Government guidance on working from home

[ColourfulElmerElephant]

Surely this is going to have to continue until Easter next year? I don’t see how we can be predicted to come out of the roadmap in June (at the earliest), whilst being told it’s a foregone conclusion there will be another wave, yet be encouraged back to the office.

What are your employers doing? I’m hoping mine will say those who want/need to will be prioritised to return first but most I work with are unlikely to be fully vaccinated until the last group is done.

I’ve asked to go back 5 days per week ASAP. I’ve been told this should be possible from some point in May. Fingers crossed it doesn’t get pushed back. I can’t work from home anymore. It’s destroying my mental health. I need all of my work material out of my home. I’d happily go back in tomorrow and never work from home ever again.

Why are people talking about next Easter all of sudden? The government are talking about getting people back in as part of one of their “task forces” so we will hear soon I’m sure.
I know I don’t speak for everyone but working from home is not great for those in house shares or without the luxury of a designated workspace/study or those who live alone and if companies continue to stall on getting people back in they will find staff leaving to go work for companies who have opened offices.

I am on mat leave but hated working from home last March-July it’s lonely and antisocial and my home no longer felt like my sanctuary but a place that work had taken over and that is with being fortunate enough to have space. I am happy to do 2 days from home when I go back but will be wanting to be in the office for the other days. If this is not possible I will move to another company as i really thrive on the office environment and in a creative marketing role you just don’t get the collaboration and bouncing ideas off other people In the same way from home. I also think we are doing damage to people’s ability to interact in face to face situations with the current belief that zoom is perfect replacement for human interaction.

In the past day I've heard both that Boris is thinking of bringing people back earlier than planned and that Boris is thinking of pushing it back beyond 'freedom day' (you can guess which shitrag wrote the phrase 'freedom day'). Basically, I don't think anyone knows.

I'll be WFH full time going forward which I'm very pleased about (I moved companies as mine is only going back blended).

If I was Boris, I wouldn’t lift it anytime soon. I imagine it’s a no brainier in terms of keeping large numbers of people out of mixing 5 days a week for very little economic cost compared to other controls. Obviously the vaccine situation will change things, but I’d just leave that alone if I were him.

But then again, I would never have said “everyone back into to office” last summer for the same reason.

I think there needs to be some discussion around those who do not want to return because they feel it's unsafe and those who do not want to return because they prefer to WFH. Personally if many of my colleagues were back in the workplace I would be worried about becoming invisible if I remained WFH, that's aside from all the contact and learning stuff that you miss out on.

@Mancbear88

We’ve been forced back this week. Some full time some 3 days in 2 days off. HR have claimed it’s for mental health reasons, but it’s actually because senior management believe that if you aren’t in the office you’re not working (despite the fact everything has carried on during WFH with the online side making record profits).

I asked about my heavily pregnant employee and was told unless she has an underlying condition and a GPs note to say as such she still needs to come in.

With regards to pregnant colleagues, they are all expected in where I work (primary school) and they have the same working conditions as everyone else until the 3rd trimester unless vulnerable in another way. This means no masks in classrooms and little /no SD with children depending on age of children.

When they are 28 weeks if they cannot be given a role where there is social distancing (e.g. working at own desk or similar non teaching role) then they work from home. Pregnant employees in the school office are still in past 28 weeks as there is social distancing. I think this is similar to the NHS.
Employers have to do a separate risk assessment for each pregnant employee so your colleague should ask for one of those.

We have pregnant staff 28+ weeks in school as normal with everyone else. The guidance has changed and they are no longer CEV.

If kids can go back to school with 1000+ under one roof and no social distancing EVERYONE can go back to work to.

Our company are reopening the offices as of next week for those who want to use them but predominantly the work from home message remains in place. A high number of people have said they want to get back to the office for their own well-being.
We are looking at reducing our offices and moving to a more agile model where you can balance home and office based on the requirements of your role.
I always worked from home a couple days a week so working from home the last year hasnt bothered me my team at my location has diminished so don’t feel a pressing need to go into the office regularly and certainly don’t intend to be back in any time soon. Had this happened 10 years ago when my office was a sociable place to be I didn’t have children so I did socialise with people from work quite regularly and there was a much bigger team there I would’ve been gutted but I’m at the stage of my life now where I very much work to enjoy other things in life.

