To think perhaps WFH might need encouraged again for a while

[MrsMillhouse]

The news refers to petrol shortages. Not sure if it’s just headlines or clickbait. But if there are going to be shortages, surely the government should be starting to encourage WFH and using public transport where possible

Where are these restrictions, has anyone actually seen any??

All normal round here (near London not in it)

That's not necessarily how it works. I read an article the other day that explained it, but I'm darned if I can remember where.

This would be really good!

I’ve seen a few pumps out of action locally. No big queues or anything: so doesn’t look like any panic buying

Read just today that panic buying is shutting some stations temporarily. People are their own worst enemies eh?

1. it would take 5-10 years to see any of it due to industrial timelines for getting to it / extracting it / refining it

2. it’s bloody expensive compared to cleaner alternatives we can build faster

3. the companies excavating it would sell it on global markets to the highest bidder, so it would make them richer but not make us any more secure

What would make us more secure is if we had cheap and abundant local power sources with no fuel cost linked to global markets - something like lots of solar and wind and the storage (like batteries) needed to hang onto it for when we need it.

That’s what we’re trying to build now, but it’s challenging when public opinion is driven by profiteering oil and gas companies who don’t want us to be free of them and far-right influencers they bankroll to make clean, local power into another front in the culture wars.

I have flexible working down to 40% attendance rather than 50%as a reasonable adjustment. I worry it won’t always be allowed.

Yes and better got the environment overall. It seems everywhere you go, the roads are so congested these days.

Nothing drives me more nuts than people who retired at 55 20 years ago insisting that we all must go in every day. They stopped working before digital tools came in so they just can't imagine how we are performing better and more efficiently than they ever could (and many of us will be working two decades longer...).

I think you've just got to hope for the best and focus on what's now.

I would lose my mind if I had to go in regularly but I'll cross that bridge etc.

i know, people seem to see being in more than the 50% target is a badge of honour as well.

Or Northern Irish!

I would never say "needs encouraging". It sounds unnatural to my ears and I definitely associate that grammatical formation with England. Not everyone (and therefore posters) speaks like that!

Yanbu. I emailed my director about this today. I work in food retail, but in head office, and we all have the capability to wfh. Staff on my level are barely above NMW, and fuel in my area is now scarce, and over £1.80 pl for diesel. Really not acceptable on any wage, let alone NMW!

I already WFH, DH does not, he does a 55 mile round trip 4 times a week.

We have a reasonably economical diesel car but the cost to fill it from just over 1/4 tank was £67 yesterday after we tried 4 different filling stations, a few weeks ago this was £45/50 ish..

No public transport (we live rurally) kids get a school bus.

I am already thinking of ways not to go out…sadly even nipping to the shops is a 20 minute drive with no suitable walking route I suppose I could try and cycle it, not sure how that would work for a full shop.

And how many people will be working as much from home or will they expect bosses to pay them to look after children etc.

I work in the NHS too and where I work they won't budge on the one day a week we are allowed to WFH. Even though there's barely any space when we are all in.

People who work still have to deliver the things the work. Wfh should be a right for everyone who can.

It's really pathetic. There is absolutely no reason for it except political posturing even when it flies right on the face of all the other policies government and management pretend to care about. We all must trudge to the 1970s office because that's what the only voters parties care about, i.e. the retired, want.

I’ve worked from home since 2020. Apart from during lockdown, my son has been at childcare when I’m working. I’m suggesting the working from home to increase in order to cut down petrol use if there is a shortage

Well played

We have a new band 8 whatever she is and she wants everyone in 5 days a week
I compress my full time hours to 4 days and do Monday and Thursday in the office and Tuesday and Friday at home

My “desk buddy” in my team sits at my desk 2 days and then 1 day a lady who is based at another site comes over and uses the desk - thankfully we are all really clean and respectful of the space!!!!

There is no way this could be anymore not unless they had more office space which they toyed with renting offsite but it would cost loads and if you’re offsite - you may aswell be working from home!

I'm a lawyer and we time record in 6 minutes units and I always get a lot more recordable time done at home as there are fewer interruptions

You are routinely in touch with multiple 75 year olds who all have an opinion about how much time you should be in the office?

thanks!!! My other big idea is that everyone should get their messages delivered from the supermarket as it means that a few vans doing the rounds is better than everyone taking their cars to get their messages

Yeah, let’s go and get some. Does anyone have a bucket?

…..will be asked frequently in 10/15 years time….history repeats itself. The downfall of the uk will come from a continued decline of its self sufficiency to provide energy and food.