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?

@PracticingPerson

Someone literally posted it upthread about how WFH makes it safer for people who can't WFH. Well yes, in terms of Covid it does.

How do people still not understand that lower transmission = better for everyone? A nurse, a shop worker, a teacher, a factory worker are all better off in an area with 50 cases per 100,000 than an area with 150 cases per 100,000. WFH is one aspect that helps keep cases low.

This isn't a class war ffs, it is juts mathematical reality of a virus.

It is this reality about wfh that is the reason why the government intends not to order people back to the office.

But that's not why people want to WFH though is it. A person's main motivation to WFH isn't to keep others safe, it's because it's more convenient for them and they prefer it. I wish people would just be more honest about that.

Actually, they are going against government guidance which is to wfh wherever possible.

I don't want to go back to the office. My job can be done remotely (as it has done for the past year quite successfully!).

And yes, you're right to be concerned about the rise in cases, that's why government advice is to continue to work from home!

@cupsofcoffee

Let's be honest - people want to stay WFH because it's convenient to them and allows them to do things like the school run or stay in bed an hour longer.

Nobody is going to believe Jane at the local office isn't personally choosing to work from home in order to make things safer for Joe at Tesco.

I agree, and wish people would be more honest in their reasons. The people I know who say they're worried about returning to work, are more than happy to socialise and spend time in places where they are in close promixity with others. They only seem worried when it comes to losing the perks of WFH.

[quote yeahdarling]@Waxonwaxoff0

Yeah I said that. And it's true.

I dont wfh but surely anyone who does is creating less risk for those of us that can't.

I like to think of it that was or I'll get all bitter and twisted. [/quote]
I'm not scared of Covid at all so I don't feel like it's less risk for me.

@cupsofcoffee

Let's be honest - people want to stay WFH because it's convenient to them and allows them to do things like the school run or stay in bed an hour longer.

Nobody is going to believe Jane at the local office isn't personally choosing to work from home in order to make things safer for Joe at Tesco.

I agree with that. Also the money saved on the train fares/petrol/childcare etc can be significant. My friend WFH and loves it, says she gets loads more done and no more dog walkers required. Loves the time and money saved on the commute. She's just been told it's forever now and she's thrilled. She wouldn't say she is doing it to help anyone else.

But have people been wfh successfully? My personal experience is services have declined. For example last week I needed to report an issue to a water company. I rang and automatically the message told me ‘extremely large queues due to Covid’.

'Due to covid' doesn't mean due to working from home.

There's lots of things that can impact it, are they replacing staff who are leaving, are a lot of staff sick, are more people calling, is the company just using it as an excuse because they have no intention of replacing staff while they can say 'ah but covid'.

The building next to ours was a local council call centre. You ring our local council and it says 'long waits due to covid'. They have given up the lease on their building and are not bringing anyone back and will be permanently wfh. Because their delays aren't because people aren't working well at home.

I feel like there is a lot of jealousy on this thread. I realise full time working from home won't be sustainable by my company directors can see the benefits and wants just two days a week in the office from everyone.

Hi OP. If you are concerned your office aren't following guidelines then you can let the council know. I know someone who did this and things got a lot safer after.

I'm not scared of Covid at all so I don't feel like it's less risk for me Mathematically it still is, whether you personally feel fear has no impact on your risk.

I don't see jealousy. I can understand that people that have had jobs that can't be done from home and have gone into work for the last 15 months might not really be able to see the problem though.

I think in this situation I'd rather stay working from home than have to be in a workplace needing masks to do a job I could be doing at home and feel more comfortable.

I think those who haven't been working outside the home are far more uneasy about things going back to normal than those who have worked at workplaces throughout. My job has meant no social distancing throughout from children or colleagues and we haven't had a single case in the nursery so we all feel pretty OK about working together.

I do see jealousy and resentment unfortunately.

Think yourself lucky that you’ve been able to work from home all this time. Quite whining, get back to work and get on with it.

No one's berating anyone

People are definitely berating the OP. She has been told to fuck off and several posts just say 'get back to work!'.

