Pressured to return to office but cases rising locally. Where is their duty of care?

[Nutsoh]

Despite WFH successfully since last March we’ve been told over the past few weeks that our offices now have to be manned to 50% in a bid to transition back to full occupancy.

Some managers have turned the thumbscrews on their teams to —force— encourage part of their departments back, they’ve pushed the teams that have a lot of static equipment back in FT and allowed those with laptops the benefit of coming and going when they please with their laptops.

Despite the 2m rule we are allowed to sit in the office, anything up to 10 of us without masks, just needing to put masks on to walk around. There is a one way system but the kitchen is a free for all and you can go into the toilet right after someone else has just used it even though ventilation is poor.

So, I didnt have too much of an issue with this but cases are now rising locally and I feel it’s only a matter of time that it’s going to go through the office. We’ve all had at least one jab but I’m starting to feel a little anxious about someone getting it and it running through the whole building.

So, from a duty of care POV, if someone gets Covid through work and it leaves them seriously I’ll or with long Covid where does that leave the company legally seeing as they’ve more or less forced people back in despite the guidance still being to WFH if you can.

Can people take action against their company if this happens?

Their can't be disagreement if it's an employer who knows what they are doing.

If your staff do not know what the employers version of efficient is its a shit employer.

And yes, eventually a decision will be made by the employer. But there's still avenues available to employee to follow. And the employee would be well aware of why that decision has been made. Before it's even made.

But you asked about efficency. A company so concerned with efficency knows part of that is having clear communication with employees so they understand how you measure efficency.

If the employee doesn't know how efficency is measured, it's not efficency.

So, again, any half decent employer would have the same opinion the employee does because they would all know where they were, for efficency purposes .

I have more than 7 ways I could measure efficency for my teams. How would it work if we all work to a different measurement of efficency and then worked to a different measure to the MD?

People act as though all employees have no idea what their employer considers good performance. Is it that common, that people are completely unaware about wether they are good at their job or not?

Hmm....
Maybe you should spend some time on real world.

Maybe you should spend some time on real world..
I do, it just appears that I have had far better employers than most people.

Never had a job where the MD thinks a person or team or department are doing poorly and the people concerned have no clue.

It's perfectly possible they feel she's done well under the circumstances.

The circumstances were unique and temporary and are now changing to get back to normal.

It's perfectly possible they feel she's done well under the circumstances.

And it's perfectly possible she has a very good and realistic view and she is infact working better.

This conversation has happened several times on this thread. Plenty of employers are making the decision to return, not based on anything but 'because', which leaves employees plenty or room to approach the subject and at least try, to negotiate terms that suit better. Especially, if they have full view of their performance. Which they should have.

The op, for example, bosses hadn't really thought it out and understood the risk to the business, which is why the had to back track to some degree. Now op is happy with the compromise.

Everyone who says 'get back to normal', why? During this last 15 months, alot of crap has happened. But there's also been good, there's also been huge learning opportunities. Failures and successes.

Why would anyone want to forget anything that has progressed in the last year? What is this normal that people are desperate to get back to, because it won't be the same as it was. Even if everyone skips into the office, people themselves have changed.

Its been a shitty 15 months, but that doesn't mean we have to rewind to tbe exact situation of January 2020. Event like these change the world in permanent ways.

I don't necessarily disagree with that.

But if they want her back in to do the job she applied for and accepted, either she goes back in or quits.

But if they want her back in to do the job she applied for and accepted, either she goes back in or quits.

But the op hasn't had to quit or go back in, in the circumstances she originally posted about.

The employer realised they were putting the company and team at a sizeable risk. So changed the plan. Op is happier, the business is at less risk.

They changed the plan the day before, because they hadn't thought it out properly. So for all the posters saying 'get back to work' or 'your employer knows your performance better' or 'your employer has all the data and has a business case that says this must happen' we're wrong.

It was not a well thought out and planned decision. The business have agreed it was too risky.

Ops employer now shares some of the same concerns. So, why should she quit or push for people to go back in the circumstances she first posted about?

'Because'.

The issue was that it is the company's decision whether staff work from home or not to the staff's.

The OP is free not not like that. It doesn't mean it isn't true.

The issue was that it is the company's decision whether staff work from home or not to the staff's.

Actually, it's not just the company's decision. It's like people think employers don't have to consider the actual people who work for them.

The op had concerns about her employer making the decision they we going back. A couple of days later the employer had the same concerns.

The original decision made by the employer was wrong. So, op, was absolutely right to be concerned about it. It also shows that just because an employer has made a decision, it doesn't mean it can't be challenged.

Pretty sure the OP just doesn't want to go back to work as before.

It's not her decision.

Lady, I find your posts intelligent and well thought out. I think I leave this thread. I don't agree with you but I respect your opinion and your cleay interlect.

clear

Pretty sure the OP just doesn't want to go back to work as before.

That could be true. But she was still correct about the circumstances.

And thank you. I feel the same about you and your posts. Have a good evening.

