'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?

I thought Hancock was telling people to work from home still if they could and that employers should look for ways to make this happen long term (appreciate he isn't in charge but then again neither is Johnson!)

It's going to be quiet now anyway, it's school holiday time.

It will be to ensure the demand for all coffee shops etc goes back up. To be honest, I tend to agree. Wfh for many people is not as productive or efficient.

I think you sum it up perfectly to begin with @labyrinthloafer

The issue is what companies do when there is a suspected case (or what is a companies stance on parents who may be told at a moment's notice their child has to self isolate / their class or school has closed due to a possible outbreak for undetermined amount of time!!). People will be bouncing in and out of the office like bloody yo-yos.

Not to mention people who take advantage of the situation and present with a temperature every month.

@AlecTrevelyan006

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.

This... We need people buying coffees

We are to continue to WFH. The office can only take around 25% of people with social distancing. At least the buses are now operating at 50% capacity rather than 25%.

I wonder if they’ll be a spike again...

@SouthernComforts

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.

I mean that's what it's like at the weekend in that area (I worked there). There's not much there other than offices and places for office workers to eat/drink.

All those office workers are still working but at home.

I appreciate that doesn't help the shops and eateries in those areas or the transport providers but changing that situation means millions of people getting back on packed trains and tubes as there's nowhere to park at all.

SouthernComforts I was thinking the same, but in London I reckon there must be parts where it's almost entirely offices and businesses that serve them, with very little in the way of retail or residential buildings. Other areas of London probably look more like Manchester

I plan to cut down on my bought lunches and have actually researched suitable lunch boxes and looked into ways of making a quick and interesting packed lunch. I dont do take away shit anyway.

I dread going back to the office. I love wfh. My quality of life is so much better. I get that businesses need footfall but I totally resent TfL getting my money. I hate the packed and sticky tube.

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

Has he said this? I gave up listening to that twat and his merry band of cabinet twats weeks ago. They don't still have the No. 10 sermons from the dictator going on do they?

Our work has committed to 14 September as tentative reopening but under social distancing rules only 25% of us can be in anyway . Not sure this will change anything

A problem with London is people fear crowded public transport.

Also cramped hot desking, though a rota system could help with that.

@PhilCornwall1

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

Has he said this? I gave up listening to that twat and his merry band of cabinet twats weeks ago. They don't still have the No. 10 sermons from the dictator going on do they?

@PhilCornwall1 you need to get off the fence and tell us what you think

It was 'People's PMQs' on Facebook today, which of course he needs to do because he struggles in real PMQs every week!

Interesting the number of people who don’t want to have to go back to the office...probably the same people who have accused teachers to return to their place of work instead of working from home. You’ll be given opportunity to socially distance, teachers don’t! You might be able to wear PPE, teachers can’t! One rule for one here...

@beaverbill I don't think schools can stay completely shut - but I don't think what is in place for teachers (and pupils really, who all have relatives who are older) is anywhere near ok. Sorry if you're a teacher and worried about your return

Public transport will be massively damaged if people don't start using it again. The Government can't pay for empty trains/buses forever. If passenger numbers don't start increasing, there's a real risk that services will be cut and lost forever.

Boris's message is intended to end the "don't use public transport" message that encouraged mass working from home. Trains went back to a more normal timetable last Monday but are still generally barely used in many places and that's just unsustainable for much longer.

I’m an office worker, but not in a city centre.
I travel 10 miles to work in my car, as public transport is so rubbish it would involve driving 4 miles to the train station, then a 20 minute train journey, then a 30 minute walk to the office.
So I travel in my car and I’m not buying coffees for the journey. Or spending on public transport,
Then I take in my own lunch, otherwise my only option is a meal deal from the local supermarket. So I’m no buying food from Pret - it’s not an option!

By working from home I’m helping the environment (not driving), using local butchers and green grocers for meat, fruit and veg because I’m home when they deliver. They use local suppliers so I’m helping local businesses and keeping down the food miles.

And my stress levels are so much lower as my working day is about 2 hours shorter when you take account of the time I would’ve got up previously to get “office ready” then the daily commute each way.

I hope BJ means that those staff currently furloughed should be looking to return to work shortly, both for the economy and for their own mental health. Otherwise it’s bl**dy irresponsible to ask people to risk catch a life threatening disease just to keep British rail or Costa in business.

• @PhilCornwall1 you need to get off the fence and tell us what you think 

It was 'People's PMQs' on Facebook today, which of course he needs to do because he struggles in real PMQs every week!*

Oh that's easy what I think. I WFH, but go to client sites a lot. I'm desperate to get back on-site, as it would make my job a lot easier. A month of doing client consultancy all day everyday on Teams just doesn't work properly.

I'd have to stay in hotels too, but that doesn't concern me at all. Some think I should be very worried, as I'm allegedly extremely vulnerable. It just needs to get back to normal.

You can't win can you? Don't eat rubbish or drink too much coffee etc etc was the mantra for years now it's ' go out, eat drink and be merry , we need your money'!
I can see all the sides of this but we still have to be careful : the virus hasn't gone away has it? The economy needs to keep going but it's all mixed messages. Without an economy there isn't any NHS or schools.
It's a tough call.

To boost the economy. I get it.

People are so easily confused nowadays.

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

Summer holidays start at the end of next week and then should be back to FT with some degree of normality - including no masks or SD not he whole (especially at primary - by that point.

But whether or not offices can wait another 6 weeks, I don't know.
I suspect many can as they are now in the swing f staff working from home, and some may even take the switch longer term to save of office costs. DH is a solicitor and was originally in for half a day max a week. He's now in 3 days a week, with SD and lots of space, and the office is currently closed for clients - he seems them other via video call or home (garden) visits. They seem to think this will be the case longer term.

@user1497207191

Public transport will be massively damaged if people don't start using it again. The Government can't pay for empty trains/buses forever. If passenger numbers don't start increasing, there's a real risk that services will be cut and lost forever.

Boris's message is intended to end the "don't use public transport" message that encouraged mass working from home. Trains went back to a more normal timetable last Monday but are still generally barely used in many places and that's just unsustainable for much longer.

This will be a tough sell, as that is one of the riskiest things to do as once they are busy, social distancing is not possible.

I don't know what the answer is but I would not be thrilled at getting the tube.

@Literallynoidea

To boost the economy. I get it.

People are so easily confused nowadays.

All right clever clogs

It hadn't occurred to me that he was talking about the physical location of where people work. Thought he was referring to those currently furloughed. Not paying massive attention though so I could very well be wrong.

@beaverbill

I'd happily go back but I fully admit I cannot until schools / nurseries open and grandparents can provide childcare.

I am concerned about the insecurity of it all, when we do go back. With 2 primary aged kids and 1 nursery [SEN placement] child, I can imagine being out of the office a lot over the winter period!! Not to mention office outbreaks and the fact I am myself in the vulnerable group (medicated due to autoimmune condition!).

Seems like Pret and Starbucks are the most important thing in this decision though