People having a go because they have to work outside the home. Like it's the ops fault.

@Whinge
The people I know who say they're worried about returning to work, are more than happy to socialise and spend time in places where they are in close promixity with others. They only seem worried when it comes to losing the perks of WFH
This sums it up exactly!

@PracticingPerson

I'm not scared of Covid at all so I don't feel like it's less risk for me Mathematically it still is, whether you personally feel fear has no impact on your risk.

Sure. But I'm fine with the risk.

@PracticingPerson

I do see jealousy and resentment unfortunately.

Well I suppose people could be a bit envious maybe. People who would love to save some money on commuting costs/childcare/dog walkers. Or who are very anxious about the covid risk in work they have been in for 15 months?

I think there must also be people resenting having to WFH when they want to get back into the office or wherever because they hate WFH and miss the social aspect?

This isn't a class war ffs

I'm not sure about that. World leaders flying in without quarantine and the Queen, PC,PW and wives going off to Cornwall and meeting unmasked. PW and Kate going on travels round the country when others weren't allowed to. Most of the RF and the PM'S father relocating to their 2nd homes when nobody else could. And almost certainly Euros sponsors and officials will also be flying in to attend the final at Wembley without quarantine but you and I can't.

I work in a school office. 5 staff, no chance for social distancing though we do have the windows open.

No one remotely bothered by this stage. We don't wear masks in school anymore and we have meetings in small rooms together without thinking.

It will be fine.

@Meredithisgrey

No one's berating anyone

People are definitely berating the OP. She has been told to fuck off and several posts just say 'get back to work!'.

People having a go because they have to work outside the home. Like it's the ops fault.

I wouldn't want to WFH personally, I have an extrovert personality and need people around me to motivate me. So I'm not envious of OP's position. For me the annoyance comes when people are suddenly only concerned about safety when they are asked to go back to work, but they're happy for other people to take that risk for them.

The type of manager who manages by glaring over the shoulders of their team has been hugely challenged by WFH. Where their teams have continued to perform without this type of scrutiny must be leading to the question 'what is the manager for?'.

Some of this type of manager have adapted, changed their style, perhaps becoming better managers in the process. Others are now demanding everyone comes back in essentially to justify their own existence.

My company is in that situation. Our MD likes to have people to shout/pontificate at. Unfortunately in the mean time there have been major organisational changes so that our office which was over-filled with 40 people is now going to have to accommodate 80 people. It will have to be done on some sort of rota system. I can't change this so I will have to suck this up.

What I can ask for is a 'well office' policy whereby anyone who feels at all under the weather is strongly encouraged to WFH. We have too many martyrs who feel compelled to struggle into the office with colds, stomach bugs and the like spreading their contagion.

Managers would have to manage this. Make sure that no one was taking advantage of the policy but I think it could work.

And my DH would LOVE to get back to his office in the city for a couple of days a week. As would I love to deep clean the house after he has been wfh for 15 months!

DH isn't allowed into the office no staff allowed in since last March.

It sounds like you love wfh but you need to return to the office, or resign.

@actiongirl1978

I work in a school office. 5 staff, no chance for social distancing though we do have the windows open.

No one remotely bothered by this stage. We don't wear masks in school anymore and we have meetings in small rooms together without thinking.

It will be fine.

It will be fine Well we all hope so, think a lot of people said this in Feb/Mar 2020...

For me the annoyance comes when people are suddenly only concerned about safety when they are asked to go back to work, but they're happy for other people to take that risk for them.

I am not happy with any taking risks for me. But in most jobs, what other choice was there.

I wfh alot before the pandemic because I have to travel to offices all over the country so don't have one office I was based in.

I have, obviously, barely travelled in the last year. Which I miss. I don't really have a horse in this race.

The jobs that where people had to be at work, were needed for the whole country. Including the people doing those jobs. They weren't needed just so people could wfh.

People can have sympathy, with those that have had to work outside the home. And still be concerned about yourself returning to the office.