Back to office?

[purpleme12]

Would you go back to the office if you could? Office work
It's 2 metres apart
And screens getting installed as well now
I don't like working from home
But the advice is to with from home now
Will it be too different at work, too clinical? And too hard to not go near people when you're walking around going to people?
If you can't go near people it'll be hard to hear them anyway won't it?

It's so hard

Until last week I would have said yes, but now, if you can wfh you should do so. TBH all the employers I know who had started getting people back in have sent them home again wed tomorrow.

@batman7654
Remember going into office will also involve touching lift buttons/door handles/toilet door locks etc. From a virus spread perspective it's definitely more risky.
Agree with this 100%. Problem is in an office familiarity breeds laziness. Had lots of colleagues standing next to me this week 'but it's fine because we both have a mask on' ffs.

[quote thedevilinablackdress]@JinpingShuffle since people have really unsuitable set ups for WFH, as I mentioned earlier. Maybe they live in a flat share and have several other people all using the same WiFi and only one room to live work and socialise in 24/7. Maybe they gave people at home who, for one reason or another, make it difficult to work. There are many reasons.[/quote]
That's much like how people do all of their work when at University so not too difficult to manage.

[quote PinkSparklyPussyCat]@JinpingShuffle working from home can be shit if you're not set up for it. I have to work in the living room so DH spends most of his time in the bedroom reading and feels as though he has to ask if he wants to walk through the living room as he feels he's in the way. I've told him not to worry, if he appears in a call so be it, but he does.

I now have a desk which makes very slightly better but it's between the sideboard and the dining table and facing the wall so not brilliant.

We've also been told to remember confidentiality but how I'm supposed to do that I don't know. I wear earphones but if I'm on a call DH can hear my side.

I'm completely fed up with it now, I want my living room back, I don't want to look at screens every time I walk through. I don't feel as though I can switch off and I do longer hours than when I'm in the office, although I'm going to stop that.

Sorry, that's turned into a rant but I'm certainly not feeling any happier![/quote]
In your situation I'd set up a desk in the bedroom and work there, then you can ensure confidentiality and your DH can use other areas of the house while you work.

In your situation I'd set up a desk in the bedroom and work there, then you can ensure confidentiality and your DH can use other areas of the house while you work.

I can't, we don't have the room in the bedroom. The only way we could do that is to get rid of a chest of drawers (there's no other way to lay out the bedroom) and I'm certainly not doing as they cost a fortune!

I still wouldn't be able to ensure confidentiality as he'd be sitting on the other side of the wall. We can also hear our upstairs neighbour clearly on the phone (there's no insulation and she's got bare floorboards) I don't think there's much chance of confidentiality!

Work have to accept that it's not the same and it's impossible to have the same level of confidentiality.

I go in one day a week because I politely insisted on working from home as the default. The others in my team are choosing to be in the office but that goes against Scottish gov advice.

I hate it; hands covered in sanitiser all day, mask on to go to the loo, washing hand when I touch the kettle, etc.

It's not necessary so I say no thank you!

I really miss the office - the separation between work and home, the socialisation. I worked mostly from home for years before changing career last year and one of the things that was on my 'wish list' when thinking about other things I could do was that I wanted something with more routine, more collaborative work and where I worked in an office most of the time! I know a lot of people want the exact opposite, but I do think people don't realise the downsides to constant 'flexibility' if they don't have it - it can be a case of be careful what you wish for...

I work at a university and if your team isn't needed on campus (mine isn't) you can only go in by special exception - I asked to go in on the day where DH doesn't work and is at home with toddler DS, because that makes it much harder for me to work effectively from home, but I didn't pass the risk assessment because I'm pregnant. But they've stopped the voluntary scheme as of today anyway. I think that's the correct decision, but it does really suck for people who struggle working from home.