Honestly - why are you not going back to work?

[SpaceOP]

I've spoken to a lot of firms, read lots of news reports, all saying that the UK workforce are not going back. I know many firms are doing internal surveys and the feedback is universally that people aren't planning to come back yet.

My question is, genuinely, how much of this i because of covid and how much is because quite frankly, WFH is nicer? Or if there's a list of reasons, is Covid number 1 or number 5?

Certainly, in my case, I have worked from home for years but I admit that I am enjoying barely ever having to go into town. It's time consuming and painful and often means I lose out on time to do other work and/or home stuff. So the more my clients continue to work from home, the better it is for me. I'm not staying away because of Covid as the main reason, although I would say it's a consideration - I feel like the risk doesn't feel that worth it but if I had to go in, I would?

Anyone else?

*12:42AiryFairyMum

I run a business. Everyone is wfh because it is easier and cheaper. They get more done. I expect I will have a choice in the new year - keep the office or keep all my staff. I'd rather keep them all in jobs and cancel our lease on our overpriced city office.*

I wish we could do that, it would be so much better financially but our lease doesnt run out til 2022.

think people are taking the mick and using covid as an excuse to wfh.

Why should they need an excuse to WFH if it's working well?

@Oblomov20

I think people are taking the mick and using covid as an excuse to wfh.

Surely if that’s the case their boss would have something to say about it? All the people I know still working from home are doing so because their offices haven’t reopened.

@Oblomov20

I think people are taking the mick and using covid as an excuse to wfh.

If their work hasn’t asked them to come back to the office it’s not really an issue is it?

@bumblingbovine49

I've spoken to a lot of firms, read lots of news reports, all saying that the UK workforce are not going back. I know many firms are doing internal surveys and the feedback is universally that people aren't planning to come back yet

What a strange way of putting it. People are going back to work if they are told to. Yes there may be a very few who are trying to WFH and not wanting to go in despite being asked to by their employer but the vast majority are working in the office or at home depending on what their employer has decided or asked them to do.

It isn't about people not planning to come back. It is about employers deciding what will work best for their business

I meant not going back to the office. Which most people on this thread seem to have understood. And while some companies are telling people they have to go back, a LOT are talking to their staff and asking their opinions and a LOT Of employees are actively asking to stay WFH. My question was whether this was genuinely because of the Covid risk or something else.

Not Covid related at all.

I basically have realised that I function much much better when I don't have to sit in the same open plan space as other people. Tried for a day last week and the noise was driving me mad. I have a strategic level job and need to think..I have no idea how I managed this before but now I wouldn't be without my lovely peaceful back room come office. Bliss. Luckily my boss agrees

On a wider level, apart from the productivity/ cost factors I also find real benefit in working, as I do on most initiatives, with our non-uk based colleagues. Previously meetings tended to be centred around the people physicallyin the meeting room, with the global attendees desperately trying to be noticed/ keep up at the other end of a Skype call. Now we are all on an even keel and it is just so much better. Much better contribution all round, especially with the decent whiteboard stuff now on Teams.

A lot of the reporting around this is very London/SE-centric. Where people previously had long hours and shit expensive commutes and are now finding they don’t have to do that.

Some of us who made different choices like accepting lower salaries and not living or working in London and had the accompanying quality of life benefits (my commute was 15 minutes and cost me £35 a month) are not finding WFH so miraculously life changing.

Office in a large student accommodation block and commute by train. It is not large but was the right size for the whole team, though only around 2 would be able to spend time there if proper SD could be implemented. All air-con, exits and windows to the outside world far more restricted than the actual space it serves, and they're really fire exits so cannot be kept open. 2 toilet cubicles on that floor between classrooms and offices which may be almost empty or really full depending on timetable.

@BikeTyson

A lot of the reporting around this is very London/SE-centric. Where people previously had long hours and shit expensive commutes and are now finding they don’t have to do that.

Some of us who made different choices like accepting lower salaries and not living or working in London and had the accompanying quality of life benefits (my commute was 15 minutes and cost me £35 a month) are not finding WFH so miraculously life changing.

Yes this is true. I didn’t have a long commute because I’d already organised my life in a way that meant I didn’t. We moved out of London years ago, took lower salaries and bought a much bigger house, and my commute is/was 20 mins max.

I work freelance so I'm mainly home based. The museum I work for had limited office space so they are already running a rota for office space. If I was desperate to go in I could get on the rota but then the team I work with probably couldn't all be there so there would be no point. Really the only difference is going on for a month project meeting or not.

Lot of truth in what @BikeTyson and @Kaktus are saying. I used to have a 1.5 hr commute in London. It was fucking awful. But I made the choice to move. I miss London loads and there are downsides to not living there. But I felt I had to make the choices I did for quality of life. So it can irk a bit when the assumption is we are all in the London commuter situation.

I think people are taking the mick and using covid as an excuse to wfh

Most people work for bosses who have the final say on where they work.

I’m wfh because the office is at minimal capacity. I’ve been in once a week which has been fine but I really notice losing two hours of my day to commuting! It’s ridiculous.

So, for me, wfh works well.

I feel like the wfh/push to return to the office is because the majority of government are men, who probably leave the childcare/wife work to their better halves and have no clue. Also because they’re being lobbied by the likes of “Sir” Alan Sugar who has a huge corporate property empire and is worried about his rental income.

Wfh in commuter towns means that those towns will thrive. It’ll help improve local economies and move away from the London-centric model.

