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.

I think it’s up to employers but I can see we need a mindset shift change to get this country back off its knees. I really think it would help people get out their bedrooms and back to working with people . There’s a huge mental health problem with young people and yet friends at work can be a real support . We don’t want a generation who can’t cope with life outside the home . Productivity in this country is terrible and we have no growth at all . A big help would be if large employers offered crèche facilities as the cost of childcare / pet care is extortionate. I think the idea of going back to work needs exploring . A lot of jobs can’t be done from home and this puts them at a disadvantage when recruiting if employees only look from wfh jobs .

To be fair, I would have gone into the office and put my child in nursery if I possibly could have - working at home with a toddler absolutely destroyed me. Different if they had older children, of course.

Adding learning and development to this - there is so much that’s missed out when you WFH.

Given 40% of economic growth since 2000 has been women's economic inclusion, you wonder how the UK economy will weather the reverse of that situation when women are excluded by being forced back to the office?

When I was at university and studied sociology back in the 90s I remember there was a theory that women were a"reserve army" of workers. So basically when hard times come, women can be sent back to the kitchen. Maybe that's what he had in mind. Nigel being a bit of an unevolved fossil of the 90s himself .

(Source: www.gov.uk/government/news/women-key-to-unlocking-growth-says-minister-for-women-and-equalities)

Are you comfortable with ageism, misandry and generalised statements re race generally?

If the only way of knowing if people are doing their jobs or not is to do next to them, then better ways to measure things are required.

For decades people did WFH. Particularly working class women who did piece-work, external laundry, external childcare, tailoring and being seamstresses at home.

They were often the only options for women who had young children at home.

It's not new!

The industrial revolution created jobs at home and in it's demise, others disappeared.

In the technological age, many more industries were created and many can be done from home and this increases in the post-technological age.

The idea that WFH is relatively recent is false.

That's got nothing to do with WFH, and everything to do with staff shortages.

If you ring my organisation, your call will go through to the relevant person's mobile, whether they're in the office or WFH. We haven't had desk phones for years. And even if someone was loading the dishwasher, they can still hear their phone (no different to being stood at someone else's desk in the office?)

Until recently wfh was restricted to some very specific types of roles. Typically people being paid for contracts or piece work with very clear deliverables, or high level workers with proven track records - this group were often hybrid.

Covid is what pushed people in numbers, and workers have demanded that they have a right to wfh, and I think many workplaces have tried to accommodate. It does seem like there can be benefits in terms of things like work life balance.

What they are in fact finding is that productivity goes down, among other things.

Farage is an idiot.

Balance between expensive office space and less efficient homeworkers.

With increased redundancies, companies have more space available onsite. Productivity wise, the majority of companies want their staff onsite. They lost ground in the post COVID era but it is clear the momentum has shifted back.

Ultimately the employer should decide. There will be increased opportunities for those onsite.

As mentioned, if someone wants control of their own destiny, self employment is the way forward,

Absolutely this!

For decades people did WFH. Particularly working class women who did piece-work, external laundry, external childcare, tailoring and being seamstresses at home.

People can still take that option as they are self employed.

It is the corporate companies who want onsite workers.

On my few days in the office I used to attend meetings and use the library. So I was hardly ever at my little desk in a remote corner. I can remember a colleague asking me if I had a clue what happened in the office and I said no, I wasnt interested in office politics. Just getting the job done. She gave me a pitying look. But then she was 20 years younger. I suspect that people who love office working need an audience to see how hard they are working (or appearing to work).

Disingenuous. He knows how productive WFH can be as he earns most of his money doing Cameo videos from his kitchen table.

I suspect one of the main reasons people get behind the vile likes of Farage is they're working from home and have plenty of time to surf the Internet and be brainwashed by his followers (and Russian bots). I've seen it with outwardly very sensible people.

So bring it on

We know.

My comment was in response to someone saying WFH was a recent trend.

Habits can also be broken.

Also, the ones able-bodied could do onsite work but those who are disabled or limited mobility would struggle so what happens to them? How are they to survive?

Wfh is not that recent, it’s at least 50 years old.

Besides, it’s not going to stop the people who skivvy because they are likely going to do so regardless of where they work. That’s a personality issue, not a location issue.

1. Not sure what business it is of this prick to tell any business how to operate
2. I manage a £2m business perfectly well from home thank you

My husband had a new young employee who started right around the beginning of covid. It was so hard for her, there was no one to show her the ropes at all, no one to see how she was getting on, no group projects, meetings were all on Zoom which is not the same. The poor girl was in an apartment by herself 9 hours a day fresh out of school having never worked at a job like that, or even in an office workplace environment, before.

A lot of these young workers had real struggles integrating into the workplaces when there was no one in the office.

This is a culture wars strand that has been bubbling away for a while now. My dad - retired for over a decade now - gets really riled up and upset about the topic. It’s pure emotion, not based on knowledge of working from home either during the pandemic or after but on things he’s read in the Telegraph. We can’t talk about it now as it has actually led to some really nasty arguments.

The funny thing is he worked for an employer - big blue chip multinational - that was hybrid years before covid. He’s proud of having worked there too. Just doesn’t seem to think the plebs can be trusted.

Because a lot of his voters don’t get to work from home. They are at the coalface with hands on roles, rather than in home offices watching their computer while popping a load of washing on.

I am home based, as is DH. It’s been great for us. It hasn’t been great for lots of people though.

I don’t think it’s Reform’s place to push that agenda though.

Busy looking busy.

It's quite an effective strategy in an office. Less so WFH.

It won't happen. Our council hot desk now. Departments have to book a slot.

The thread is about WFH. Why do so many threads get derailed by disabled comments which is not the issue here.