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.

You ask if you can have 20 minutes of their time to have that specific conversation, it isnt that difficult..

There are plenty of threads discussing WFH. This thread started by the OP about Farage.

HTH

Generally speaking public sector services that have moved away from in person to remote delivery aren't doing it so their staff can WFH. They are doing it because it's cheaper. Depending on the service, you can often support people more quickly over the phone than in person, so less front line staff are required. Webchat even faster due to AI and the fact that a human operative can be running several chats concurrently. The move to remote as an efficiency iniative predated covid. Covid just showed us that staff can provide the remote service from home, saving on office costs and sonetimes acting as a perk in lieu of higher pay. I agree it's not ideal for vulnerable people though.

How are you still married to him? The monumental ick I would feel 😫

100% this. My dd has had to start up a business of her own to get employment as none outside the home are suitable for her disability needs.

Generally speaking public sector services that have moved away from in person to remote delivery aren't doing it so their staff can WFH. They are doing it because it's cheaper.

Incentivised by successive governments starving local authorities ...

Or you could have multiple hours to have that conversation day in day out 🤷‍♀️

Yes, the right are always going on about nanny state, except when it suits them, like WFH or assisted dying. Then the state has to decide for us as we aren't capable of deciding when and how we die.

that can be done wfh too, if the company is invested in training, mentoring, there are many in office jobs where you’d hardly get any face to face time, can be ignored etc, in office doesn’t automatically mean training, mentorship etc will be any good.

If you’re so aggy about it then it’s on you to look up. But anyway I made no claims - I said MY OWN mental health is in the pits.

my parents were teachers, and of course they did partly ‘WFH’ (marking and lesson prep) - it’s actually a good example of how it’s entirely normal for parts of many jobs necessitate physical presence in a workplace but other aspects can easily and effectively be done from home.

No. It was started by the OP to discuss Farage's comments about working from home. Although it quickly turned into the usual insult-fest from those anxious to prove how much they HATE Farage. And these comments add nothing whatsoever to the subject matter of the OP's post.
HTH

Meanwhile there’s a thread about someone sending a rambly sorry for self voice note 😂 and that being not ok.

Honestly the more this thread goes on the more I am agreeing with Farage. The wfh fanatics have absolutely no recognition of the downsides.

Farage is an agitator on many subjects..divide and conquer.
He would survive a nuclear war being a cockroach.

We’ve got a widely agreed government agenda to get everyone working - for disabled people WFH is hugely helpful. Snow days, traffic and so much more are eased by people not travelling for no purpose. It’s a dog whistle to the ignorant to say to restrict it.

I've had to do the same. I'm now retraining in a totally different field to my original area, to be in roles that allow for WFH.

Lol.

The overwhelming majority of Amazon and Boots workers can't WFH and are low paid.

If they have an issue with their senior over-paid staff needing to be back in the office, that's an issue with the organisation itself and not indicative of WFH failing.

Stuart Rose is 76 years old who first started his work in retail in 1972, benefitting from becoming a multi-millionaire in retail and being given a peerage on the backs of low-paid workers.

He's not who we should be listening to when it comes to what is beneficial for society or individuals other than himself and his other multi-millionaire cronies.

I’m not sure what my comment has to do with that other thread?
I’ve been trained as an entry level up through wfh, there’s managers that are often in drop in rooms, I have had dedicated mentors, so so much contact time etc. I’ve also had friends in office jobs that have had that, I’ve also had friends in office jobs, who have had none of that, they don’t get the drop in moments or mentorship, they get ignored by the higher ups. The in office fanatics don’t seem to realise that is not a solves all solution? I said it comes down to the company both wfh and in person. In office does not automatically mean training and mentoring and the opportunity for that will be available nor does it mean it’s automatically not available in wfh

People working in the office really help the working class out who fill all the catering/building management/cleaning rolls.

Of course the middle class like wfh but it screws the hospitality sector that is mainly staffed by working class.

Farage has always been on the side of the working class at the expense of the middle/upper classes.

Theres a whole sweep of white men his age who are very invested in city centre commercial property values and also over attribute declines in some industries to wfh. Eg

• less footfall in pubs/bars: its more because young people don't drink! They are at the gym/hyrox/spin classes instead.
• less spending in eateries: its because young people spend a greater proportion of their money on rent, tax and student loan contributions than their predecessors, they can't afford to eat out.
• reduction in train usage: its become too expensive relative to wages, and younger people are environmentally conscious. All my young colleagues cycle to work rather than spend using buses and tubes.

Farage is short sighted. As a 40 yr old woman with kids, my friends and I all work far more hours than the women who came years before us, because wfh has faciliated this around family responsibilities including encouraging men to take their share of pick ups/drop offs. Cut wfh and we'll all have to reduce our hours - watch the burgeoning private equity backed childcare sector sink like a stone.

Our guys went to the union when we tried to enforce it. I always put my camera on. We have people say they are dressed / make up done. Well get ready for work same as you would if coming in.

In the same way that there is office based work, and badly done office based work,there is also wfh and badly done wfh.

Farage would say literally anything to provoke a headline / a debate on MN/X/Threads and the rest simply to keep his face, his "party" and his personal brand current. It's how he makes his money.

It's not, I repeat NOT because he holds the view, or has any view at all other than to be contrary for the sake of it. Trump does exactly the same thing, as does Boris Johnson, that shit literally argued for and against Brexit to sell his poxy newspaper column.

Please stop feeding the machine. Farage would simply die off for lack of interest if we ignored him.

Never mind businesses, this would cost the government a fortune in extra office space. My partner is a civil servant and they currently work from home 50% of the time because there isn't enough office space for them all to be in the office at the same time.

Of course the middle class like wfh but it screws the hospitality sector that is mainly staffed by working class.

@Zebedee999 how so? Spending has moved to local high streets because the people who buy coffee will still buy it. As @Peridoteage says today’s young don’t spend the same on alcohol/pubs and have less disposable income due to housing costs