Will employers be allowed to force us back to unventilated offices?

[feelingcold3]

My employer seems to think everything will be back to normal and we can all come back from 21st June.

I am concerned because our office has no opening windows. At the moment I am doing half working from home half office so we are socially distanced, but if we are all back every day I will be working closely next to people with no ventilation.

Is my employer being reasonable

when would you know it was safe 4 U all 2 be back? What exactly would make you believe conditions were safe enough?

As far as I'm aware yes they can

When the "work from home if you can" caveat is lifted we are all back in.

My office doesn't have opening Windows either.

We have windows but most people want them shut with the heating on.

Many schools don't have opening windows and none have social distancing, so yes.

Well they cant make you as you always have the option to quit instead. But yes they can request you return to your original working conditions and if you dont they can take disciplinary action.

I work in a hospital with no windows or fresh ventilation.... and we're still continuing.

It’s time to get back to normal

Schools have been back for months like this, so yes.

Yes they can.

Have you had a vaccine jab yet?

Its not great, but yep, back to normal from June for most people unless things change dramatically between now and then.

We’ve been working in a stockroom with no windows or ventilation throughout all this and only some 2m yellow sticky tape on the floor advising us not to go into other peoples “boxes” .
I can’t imagine a lot of places have had ventilation . Shops have no windows to open etc . You prob need to just go back to work and be happy you got a job ?

Do you expect to stay at home forever? You must be able to see that this isn’t tenable

Time to return and have a sense of proportion. Most offices don't have ventilation.

@Blackcountrychik

We’ve been working in a stockroom with no windows or ventilation throughout all this and only some 2m yellow sticky tape on the floor advising us not to go into other peoples “boxes” . I can’t imagine a lot of places have had ventilation . Shops have no windows to open etc . You prob need to just go back to work and be happy you got a job ?

I've never thought about shops not having opening windows, and I work in one! Have done all through it, still here.

My colleagues and I have been in throughout.

Many of us have worked all the way through with no ventilation though....why are you creating a problem?

Ask to see a risk assessment OP.

Obviously they can. Did you think you were going to get to enforce open windows on all your colleagues during a British autumn and winter? Surely you mean it’s going back full time that you’re annoyed about, I don’t believe for a second that anyone really wants to go back but sit with the windows open.

Sooner or later people are going to have to learn to live a life without social distancing. Are you vaccinated, are your colleagues vaccinated. If so you are probably going to be very safe in a full office, just as safe pre pandemic when colds and flu do their rounds

When you say no ventilation do you mean no opening windows? Most workplaces have buildings that are mechanically ventilated. In a fully air conditioned building opening windows messes up the air con.

There’s been a huge amount of work by heating and ventilation engineers about this and advice has been issued to facilities managers about how to set up ventilation to minimise the Covid risk. Some systems need to be adjusted to increase the amount of fresh air coming into the system. Look up an organisation called CIBSE, on their homepage they have a link to their guidance.

Your employer might have done this - you could ask them what they have done to make sure the offices are adequately ventilated.

@Lizzie523

Ask to see a risk assessment OP.

Do this. Here is a link to the Health and Safety Executives Covid guidelines for employers. Your company should have completed one www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/working-safely/index.htm

Yes FFS, we need to get back to normal.

@Blackcountrychik Shops are usually mechanically ventilated. Most commercial premises are.

Yes. If you don't like it quit.

What other precautions are they taking? I don't think it's unreasonable to expect employees to return to the office but at the same time I think employers who expect everything to return to exactly how it was pre-pandemic on June 21st are going to find themselves with a retention problem. If you don't like the 'deal' that's on offer, vote with your feet.

You'd have to prove that they're not Covid Secure, and as long as the correct policies and procedures are there (probably) then it'd be very difficult. In other words yes they can. We have been back for a bit now.