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Original poster

Literally why am I a key worker?

174 replies

Esmerelda01 · 09/01/2021 14:11

I'm feeling so frustrated today.

I work for a large multi national retailer which is currently classed as an essential shop as we sell predominantly food.
My role is absolutely not key, I dont contribute to feeding the nation, to getting the food on the shelves, to checking the quality or assisting in the logistics of it arriving. However the entire company has been classed as key workers, all 16,000 of us which just seems crazy.
Dh is a key worker and cannot work from home (he works in Fire protection predominantly in care homes).
There's so much pressure coming in rom all angles regarding not sending dc to school if you WFH. I wfh 80%, of the week but work will not allow me to look after / home school my 6yo as they say there is no requirement due to my KW status.

I feel like such a fraud. The worst thing is the school know what job I do at the head office and that I work from home and I feel pathetic.

Work have now told me I am to lie and say I've been moved to one of the teams that feed the nation if my status is queried.

I feel physically sick all the time, like im putting dc and his teachers at risk, at what the school must think of me and at the fact that my company are being so inconsiderate.
They told me if I really want to have him off I can take unpaid leave - what for the next 3 months?! We have a mortgage and bills to pay.

The whole key worker thing needs a massive review. It's just a massive joke the whole thing.

OP posts:
Samiad85 · 09/01/2021 14:30

My manager told us (office workers in food factory) if we were asked by anyone to say we work on the factory floor not in the office.

Not sure why op is being goady for not providing you with evidence Hmm

itispersonal · 09/01/2021 14:30

Sorry in English would be helpful

Maybe she wants her children because it is safer for them to be at home than in schools.

Ask work if children then pass on covid to you after being in schools, and you are off work for weeks and months with long covid. What are they going to do?

Op ~ did your 'productivity' drop last lockdown or your work just being difficult.

moomin11 · 09/01/2021 14:32

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

If there is a place for your child at school, then why are you thing yourself up in such knots about it?

The school will have capacity limits. Your child is within that. They have decided they can accommodate him, so they have.

Perhaps the OP has read the numerous threads on mumsnet slagging off keyworkers taking up places at school when they don't 'need' to. Plenty of them on here sadly.
PTW1234 · 09/01/2021 14:34

I am guessing you work in a supermarket head office and in the team that buys and sells things like household items etc.

I think it’s wrong for your employer to push you into doing this, is there a written policy?

I think supermarkets should be taking none essential items off shelves (like candles, cushions, picture frames etc.) it’s wrong when business who only sell those items have to close, it’s not like the large chains need the extra profit

Theunamedcat · 09/01/2021 14:35

Book a keyworker place but tell the school she won't be attending unless your actually in?

Musicaldilemma · 09/01/2021 14:35

The thing is OP most large food retailers I this country branch out into other businesses so they can keep prices as low as possible on food and stay competitive. I don’t think you can split the businesses up like that. Food supply continuing given Brexit and Pandemic is absolutely critical at this point - food prices can’t go up too much, as a society we just cannot afford them to. Do you agree?

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 09/01/2021 14:36

True moomin

The safest place for us ALL to be is indoors until this whole shit show is over, but the world doesn't work like that and as such some children will be in school.

The OP has a choice to keep her dc at home. But it doesn't mean she needs to be so dramatic about her guilt that they are at school and how it's her employers fault.

WorraLiberty · 09/01/2021 14:36

Perhaps the OP has read the numerous threads on mumsnet slagging off keyworkers taking up places at school when they don't 'need' to. Plenty of them on here sadly.

Yes, I'm wondering if this is a new slant on it.

Haffiana · 09/01/2021 14:37

@WorraLiberty

Perhaps the OP has read the numerous threads on mumsnet slagging off keyworkers taking up places at school when they don't 'need' to. Plenty of them on here sadly.

Yes, I'm wondering if this is a new slant on it.

Yep.
BiscuitTea · 09/01/2021 14:38
Hmm
Littlepond · 09/01/2021 14:39

I’m a key worker. I can do my job from home - and isn’t easy doing it while homeschooling three kids, but I won’t send them to school as I feel strongly that we need as many kids to stay home as possible. My managers keep asking why I haven’t put the kids in school. Everyone else on my team has which means they are less flexible for meetings etc as they all have school run!
I’m feeling guilty all the time that I’m not committed to the job enough. But I’d feel guilty sending the kids to school too.

This whole thing sucks. I feel for you OP!

2020out · 09/01/2021 14:43

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

If there is a place for your child at school, then why are you thing yourself up in such knots about it?

The school will have capacity limits. Your child is within that. They have decided they can accommodate him, so they have.

