DH asked to go to work?

[Cardiff76]

DH works in retail. Not a key worker by any definition, including the official government list. His shop has been shut since last Monday when the ‘lock down’ was first announced. He’s got off a conference call today to be told him and his leadership team have to go into the shop next week to do a full store shut down. I’ve just massively lost it with him. AIBU in thinking that this is not something that needs to be done and is just an unnecessary risk? We’ve just had a massive argument about it.

Depends if you want his wage or not?

If we had to, we could survive on mine.

I cant understand why a team would be required to close down the shop. Having said that I have limited experience in retail.

I can understand having to shut down a shop. I follow a few pubs etc on social media and they have all had close downs to do. I can understand needing to pack things up, stock take. It really depends what the shop is and whether there are any perishables or things that need packing away to keep them in saleable order.

Do you expect someone else to do it?

Assuming the shop is closed so no customers I don't see a problem, he's just doing a stock take, and can take precautions?

I'm not sure it was very fair of you to have started an argument about it, if it's just a one off thing that needs doing then it's a reasonable request.

I wouldn't have a problem with him going. It's definitely not worth having a massive argument over.

No perishables.

I don’t expect anyone to do it. The shop is locked up, and is inside a shopping mall, so no risk of looters for example. It’s been shut for a fortnight, so baffled as to why this ‘shut down’ process needs to be carried out when we’re in the middle of a national emergency.

I get that ordinarily/in an ideal world these things would get done, but that’s not the circumstance we find ourselves in.

Well ask him to explain the procedures to you. I have two friends who have had to work this week “ closing down” so there is obviously something that needs to be done. I don’t see why you are so angry to be honest

Is he furloughed/being furloughed? I’m a retail manager and our store closed two weeks ago, we are furloughed as of Sunday and not allowed to do any work for the business until this is all over.

The risk is small and the plan is for us all to get it anyway, just a slower rate. It is not the black death!

You are really overreacting

I suppose I’m angry because I have friends who are nurses working in designated covid wards and who are scared when they go to work. They’ve emphasized to me just how crucial it is that we all stay at home. To me, the tasks he’s been asked to do are not crucial and don’t HAVE to be done right now.

No, he’s not being furloughed. He’s working from home, although tbh there’s very little work that any of them can do as he’s a retail manager and the shops are shut.

ANYBODY can go to work
if their work cannot be done at home and needs to be done

this task meets both those criteria

read the .gov.uk website

If there's very little he can do from home, I imagine they are planning to furlough some of them. So want to properly close down the shop before this happens.

There is no link between your friends in the NHS and your husband being asked to go into work. He’s clearly not going in just to stare at a blank wall so he’s an adult and will make his own decision.

He's a manager? There is probably paperwork to finish off, tidying up to do, and so on. The shop won't be open and they'll be able to socially distance, so the risk will be minimal. I think you're overreacting slightly, and that's speaking as a high risk person.

That makes sense schoolchoicessuck.

Listeningquietly I’ve read the gov page you’re referring to. Clearly these tasks can’t be done at home. What I have issue with is whether or not they NEED to be done. Need under ordinary circumstances, yes. Need under current circumstances? No, I don’t think so. If the shops have been shut without issue for a fortnight already, I’m not sure there is a need to go in and do whatever close down tasks now. They had initially (on the Monday they’d shut) been told they’d have to go in on the Tuesday to do a close down. Then after the PM’s briefing that night they got an email to say they weren’t to go in under any circumstances,, but instead had to work from home. Obviously the National covid situation has deteriorated since then, so I’m not sure why they’re now being told to go in. But as schoolchoicessuck has said, the company might be about to furlough them. Not sure why they can’t do that anyway though, without making them go back into work.

MrsGrindah, of course he’s an adult and of course he will make his own decision.

Well it’s not for you to decide what needs to be done though. No point getting worked up and arguing about it . I’m sure your husband doesn’t really want to do it either but may feel he has no option. Can’t you be supportive rather than angry? It’s not his fault.

Ds did this in the first week of the shut down, but it's a restaurant/hotel so they went in each day were two staff, they had a list of what needed doing, cleared food, checked freezers, scrubbed the kitchen down. Scrubbed down tables and chairs, did small repairs, and shampooed carpets. They didn't do it together, they took different parts of the building so more tha 2m apart at all times.
It needs doing, you can't let the place fall into a mess, the shop must need sorting and cleaning ready for re open.
Why wouldn't your Dh need to do this.

Someone has to go into my restaurant every day to carry out fire safety and pest checks. It's a pain in the ass but at least he only has to go in once!