unable to socially distance in there. Because regardless of what the government think (or want they voters to think) covid is not over, restrictions are still needed and it is still very rife within our hospitals. All restrictions remain in place in our hospitals and I expect will do for the foreseeable future.

In your position mother it is easy to see why decisions have been made to continue however in MOST other scenarios, this relentless clinging to restrictions is pointless and idiotic. We can't and won't stop covid with scraps of cloth and a social distanced rule that no one follows - with nightclubs and festivals heaving this summer, and everyone back to hugging, kissing and partying. It is like shovelling snow in a force ten blizzard, utterly futile.

If your meeting room is too small, find an alternative - the person to person contact is essential in my view. Laziness not to bother to find a bigger place which would take all of five minutes alight and it might be worth reminding you that covid will never be over...so best to crack on and get on with life no?

Thank you for expressing how lazy you think we have all been for not finding a bigger room to house all our teams for meetings. You sound like a gem don't you.

Your comments (pointless idiotic restrictions and laziness) are frankly insulting. DFO.

Too busy working til 10pm every night to make up for the gaps left by furloughed colleagues to ever think of driving from my WFH to (closed) office for the chance of cake.

Parties and mass gatherings didn't happen at my workplace (school) or Dh's workplace (Solicitors) during any of the covid restrictions, lockdowns or out of lockdown.

In March-July 2020 (and Jan - Mar 2021, plus some other outbreak times and when in Tiers 3/4) the staffroom wasn't open and there was no communal lunch gatherings, let alone parties. It was still strict bubbles.

Infact it's only been this week that the staffroom has been fully open to all staff at the same time - we have finally returned to non-staggered lunchtime and break times for the first time since March 2020.

Out of lockdowns in 2021 we did have cakes and buns brought in on occasions for birthdays but they were in the staffroom and people could get them at their designated lunch/break times. There was no singing - we weren't allowed to sing for ages in schools and I even once allowed it was restricted to a set max length of time and everyone facing same direction.

And I'm afraid there was no alcohol, no cheese and wine parties, etc. To be fair, that's not the norm in any staff room I've been in over my years of teaching anyway.

Yes, very much so - at both my workplace and dh's.

At my school the staffroom was closed at that point. Even the two adults in the class bubbles were not allowed to sit within 2m of one another during their lunch break, which was taken with the children anyway or occasionally one went, then the other, to give each adult some time out.

We didn’t when working directly with patients but when in the office space we certainly did

could we keep to that no you can not constantly be thinking of social distancing when you are run off your feet

but we tried and yes we had cake but no longer blow out candles

No sharing of cups, cutlery, pens, constantly wipingn everything down

this has carried on

I think those whose routine didn’t change and had to still go into work the anxiety around social distancing lessened sooner as we were not suddenly being rushed off to hospital having being in contact with other even those with Covid

Candles we haven't used outside of family occasions for years, but wiping everything down still JHC the brainwashing seems to be never ending.....we found out 19 months ago you can't catch covid through touch so why the wiping down and still not sharing cups!! 😤It is actually pathetic!!!

I'm sure it happened in some workplaces. But it's irrelevant. MPs are held to a higher standard than normal workers, as they should be.

The NHS do have strict social distancing. Of course they do! They always have done and will continue to, I'm sure, be one if the last services to do so. It's healthcare!! Ffs.

NHS worker. Social distancing only partially practical whilst working. No socialising in or out of work. Even made our cups of tea separately on a break.

Definitely not where I work. We used to have a buffet at Christmas where everyone brought something in and we’d gather in a meeting room for an hour or so. That hasn’t been allowed for the past 2 years. Absolute smoke screen it being said that a lot of people had parties.

So you work right next to someone for a twelve hour shift, sharing the same air but you can't make each other a cup of tea....do you not see how insane that is?

I've never worked at a Trust where employees would be allowed to drink alcohol on the premises - it has been a disciplinary offence at all the Trusts I've worked at. Even the pre-covid Christmas lunches were dry (people used to bring Schloer), so I find it somewhat unbelievable that medics would be relaxing together on-site with a few drinks.

A cake placed in a staff room for people to eat in a socially distanced manner sounds more believable, and I wouldn't begrudge anyone that.

@Octomore you're right, it is very very unbelievable. But seems to suit the narrative for some posters...

It isn’t about eating some cake or sandwiches at work. It is about non essential social interaction which at the time of Boris’ birthday was illegal. And now even more than the act itself it’s the lying about it and trying to pretend that they acted in accordance with all the rules.

I know people who did, yes, and until the whole party gate thing never considered it an issue or controversial.