To think that employers will have to pay more for working in the office roles?

[MrsMarieMopps]

Following on from the poster who is annoyed she will have to come back into the office two days a week, I honestly think this argument will come up again and again.
I have never been able to work from home, apart from the odd day when I had COVID. Worked through the pandemic in an office. I am an NHS employee and need to be in the hospital even if not necessarily clinical.
My trust is now fully back to pre covid 'everyone must come in every day'. I don't disagree with this. We should be in supporting the clinical staff and patients!
This means spending on

• transport (£12 a day for me)
• parking
• childcare including wraparound and school holidays
• food which can be transported. Milk for work, butter for work etc. I was home I could just make something out of what I had at the back of the cupboards
• some have cleaners as they are out the house more.
• some gym memberships are cheaper if you can go off peak. Which I can't.
• contributions to leaving presents, maternity leave, big birthdays. These contributions are presumably are less pressured if not in person.
• sickness. There's many days when you can't pull yourself in to the office, or when you're contagious, but you probably could log in from home. I have defo noticed my friends are rarely 'calling in sick' anymore for their children or themselves but WFH instead.

So whilst I appreciate that not all jobs require an office presence, if I was a job seeker why would I choose one that's not hybrid or working from home, especially nowadays. I feel there is going to have to be some sort of reimbursement for taking on a job which requires you to make all the sacrifices in order to do it. Also can't help noticing that it is generally the lower paid who are having to keep paying all these necessary costs. We don't have people falling over themselves to do jobs in care, retail, hospitality as it is and I think this would really help with adding an incentive. Otherwise why would anyone become an NHS band 2 admin or a cook in a nursing home? Also I'm aware heating costs may be more but that's just one thing and most just put another jumper, my workplace is freezing anyway!

Has anyone said that it will reduce the numbers of people looking for jobs which you can’t do from home - nurses, doctors,police etc
Or at least if I had my time again I would def choose a jib I could do from home.

And also my children are adults now and as you just have one five/six year old perhaps you don't know more than me about appropriate levels of interaction for 8 year olds.

Not everyone likes wfh, I only lasted a month then early retired. I liked my job in the office, it was about a mile from home and very flexible, I was intending to stay there about another 5 years but couldn't stand being stuck in the spare room day in day out.

No, you’re paid for the job you do not your personal circumstances. Should someone who lives next to an office and walks to work be paid less then someone who has to cover big train costs?

I agree with you. Those who have to go to a place of work should be paid more. Companies are having problems retaining employees. Why would someone become a care assistant on minimum wage when they can work from home for the same amount?

And it's way more of a pain to go somewhere to work.

Of course, employers that need their staff to come in don't have to pay more, but they'll find they can hire and retain better people if they do.

Nope, I am also a senior professional. And my child is much closer in age to 8 than yours are.

@MrsMarieMopps yes I would rather commute into the office every day and I do. I could have one working from home day but I choose not too. You can't do our job effectively from home more than thay anyways

This. No one should be caring for their children while also WFH, and your day should look the same regardless of whether you're in the office or at home. Ie, you should be working and not cleaning, hanging out washing, going to the gym etc. As I said on the other thread, feel free to make all the demands you want, but if your work can be done remotely, it can be done overseas and probably for a fraction of the cost. Where does that leave you?

@wyntersuhn it leaves us at the same place as it always been. We have been outsourcing software development for years. Nothing new. I had worked with lots of teams from India and also Israel, US and Europe. Only change is we can now do it at home and on teams instead of teleconference.

You made it sound like outsourcing is new.

Your child is a few years younger than eight which means you don't have experience of looking after an 8 year old so a bit rich to tell parents who do how to do it unless you have specific professional knowledge. A new born baby would also be closer to 8 than my children too but that doesn't mean their parents are more knowledgeable about 8 year olds either.

Maybe they should just get them involved in such activities. I WFH and do loads of BD and staff development work.

I don't think they will pay more, just have to accept for some roles agreeing to some part of the week working from home. Easier to give people some time (no commute some days) than pay more.

MrsMarieMopps · Today 11:17

If you look at the other thread there's lots of parents up in arms because they won't be able to pick up their kids from school. I'm sympathetic as a lone parent but I think those of us without that luxury should be reimbursed.

@MrsMarieMopps Please could someone post a link to the other thread?

My child is 7 next month actually. I am 100% positive that next summer holidays I will not be allowing him out in the street by himself, much less in an unsupervised group of children of the same age. I am also certain that I will still consider it inappropriate for him to have to amuse himself all day while I and his father work, save for throwing the odd bit of food his way. But you do you, your kids have made it to adulthood in one piece, all good.

You could get that small bit of tax back during covid for wfh but I'm not sure if you still can now, it wasn't much though, hardly compensation for having to give up 2 rooms in the house if you both wfh, not everyone has a large commute that might compensate for that disruption

DH had 2 large screens set up, hardly something you could put on the dining room table

This. Why would employers pay more for people who are half doing their jobs because they're actually SAHPs rather than workers?

BillyBraggisnotmylover · Yesterday 11:49
People have always gone to the gym in the working day, doing so on your lunch break while WFH is no different. Nobody’s suggesting people are doing it while claiming to be at work. Ditto cleaning my loo or hanging up washing - I clock out, do the task, clock back in. I free up time when kids are home that would otherwise be spent doing these tasks. Employers are doing to have to get used to the mindset shift that many people want to work to live now, not live to work.

Agree. My employer offers a gym and swimming pool, so exercising at lunch time is quite acceptable, whether you’re in the office or at home. Not everyone has children and not everyone takes the piss. But you’re right @BillyBraggisnotmylover the whole mindset has shifted. My employer was unable to recruit until we finalised and published our hybrid policy, no one wants to be in the office 5 days per week any more

I for one would HATE a wfh job - surely not everyone wants to do that? I'm at the other end of my working life now, but for me, if I have to work the best part of it is interacting with the people I work with. I truly would hate to be at home all day working, and I know that I would struggle to settle down to actually work. Fortunately my job can't be done from home (receptionist). I'm not in the UK and I don't even know anyone who wfh - I'm not saying people don't, of course they do, but it isn't as common here. I actually heard a news item this week saying people are heading back to their offices now. Wfh is my idea of hell.

I think they've stopped that now. I never claimed it anyway because I didn't want my local council coming round and saying I was running a business from home and charging me business rates.

@MrsMarieMopps

To think that employers will have to pay more less for working in the office at home roles?

I WFH mainly - and have 3 large screens set up, but I have a proper desk

Forced return to office - anyone else? www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/4853082-forced-return-to-office-anyone-else

Below is the current thread on WFH

I agree. I lead a team that needs to be onsite 5 days a week, and the rest of the workforce only has to come in 1 day a week (most come in far less though as the managers don't enforce it). I know my team get disheartened when talking to colleagues who love talking about all the money they're saving on season tickets/tube fare/childcare due to their new working patterns. Effectively they have all got a pay rise and increase in living standards, whereas my department has remained stagnant.