To think that Boots move to 5 days a week is a step back for workplace equality

[Vistada]

Boots HQ, a predominantly female workforce - has been told they are to be back in the office five days a week from September with no debate and no real solid reasoning (in my view)

https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/boots-to-end-hybrid-working-for-office-workers/

I think the move to hybrid working is amazing for everyone, not just women, in terms of helping to achieve the work/life/parenting balance that has eluded us for so long, but we can't deny women shoulder this juggling act more.

I think this move, and any move back to 5 days in the office (where its really not needed) is a huge step back for workplace equality - and for a male CEO to enforce this just shows how out of touch he is.

Pay for an alternative to workers doing their jobs at home without a dedicated private room. That means either paying what it takes to bring them into the office or paying them more so they can afford more space.

So, who?

Companies very rarely crumble without a candidate they haven’t even hired yet. But surely you can see that having a role open for nearly a year isn’t a good thing?

If people are writing code they will be inputting customer data, my data which I don’t want spread round multiple locations with children and other non company people in the background in the same space. I also don’t want to speak to people on the phone with non company/ service employees in the background of non private spaces. I am pretty sure I’m not alone in this.

It just beggars the question as to whether they need the role filled in the first place.

But that’s your experience. Why can’t you accept that it’s not the same for everyone? And no, not everyone can find a quiet meeting room. That’s the problem. There are very few meeting rooms which are reserved for face to face client meetings and group conference calls. They are not there for people to take themselves off and get some quiet time.

I love the idea that you think your data is ultra-protected in a call centre, where there is a massive turnover of staff who can all easily access it, but that someone’s five year-old toddling past when mummy’s on her computer is a massive security risk.

I work as software developer. I don’t touch real live data from customers. I use fake data because using real data has got risks

I think there needs to be far more transparency and regularities re company/service security and what data is out of the protected workspace.

So who inputs the real data?

Coding doesn’t involve personal data. What are you on about?

I think there might need to be more transparency on the level of data protection inside some physical workspaces, given the touching level of faith some of you seem to have...

They will need it. They wouldn’t be advertising otherwise. The reality is that others in the team will be picking up the work and working even longer hours until they get fed up and find another job themselves.

You actually think that comment will sell wfh to employees!!!

Not my team. Not developers as per your comment (if people are writing code)

Eh?

So who and how do people on calls for all sorts of things deal with cases without pulling up personal data on screens?

But that’s different roles.

your initial comment “If people are writing code they will be inputting customer data”

that’s done by developers. Call centre people don’t write code

Well obviously they do, or they wouldn’t continue to advertise it. In any case, not being able to fill a role is completely different to not needing anyone to fill it.

The 5 year old in the background whilst you are inputting my data and dealing with calls re personal things from health to finances?

It depends on the call. As consumers we speak to companies and services re all sorts of things and with all levels of staff.

What about them? You’re not making any sense.

honestly in my opinion the negatives of wfh are far worse than the negatives of office working.

For you. Surely it doesn’t take that much imagination and empathy to see that what is difficult for you is no problem for someone else and vice versa?

I literally said I’ve accepted it.

If there’s a lack of quiet spaces then that’s an employer problem, not an office working problem.

Yes yes to this. I frankly don’t want to use services or companies that use people wfh in ever more cramped housing with kids in the background because staff think they can save on childcare .I also don’t want my data in that environment.

This is a really limited view of wfh. I have been wfh for YEARS. It suits me and I'm much more productive tbh.

The world of work is SO varied. And loads of companies don't deal directly with consumers.

My son however , being young, suffered from having to work in a cramped bedroom during Covid. And LOVES going into a office. There is no one right answer and it's ridiculous to think that there is. This is reflected in all the different work set ups out there .

My SiL only WFH and goes in for occasional meetings because her company sold off their buildings after Covid. They are a world famous beauty brand. Her assistant lives 200 miles away from here. It is a company heavily populated by women. No one outside the company would ever know.

Putting a wash on and then working straight through the next few hours is no different to having a coffee and a chat and then doing the same in an office.

Also commuting is an unproductive, expensive ball ache. End of. There is zero shame in knowing that. It is not the price we pay for the privilege of work.

You said it wasn’t comparable. Of course it is, in both situations we were talking about someone’s mental health. You will have a hard time finding an employer that has multiple individual offices for quite work these days. It’s all open plan, that’s the problem.