FYI, schools don't have capacity limits. They have been told they must take every child that is eligible due to being a child of a critical worker or by being vulnerable. (I know that in practice some schools are applying their own rules, but legally they have no backup for this). This is why some schools have 80% of their children still in.

I hate this situation. It's no one's fault but I suppose it's an inevitable consequence of a pandemic situation lasting nearly a year. Businesses are demanding normality even where it has knock on effects which might increase the death toll.

Musicaldilemma · 09/01/2021 14:44

If the OP does work for a large multinational food retailer with 16000 employees then I am sure at top level management there would have been a discussion with actual government about keyworker status. And if the actual government has ok’d it there will be a reason for it. That is not to say it might not be reviewed in the future or that the schools’ keyworker definition is changed, again.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 09/01/2021 14:44

FYI, schools don't have capacity limits. They have been told they must take every child that is eligible due to being a child of a critical worker or by being vulnerable. (I know that in practice some schools are applying their own rules, but legally they have no backup for this). This is why some schools have 80% of their children still in

Do you work in this sector?

2020out · 09/01/2021 14:46

Yes. I'm a teacher. The above note is hmin the guidelines to schools (unless they've changed them again since about Thursday). They were updated on Thursday to say that keyworkers should keep their children at home if possible.

PrivateHall · 09/01/2021 14:47

OP what do you want from your work? If you on't want to send her in then don't, surely they won't come and check?

Original poster
Esmerelda01 · 09/01/2021 14:49

@Littlepond I hope they're being understanding, well done for managing to achieve it.

I've never known guilt like it. I feel I could do some school work with her throughout the day and easily stay on top of my job. I would work longer hours to make up any lost time. But the fact of the matter is they won't allow it and no, I wouldn't expect a 6yo to go undetected as I have teams calls with my colleagues and managers regularly throughout the day. It wouldn't be fair to expect her to not be occasionally in the background getting on with her own thing

OP posts:
BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 09/01/2021 14:50

Have your work said what would happen if the dc have to self isolate?

YoniAndGuy · 09/01/2021 14:51

So this is why we're fucked. It's not even that everyone is busting a gut to claim keyworker status and get their kids into school - it's that businesses who can claim it then can't or won't furlough staff = no homeschooling = even the parents who could be furloughed/WFH and homeschool and WANT to keep their kids out if at all possible actually can't because the can't afford to take it as leave.

End result = pretty much a majority of kids in school despite so-called 'lockdown' = no decrease in cases = lockdown continues indefinitely.

Fuckign stupid.

MutantNinjaCovid · 09/01/2021 14:53

Classified as a key worker by whom?

Does you company have a later from the government to that effect or have they just decided?

Original poster
Esmerelda01 · 09/01/2021 14:54

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz yes, I will be allowed to WFH while they isolate for that period of that happens.
As its a short amount of time and out if my hands apparently.

OP posts:
unmarkedbythat · 09/01/2021 14:54

M&S sell food. If someone works as a fashion buyer for M&S they are not contributing to feeding the nation but they are employed by a retailer which sells food. Is this enough for the wilfully ignorant among you to understand how someone can work for a business that sells food and have nothing at all to do with that element of the business?

Original poster
Esmerelda01 · 09/01/2021 14:55

@YoniAndGuy

So this is why we're fucked. It's not even that everyone is busting a gut to claim keyworker status and get their kids into school - it's that businesses who can claim it then can't or won't furlough staff = no homeschooling = even the parents who could be furloughed/WFH and homeschool and WANT to keep their kids out if at all possible actually can't because the can't afford to take it as leave.

End result = pretty much a majority of kids in school despite so-called 'lockdown' = no decrease in cases = lockdown continues indefinitely.

Fuckign stupid.

Exactly this. 20% of dds school were in this week which is not masses compared to some of what I've read, but school are now putting huge pressure on us to keep them at home with us if we can. I can but am not allowed!
OP posts:
Original poster
Esmerelda01 · 09/01/2021 14:58

@MutantNinjaCovid

Classified as a key worker by whom?

Does you company have a later from the government to that effect or have they just decided?

During lockdown 1.0 we were told the whole company had been classed as key workers, as was the same for all supermarkets regardless of what our role is. The letter we have to send to school is very very generic "as the nature of our business is to feed the nation we expect this person's dc to be allowed to attend school so they can continue their vital role" but honestly if I could tell you my role without giving myself up you would understand. There are many sectors within the company that are not critical during this time but it seemed to be a simplicity thing that they just have said every worker of every supermarket regardless
OP posts:
TatianaBis · 09/01/2021 14:58

There are posters here who wish they had keyworker status so they could send their kids to school, there are posters who wish they didn’t have keyworker status so they could keep their kids at home.

I think everyone just needs to stop moaning and crack on.

The rules are arbitrary because they are national and it’s difficult to be cover nuance on that scale.

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