'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'm never going back. My work have decided to give up the big office for a small hub we can pop into if necessary but WFH the majority of the time forever. I'm happy about it, I get lots done and it makes school and nursery pickup less stressful.

@Barbie222

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.

Equally, for others it's more so. It wouldn't be appropriate for the PM to be making suggestions about where employees should be located when they do their work on that basis.

@Oysterbabe

I'm never going back. My work have decided to give up the big office for a small hub we can pop into if necessary but WFH the majority of the time forever. I'm happy about it, I get lots done and it makes school and nursery pickup less stressful.

I think this will happen with some, and that is also a challenge for city centres. If you own office blocks just now you must be wondering what your return will be?

Funny, we live in a small commuter town to a large city and since things have opened up its been quite nice to spend our money more locally at lunchtimes at independent places (not really any chains) and given the amount of people doing the same on wfh lunches I suspect our little town has done quite well in recent weeks which is what we want to see. If we go back to commuting it all gets diverted back to the usual suspects - Pret etc 😩

i don't think this is an either or situation. Instead workers will be asked to come in for a few days a week and work from home the rest. So journeys are staggered . Personally I would like our staff to come in one or two days a week and work from home the rest. Which means the current large office we have is not sensible ...

Think his mates who have many shares on the rail network have told him to do something if he wants a lucrative non-executive position when he leaves office.

@frozendaisy

Think his mates who have many shares on the rail network have told him to do something if he wants a lucrative non-executive position when he leaves office.

This.

@errorofjudgement - my situation exactly. Except that it's over 20 miles each way. I very rarely purchase anything from the utterly dismal options that are within fifteen minutes' drive of the business park and never from the awful canteen. I refuse to be a captive market for this stuff.

I'll be disappointed about a return to the office too. I bought the reasons why I 'couldn't' work from home before (might get depressed, remote working doesn't really work, relationships will suffer) but not any longer. The reason we need to go in in 'because that's what we do' (work) or to prop up cafes, etc (govt). If more businesses allow remote working I for one will be voting with my feet.

Office blocks can be converted into apartments in the longer term, lots of city centres were dying before Covid we need people to live in them and to develop a leisure and retail offer that's viable and not reliant on commuter footfall. We can't keep building more houses in the suburbs anyway or we'll have no countryside left.

I rarely bought food during my work day.
I did spend a lot on public transport - but I assume using public transport is still frowned upon.
Driving has its own set of headaches (hence why I preferred public transport).

It's easier to keep working at home, for now. I would not be comfortable having to wear a face cover all day in the shared office or to wander around the building (to toilets & kettle). My hours were reduced to 60% so I don't feel comfortable with trivial purchases. I can't easily swap between WFH & W.at.Office, because I can't haul the equipment back and forth. I need a constant place of work. There are just so many barriers to me getting back in office. Can't see me going in except rarely until they sort out the vaccine & drop all the social distancing measures.

@AllieCat22

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.

Absolutely agree 100%! I'm far more productive at home - far better environment, see my family more even if to say, be quiet - I'm trying to work!; none of those god-awful three tubes where you've got no room to move, someone's umbrella shoved up your backside or armpit in your face; saving money on services that hardly run on time each day... yup.. I'm in total agreement OP.

My office opening august I will prob go back end of September and odd days here and there due to childcare I want to get back

My office is based in central London, I really don't mind going into the office I trust that my firm will make it as safe as possible for us. What I can't even begin to contemplate is the 60 min packed train journey followed by 30 mins on a tube each way to get there. The carriages were always so packed, literally no room between bodies at all. There is no way it can possibly be safe to attempt that!

@NaughtyLittleElf

Office blocks can be converted into apartments in the longer term, lots of city centres were dying before Covid we need people to live in them and to develop a leisure and retail offer that's viable and not reliant on commuter footfall. We can't keep building more houses in the suburbs anyway or we'll have no countryside left.

They can be converted, and there are lots of reports now about these new slums.

This is not a solution and people in the countryside can't just expect everyone who isn't already in a 4-bed to live in a shoebox on the 9th floor of a crap old office block!

The city near us is having real trouble with this issue.

Yay!!

The press has reported it as go back to your workplaces, and the quote in your title was said directly after Boris mentioned the previous stay at home guidance so one can infer that he’s saying it’s time to return to the office

I’m really excited honestly

I’m in my early 20s and graduated in 2018. It feels unnatural for someone in my position to work from home 24/7 so early in my career.

If more people worked from home it might actually help their local towns thrive a bit more? During a normal working week you will always need to pop out for something and local sandwich shops might do well. Builders make a habit of going to the local cafe for breakfast and lunch and I can see homeworkers still needing a break and the chance to meet a friend at lunchtime.

At least people in offices, shops, factories etc will get to wear masks and have physical distancing.
Unlike teachers, TAs, school admin etc.

If the economy is completely dependent on people buying sandwiches and coffee, then it was built on sand in the first place...

I have every sympathy with coffee shops and their workers, but it's a £7 billion industry in an economy of £2.8 trillion.

Coffee has about as much to do with keeping the economy afloat as the contents my son's piggybank does...

I am dreading going back to school - even with limited children in there is no social distancing. At least in your office you can wear PPE and adults will mainly follow the guidance!

As in with all the kids - I am in now with just one year

As in with all the kids - I am in now with just one year

Oh it’s just Boris blah blah. The government has since confirmed that you should still work from home if you can. Obviously!

My work have started going back - we are doing so in waves and I am due back in September. This has been the plan for weeks, not every direction needs to come from the government.

If people can't get the right work / life balance that is not for the government to resolve.