Those of us who were ‘cannon fodder’- how do you feel?

[Onandoff]

I went to a gathering the other day with people who were privileged enough to still be working from home in highly paid city jobs. Their experiences were a stark contrast with mine. It was interesting to hear how protected they’d been, many still getting shopping delivered and only just resuming socialising. They hadn’t been on public transport at all. There was a general air of resentment at being asked to go back to offices and commute. They’d all saved money and were very worried about covid exposure despite being vaccinated. Apparently many workers have completely refused to return.

DH and I were the only key workers there and it brought home how exposed we’d been. Literally all of our family and colleagues caught it and some died or were left disabled. My mum died. In the hospital where I work 80% caught it in the first wave alone.

It’s been interesting to see through this that the jobs essential to society are (generally, appreciate some exceptions like medics) the worst paid. If we’d refused to go in or been redeployed we’d have been sacked. While the privileged middle class are still being pandered to despite vaccination.

I feel that those who went out to work should be financially compensated for the risk we took. At the very least we should be given tax breaks and not be expected to cough up for furlough costs.

It has been hard for everyone, but what "key workers" (and it was a VERY wide definition) seem to forget is that most of them were able to carry on much as normal whilst everyone else was forced to stay at home.

But we didn't get to carry on as normal. And putting key workers in "quotations marks" suggests you have an agenda.

The VAST majority of staff were working from home...mooching in the garden, hanging out the washing and taking a few phone calls/sending some emails while I took up the flack.

This attitude to people who wfh annoys me. Perhaps this was true in your workplace but it certainly wasn't in either mine or dhs. Both of our workloads increased dramatically with lockdowns. There was no mooching around, it was 12hr days stuck in front of screens, taking flack from the general public and trying to look after our children. It was exhausting and all consuming. Working from home for a lot of people meant just that, working not pottering around the house living the life of riley.

It was absolutely a middle class lockdown, facilitated entirely by a huge army of working class people keeping things running and bringing them things

As one of those doing the facilitating I agree with this 100%

”No I’m not saying that. But I feel that vaccinated people whinging now about going back to workplaces are insensitive to those of us who took all the risks. And I feel that those who did get put at risk should be financially compensated.”

My Dh and ds1 were among the lucky ones - both were able to work from home throughout the lockdowns, I don’t work and don’t have much of a life outside the home, and ds3 was able to finish his degree work online, from home - but ds2 is a teacher, and I used to be a nurse, so I have a huge appreciation for the frontline workers who simply could not work from home - and I agree with you 100%, @Onandoff that you and all the other frontline workers who literally put your lives on the line deserve proper thanks. Clapping on our doorsteps was all well and good, but doesn’t pay the bills.

However, I can understand why people who have been working from home throughout might be feeling anxious at the thought of going back to the workplace - for the past 18 months, all we have been told is how we MUST stay at home, to keep ourselves and others safe - so it isn’t surprising that people have taken this message on board, and now find the thought of going back somewhat worrying.

We’ve been told we must stay home, so we don’t get eaten by tigers, and now the tigers are still out there, and people are being told they are tame now - and it doesn’t feel safe. But you saw the tigers at their worst, and can see how much safer they are now, so it is hard to listen to the whinging.

I find it bizarre that people are turning on people - surely we’ve all been through the pandemic in some way or another?

There is no denying that some people will have had to deal with far worse than others. I would like to think that people who have been able to WFH, regardless of how difficult their personal circumstances have been, are grateful to those who went out to work every day and kept everything moving.

Yes, I am so so glad I could work from home and reduce the risks to my family, especially my shielding mum who was incredibly vulnerable. The relief at being told I would as to stay at home and work was huge due to my caring responsibilities.

I would love for all of the key workers to get the financial recognition they deserve - not in a bonus necessarily but by being paid properly all of the time, and by being treated fairly.

But there is nothing those of us WFH can do to help with this - we just got on with what we were told to do.

It has been hard for everyone, but what "key workers" (and it was a VERY wide definition) seem to forget is that most of them were able to carry on much as normal whilst everyone else was forced to stay at home

How is going to work and risking covid carrying on as normal. I wonder how many would have preferred to stay at home where they could be safe along with their households?

Ha don’t worry I know for sure more of us than ever will be quitting in the coming months and take our transferable skills elsewhere or retire. Good luck if you get ill mate.

