Stopping wfh

[namechange63524]

Lots of people haven't been able to work from home during lockdown, but for those that have been able to wfh productively (or as productively as can be expected with schools shut), when are your firms asking you to go back into the office?

@Soontobeseller

How are people being asked back if the message is still very much work from home if you can? Or have I missed something?

Well, my company expected people to come in to the office at least once a week in the 3rd lockdown. It’s terrible, as we can all work from home and have been in 1st lockdown. Management hate wfh and think putting a plastic screen between desks will stop infections. MD is in the office every day. Do you know what I feel very angry and bitter about? That it would be fairly easy to set up a hotline and fine companies like mine, but the government clearly turns a blind eye. There must be thousands of companies like mine, all breaking the rules because they are “covid secure”. I really need to hold to to a job at the moment, but this totally put me off and looking for a new one as soon as I can.

I feel sorry for the small businesses round offices such as cafes and sandwich shops that will go under if offices are permanently closed.

They're not at the moment. It is likely the office will open for those who want to go in from June 21st but UK adults won't all of had their second vaccination until end of October so our company won't ask anyone to go in until at least then.

I work for a LA and the rumour is we are WFH permanently, with a visit to the office once a fortnight. The building I worked in has been decommissioned. We will have to book a desk in the main building.

I have some mixed feelings. I miss my lovely colleagues (not the nasty ones), I miss meeting a friend in the work canteen. Work wise, a significant amount of learning is lost by not sitting together as a team and discussing things.

My employer are going to send out a survey to see how people feel about wfh Vs office. But my suspicion for me will be that I'll stay working from home as my office is very sparsely staffed anyway. Tbh I'm not sure how I feel about this. I like wfh as no childcare costs (i live next to the school so easy to nip out for a few minutes for school pick up) but i do miss the office.

Not until September (I work in a university). After that, probably a couple of days a week, depending on teaching requirements. Some weeks more often, others I won't be in at all.

We are planned to be back in back face-to-face teaching after Easter. Also a university.

Ah well we don't have any term 3 teaching at all (students in practice placements May - August). How do you feel about it @changi?

For myself and DH, as soon as government advice makes this possible.

@changi

Not until September (I work in a university). After that, probably a couple of days a week, depending on teaching requirements. Some weeks more often, others I won't be in at all.

We are planned to be back in back face-to-face teaching after Easter. Also a university.

Our HE face to face teaching is from 15th March.

September at the earliest with a phased return on a voluntary basis, my office is central London based and people come in almost exclusively on public transport. We're also looking at hybrid working so that we can go back to socialising, enable collaboration and mentoring/people development but keep a high level of home working. According to our staff survey even globally there's only a very small number of people who want to go back in 5 days a week.

Ah well we don't have any term 3 teaching at all (students in practice placements May - August). How do you feel about it.

I'm OK with it. We were doing limited f2f in the term 1. We don't normally have much teaching in term 3 but for this year we have rearranged it so that exams are straight after Easter and f2f teaching after that. Subject to restrictions being lifted, of course.

The 2m social distancing does create some 'challenges' for staff and students alike. Particularly with practical work. Reduced room capacity is a problem too and means that sessions may need to be run multiple times.

Our HE face to face teaching is from 15th March.

We decided that asking students to come back a few days before the end of term was unlikely to be too popular.

I’m not sure my office really closed, beyond lockdown 1 anyway. If people want to be in the office now they can be. The push to get everyone back will be full on as soon as it’s allowed.

My company is consulting on how to phase in a return, but I know the CEO is a “wfh means you’re a lazy bum, unless you’re wearing a suit and sitting under fluorescent lights you’re not really working” type. Frantically job-hunting for permanent remote roles as my job is 100% computer-based and very few meetings, pointless wasting a commute and spending money living in London just to satisfy presenteeism culture.

But the job boards are actually pretty low on Wfh roles; so many say “we’re working remotely for now but after the pandemic you’ll be based in our beautiful offices several hours’ sweaty tube ride from your home, with lots of shit perks you don’t want, like fruit you could have at home”.

with lots of shit perks you don’t want, like fruit you could have at home”.

😆

Amazed people are changing practice from next week...the ‘WFH if you can’ advice won’t have changed, will it?

The thing is it’s not individual people deciding this, it’s employers. If your employer says you have to come in then what can you do.

My DH is back in office on 29/3 because his employer say that is when the requirement to ‘stay at home’ ends (despite the fact they’ve had them in office alternate days anyway)
They don’t trust anyone so like to have them where they can see them

I’m public sector and been told at least June. They will follow the government guidance about working from home. That said we were able to work at home part of the week pre-covid and I imagine this will increase

I think insisting all staff back when they don't need to be sends a message that the company is not that business-savvy (why risk mass infection of workforce), doesn't trust staff, doesn't value staff. V strange.

@ConnieDobbs

Wonder if the staff at your children's school and after school clubs are also wishing it wasn't happening until they'd had the vaccine.

I agree - I think that school staff should have been offered the vaccine before schools reopened.

I'm clinically vulnerable and can do my job effectively from home, so I will argue that I should be allowed to wfh until I've had the vaccine.

Imagine trying to administer that.

Fortunately the JVCI did, realised it would be a nightmare, and went for the much faster rollout of age

But the job boards are actually pretty low on Wfh roles; so many say “we’re working remotely for now but after the pandemic you’ll be based in our beautiful offices several hours’ sweaty tube ride from your home, with lots of shit perks you don’t want, like fruit you could have at home”.

Omg @burritofan you absolutely hit the nail on the head. I’m disappointed to see this in job ads too but hopeful that if companies want to compete for talent they’ll have to move with the times.

Not many companies will offer permanent wfh contracts at the moment as we are still in the unknown. They can't offer new recruits work on that basis if they've not had a total review of how they plan to work in the future as those decisions affect their workforce who can successfully wfh.

Yeah I think it’s a bit early for most companies to offer fully home based contracts yet. There’s a lot to figure out before most will be happy to employ people who live in the Outer Hebrides when 99% of employees are based near an office in Kent.

Never, they've got rid of the office.

No consultation, no offer of funding towards creating a set up at home.

I'm lucky that I've been able to set up an office in a spare room and have decent internet in my areas. But I have colleagues that are in 1 bed flat, don't have the space for a desk, and are working off of poor WiFi.

I don’t think a sole wfh model will become common at all. Very difficult to attract young talent that way.

There’ll be a hybrid approach, at least to begin with, but in most cases, F2F time in the office will be important to anyone who’s serious about progression.

We'll be back at 50% social distanced capacity from after Easter-ish, then fully in once the social distancing requirements are dropped.

Previously had no leeway to work from home, but I think we'll be given flexibility for 1-2 days from home now, alongside a protected -1-2 days when everyone must be in. I think it will work well.

DHs company have said July at the earliest, but they have changed their contracts and will only go in 1-2 days per week going forwards.