Employers hell bent on working in the office full time

[NewDayNewLife25]

Anyone else currently job searching and noticed the same thing?

I'm utterly miserable in my current role which is unfortunate as I've been there for 4 years and use to love it, but a new manager has changed things. I've always worked from home.

Anyway, I've been applying for jobs, mainly remote/hybrid working but also a few office based roles. I always state in my cover letter what I'm looking for, and my address is on my CV too.

A few employers have contacted me, saying that I'm perfect for the role, have all the experience/skills that's required and that they think I would make a great addition to the team. But as soon as I've asked about the working set up, that's it, done. They won't entertain it and decline my application.

I just think it's a shame. I know that they probably have plenty of applications, but surely it's more important to hire the right person, with the right skills and experience. Not just because that person happens to live near the office. Half the time they can't even explain why they need the person in the office. Is it control?

I'm fed up already!

Well put 👏👏.

Yes

It's no less effort to do a job properly and well from home than in a distant office, just less time wasted - so often more time free to work.

But that's for the company to decide.

If anyone doesn't like it, they look for another job.

The flipside to all that is that not all businesses actually need "an office" at all.

Since 2008, the majority of my roles have been with companies (or subsidiaries within them) that have no need for office space. Literally everything is done remotely and if there is ever a need to physically meet up then there is plenty of rentable meeting spaces. Wherever is most convenient.

Sadly not having to spend any money on permanent office space and it's associated non-productive activities (who knew there was a regulation about sewage pipes and headcount ?) did rather mean they had more to spend on R&D and investment. But I am sure they got over it.

I am pleased that all that fucking hard work I put into my degree in the 80s where paperless offices were the dream of the future has paid off in terms of delivering the infrastructure capable of enabling remote working.

To be honest if you live alone and want to WFH you probably should go to the office for your health....having a nephew who has been housebound for 12 years being forced to go out has really helped his mental health.

But we know not all put in the effort at home. They are also not there to contribute in the same way on things that happen around them such as I've got this come in has anyone ideas....instead it's either plan a meeting for sometime later of work out something that not be the best solution yourself. Staff training is also pretty shit.

Both. My employer (NHS trust) manages it. There's a very efficient desk booking system and anyone who wants to be permanently office based can do so. Directorate and teams decide their own policies because they all have different needs. It's really not hard.

You mean the NHS that’s broken and government funded.

If the government want disabled people to go back to work, businesses will have to adapt. That will mean a choice between office adaptations or WFH infrastructure. Which will they choose?

I work hybrid, I enjoy my office days as much as my home days. There's a balance to be had and the push for 100% office work is a backward step for a backward vision.

I think teaching has bigger issues than WFH which make it an unappealing prospect for many...

Those who prefer a fully WFH job probably wouldn't be great in front of a class in any case....

And? It is not for you what you think is best for that business. It's is your opinion and that is all. You’d be far better telling your daughter /daughter in law to just get in it or look for another job which fits their need.

Exactly

Access to Work helps employees with disabilities and their employers to adapt, including any office equipment or building adaptions. This is government funded and awarded based on needs.

No need for anyone to make choices.

There is absolutely no evidence that "all the most talented people" are doing that. Some are. Others aren't. The business I referred to was the largest in the uk in its category (direct marketing agency) after 5 years starting with no money and no clients.and was sold to one of the top three ad agencies worldwide after 8 years. How did it happen? Many reasons but one was I paid people to work where I wanted and when, in the positions I determined. Not when they wanted or where they may have wanted. If you want to succeed in business you do it your way, not the way your employees want. Whether you succeed or not things happen as you decide.

The UK chronic productivity problem probably needs mention somewhere.

Are you aware of the % of disabled people who are actually not in work but want to be?

Access to Work helps with equipment and furniture for people assumed to be physically in an office - they cannot do anything that will help people who desperately want to work but can't sustain a commute and a full working day. I'm talking about people with chronic fatigue and pain conditions who have a limited amount of energy to expend before their health suffers and they are not able to work at all. I'm also talking about people with mental ill health - because just saying 'pull your socks up and socialise' isn't going to get that cohort back into work.

Access to Work is a small, easy piece of the puzzle. If this government is serious about getting people back into work, which would be great, then they are going to have to do a lot more and so is business.

Due to an accident a few years ago, I became disabled. I live with low mobility, chronic pain and fatigue. plus plenty of ops etc. Prior to my accident I had a good career but it is now unsustainable.

I’ve taken advantage of all the opportunities provided towards people living with disability and as a result set up and run a successful business. I make a decent living, I’m self sufficient and manage working well with my health in an office.

So yes, I’m above average aware of what is available to disabled individuals and their employers. It’s very do’able, people just have to go get it.

I mean, we live in a country which has a mainly market economy. An employer sets out what they want, and someone applies for it. If successful, win win.

Some people and some jobs are absolutely adaptable to 100% remote, especially self-employed and freelance work whoch is contracted. Others will never even be slightly remote because they are hands on. Refuse collectors, teachers, hospital nurses, care home staff.

The rest are somewhere in between. What I find puzzling is when the employee takes it upon themselves to be the 'expert' in what the employer wants. As a job applicant, it's a puzzling "sales pitch" to think you know better than the employer what they want. Even if you are intending to negotiate terms once you've proven yourself the best candidate, it's a negotiation and there's a risk they'll just say no.

I am of my generation (X) which might explain a lot of this. We came out of university as one of a lucky 10% who had degrees, but we were launched into a major recession. I worked in temp jobs in all kinds of shitty conditions before the job market picked up.

That gives me a different perspective from my millennial younger brother who graduated into a booming market, now works in tech, earns 3x my maximum possible salary, and can pretty much call the shots as long as he is working flat out.

It's impossible to compare one person's industry to another, so these debates are kind of reductive. The only real benchmark is the "wisdom of the crowd" that is the market. Both employers and employees are in a finely balanced dance depending on market conditions, sector, skills, region. If you want to know what the answer is, check the real world, it's out there.

Talking hypothetically about what employers should want is just that. Talk. Talk is cheap.

💯

what you’ve achieved is fantastic 👏

It'll be LinkedIn and those types of messages are very common.

They're not offering the OP a job, just an opportunity to get to know her better.

Thank you 🥰 It’s not been easy as I’ve had a major operation and recovery whilst doing it all, but I knew I needed to adapt or I was going to be reliant on benefits. I didn’t want that for myself.

This is typical of a certain kind of person who has overcome adversity and difficulty. Instead of learning empathy, all they end up with is 'well, if I can do it, so can everyone else'. I despair of people, I really do.

I am glad your life has turned out well. All over the there are people who try just as hard, but don't get what you have got. Learn a little humility.

@curliegirlie

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/dec/21/uk-teachers-should-be-allowed-to-work-from-home-education-secretary-says?CMP=ShareiOSAppp_Other

Lack of flexibility is one of the biggest reasons cited for teachers leaving the profession.
I think that if the demand for wfh becomes a legal right you will see on line lessons return at secondary level and/or senior teachers having 3 or 4 classes in the hall supervising whilst students work on their own.
In London particularly, it is hard to keep young women in the classroom. If wfh becomes a right it is bound to affect women considering teaching as a career.