I'm dreading being called back to the office because:

1 - my work life balance is so much better now I'm working from home

2 - childminder drop offs and pick ups are far less stressful

3 - when my daughter goes to school next year ill save a fortune not needing so much wraparound care

4 - I'm saving a huge amount of money on rail fares not to mention the stress of late or cancelled trains

5 - I am usually ill solidly from November to April due to catching things on the train (students, school kids and commuters all present, packed to the rafters) but I managed to get over it in March this year with lockdown doing my train journeys. I won't miss not being ill so often

6 - the risk of catching covid while I'm out and about, for not just my sake but my dad's vulnerable father (XH) and for the sake of my childminder being able to continue her business

7 - I have aspergers and find office life very stressful. I keep in touch a lot better with colleagues now in remote and I'm much happier for it.

8 - I am just generally happier and more relaxed in myself, so a nicer mum to dd, who in turn is a gaiter and more relaxed child despite everything else that's going on.

Those are my reasons, not fully in order.

Just to add, I work in IT and we have proven far and away that we are at least, if not more, productive at home as in the office. Only about 20% want to return.

@Oblomov20

I think people are taking the mick and using covid as an excuse to wfh.

I think the opposite. I think a lot of companies are realising that their belief that people working from home would take the mick and be less productive was false.

Also, this whole argument of city centres being ghost towns and economies suffering because people are working from home - I have two free hours every day to wander around my local town and spend money. At the office, I have zero free time, no lunch break, and all my money goes on train fares.

The first reason why I haven't gone back is that our office hasn't been re-opened yet and we're told to plan to wfh until Jan 2021 at the earliest. If you do want a desk in the office you have to book in advance and have a special reason (e.g. you live alone and have found it hard to not be in the office). This is probably due to the fact that they believe they can make large savings on office space and also the fact that everyone has been proven to be more productive at home!

Personally, I am more than happy to wfh: I don't have expenses on car parking, rail and tube fees and I have a nice and cheaper lunch at home. I don't have to wear a suit/smart clothes and these now seem pointless! Less hassle as I don't have to get a train (trains are often cancelled, late, over crowded). It saves me well over 2 hours a day. I can sleep longer, I get up at 7am and easily get to my desk by 8am (when I commute I get up at 6am, leave at 6:30am, usually get to office just gone 8am).

@FromTheAshes

Also, this whole argument of city centres being ghost towns and economies suffering because people are working from home - I have two free hours every day to wander around my local town and spend money. At the office, I have zero free time, no lunch break, and all my money goes on train fares.

The money lost in city centres is also being spread out in other areas too, which long term isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

We’re rural and a lot of people have long commutes. Since more have been working from home the shops, coffee shop and cafe on our little high street are taking in much more than they used too when most locals were on the train or in their car at 6.30/7am and not back until 7pm

@FromTheAshes

Just to add, I work in IT and we have proven far and away that we are at least, if not more, productive at home as in the office. Only about 20% want to return.

Indeed, I work in a technology based job and I’m perfectly capable of doing my job from home. Nothing has been dropped or is behind schedule, we’re delivering everything as before.

I do think this realisation by many many people that they CAN do their jobs effectively without having to commute/spend money/waste time etc etc is a really important point that many companies aren't getting. If they want to get people back into the office, they're going to have to provide some pretty compelling reasons I think. Especially as there are a lot of firms who aren't going to be forcing people to return to work in offices and as such, WFH jobs are likely to be far more available than they were back in the day. [eg I know a woman who worked for a firm for an additional 5 years after she'd have wanted to leave because they were very flexible and no potential job was willing to give her the same flexibility. I'm not sure that would happen today].

Self employed. Before March, 70-80% of my work was face to face, during the lockdown it became 100% wfh (over the phone). Now it's about 75% wfh and 25% face to face and it works fine for me. I enjoy going out to see clients and cover assignments in person one-two days/week, top up the groceries and run errands but I have to say travelling by public transport is not my favourite thing these days; working from home has a ton of advantages which have been mentioned before by PP (I tick most of them)- but it can be a bit claustrophobic and the days spent on the phone can feel endless.

... however, as whether I work from home or "outside" is not really up to me, but up to my clients and their needs, I am just happy either way, as long as there is work for me and I get my bookings

People have long, expensive commutes outside of the SE. Just dont get the salary to compensate.

@Oblomov20

I think people are taking the mick and using covid as an excuse to wfh.

Why is it taking the mick?

For dh the reasons are this order:

• the commute would be awful for distancing so yes fear of covid
• the commute is long and tiring sucks
• he wants to be here for ds

For me:

• knowing ds will have to go into nursery - part covid fears at nursery and part being away from him
• horrible commute

DH will be permanently wfh. His company have just decided not to go ahead with building the huge city centre office that was due to start construction in May. We're delighted, because:

Covid - I'm higher risk (autoimmune condition), so him crowding onto packed trains and then going into a large open plan office (where SD wasn't possible) would have been a nightmare.

Money - we're saving at least £100 a month in travel expenses.

Time - he has an extra three and a half hours a day when you take into account his commute and his lunch break (which he often used to work loads of anyway - now he uses it to practice his guitar/read/go for a walk).

No commute - absolute hell, particularly in winter. Public transport where we are is a joke and trains are often cancelled at the last minute.

Productivity - his team are all much, much more productive. And because everything gets done, everyone finishes on time and doesn't end up staying late to finish stuff off.

And in our case, we often pootle over to our local High St during lunch hour or after work for a coffee/drink - something we never had time for in The Beforetimes. Lots of others are doing the same here. So while Pret etc may suffer, our local High St is thriving and there's a proper sense of community.

Honestly? It's a win-win situation.