'Go back to work if you can' - any idea what Boris means by this??

[labyrinthloafer]

So today the PM said people should go back to work if they can, rather than stay at home if they can.

But if people can do their jobs from home, why would this be a good idea in amongst all the other things opening up?

I feel so drained at the moment, have got into a very decent homeworking situation, now potentially disrupted, and then all winter it'll be 'oh Sue's coughing, has she had a test' and then people going home while they wait for results.

I suppose my question is - do you think this is just rhetoric or will the home working now start to change?

Oh great, stay at work should read stay at home

• [Messaged from MNHQ: we've edited the opening post for you]

Hmm - does this mean "work again" or "go back to the office again rather than continue to work from home"? Hopefully less so the latter ...........

it means the govt have suddenly realised that the shit has already started to hit the fan and if there's any hope in hell of saving thousands and thousands of ancillary'jobs then people need to get back in town and city centre offices as of Monday.

Isn't it to boost the economy, if everyone is working at home then no-one is going coffee shops, lunch places, retail at train stations, paying for public transport etc.

If you can safely go to work do so to get the country going again

Up to individual bosses. It's clear what BJ is saying. Your boss will decide what they want to do, but mine is closing the office permanently! Whooooooo

They realise how many business rely on office workers being present. The shops, sandwich shops, restaurants, cleaners etc etc.

He means he thinks people who are furloughed or WFH are lazy sods!

Central London is pretty deserted - as PP mention, coffee shops, takeaways, any high street retail, etc etc all rely on footfall.

If people stay working at home, the economy can't recover.

On the other hand, the legislation and restrictions around HOW people can work in offices are difficult and expensive too, so a lot of employers will keep people working at home for a good time yet if it's been possible for them so far.

OP, you'll know what sort of company you're in - is it likely your bosses need you back in the office?

The government are really getting to me now. They are really rolling the dice by rushing to open everything at once.

We need to get schools open, see how it goes, then offices imo.

My work I assume won't do everyone back, I don't think, as they need to prioritise customer-facing first probably.

I'm just knackered with the chaos, I find the PM really exhausting, he sounds incoherent all the time!

@NoSquirrels I think my organisation will be cautious. We also would have serious issues with e.g. parking and space on site if everyone returned full-time.

There was loose talk of letting those keen to return go first rather than forcing everyone to be the same. I think the HR workload of trying to force everyone back and discuss everyone's health/childcare/other issues would be daunting!

I am back room, have no customer contact.

I'm just knackered with the chaos, I find the PM really exhausting, he sounds incoherent all the time!
Well he has had the virus so who knows what long lasting damage it's doing

@BlueBrian I sort of hoped having had it he would take it seriously, but it just all feels a bit tally-ho

As PP have said. Get back to work regardless of where you work or if you can work from home.

There will be a lot of lost trade due to working from home. Like has been said coffee shops, public transport etc.

Personally I'm gutted. Really dont want to go back. I'm not sure if we will be forced to. My manager isn't ready for lockdown to be eased (I'm not sure if she's shielding or vulnerable, but she has mentioned that even though things are open she's not going anywhere) so that might have an effect. Then again knowing my company I think they will start to get us back in now that Boris has said that.

Dont suppose I can do much about the decision my company makes so it it what it is. TBH I'm surprised to still be here. If you had told me back in March that I'd still be at home in July I would not have believed you.

This is a very silly idea by Boris- surely seeing the benefits of homeworking in lockdown might actually have been a beneficial change for employers (not paying for expensive office space) and employees (no commute, balance time with home, can always go in some days and not others). Going on public transport is one of the most risky activities! Why should people live more unpleasant more rushed and more expensive lives if it is not actually necessary to do the job? (caveat: for some people home working is not great so some offices will still have to be open). Why should everyone rush around feeling ill on polluted roads if we don't have to?

I don't want to stimulate the economy by buying sandwiches/through coffee shops and I don't think that will solve the economic crisis anyway.

Women can fuck off back to the kitchen?

Also, sure as eggs is eggs, if we all go on public transport, back to work, back to school in Sept, we'll all have to live the lockdown life by early Oct. I don't think I can take being locked down time and time again, a gentle emergence, seeing what happens, and jumping on any local resurgence feels right. Not trying to encourage everyone to go on the number 7 bus and making out they are letting the country down if they don't actually want or need to do that.

You know, if you didn't know better, you might think they were just making it up as they go along.

Where is the planning, the careful weighing up of risks and the treating the public like sentient adults? Where indeed.

It’s absolutely about keeping other bits of the economy going that are being affected by people staying at home. Interestingly friends who work in central London civil service say there are no plans for the majority of them to go back to their offices this year, so not sure why the rest of the country should be expected to get on with it.

I can see them telling more people to go back to the offices while toughening up fines for those who don’t wear masks on public transport (Johnson going on about being stricter with face coverings).?

Thing is I think this is really ridiculous. Why should I wake up at 6am and do a 14 hour day , shoved on a shitty tube JUST to spend my money on shit sandwiches from pret and expensive train tickets, be way worse off financially and have no free time at all! I’m way more productive at home.

They've got zero ideas other than 'get back to how it was,' but that ship feels like it has sailed (for now). The city nearest us is very reliant on tourism and big events like conferences. Office workers buying sarnies won't plug the gap.

pix taken today from the top deck of a Routemaster: Fleet Street and Queen Victoria Street between 12.45 and 1.00. Dead. Every day like this makes it harder for the economy to recover

@FinallyHere

You know, if you didn't know better, you might think they were just making it up as they go along.

Where is the planning, the careful weighing up of risks and the treating the public like sentient adults? Where indeed.

Yes, this is what is frustrating, it's just not thought through or coherent.

They're panicking which makes me panic!

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That's crazy Alec, my small town is miles busier than that every day, we've just walked past 2 packed beer gardens. Manchester was much busier than that when I went in June too.