Perhaps, you should indeed change careers if you are so bitter and angry at being asked to do exactly what comes with the territory when you go into healthcare. When you go into medicine, you sign up to a scenario (however low probability and rate) that you will be in a situation where you have to deal with a pandemic/another public health hazard. For most healthcare professionals, this risk doesn’t play out. For your generation, it did. You should be aware of this stuff when you go into this profession. We all have choices about our careers, you made yours. Presumably, you also made this choice on the basis of other things like job security and defined benefit pensions and other benefits of working in the public sector.

The truth is, in spite of COVID and all the stresses you outline, there’s no lack of applicants for medical degrees. It remains as competitive and oversubscribed as ever. So presumably, the benefits (pursuing a vocation/financial rewards) still outweigh the benefits.

But there is nothing those of us WFH can do to help with this - we just got on with what we were told to do.

I agree, but I don't agree with the self-entitled people who now think they are entitled to stay working at home when they have been asked to go to the office. Unless their contracts have been changed to WFH they are contracted to go to the office.

Many places offered a WFH solution as a temporary measure, and I think a lot of people have forgotten this.

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss

It has been hard for everyone, but what "key workers" (and it was a VERY wide definition) seem to forget is that most of them were able to carry on much as normal whilst everyone else was forced to stay at home

How is going to work and risking covid carrying on as normal. I wonder how many would have preferred to stay at home where they could be safe along with their households?

I assume what the poster is alluding to is that staying at home also had implications?

And I say that without minimising the risks that those working were faced with.

It’s not a winner versus loser situation

@converseandjeans and @Ohshitiveturnedintomymothershiti'veturnedintomymother

Absolutely, I was lucky enough to make 20-3-20 my last teaching day on Supply but I sooo felt for my colleagues.

Teachers were doing twice the work, having to be at school for other key worker's children and also deliver all the online learning as well, ( how it was done I have no idea as when I was full time, all evenings, weekends and holidays were used for just keeping up with everything else in teaching) and, in the early days with NO protection whatsoever because of course children could not spread the virus !!!
My hat off to you two and all other teachers.

@Onandoff I think I understand what you are saying. It's not so much the fact that people were WFH, it's more the current situation, and hearing people complaining about having to go back in to the office. When the whole way through most of the population didn't get any choice to stay at home, no matter how scary it was at times. It must almost feel like, well it was the ok for me to go in all the way through this, but now it's not ok for you to go back.

People stayed at home because they had no choice. That’s fine.
But they did not need to be so self important about it, policing what others should or shouldn’t do, declaring themselves ‘keeping others safe’ while having the working poor serve them.

@RampantIvy

But there is nothing those of us WFH can do to help with this - we just got on with what we were told to do.

I agree, but I don't agree with the self-entitled people who now think they are entitled to stay working at home when they have been asked to go to the office. Unless their contracts have been changed to WFH they are contracted to go to the office.

Many places offered a WFH solution as a temporary measure, and I think a lot of people have forgotten this.

I work in social work so I have no option other than to return to the office, some of the time anyway.

However, DH has been at home - he was sent home in March 2020, and he has worked from home since. His productivity has been high. If anything, he works longer hours now because he doesn’t have a commute. His job allows him to be at home - the IT is good which helps a lot (ours in the LA has been appalling)

If he was told he had to go back to work in the office he would, but I think he and his colleagues would have a good argument for home working. Even for most of the time.

And this has NOTHING to do with key workers, health staff etc. It’s just not related - why not make changes for the better if they proved to work in the pandemic?

Our work / life balance in the U.K. is so much worse than other countries that I don’t think it’s a bad thing to keep some of the changes we’ve implemented over the last 18 months if they benefit employees and employers.

It’s meant my kids haven’t had to go into childcare this term (so far anyway), that we are there for them in the morning and afternoon, although we are working. But we can plan our lunch and work day around this.

Should I feel guilt for acknowledging some of these benefits? Can we not talk about them without being seen as whining?

@nvcontrolfreak - I trained and worked as a nurse, and I can tell you that it never once occurred to me that I might end up nursing in a world wide pandemic with my colleagues sickening and dying around me.

And whilst our training prepared us for many scenarios, our teachers and superiors didn’t think a situation like the current covid one needed to be mentioned to us at all.

Of course, anyone going into nursing now will know that it’s a possibility, but it was so vanishingly unlikely when I trained that literally no-one thought to even mention it to us.

You are making blanket assumptions about people who WFH. People have been dealing with all sorts of crap. People only did what they were told to do.

