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Original poster

Managers demanding admin team come back to the offce

129 replies

Peanutbutteryogurt · 02/02/2021 09:46

Hoping for some advice here as need to send a reply email!

I work part time, two days a week at home and one day in the office to do printing and paperwork. This system has worked very well since April and as far as I knew was ongoing for the foreseeable future. We got an email from some manager who I have never met saying as of next shift everyone will be expected to work in the office, basically as we wear masks and if we socially distance it will be fine!

We have a small office, on any given day there could be up to 11 of us in the one office. We have some cardboard screens in-between some desks and we wear masks. It is impossible to distance at all times when we need to move around, put something in someone's tray etc. Managers are insisting the office is completely covid secure. It is quite clearly not.

Do I have any leg to stand on here? I desperately don't want to go in. I have stayed home to work today while I have an email back and forth with this manager and will go in tomorrow as my usual routine, but I am worried about next week.

As it happens, I work for the NHS in a hospital. We are literally just coming out of the peak of this wave and still have over 200 covid patients in the hospital.

OP posts:
sickofthisyear · 02/02/2021 22:46

@LemonadeFromLemons has it- the issue is that some of your team, for whatever reasons, are less effective and the NHS is not set up to deal with individuals. Due to the banding structure and the fact you likely all have the same job description it means that colleagues are always looking to see what each other has/hasn't got and if anyone seems to have preferential treatment then the others will be straight down to HR. Managers are awful at performance managing in this situation. There should be clear objectives to be achieved so they can single out anyone not meeting them- but from the sounds of it you don't even have a line manager so the other boss probably wants people on site so she gets less hassle as her equivalent has been redeployed.
It's shit and very unfair to those of us who are more effective and safer when WFH. I sometimes think the NHS is trialling the herd immunity approach with its staff. At least we've all had the option of the vaccine- but it's awful when our own managers seem to forget social distancing when it suits them. Really sorry there's no easy answer.

PregnantGotCovid · 02/02/2021 22:56

Join a union! Anyone can join a union. As an NHS worker, you can join unison.

Riddlediddle · 02/02/2021 22:58

@mootymoo yes we have just had the vaccine however throughout the whole pandemic admin havent been allowed to work from home so the vaccine has no impact on that

watchingabike · 02/02/2021 23:05

@Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady

Presumably you are shopping still so expect workers in, possibly using schools so expect staff in etc.

Possibly the most ridiculous response I've read on here for some time! The government message is that everyone should work from home if they can. The OP can WFH, and should therefore not be forced into the office.

You're clearly not a government employee
Babbo65 · 02/02/2021 23:11

Office blocks are rammed on my business park. We are running about 2/3 staff out of 10 in buts it’s a big space. Some have everyone in as the car park is full. The motorways are busy. People are ignoring the rules and Johnson is turning a blind eye. Remember lockdown one, they had traffic data. Not this time as it would be totally embarrassing for them 1m kids in school last week. Say no more

tommika · 02/02/2021 23:27

@WalrusWife

DH works on a military base. He is “allowed” to WFH one day per week. They started doing lateral flow tests. All that happens is: someone tests positive, everybody is sent to self isolate / WFH. Come back two weeks later, first day back, same thing happens again. And again. 🤷🏻‍♀️

And they wear masks, wash hands and social distance but that does very little to stop people testing positive - ALL asymptomatic!

it is essential to core defence outputs that your DHs work is to take place on site then that is in contradiction with policy

If he can be ‘allowed’ to WFH once a week then that implies he can work from home.

Unless it is work that needs to be conducted on site, and part of his work can be done at home then this is also a breach of Covid policy

tommika · 02/02/2021 23:28

That should have read ‘unless it is essential to ...’

Bandino · 02/02/2021 23:55

If it has been working, why the change? I work for the council. A few are going in for printing/post but it's been those that want to. There are enough that nobody needs to be forced to. Then that gives those that do plenty of room. Now we have the technology there's no need to all go in. Why put people at risk for no reason. Crazy. Or just an employer who thinks very little of staff welfare.

Original poster
Peanutbutteryogurt · 03/02/2021 07:51

*Just a thought, have you all been offered the vaccine? Could this be the reason for the change now?

My neighbour is a medical secretary and she's been told they are all to be in full time from the 18th, 3 weeks after the last vaccinations were done, the reason is lack of productivity from some members of the team*

We've all had our first jab but the Trust has repeatedly stressed that we are to continue with all the old safety measures as the vaccine doesn't stop transmission.

