Nigel Farage calls for an end to working from home

[sally037]

Nigel Farage has doubled down on his attack on remote and hybrid working, calling it “a load of nonsense” and saying people are only productive when working face-to-face in the office. He argues we need an “attitudinal change to hard work” rather than focusing on work-life balance.

AIBU for thinking this idea is just bonkers and totally at odds with how most of the workforce actually wants to work now?

I can only think it appeals to the "pull the ladder up" generation. Don't give two fucks about anyone else as long as they are comfortable or those that are unable to wfh and want everyone else to be as miserable as them.

The problem with Farage and his fans is they think everyone is like them. They’re knuckleheads who would take the piss wfh so assume everyone else is the same. They have a complete lack of imagination or curiosity around change and progress.

What is the "pull the ladder up" generation? Aren't you being a bit ageist OP.

I'm 62, a single mum, working full time. I wfh between 2020 and 2024 and put in 9 hours a day. My boss was delighted with that. Now I work from the office but only because my role has changed and my commute is four miles rather than 64.

Different roles and different people suit different work modes. Every circumstance is different.

Farage would do well to remember that if he wants parents to work full time so they contribute lots of tax, then flexible working is essential.

Don’t be naive. It’s a vote-winning tactic - like telling people that Brexit will enable us to regain control of our borders, create wealth and stop the influx of foreigners

But why do so many people, many who won’t even be working anymore care about others wfh?

As an academic I always loved working from home 2/3 days a week. Deep research is impossible to do in a noisy busy office and time commuting is time and money wasted. Being on my own has never bothered me but then I am a pretty self sufficient and disciplined person. I always treated it like being in the office and did not answer the door when I was supposed t be working - unless it was an expected delivery. Working at home is better for the environment too - all that traffic filling the roads at rush hour. So inefficient and polluting.

Because they didn’t get to and they’re spiteful twats. They had to go out and graft all day and they think everyone should. That’s it.

If tice lives there and wants to run our country that should be reason enough for people to be suspicious

I just didn’t agree with your reply to the pp which framed it as having no people to interact with outside work.

But that’s why hybrid works so well. Treat people as grown ups and let them work where they like on a day to day basis, but ensure you hold a few away days/in person workshops etc across the year so everyone gets at least some opportunities for face to face time.

Probably the reason he’s twice divorced

He can call all he likes it's got nothing to do with him. It's between then employer and the employee. It works very well for some employers, they have fewer overheads, need less expensive office space etc.
I have done both and I did get a lot more done at home, especially if I had to concentre on a specific piece of work. On the other hand I liked the interaction from being in the Office.
It sounds as though he has no idea what he is talking about .

I wouldn't expect anything less of him to be honest. The man is a scourge.

Wfh not only supports work life balance for everyone, but it supports people with ND or mobility issues/ chronic health conditions to sustain work, helps people manage their childcare arrangements (by lessening commute not working while caring), allows people to focus on key tasks with more focus depending on their job type.

It's just dinosaur thinking of wanting to go back to "the good old days" of how we've always done things without thinking about who that actually benefits.

Really it's down to control and feeling the need to physically see an employee sitting at a desk to know that they're working because you lack the management skills to motivate and oversee your team effectively.

I suspect there is a (large?) proportion of the workforce who if they could not work from home would not be able to work at all - does he really want to add to the benefits bill?

It’s definitely to appeal to his dual core base of businesses wanting office space let and those upset someone, somewhere is getting a deal they are not.
I think it’s reminiscent of the fake/fantasy 1950’s Britain sold to get Brexit voters - where everyone has a lovely pint delivered and skips down flower verged roads happily (unworried by no equality or poor work conditions or even food rationing and nasty diseases of course)
Alternately, it’s linked to their ‘breeding’ ideals with more women forced out of the workplace- not good for couples who want to pay rent/mortgage of course but hey Ho.
Considering who is telling us to get into the workplace it would be laughable - if folk weren’t liable to fall for the con the second time around, which makes it scary.
Be interesting (as well as awful) to see what NF would deliver, and his excuses for not doing so and not turning up at Parliament very often.

He knows he's going to decimate welfare, so he doesn't give a shit.

Going against the grain as I think WFH is detrimental.

Since it's acceleration mental health issues have increased. Human contact is essential even for introverts.

People do get more done in the office, it eliminates skiving.

There will be career advancement more readily available for onsite employees.

When home and work is blurred you never switch off if WFH.

Yes fares and petrol cost but that is something that needs to be factored in when budgeting. Not sure why people complain about this when it has been the case for decades.

Location. Again, you choose to live in an area that is accessible for work. Whether that is driving range or train access. For a small number that includes walkable.

People who work from home do disappear to collects kids from school and go to the gym. Things you should do in your own time not your employers.

If someone wants to WFH they should set up their their own company or be totally freelance. I.e in charge of their own destiny.

Yep, never underestimate people's ability to be a dog in the manger.

It's Reform's whole shtick, isn't it - 'look, these people are getting something you're not and they're taking your stuff!'

I agree with you 100%!!

For decades people didn't work from home and life went on. WFH is relatively recent. Humans can adapt back to onsite working. Everything is life is habit.

Because when they phone the local council and get put in a queue, they assume it's because people are skiving wfh. They don't realise the low levels of resource in the first place, and don't realise call handlers can take more calls and are more likely to stay in their jobs if they don't need to commute.

I don't think Farage needs to have any input into this, it's up to workplaces. And of course some some jobs it works well.

But I do think, as much as workers love it, that it's a problem in many workplaces. It's a problem because people take the piss, because it's not as easy in many industries to measure results as people seem to think, because it's increasingly difficult to treat employees differently because you know some are not up to wfh, and because its simply much less effective in terms of building skills, teams, mentoring, and so on.

That's why many workplaces are wanting people back, not because they are worried about sandwich shops going out of business.

I don't really have time for the whining about it. Swathes of people have no option but to show up at work, the (often better paid) people who think it's some major injustice if they can't wfh seem clueless about how annoying and privileged they seem.

I think you'll find the increase in MH issues isn't related to people WFH who are doing so happily and with MH benefits.

There are numerous non-WFH jobs for people to seek employment in if WFH is a problem for them. The majority in fact.

Can you link to any research on WFH and mental health?

I am also curious that if you think people get more done in the office, why do companies even offer WFH as an option? Surely most companies want to maximise profits?

😂 ok

this is a good example of the weakness of informal written communication/ discussion.

To clarify - I am not saying people shouldn’t work from home. I do myself. But I am trying to say that does have many costs. And on a societal level costs add up to consequences.

Does that mean we should ban it - no of course not
But she would pretend like there no issues with WFH? - again no of course not

I think in some ways wfh is being used to cover up what is a real problem which is lack of affordable, suitable, housing in a reasonable distance to workplaces, and a housing market where people can't afford to sell and move closer to a new workplace.

Similarly with schools - even older kids in many cases seem to need to be collected from school and delivered elsewhere, which makes little sense. But it's how the larger system has been set up including not enough local school places.

Absoluetely. 100% the DWP.