Office not closing

[DarthVader1]

My wife works at a small firm with about 10 people. Her job can easily be done from home and she worked from home for about 4/5 months with the last lockdown.

However this time, her boss has said that everyone in the office has to continue coming in because the lockdown “doesn’t suit her and she will be lonely”. She is one of those people that also believes that COVID doesn’t exist. There is no issue with productivity, in fact more work was being done because the staff worked longer hours (not forced) but the boss is a bit of a control freak.

The guidelines specifically state that everyone who can work from home must do so. AIBU to report my wife’s firm for not following the guidelines.

What does your wife want to do?

@DarthVader1

My wife works at a small firm with about 10 people. Her job can easily be done from home and she worked from home for about 4/5 months with the last lockdown.

However this time, her boss has said that everyone in the office has to continue coming in because the lockdown “doesn’t suit her and she will be lonely”. She is one of those people that also believes that COVID doesn’t exist. There is no issue with productivity, in fact more work was being done because the staff worked longer hours (not forced) but the boss is a bit of a control freak.

The guidelines specifically state that everyone who can work from home must do so. AIBU to report my wife’s firm for not following the guidelines.

Do the guidelines say they must work from home, or they they should?

She wants to work from home, she wasn’t very happy tonight when she came back from work after being told.

I did check the guidelines and they do say must.

My DH’s employer is doing the same. They shut down completely during the last lockdown but now refuse to do so. DH worked at home for 3 months but now they insist that he and everyone else have to be in the office every day. Selfish twats but I don’t see what we can do?

I wouldn't report her no. I think it's up to your wife and colleagues to tackle their boss.

Selfish twats but I don’t see what we can do?

You get together with a significant number of colleagues and talk to the boss - power in numbers...

Or you talk to your Union if you have one

It’s a small firm so there is no union or HR department. There is no way of talking to her boss, she’s very much what I say goes, which is fine it’s her business but when she’s doing something wrong it doesn’t make it easy.

No union and the boss is likely to sack anyone who complains. He’s safely at home of course. Only the cannon fodder have to go to the office.

My husband's company is staying open. They are consulting engineers, so jobs can readily be done at home; they just won't make quite as much profit snd he has concerns re 'supervision' of junior staff. I've told him I think he's sailing close to the wind and taking the piss.
They have been 'all back' since June this year. Covid secure, but all staff back in relatively small offices nonetheless. I do a similar job but for a local authority and I've not stepped foot in our office since March. We are still working an normal effectively, but from home.
My husband and I have had numerous heated debates on this. His argument is that they can't WFH and survive as a business, yet this year, Including the earlier lockdown period, they've had their most profitable year on record. My head hurts. 🤯😳🤦🏻‍♀️

@TigerBrite that's hard, but also where the power in numbers come in. They won't want to sack 10 people all at once, presumably.

If boss is at home that's really scummy.

Is there any business reason why they have to go in?

My DH employer has asked people to go in despite most of them being able to do their jobs from home, at least most of the time. It's a large, very well known company and they're still bending the rules.

Alternatively, you could keep having "Covid scares" so you have to WFH?!

@ethelredonagoodday sadly your husband sounds like a bit of a twat

Yep, I have made this point to him, more than once...

This doesn't seem to be uncommon. I've heard of numerous similar examples. It seems to me to very much undermine the point of locking down hospitality and non-essential retail if people continue to meet indoors unnecessarily to do work that could be done from home.

I just think it’s so wrong. I have a friend that owns his own shop and has had to close and is worried about the future and then you have these employers who don’t realise how lucky they are to be in a sector where they can still trade and operate and they are still taking the piss with the rules.

Count yourself lucky your wife only works with 10 people!
My wife is a nurse, she has been dealing covid patients for weeks now, infact all of last week she was on a ward with 30 covid patients, all over the age of 60, with underlying health conditions, and been told there is nothing can be done for them, she is there to literally make them comfortable and gold there hands, its severely hurting her mental health, she is trained to help people, but she cqnt help them!

But isn't the whole point of the lockdown to ensure things don't get it any worse in the NHS? That's certainly how it's being sold to us. Do you think employers shouldn't be encouraged to comply if they can, just because it's not possible for everyone to wfh?

Can you walk past their offices and see people in it? Is it easy to work out what kind of work they do?

Maybe an anonymous letter to the boss song you've noticed them in office and don't think they need to be and threatening to report would work...

The office is in a residential area, it’s a converted house so the office is the bottom floor and then the boss lives upstairs in her flat. So there are neighbours and people just generally walking past yes.

@Bookriddle and she’s going to be dealing with an awful lot more if employees are simply told to “count themselves lucky” when their employers bend rules for profit.

Is it obviously an office? Could you report seeing lots of people going in and out of a house

@ethelredonagoodday my DH does a very similar job to yours and his company are also staying open. They’re using the ‘construction and manufacturing’ loophole even though they can all safely WFH.

I work in non essential retail and we arnt closing . Until we find out how this will work I’m unsure how I feel about this . We shut in the last lockdown

Perhaps your wifes boss suffers from anxiety and having the staff in helps them cope?