As someone who can't WFH I find it SO irritating when people act like they are doing me a huge favour by staying at home. You're not. You want to WFH because you prefer it, which is fine, but just tell the truth instead of acting like it's a big noble act.

As someone who can WFH I find it SO irritating when people just don’t admit that their responses are motivated by their jealousy that some people can and they can’t, to the point they’re unable to actually respond to the OP properly.
So typical of the mentality of this country, ‘ if I can’t have it why should you’.

@Weirdwonders my dislike of people working from home isn't based on jealousy. It's based on the fact that in my case we are a team and the job is much easier and we work more efficiently if we are in the same room. I prefer being in the office. I was employed to work in the office. I think people forget that they are being paid and it's not up to them where they actually work, it's up to the employer.

It's based on the fact that in my case we are a team and the job is much easier and we work more efficiently if we are in the same room. I prefer being in the office. I was employed to work in the office. I think people forget that they are being paid and it's not up to them where they actually work, it's up to the employer.

So you dislike people working from home because it doesn't work for your team?

And actually, lots of people's work places change quite alot. Non of our contracts state one office, even though most work from that one place.

Would you be as opposed to an office moving its place of business? Which they can do. Or people putting in flexible working requests to work elsewhere?

Did you also dislike other people, with different employers, doing different jobs working from home, before the pandemic?

Or is it just people who were sent home, because of the pandemic you have issue with. Because many of them won't be going back to the office full time.

And what's the difference between those who have always worked from home and those that do it now or want to do it now?

@Weirdwonders

As someone who can't WFH I find it SO irritating when people act like they are doing me a huge favour by staying at home. You're not. You want to WFH because you prefer it, which is fine, but just tell the truth instead of acting like it's a big noble act.

As someone who can WFH I find it SO irritating when people just don’t admit that their responses are motivated by their jealousy that some people can and they can’t, to the point they’re unable to actually respond to the OP properly.
So typical of the mentality of this country, ‘ if I can’t have it why should you’.

I'm not jealous at all. I don't want to work from home, I'd hate it. If you actually read what I said properly, people WFH doesn't bother me at all, it does bother me when people pretend WFH is a massive benefit to people who don't WFH.

@Ladylokidoki as explained, my views are based on my job and my team.

as explained, my views are based on my job and my team.

That makes no sense. How can you have views on other people working from home, based on your own job.

What does that have to do with any other people and how they work?

Everyone being in the office, at once doesn't work for my team. So I think everyone should have to work from home.

Do you hear how that sounds?

I’ve been told we can work 50/50 between home and the office. I’m lucky as this was my work pattern pre Covid. There’s no issue with productivity, in fact quite the opposite. But, as much as I enjoy working from home, I do miss the interaction with my colleagues. I miss the jokes, the gossip, going for a coffee in the canteen. I’m looking forward to returning… well until winter comes and no doubt it will all change again.

@Ladylokidoki it does make sense. My views are based on personal experience. I've also read things that confirm up my views, that some people think their job should fit around what they want, not what their employer wants.

it does make sense. My views are based on personal experience. I've also read things that confirm up my views, that some people think their job should fit around what they want, not what their employer wants.

They genuinely don't make sense to me. I don't get how you can judge a whole way of working on wether it works for your team and a few bits that you have read. There's millions of employees, working countless different jobs, for countless employers in countless situations.

Employers often work with their employees to find something that suits both. That why there's part time working, flexible working, hybrid jobs, why people can ask for shift stops etc. There's been a case this week of an appeal based on forcing working parents to work shift where they can't get childcare.

Again maybe, I have had good employers. But my employers have always been open to changing this to keep experienced to staff. I know, because I am often the one co-ordinating the change between employee and company and have done it many times.

I have never known an employer sat 'no you started on these t&Cs we won't entertain any changes just because we won't'.

I also did ask, is it just home working that started in the pandemic you have a problem with? Or always had a problem with other people, home working?

You may not like home working for you. But I just can't get my head round saying you have a problem with home working In general because it does suit you.

@user1487194234

I honestly think you should get back to work

Good grief, the op dies not need to get back to work. THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING . They are just in dispute with their employer to where that work should take place, given that the government directive to work from home if you can is still in place.

Op, ignore the posts like this, it just shows the ignorance ( and envy in some cases ) of many posters who have been travelling to their workplace. A case of of I'm having to do something so should you. That is so not the point it is ridiculous

We’ve been told nobody is allowed to work from home due to “morale” being better when everyone is in. How is this fair? We have not been presented with any data demonstrating why WFH is less productive and I was never able to WFH to prove that I can work effectively as I was on maternity so was forced straight back to the office as soon as shielding ended (I’m on the shielding list.) I asked to work from home and was declined.

They are about to start the Kickstarter scheme now too so that’s a tonne more people in the office.

I’m very nervous.

Does this sound right?

Essentially yes,up to the employers at the end of the day
They don't really need to prove anything
Of course they have to comply with the law