Anyone surprised at how long they will be wfh?

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DH's company finally ordered some office equipment for the staff, delivery date in 8 wks time! He & I never expected to wfh this long & lots of our friends have been told they won't be going back till the NY.

Anyone else in the same boat?

Our company has extended WFH until October.. a rival company has closed their office until July 2021! Which seems a bit extreme. Let’s hope they can reverse that decision!

We're looking at til December at the moment... I'm quite happy because I prefer it but a few people aren't too pleased!

I was told at the start minimum 6 months wfh, which takes us up to September, but I can see it being longer.

Luckily they provided us with printers and ink and paper and monitors straight off

I wish I got an office chair now though the desk with dining chair is not going to cut it much longer

Apparently in the Summer it will open for people who are really struggling with wfh but it's strongly discouraged. They are looking at perhaps 1-2 days "in" a month for people. It just seems such a fast change

DH has been told not to expect to go back into the office (huge London based bank) until next year.

We've not been given an indication of when we will be able to go back but they have said its likely that we will be 3-4 days wfh as standard when we do. Not sure I'm keen on that really.

My boss mentioned supplying office furniture if this carries on too long. I politely pointed out I won't be able to have it as I don't have room so I don't know what'll happen there. I know management are starting to put plans in place for when we go back but I don't know what yet.

@PositiveLife I hope my company doesn't suggest that, I want my dining room table back!

I've been told that I'll be home indefinitely now. Some offices plan to reopen on a skeleton staff basis late June-ish, just for those who are having problems with bandwidth/equipment at home but unless absolutely necessary the majority will never work in an office again.

We're scaling down the real estate portfolio globally and investing in cloud based solutions to make WFH easier.

We are thinking we need to make a proper home office now.

It could potentially have a big impact on the businesses that rely on the commute/city worker

I'd have to start looking for something else if that happened at our company (god knows what) as I can't do this for ever as it has too much of an effect on my home life.

That was to @TorysSuckRevokeArticle50

I couldn't have a home office, we don't have a spare room and it's not fair on DH (or me) if this was long term. We can't even sit at the table any more.

We've been told that there simply isn't room, so no idea when I'll be going back.

It could also be a money saving thing aswell as they may not be paying landlords as they aren't using the premises. The moment they start to "trade" from the premises the rent kicks back in. That's certainly the case for my company anyway we are wfh for the foreseeable

I already wfh, but DH is home now with no plans to return. It’s absolutely fantastic. Working in an office is soul-draining and just awful. No commute. No inane chit-chat. Ability to really focus on work instead of constantly getting interrupted. I’m thrilled
that more businesses are realizing having people who just sit at computers all day in the office is ridiculous.

I would like to think employers were being cautious and putting employees health first but I'm inclined to think it's probably more that they have looked at the costs of abiding by Government standards for the workplace during the pandemic and decided it's either too much or too much of a hassle! Companies may also be fearful of being sued if guidelines aren't met and employees fall ill or die.

The message from DHs company is they cannot tell people to come to work particularly by public transport. Bad PR & potential liability.

It could also be a money saving thing aswell as they may not be paying landlords as they aren't using the premises. The moment they start to "trade" from the premises the rent kicks back in. That's certainly the case for my company anyway we are wfh for the foreseeable

That is categorically not the case for the vast majority of office tenants. Rent is still being paid as that’s not how commercial rents work.

No ones going back to the office because social distancing means most modern offices can only handle 20-40% of staff at once.

Sorry, 20-30% of staff at once.

@Purpleartichoke I'm the complete opposite, I find it so hard to motivate myself at home. I miss the conversation in the office and I find it harder I need help with something, it's not the same on Teams or email as walking over to someone.

Got an email yesterday saying it will be 6-12 months before a full return. But we work in central London so everyone takes the tube to work and the desk situation was dire even before that with 7 people between 3 desks pushed together and all hot desks

I'm working from home and no doubt will be to Christmas

It's a bit of a joke though because I work on building sites as a government inspector..

So basically I'm in my house, reading and replying to two emails a day..when I do manage to go back "properly" I'm gonna have the biggest shitshow to deal with

Quite like the leisurely start to the mornings though

Ours have said Jan at earliest. I wasn't surprised.

I hate it.

Yep, I’ve been told 2021 at the earliest. Having to make do on the dining room table.

I'm a permanent work at home-r. Self-employed.

Not chuffed though that DH has been told to reckon on working from home until the end of the year. I am used to having the place to myself to crack on with work and there are people everywhere at the moment making a noise and demanding food. What with "blended learning" and DH in the loft on a video call, I'm not happy.