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.

Shovelling public tax money into private bank accounts is what Reform, and their alma mater the Tories have made an entire political philosophy from.

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

He is not 'on the side of the working class'. He is exploiting the working class to gain power. Brexit didn't help the working class. Privatising the NHS won't help the working class. Scapegoating foreigners won't help the working class. What Farage really wants is low taxes, low regulation, and high profits for him and his mates.

Pots and kettles, where does he work? His parliamentary attendance is awful, and his constituency surgery support poor. You must remember this man, allegedly now holder of a German passport, has never had a proper job in his life.

Farage is a fraud.
He will manipulate and screw the ordinary man/ person with lies to line his and his chum's pockets.
Divide and rule is the game this imbecile plays.

It is nonsense. We need to get more people back to work (and off benefits) - not create barriers to it. There are many people with health issues which may mean working in an office is not possible but work from home is.

The economy requires more taxpayers paying into the system. If someone is financially independent and not claiming benefits, it is not the role of the state to determine how they work. That is between employer and employee.

It’s utterly ridiculous and clutching at straws. Shows a total lack of understanding of the modern work place and proof they only care about working everyone to death to benefit millionaires. My company office is almost 5 hours away and I tend to go in once a month to see my team. I have a productive team who work incredibly hard but I also don’t care if someone drops off to do the school run etc. Everyone benefits - most importantly the company benefits as retention is high and we’re not constantly having to recruit very technical and rare roles. Frankly they have been able to hire an incredibly skilled team from across the country that wouldn’t been found locally or they couldn’t afford if they enforced office attendance.

I am trying to find my way out, I assure you

Some really nasty ageist shit all over this thread.

I would like to see him (and others) call for MP's to actually attend Parliament. I have just looked on BBC Parliament and there are about a dozen MPs and a dog in the chamber.

That will be because they are working from home 😀

Working from home is giving people with children flexibility to work. For example, I'm a teacher. I've no flexibility. My husband who works from home takes the kids to school and picks them up 2 days a wk (grandparents do some of the pick ups). If he had to go back to the office life would be a lot more difficult and expensive. More childcare costs and he would pay a fortune in parking and petrol. He is very productive working from home and the kids don't have to go to an unknown childminders house at 7am every morning. He said he gets much more done as people in the office are constantly interrupting him. If he needs to take an hour out during the day, he makes up for it in the evening. As long as the work is being done and the company is happy with the output and the work force is happy why on earth would you change it. Not to mention worsening traffic congestion, and a rise in pollution that will effect us who do have to commute.

To be honest, the fact that Farage keeps banging on about this, instead of other, more pressing issues, just makes me feel that Reform are not a political party to take seriously.

Is this for real?
Farage is on the side of himself and his fellow multi millionaires. The only use working (and middle) classes have to him is to earn him and his mates cash - though currently he’s obviously touting for votes from them too.
I appreciate there may be less cleaners needed if buildings aren’t required but there are also many, many working class people wfh on minimum wage on such as admin or call agents - some, particularly those with care responsibilities and/or disabilities will no longer be able to work if they have to go in at set times and no flexibility. Also it will disproportionately affect lower paid (aka working class) people to pay to travel in - Farage cares for neither cleaners or wfh working class.

Your mates' commercial property investments suffering Nige? Offer something tangible to small shops and businesses and that might change. Otherwise it's just Old Man's Blather.

He's playing to his crowd.
He only has to give them some vague notion (he's in the charmed position of not having to explain intricacies, he only has to play to prejudices/ignorance) that prohibiting WFH will make it easier to claim their benefits/get daily or weekly GP appointments.
The shtick will be that getting through to the DWP, the local authority, GP's etc will be far easier if staff are in the office.

don't be fooled by the pint of beer & fags, the one of the boys image he tries to promote....... Farage has NEVER been on the side of the working class. Don't forget he is Dulwich educated & the only thing wrong with that is his denial & efforts to look working class.

He is a Trump disciple & will be looking to make as much money as for himself & his cronies. Nothing he says now means anything - given the chance he will do what is best for him

Got to love a communtiy note

Conservatives have already done this. They made government depts go back to work, hybrid. I think for civil servants who are paid by tax payer they should be in the office more but private companies can do what they want.

exactly, you should be dressed and look decent. at home or not.

@exse24Londoner - I agree with you completely. It worries me that there are British voters who are falling for Farage and his snake-oil salesman tactics.

Farage called working from home "a load of nonsense". He doesn't seem to be wanting to have a decent sensible discussion about it.

I can see some companies wanting people back in the office. Why would you not allow them to make those decisions themselves rather than relying on Farage to make the decisions for them?

If he ever gets in government it will a shock to his system that it isn't all going round pubs grinning, pint in hand, producing inflammatory soundbites.

Are there ?

The British are hardly famed for their political engagement.

Also - as this thread shows - Farage and Reform are very much liked in the abstract. People like the idea of them. However as soon as anything resembling a policy emerges, that tends to vanish like a strand of cress in a vindaloo.

Given the nature of this thread I am reminded of organising work "dos". Everyone asked likes the idea. But as soon as any suggestions appear, they become a lot less keen.

I think there are a lot of people who are falling for his rhetoric - maybe not here but on my Nextdoor app any criticism of him is greeted wave of adoration. I'm not sure how much mumsnet is a cross section of society (or Nextdoor for that matter) but there is a lot of support for him