5 days in the office - rant!!!

[DonnyDoris]

My company mandated 5 days in the office a couple of months ago, which in principle I have no issues with. However, my commute is just over an hour on motorways that have long term roadworks, so massively tedious and today I have no meetings so absolutely no reason to be here other than presenteeism. Could have got so much more done and also all my housework if I could've worked from home 😖Just needed to get that off my chest!!!!

fuck that id be gone looking for a new job asap

Because if you're sick and contagious but fit enough to work you can stay at home and continue to work.

Some people in this thread are hard of thinking 🤨

On my days WFH I take many calls from clients answering questions that I don’t need to be sat at a desk for. So I’ll wander around tidying (putting shoes into the basket in the cloakroom, hanging up laundry, plumping pillows etc) nice silent jobs that don’t take any brain power. The client is happy to get their answers and I have some movement which is better than sitting at a desk for 8hrs. No body loses in that situation. At work, I’ll be sat a my desk whilst doing the same thing. Simple multitasking. I keep noisy or more complex tasks for lunchtime.

I do this in the time i would otherwise spend commuting.

WFH is an interesting topic with pro's and con's for both view points.

By WFH, the occupant is essentially proving to the employer that it is a role that can done anywhere else in the world - in cheaper locations, and the large employers are doing just that as contracts come to an end/ roles are restructured. Not all WFH jobs can be offshored, there may be regulatory or other reasons why they cannot. However a great many can and it is certainly happening. My husbands company has a whole division in India doing quite specialised work that used to be done here - and it is growing.

Such a shame your employer is a dinosaur.

I wouldn't work anywhere that mandated that and would be looking for another job.

How pointless.

Presumably a team of people in India working in an… office? Any company can offshore work if it saves them money, regardless of whether their UK team slavishly shlep to the office 5 days a week and never so much as make themselves a glass of water all day, or work from home several days a week.

I’m sure the OP can just click her fingers and do that! 🙄

Why do people on here say such ridiculous things as if it’s easy to get another job on a whim, let alone a fully home based one?

No, it means that there are illnesses, health conditions snd disabilities that people can manage at home but not in the office or on public transport.
An upset stomach where you'd not want to risk it, something contagious that you'd spread round your colleagues if you came in, a back or joint problem that doesn't stop you using a lap top but restricts your mobility.
Health is not a binary too ill to work or well enough. Otherwise they'd be no such thing as phased returns and reasonable adjustments, would there?

This.
Going into work is not just about attending meetings; it’s interacting with colleagues passing on information, helping younger colleagues. Over the years there is lots of information that you absorb without necessarily needing it immediately, but is useful further along the line.
If everyone was so productive wfh surely companies would get everyone to do it and save money on extortionate office rentals?

Do you really think a) that’s 80% of sickness and b) it’s common to take sick leave when you’re fit to work but contagious?

calling other people hard of thinking 😂

Of course it's in an office @SwingTheMonkey. In fact it's in several offices in 2 cities. It's an enormous operation - and all of those jobs not that long ago would have been here.

I am simply pointing out if employers increasingly want their employees in the office and they do not/will not then don't be surprised if the jobs disappear. It really isn't rocket science.

Lots do. My husband works for a company who don’t even have an office - anywhere. Their employees are spread across the globe. They manage to work together quite well without being in an office together.

'Find another job if you’re not happy'

You really are a genius.

Work on world peace next!

But “managing distractions” takes time away from the job which doesn’t happen at home…

80% is a very high proportion of the sickness though. In most companies the bulk of short term sickness is seasonal virus’, D&V etc. yes they are contagious, but many of those people should also be resting and not working to aid full recovery.

it’s also possible people are “half working” sick or not bothering to record sick days.

No it isn’t. I don’t either!

You’d have to be pretty stupid to think that your job is safe because you go to the office. No company is going to say ‘we could save millions by moving this dept to India, but we won’t because we wouldn’t see Sandra’s smiley face in the office every day’.

In the same way that the team in India would be gone if they could find anyone even cheaper. It’s got sod all to do with whether you go into the office or not. If you can be replaced with cheaper labour, you will be.

Although I can't relate as I'm in one of those jobs that can't be done from home (and I need the socialising aspect of work 😂), I totally get why it's annoying.
Especially when you know you can get the same (or more) done from home but will now have to spend over two hours a day in traffic.

Of course it doesn’t. You tell the people to leave you alone, then go to HR or line management if they refuse to. It’s not a constant task. We’re not talking about regular “good morning tennis lady, fancy a cuppa?” Chats, we are talking about distractions so prevalent they are making people less productive. That’s something the employee needs to raise and leave to be dealt with. Not pretend they have to work from home because there is no other option.

Can't comment on your office culture but in a couple of places I've worked (not all of them, mind) it was socially unacceptable to come into the office when contagious.

People really do get snippy at people who value flexibility. I will never understand the 'employer as king' mentality.

I’m NHS and I do compressed hours over 4 days. Two are on-site (I stay over) and two from home. My commute is 2 hours each way.

I get more work done from home as it’s quiet and I can crack on with things. At work, there are up to 5 people in a small office with numerous people in and out. No-one can concentrate!

Employers need to move away from people going in to work 5 days a week. It’s mental.

Of course it does. I go into the open plan office and am constantly distracted by other teams who for example are taking calls all day long, are chatting about what they’re watching on Netflix, having to queue to use a kettle, microwave etc.
I don’t mind my in person days, but they’re definitely less productive because of distractions. Unless offices were then told to be completely silent… there is always going to be more distractions.

A little off topic but we have builders in our house at the moment. 8-4 they barely stop for five minutes. Obviously have to travel to wherever the job is and if they don’t work they don’t earn. However they will still be earning when so many of the office/wfh jobs have disappeared.