Your thoughts on when life will be normal-ish

[charcb]

I realise this is purely speculative but what are people's thoughts on when we will be back to a semi-normal reality? Knowing what you know on vaccinations, when, according to you, can we expect the most simple of things to be back up and running again? I am referring to the simplest of things such as getting people back to their offices/places of work, having shops/gyms/entertainment venues permanently open, and the like?

I know we are a long way away from normal as we know it and that it may take several years to go back to it so I am not talking to getting back to total normality - ie no masks, no social distance, no restrictions.

Things like wfh will still happen but for the majority there will be a slow slide back to the office in time. We are social beings, service in some areas have suffered and competition in some work places is fearsome. If you aren't in the office you will miss out on opportunities for clients or promotions.

That's how I see it too. For certain admin jobs, long-term WFH is probably quite likely, but I do think that as time goes on, there will be more pressure to return to the office, especially if you have ambitions to be promoted. Also team work definitely suffers WFH. Nobody will ever convince me that Teams is an adequate substitute.

There was a thread a while back with someone talking about moving from London to the country because she'd be WFH 'forever'. Seemed to me rather reckless to make a permanent decision in the middle of a global crisis. Give it a year or 5, and then let's review, as the Americans say.

@IcedPurple

Things like wfh will still happen but for the majority there will be a slow slide back to the office in time. We are social beings, service in some areas have suffered and competition in some work places is fearsome. If you aren't in the office you will miss out on opportunities for clients or promotions.

That's how I see it too. For certain admin jobs, long-term WFH is probably quite likely, but I do think that as time goes on, there will be more pressure to return to the office, especially if you have ambitions to be promoted. Also team work definitely suffers WFH. Nobody will ever convince me that Teams is an adequate substitute.

There was a thread a while back with someone talking about moving from London to the country because she'd be WFH 'forever'. Seemed to me rather reckless to make a permanent decision in the middle of a global crisis. Give it a year or 5, and then let's review, as the Americans say.

Yes completely agree with quoted part and next bit

I know that in my sector people will move back as they can for many reasons. I also agree on screen was ok at first but a poor substitute. There may be a bit more flexibility but not sure

I know that in my sector people will move back as they can for many reasons. I also agree on screen was ok at first but a poor substitute. There may be a bit more flexibility but not sure

Also, people accept the limitations and frustrations of working remotely now because there's no real choice and it's the same for everyone. But people's patience will wear thin once normal service starts to be resumed. To give one example, my bank used to offer a pretty good service - you'd get through to their phone banking after only a short wait - but recently I've had to wait up to 40 minutes to get someone to answer. I can't be certain it's to do with staff WFH but it seems likely. I've no choice but to put up with it for now, but when there's no excuse for such poor service, I'd consider changing banks, and I doubt I'd be the only one.

Yes clients will accept bedroom zoom for now but it will seem a bit poor if it’s fine to go back

There may be a small amount of flexibility for us outside client meetings but really meetings happen all day with team or client so seems a bit pointless if you can go in

Maybe to do a research day or something

I think the cost savings from staff at home will be very attractive for some businesses. Our team, which was never really allowed to work from home, has been told we will never be back in our own office.

Plenty will go back of course, but some things are going to be changed permanently due to this.

@inquietant

I think the cost savings from staff at home will be very attractive for some businesses. Our team, which was never really allowed to work from home, has been told we will never be back in our own office.

Plenty will go back of course, but some things are going to be changed permanently due to this.

It does depend on sector. Probably a lot to do with client facing or not.

Can you say which sector you are in out of interest?

I find this thread so incredibly depressing. 2022, or 2023? What a really shit thought.

@MarshaBradyo

Yes clients will accept bedroom zoom for now but it will seem a bit poor if it’s fine to go back

Yes, our work will stay flexible with working from home but anyone wanting to work from home will need a proper space to do so, it won't be acceptable to work in a bedroom/busy living room with kids anymore once this is over.

Oblomov20 Maybe depressing, but realistic, there is no way everything will be back to pre pandemic normal this year

How on Earth can you predict that with such utter certainty?

Some people do talk shite.

@Sirius99

Oblomov20 Maybe depressing, but realistic, there is no way everything will be back to pre pandemic normal this year

Not a single person has said this though, so you're not being any more 'realistic' than any of us here.

