What are your work doing?

[helpme7]

Didn't see a thread on this but apologies if there is!

Given that it's become more serious and people are more panicked, what are your work doing?

I work in Central London in finance. People with a cold are not even allowed in and must work from home. Anyone who feels uncomfortable can also work from home. All travel to Italy is banned and there's restrictions on Asian countries.

I personally am not worried at all, but I do love working from home!

What about you?

Retail here,
we've been told we now have to implement a 'bare below the elbow' rule across all staff members ( so no clothing below elbow, and no watches / bracelets etc).

Hand washing emails, guidelines on travel and to make sure you are informing management about travel plans or where you have been. Self isolate where necessary by government guidelines or advice from 111.

Working from home for senior management in other departments where possible.

I'm in logistics for a retailer. We have lots of front line staff and drivers, but I'm office based. Two statements have been sent round about handwashing and extra cleaning but the company did not buy any supplies. I am the only person in our distribution centre with any handgel. No sick pay unless you've been there 6 months(I haven't) so I'll be going in regardless

Another university employee here.. Also following PHE advice sopretty much nothing, except for following the travel restrictions. They've released an FAQs but it pretty much just concludes that "The university is open as usual."

Office based NHS - few posters up, told to ensure we take laptops home every night just in case.....

Professional services corporation:

• We've banned all non-essential business travel
• We are advising standard cautionary measures according to common best practices (stay home if you have any symptoms of anything at all, consider not shaking hands, hand washing, ...
• Cancelling larger events, particularly the more networking and information exchange related ones that don't directly affect client business
• Otherwise largely driven by what our clients want: some would prefer we'd all disappear into one person work bunkers and others demand we continue to show up on site all day
• Obviously, additional localised policies apply. E.g. northern Italy has been under a "remote work" policy for weeks at this point
• Way too many emails. Every boss of anyone alive feels they have to contribute one. I pride myself on not having written a single corona email to my own teams. The problem is, of course, there are so many that nobody reads them all any more. Which leads to people actually asking their managers directly for e.g. directions re. trips. Not helpful!

I work at a Uni far from any known cases... I don't read the zillions of daily email policy update notices so I don't know what work-HQ is doing. I think I'll hear if there's something important to know. Sanitisers have mushroomed onto walls but I don't notice folk using them. There are big signs on the mirrors in Ladies loos remind us to wash hands. Some other signs about.

Working from home would be very difficult for me so I hope that doesn't become expected. I have 2 international trips before 25 March that I hope will go ahead.

Secondary school: we're being asked to tell the kids to wash hands but there's no extra time to do it and very short breaks. They're not doing it.

There is a flu prevention infographic from a separate part of the UK on display (it's not the flu!)

Otherwise, nothing at all. Letters and emails being sent out about activities and events in a few weeks' time with no consideration that they might not go ahead.

Anti-bac wipes - didn't like to point out it's a virus!

International company has just announced entry into a £100 prize draw if you have no sick leave for a year - or some such BS. Timing!!

AND, they might reinstate Christmas Hampers (ie, some teabags, a bag of popcorn and a branded pen) for the top 3 pay bands if 'we' can save them £10million.

@Dollywilde am also legal in London, 19.5 weeks pregnant, and in similar quandary re WFH! Good to know others are in the same boat.

My work has cancelled all international travel and events of more than 30 people offsite or with external visitors, tested everyone’s ability to WFH, and enforced certain days where some teams must WFH. We are all being told to take laptops home daily in case the office shuts suddenly.

International travel banned and they’ve opened all the doors on each floor so people don’t have to swipe and touch handles to open. Not very good for security though. Everyone has to have clear desks at end of day and lock their work up

Someone in our office has tested positive. We are close to central London, large building with 20 floors. The entire office has closed down and everyone has to work from home until further notice. A 'deep clean' has been organised.

What I worry about is who’s doing the cleaning. I mean cleaning can actually spread infection floor to floor. Also hope mops were not used at other offices or companies!?

Who knew that cleaners were "essential workers", right?

All been told to work from home. If affected by schools closing and won't be able to work fully from home they will support us. Any sickness full pay. Technology company and also have a phone service to talk through any emotional support required for stress.

Tiny workplace - my boss/the owner complained at length on Monday about the new rule for SSP to be paid from day 1. Other than that, nothing. We aren't allowed to work from home as the boss thinks we will try to steal her clients , so the software we would need is not on any laptops or anything. It's a joke. Can't wait to leave the place.

Care Home Group. Nothing except for a few of the standard posters put up.
Can’t see how the care home industry can do much regarding WFH. I am usually office based so could do some remotely but nothing has been suggested. Also no restrictions on families visiting their loved ones.

@HelloViroids ah hello sort-of-job-and-pregnancy twin! I bit the bullet yesterday and asked if I could WFH until my 20 week scan. It suddenly struck me that if I have contact with someone with covid-19 now I could be put into isolation and be refused my 20 week scan, which of course if there was anything wrong could be a problem if it was delayed. It’s just over 2 weeks away so I’m hoping things will be clearer by then but at the very least I’m pleased to know I’ll be minimising my risk of the scan being postponed by avoiding the office/the tube etc. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

Mine is finally starting to take it more seriously but not said anything about what will happen to the people who can't work from home, esp as 2 of us are high risk groups.

We have already put in place hand sanitisers, reminder about hand washing, extra cleaning, only essential visitors to the office.

From next week, the workforce will be split. Two groups will alternate between working in the office and working remotely (three days one week two days the next). A small group of staff with underlying health conditions will be exclusively home-based.

Meetings have been moved to online/conference call where ever possible. External meetings are still at the discretion of individuals unless public health advice changes.

Anyone who is absent through sickness or self isolating relating to coronavirus will be paid for the hours they were scheduled to work during the period of absence

Dh and I work in similar size, global IT providers. Mine is encouraging working from home, banned all international travel, no large meetings, isolation if been to certain countries and in country travel only if strictly necessary.

My Dh's have done nothing of the sort and is business as usual. I feel really annoyed, he has a large corporate event next week and 2 days interviewing a large number of external people. He is also still on customer sites two days a week.

I feel there is no point my enployer trying to protect me when he is bringing all the germs home...