Working from home makes things so much easier regards to the children and their after-school commitments, I talk to members of my team not at my workplace location more than I’ve ever done so don’t feel isolated and I can definitely do my job as effectively from home in an office I appreciate I’m very lucky to be being given a choice and that my employer has taken a surprisingly mature and trusting approach to the issue

I've not heard anything from my employer other than to say that if you really want to go into the office for personal or business reasons, you can as long as you get prior permission etc.

Same for DH's employer.

I am not impressed with all the employers who are flagrantly ignoring the guidance to tell people they need to be back into the office next week.

@MustStayStrong01

If kids can go back to school with 1000+ under one roof and no social distancing EVERYONE can go back to work to.

I don't need to go "back" to "work" because I've been working successfully and efficiently at home since last March.

Office work is what you do, not where you are.

@Cookiecrisps she’s due to give birth this month so very much third trimester! She’s happy to go in, I just believe she should be given the option not to if she needed it. HR mentioned doing a risk assessment when I asked for one but haven’t actually bothered doing it.

I don't need to go "back" to "work" because I've been working successfully and efficiently at home since last March.

You do if you're employer says so. All this people should be given the option chat, erm that's not how employment works. Government guidance is just that, guidance. If you're employers tell you they want you back in the office then you'll have to go back in or hand in your notice.

@Mancbear88 if your colleague worked in a school office in my LA though she would still be working until her mat leave begins as the assumption is that there is social distancing. With the teaching and support staff there is no social distancing so they are either given a desk based job in school sharing an office with others or they are told to work from home from 28 weeks in my LA. Other LAs might have different rules though and as a PP said in their school staff are still face to face teaching after 28 weeks.

Your colleague should push the risk assessment though. The company will probably say wear a mask and sit 2 metres away from other desks. This is what a lot of the guidance boils down to.

@Cookiecrisps she’s not bothered. Desks aren’t 2m apart and no masks needed at desks but they’ve put up a thin plastic screen and a one way system so it’s Covid safe. To be honest I’m not actually at risk of Covid really and she’s otherwise healthy so nothing to gain from rocking the boat.

However, I live in an area where there’s been enhanced restrictions or lockdown throughout bar 3 weeks as cases have been high. The narrative in the press is that’s because people don’t follow restrictions. Whereas if large companies are going against guidance and mixing 500 people a day with multiple Covid cases surely that’s more likely to be the reason. Last year the lad I sit next to (less than 1m but with a screen) tested positive and I was told it wasn’t reason for me to isolate as there was a screen.

If places that can reduce mixing with little impact do that will then make it safer for retail staff and schools as there will be less community cases and less parents bringing it home.

Although on the otherhand I am looking forward to seeing real life people so I’ve not complained to work as it suits me even though I think it’s the wrong thing to do.

My office never closed. I think now, after 12 months, the offices that have remained closed should make a decision either way, or clarify whatever middle ground they are going to have. Then all the WFH lovers and the office lovers can make long term plans. There are people miserable on both sides, in limbo, and it's been long enough now.

We are WFH as a default, so as per the current guidance, until December (public sector). I think they wanted to give people some certainty to plan training, meetings etc for the next 6 months or so. I must admit I had thought the roadmap out of lockdown stated the aim that we would have no social distancing come June, but have been told by people who have read it very carefully that that was never the case. That means most of our meetings will have to be held virtually anyway as our meeting rooms now have a very reduced capacity.

My workplace are giving no further guidance until the govt guidance to 'wfh if you can' changes.

I am soooooo fed up of being at home 24/7. But have to be grateful that I can.

@BeakyWinder

My office never closed. I think now, after 12 months, the offices that have remained closed should make a decision either way, or clarify whatever middle ground they are going to have. Then all the WFH lovers and the office lovers can make long term plans. There are people miserable on both sides, in limbo, and it's been long enough now.

There are people miserable on both sides, in limbo, and it's been long enough now.

I totally agree. I think for all of those who love wfh, just as many hate it and lots would prefer a combination of the two.

Exactly. My workplace was clear from day 1 that WFH would be temporary and in exceptional circumstances only e.g. the schools being shut or isolating but not ill. Not everyone liked it but it was clear and consistent. I also now know my chances of finding a WFH role with a different company are much higher than 12 months ago, and I could look for one if I strongly preferred WFH.