I definitely think March time will be a turning point as vaccines are rolled out and once the elderly and vulnerable are vaccinated, the rest of the population, many who now may also have a natural immunity from already having had covid can start getting back to normal.

Alongside better weather and people being outdoors more, we will have a good summer of smashing vaccinations and be in a good position come autumn. I do think some people feel safer living in lockdowns and would be happy to carry on but it can’t continue much longer for the sake of the economy and the longer term damage lockdowns will do.

I’m looking forward to summer and hopefully the chance to feel some normality like I did last summer. Can’t wait for my four year old to go back to school and be with her friends she’s longing to see

I think if this summer is like last summer it will be OK. We had quite a nice time and my husband was properly back at work (hospitality). No big groups of friends or family but we had some nice times.

Mid winter doesn't help but daylight is getting longer now, February is a short month, many flowers will soon be begining to grow and it's only 61 days to spring equinox

@Flaxmeadow

Mid winter doesn't help but daylight is getting longer now, February is a short month, many flowers will soon be begining to grow and it's only 61 days to spring equinox

Yeah we’re over the hump of January. By the time next Monday morning rolls round the end of January will be in sight! We’re getting there x

@Beansprout30

I definitely think March time will be a turning point as vaccines are rolled out and once the elderly and vulnerable are vaccinated, the rest of the population, many who now may also have a natural immunity from already having had covid can start getting back to normal.

Alongside better weather and people being outdoors more, we will have a good summer of smashing vaccinations and be in a good position come autumn. I do think some people feel safer living in lockdowns and would be happy to carry on but it can’t continue much longer for the sake of the economy and the longer term damage lockdowns will do.

I’m looking forward to summer and hopefully the chance to feel some normality like I did last summer. Can’t wait for my four year old to go back to school and be with her friends she’s longing to see

My husband is in the over 50 age group. They will be the last priority group done in March.

He is getting pretty fed up of people referring to getting the elderly done

It won't. Even if businesses have to be allowed to reopen and schools return, I think some industries / businesses will be we recover and I think some behaviours like we will need to be maintained. The current generation of teens and kids will accept it more because it'll be more normal. It'll seem archaic that we used to crowd into places, hug and touch strangers etc.

I think it'll be at least one more winter of school and business closures and that's assuming we don't have a pandemic from something else stsrt

I didn't say normal. I don't expect things to go back to pre 2019.
But I can't accept, don't want to accept that things won't be better by 2022. Some posters said 2023. That's nearly 3 years.

What do you think the new 'normal' will be like? What is it that we want?

Our kids back at school. Being able to go to a restaurant, holiday?

When you say it will never be the same. I agree. Hopefully more people will be allowed to wfh more.

But don't you want to be able to go into London? See the Christmas lights, go to a show, a concert? Or whatever floats your boat.

You can't surely imagine that no concert , for ..... Ariadne grande, that many mn dd's (I have ds's) will never occur again.

Because that's not right, is it?

For all those saying we will never go back to normal China has

It'll seem archaic that we used to crowd into places, hug and touch strangers etc.

And yet we've returned to concerts, football crowds, music festivals, theatres etc after every other pandemic. These are things that being humans joy, they won't be forgotten and cast aside.

I have re-read most of the thread. Most of the posts re 2023 are just scaremongers. Utter scaremongering.

I agree with MadameBlobby and Delatron, that most of us will return to things. Those with high anxiety can continue not to if that's their choice.

It's not mine. Hopefully when I too am vaccinated, by the summer, most of us should be by the autumn..... I'm not prepared to live in fear and anxiety, worried about going out and if I catch it. I haven't lived my life in constant fear before, and I'm not about to start now.

Mumsnet is an echo chamber of people who hate socialising and would be happy never seeing other humans again. It's just projection.

In the real world, everyone I know can't wait to go to festivals, enjoy a night out, go to a party.

People saying those things will never happen again are talking nonsense. There WILL be demand for those things again, and they WILL happen. Perhaps not this year, but certainly in the not too distant future.

I think its cruel to peddle some of the nonsense written here.If you are an epidemiologist, please share.Otherwise,show some compassion for your fellow human beings, some of whom are hanging on by their fingertips.