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.

He's learnt from his hero Trump that soundbites work really well with a certain sector of the voting public.

Our local councillors most certainly are as thick as pigshit.

Telephone?
Teams?

You can still speak to people when not working in the office. For years, well before wfh was normalised I had managers in different countries and time zones to myself and we managed.
Although I am hybrid so still have office hours.

I wouldn’t be able to work for my current employer if they weren’t fully WFH. They got rid of their nearest office to me during covid, but it was still too far away for me to travel to every day. I also work harder in this job than I have in any other one.
I wish Nigel Farage would just go away.

I have worked in an office, full time, and worked from home, full time, as well as doing a mixture of both. Depending on the project, I would say a mixture was the most productive in terms of management and organisation. I appreciate the combination is not possible for many jobs, but there were, in the past, other ways of compensating for this, such as flex-time.
Having worked for someone, who was only happy with "bums on seats" I can say that this was the most unproductive period, which was underlined, when I returned to that department briefly and saw that NOTHING had progressed in the interim 6 to 7 years!
If you are managing correctly, with clear goals, deadlines, regular team and stakeholder meetings, regular progress reporting etc., it should not matter whether you can see your team/colleagues in person.
If you are not managing correctly it makes no difference whether people are physically present or not.
There is no "one size fits all".

Hopefully it means HMRC and DVLA

I’m not who you’re replying to but I’m young(ish) and hate wfh, it’s definitely impacted my mental health negatively. I have an office to go into but there’s no benefit to me going in if there’s nobody else there!

Maybe they are talking about public sector jobs specifically. Which actually may have been more flexible pre-covid, before wfh became so political with rubbish like this.

I think WFH works for some roles/people and not for others. It needs to be assessed on an individual basis depending on those factors and monitored to ensure it works.

Working in an office is often far less productive. I work much more efficiently at home, although do benefit from the odd day in for training and relationship building.

This is a GREAT IDEA to just get loads more people claiming disability benefits because they can't work full time in an office. Genius.

We shouldn’t be listening to a work Farage says anyway. I didn’t vote for him. He’s not my leader. He has zero relevance to my life.

Which office does he work in?

Last May reform advertised 9 jobs in their office for remote workers

That is actually hilarious.

Has he never read Animal Farm?

And DWP.

Actually I think this is the more worrying bit of what he’s saying: He argues we need an “attitudinal change to hard work” rather than focusing on work-life balance.
He wants people working more and more hours with fewer and fewer rights - hence wanting to leave the ECHR. WFH is just one aspect.

Jacob Rees-Mogg and his one man campaign comes to mind.

What there should be about wfh is a point where a certain level becomes an implied term of your employment contract, so at least you would be given a significant period of notice before being asked to be in the office a lot more.

He might be scared of actually winning the next election. Didn't Sunak start jabbering about conscription when he wanted to be set free to go and enjoy his riches without responsibility?

I think a broad range of people don't understand it. I'm 67 and was a teacher, so it wouldn't have worked for me!

But my brother has worked mostly from home for about 20 years now. He's in a senior role in telecoms and has been headhunted several times by firms which want his particular mix of skills, knowledge and contacts - he worked for a while for a Dublin-based firm, despite being resident in Yorkshire. His wife works for a University in administration and has been WFH since covid, now hybrid 3/2.

My brother is occasionally called to meetings in London, but it's less than once a month. For London-based companies, it means they can recruit further afield and get people who are not living in the city, which is unaffordable for many.

I’m wondering where Farage thinks the government will put everyone. They run Kent County Council now, the same council that have sold off most of their head offices.

Wait, is he proposing they buy back those buildings at an inflated price from their property cronies?

I think the massive effect of a global pandemic on employment in 2020 was more likely to be the reason :)

What the fuck does it have to do with that loathsome, self serving cockroach of man where people choose to work from??? Each person and company has different individual working needs that work best for them and the business, you can't just chuck a 'one size suits all' approach at every worker in the UK, it doesn't work like that. I work from home, as a free lancer, I don't need to go to an office, it's just me anyway. Farrage is a vile little penile wart for whom I have zero respect and never will - it melts my brain that there are actually people who look at this guy and hear the words that are coming out of his mouth and think 'yeah, I'll vote for him'. My DH has met him and can confirm he is a total cockwomble of the highest order. I'd sooner have that cow from the news who can scratch it's own arse with a broom handle in charge of our country, at least it knows the difference between it's mouth and it's arsehole.

I don’t think this is going to be a vote winner for him. Particularly not with young people, working parents, or the majority of office workers.

I think hybrid is a good mix. If I ran an office I would do atleast 2 core days and an additional office day of your choice.

I don’t think most wealth of experience is imparted from direct questions. Most people don’t even know what question to ask.

I am trying to think of some examples but they are shit..

• Jo you are really good at diplomacy, have you considered x job
• Tim seen you are doing this - here’s a shortcut
• Long rambling story about when xyz happened - rare industry shitstorm
• My friend works in xyz, they get 2 weeks at Christmas off
• This just popped in my inbox - random discussion about training, event, industry news
• My boiler is broken - oh you should try Phil
• Someone buying a first home and being bullied into taking an arranged mortgage with estate agents - no you don’t need to do that Timmy!
• Someone’s parent has died and everyone can see they are still struggling

Btw I am not saying we should ban WFH - but I think to ignore the value of workplace is completely deluded

have to be honest & say that I am, BROADLY in favour of people not working from home. I think it is good to actually meet your colleagues, socialising/making friends & for those in their first jobs, learning how to do the job! In my twenties I would've hated wfh & been very lonely. All that said, we shouldn't through the baby out with the bath water & wfh allows a lot of parents (yes, mainly mothers!) to work flexibly etc etc.

I can't imagine Farage has come up with this on his own - is it something that Trump or Putin have suggested first?? He is only interested in the oxygen of publicity & god help us all if anyone thinks for even a moment that he has given this real consideration & isn't just saying the first thing that comes into his attention seeking brain

If it's a global company I'm guessing the younger members of your team may earn a better than usual wage and be able to afford their own multi-room flats, so that they don't have to sleep and work in the same room. It's fair enough in those circumstances that they are happy with some wfh. My friend who lives in a 5-bed houseshare in London zone 4 comes into her office every day Monday-Friday. Her boss commented on it, and she had to point out that between lack of space and noise from housemates she pretty much cannot work from home. Fwiw she actually has a really good (in the sense of prestigious and interesting) job with a large employer, but she works in the arts, doesn't have family money, and that's what she can afford in London. I think @JacknDiane is right to point out that WFH works much better for some people than others.

Nigel Farage just needs to be ignored, hes buddy buddy with a prolific pedophile aka Donald Trump.