Do you think the government will change the ‘WFH if you can’ advice before there is a vaccine?

[Ethelfleda]

I personally can’t see them doing so. If people are able to work from home then there is no economic need to tell people they can go back to an office.

I ask because I am starting to feel depressed WFH. I work in the same room as I sleep and it’s starting to have a massive negative effect on me. Our house isn’t really big enough to change this right now but I guess if I knew I would have to WFH for say, another 12 months then I would do something more permanent to rectify the situation.

Our employers have had certain people back in offices this week but have made it clear it is only a select few - I think probably people who don’t have proper screens at home or computer chairs etc
And have said they will follow the government advice for everyone else the whole way.

I’m trying to come to terms with the fact that my current work situation may not change for a very long time but it is hard to get my head around!

Anyone know what the advice is in other European countries??

@NothingIsWrong
Yep absolutely accept that. My bugbear though is that this surely doesn't require the majority of staff to be in the majority of the time? I worry that they are being blasé about the implications of the virus; yep life has to go on and I'm not an anxious person, but it seems a bit risky to me?

That will depend on the industry you work in and the type of work being done. Some are more collaboration based than others.

My job would work well with a 2/3 split office/home - others would work better with different splits. I just object to the philosophy that we are all automatically better off working from home as that simply isn't true, but I think some companies are using it as a way to cut overheads.

I think in the long run, a more balanced working life would be a good idea but at the moment we are running in crisis mode. It isn't the right time to be making major decisions on company policy when people are using up their goodwill and social capital to make it work in the short term. Lots of people won't be able to maintain it long term, and then we will really see difficulties starting to emerge.

I think companies are still being cautious and planning for a second wave in autumn / winter.

How long do we wait for the second wave? I know after 6 months at home running in crisis mode my reserves of resilience are exhausted. I have daily headaches from Teams. I have daily frustrations with the limitations of screen sharing on large collaborative projects over crappy broadband for many people. It's not even like I can upgrade my broadband, it's at the highest level my village has. I know I'm not alone in this, other colleagues who previously were happy are starting to flag now

I think long term changes would be amazing, but knee jerk ones may have unintended consequences

After an hour or two of Teams I am wiped out because I find it hard to read people without body language. I am not unique in this. Spending hours and hours on video calls is not a healthy substitute for in person communication

This. Totally this.
And how do you get to know new people thy is way, too? In my offices, you’d get chatting to someone whilst making a drink... find out they work in a function that would useful to get working on a project etc etc
This doesn’t happen sat at home. You don’t ‘bump’ in to people like you do at the office. I miss that interaction.

We've had a new team leader during lock down, and we are due to have another team member through this. It is doable, albeit not ideal. But it requires a commitment for regular if not daily catch ups with your team...

I do not want to return to work due to bullying and discrimination (grievance put on hold). Being at home has been ideal as I have been able to do my job without having to actually SEE people. I have more time with my family. I have less commuting. Less money spent on parking and lunches. I can walk the dog at lunch. I can play some music (or have the tv) in the background. My mental health has improved enormously.

But going back to work not only returns me to a toxic environment, it adds health and safety risks too. I'll be in an office where we will all be really close to each other and stressing about trying to social distance. Then going for lunches and trying to remember to social distance, wear a mask, communicate through a mask, then go on client visits and again mask on train, mask in the client premises. And then there's the increased risk of getting sick due to all the people you are now coming into contact with.

Its awful.

YonBonnieBanks that is a very specific set of circumstances for why you don't want to go back into the office. Surely you can see that generally a wide picture needs to be looked at for any decision making.

PM:

“The prime minister also told the nation to go back to work, emphasising that the message to stay at home had outlived its usefulness and “people should try to lead their lives more normally”.

Is this the end of the WFH message??

@Ethelfleda Yes it is. Boris wants us back to work so we spend money on transport, coffees and lunches and maybe some new clothes. Basically go back to crowded public transport and airless offices to save Starbucks and Pret . I realise he is trying to restart the economy but TBH given Boris's track record so far in this I will not be taking any advice from him.

Gove is at it now:

Earlier, Mr Gove told Sky's Sophy Ridge On Sunday that wearing a face covering "definitely helps you to help others in an enclosed space". He also urged people to return to work rather than stay at home.
"We want to see more people back at work, on the shop floor, in the office, wherever they can be," he said.