OP posts:
Original poster
Peanutbutteryogurt · 03/02/2021 07:56

It has been working and I have yet to be given a good reason for the change. I was thinking this morning why didn't they just wait until at least this lockdown was over? We're literally IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC, to use a favourite Mumsnet line.

sickofthisyear

I have never known anything like NHS management. It is properly shit and lazy. There are so many layers and I have no idea what most of them do. We have a team lead in our office but she is not qualified or paid to deal with a lot of problems, but if we go higher they basically don't want us to talk to them.

Before my manager moved to the vaccine hub she also changed offices to an different building within the hospital, behind a locked door you need a code for 😂

OP posts:
Original poster
Peanutbutteryogurt · 03/02/2021 07:57

I'm chickening out of asking a question in the Q&A. It will be obvious it is me it the manager is watching.

OP posts:
OnceAponAMum · 03/02/2021 07:57

Yes

Original poster
Peanutbutteryogurt · 03/02/2021 08:51

Well plot twist, the medical secs have been told the reason they are in is because they might need to be redeployed at short notice

OP posts:
Viciouslybashed · 03/02/2021 08:58

@Peanutbutteryogurt

Well plot twist, the medical secs have been told the reason they are in is because they might need to be redeployed at short notice
What does this mean? I am intrigued.
Suedo · 03/02/2021 09:09

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn at OP's request.

Covidcorvid · 03/02/2021 09:15

@Peanutbutteryogurt

Well plot twist, the medical secs have been told the reason they are in is because they might need to be redeployed at short notice
I'm guessing to go and be ward clerks/receptionists?
Wingingit15 · 03/02/2021 09:15

Sounds like a view has been that as you’ve been vaccinated as part of the nhs it’s reasonable to require you in doing as needed.

Original poster
Peanutbutteryogurt · 03/02/2021 09:22

I don't know why the redeployed thing would come in now when numbers are now consistently going down. None of us have been redeployed to wards as of yet but we have helped in the vaccine hub. There was no social distancing so some staff are now refusing to do that anyway.

OP posts:
Original poster
Peanutbutteryogurt · 03/02/2021 09:23

Sounds like a view has been that as you’ve been vaccinated as part of the nhs it’s reasonable to require you in doing as needed

But why would one division make this decision when the chief medical officer tells us the opposite in his briefing every week?

OP posts:
Original poster
Peanutbutteryogurt · 03/02/2021 09:32

It also means they're telling different staff different things. I thought the line was the office was completely covid secure so that's why we all need to come to work. Apparently it's because of redeployment.

OP posts:
Hardbackwriter · 03/02/2021 09:33

I have been assured my productivity is not the problem but that having people work from home does slow the general productivity of the team. Fair enough, but is that worth catching covid over!

Since you presumably support clinical work it does seem quite important if the team as a whole is slower?

Original poster
Peanutbutteryogurt · 03/02/2021 09:42

I literally type the clinic letters. I type furiously for two days and then come in a print everything and put it in the clinicians trays. From that point onwards it is down to the clinician to read, sign and put it in the out tray. This can take them days or weeks so I don't feel my max two day delay in getting a typed copy to them is an issue. The letters are sent to GPs or referrals via email so any prescriptions, urgent changes etc go immediately with no delay.

OP posts:
Wingingit15 · 03/02/2021 10:28

You need to ask why you’re being asked to come in then. IMO if you are employed by the nhs, have been vaccinated early on that basis, it’s not unreasonable to expect to be in the vaccine hubs etc surely, provided your contractual hours etc aren’t changed. Vaccine volunteers are also being given the vaccine. Redeployment within the nhs has been needed all along to get what needs doing, doing. TAs (minimum wage) aren’t covid secure either but that’s for another thread !

Original poster
Peanutbutteryogurt · 03/02/2021 11:43

Yes, no problem working in the vaccine hub if it's safe or being redeployed if the trust needs it to function. However no one has been redeployed other than a few hours here and there at the vaccine hub, which doesn't need everyone in the office every day.

OP posts:
BBCONEANDTWO · 03/02/2021 19:25

@Wingingit15

You need to ask why you’re being asked to come in then. IMO if you are employed by the nhs, have been vaccinated early on that basis, it’s not unreasonable to expect to be in the vaccine hubs etc surely, provided your contractual hours etc aren’t changed. Vaccine volunteers are also being given the vaccine. Redeployment within the nhs has been needed all along to get what needs doing, doing. TAs (minimum wage) aren’t covid secure either but that’s for another thread !
Couldn't agree more - plus what about everyone else who has to be working AT WORK and not even vaccinated yet. What about police, teachers etc. Some people who have been working from home seem to think they are entitled to that from now on - and I'll bet productivity has dropped that's why they'll be getting told to come back.