You have no idea what people have had going on in their daily lives and what they have had to sort out.

[quote GinPin2]**@converseandjeans* and @Ohshitiveturnedintomymothershiti*'veturnedintomymother

Absolutely, I was lucky enough to make 20-3-20 my last teaching day on Supply but I sooo felt for my colleagues.

Teachers were doing twice the work, having to be at school for other key worker's children and also deliver all the online learning as well, ( how it was done I have no idea as when I was full time, all evenings, weekends and holidays were used for just keeping up with everything else in teaching) and, in the early days with NO protection whatsoever because of course children could not spread the virus !!!
My hat off to you two and all other teachers. [/quote]
I agree with this 100%!! Our teachers were fabulous…especially during the second lock down. They definitely put in far more hours that they would have in a classroom.

@QueenHofScotland

I find it bizarre that people are turning on people - surely we’ve all been through the pandemic in some way or another?

There is no denying that some people will have had to deal with far worse than others. I would like to think that people who have been able to WFH, regardless of how difficult their personal circumstances have been, are grateful to those who went out to work every day and kept everything moving.

Yes, I am so so glad I could work from home and reduce the risks to my family, especially my shielding mum who was incredibly vulnerable. The relief at being told I would as to stay at home and work was huge due to my caring responsibilities.

I would love for all of the key workers to get the financial recognition they deserve - not in a bonus necessarily but by being paid properly all of the time, and by being treated fairly.

But there is nothing those of us WFH can do to help with this - we just got on with what we were told to do.

Slogging away, longer hours than ever, on minimum wage is not the same as furlough. We have NOT been through the same. It’s annoying that “key workers” ( and I’m one) are NHS teachers etc yet many of them furloughed. Supermarket staff, delivery drivers factory workers, farmers etc just carried on, with utterly utterly shit wages, worse working conditions and increased risk above the population of getting Covid.

I speak as someone whose husband’s wanky job was not needed during lockdown and became a delivery driver. He said he’d never worked as hard in his life. He’s now back to his old job and makes as much in three dats as a month as a driver.
It’s disgusting.

Meant to say: I totally appreciate and understand the risks and pressures essential workers have had BUT don't assume everyone else has had an easy, stress free time. It's just not correct and it's ignorant to assume that.

Work in a nursery and was shut for 3 months so spent time on furlough. Was relieved to go back to be honest knowing I still had a job. I've had friends working from home since their offices shut and I get why they are finding it hard to go back to the office. It has been so long for them.

I haven't heard anyone bragging how easy they've had it while everyone went out to work. Everyone had their own struggles in their own ways.

It’s annoying that “key workers” (and I’m one) are NHS teachers etc yet many of them furloughed

I don’t know of any teachers who were furloughed?

Were many NHS staff furloughed?

Some private school teachers were furloughed I think. Public sector are ineligible for furlough.

The only furloughed teachers I have hear of were some PE teachers in a private school, in lockdown one.

[quote SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]@nvcontrolfreak - I trained and worked as a nurse, and I can tell you that it never once occurred to me that I might end up nursing in a world wide pandemic with my colleagues sickening and dying around me.

And whilst our training prepared us for many scenarios, our teachers and superiors didn’t think a situation like the current covid one needed to be mentioned to us at all.

Of course, anyone going into nursing now will know that it’s a possibility, but it was so vanishingly unlikely when I trained that literally no-one thought to even mention it to us.[/quote]
I am sorry but this is terribly naive. Yes, pandemic of this magnitude is a rare occurrence, but infectious diseases, epidemics etc (ie exposure to a health risk) are very much part of being in a medical field. I am surprised you actually needed anyone to TELL you that. I imagine one would do this basic level of research before going into healthcare.

Were many NHS staff furloughed? My hospital trust is 5000+ staff, if people couldn't work their normal job, for example because they had to shield, they were given office jobs (with their agreement) and kept their salary/ jobs held for them etc. There were very, very few who couldn't be accommodated in that way and most were signed off sick. We furloughed noone.

@Piggywaspushed

The only furloughed teachers I have hear of were some PE teachers in a private school, in lockdown one.

My DH is a PE teacher. He wasn’t furloughed. He was in school each day on key worker children supervision. Sounds easy as essentially he was ‘babysitting’ whilst lessons were taught life but during break times, lunch times and he manned wraparound form 8-6, he took those kids on the fields and played various games with them.