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Covid

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Original poster

Working from home looking again…can’t take any more of it

39 replies

Braverysalute · 14/09/2021 17:39

After 14 long months we returned to the office in May and it’s been so lovely. Light, bright airy rooms, people to chat to, work gets done quicker due to faster internet etc. Can leave all the equipment in work away from gone so weekends and evenings feel mine again.

Today’s announcement has made me think we are being prepped to return home again. I so hope not, I’ll be gutted.

Anyone else fee the same? Everyone else I ask seems to want it!

OP posts:

IcedPurple · 14/09/2021 17:44

It would only be 'guidance' though, wouldn't it?

Also WFH 'if you can', so surely that 'can' is open to interpretation?

They can't force offices to close if management would prefer them to remain open.

YellowandGreenToBeSeen · 14/09/2021 17:45

What announcement? Been in the office all day . Through choice - WFH for rest of week (also my choice. The mix is good).

LabMonkeyX · 14/09/2021 17:50

Haven't seen it yet. I like WFH part of the week but lockdown plus WFH wasn't good for my MH, hoping and praying that we don't end up trapped inside for most of winter again (in the North).

Xenia · 14/09/2021 17:52

Even right through the lockdown just about every office could argue it needed to be open and it was lawful to be open so this time it will also be up to the company eg lots of firms of solicitors stayed 100% open throughout with staff in 5 full days a week (not all by any means but plenty and lawfully so as some had criminal trials and all sorts that did require staff to be in work and their children entitled to a school place as a key worker's child).

IcedPurple · 14/09/2021 17:52

@YellowandGreenToBeSeen

What announcement? Been in the office all day

. Through choice - WFH for rest of week (also my choice. The mix is good).

There hasn't been any 'announcement'. They just said that WFH may be one of the options they might have to reintroduce over the winter, but it's by no means certain.

Hekatestorch · 14/09/2021 17:55

There's been no announcement. Just verbalising the obvious.

There's always been the possibility some restrictions will go back in place.

If its bad for your mental health AND your office stays open, you could argue you can't wfh. But I would guess most would be at home or there will be a restriction on numbers allowed in.

Would you feel better if you could do a mix

ifonly4 · 14/09/2021 18:02

There hasn't been an announcement, it's just part of the contingency plan in case hospital admissions start to rise too much, alongside other winter bugs.

IF, WFH is required, do some people in the office still have to go in OP? If so, you could put yourself forward for that as I'm sure there are some who would benefit from WFH. If not, make sure you get yourself out when not working/on your lunch break. DH always made himself go for a walk at sometime in the day and got in touch with other men locally he knew where in the same position and asked them to join him.

Arcadia · 14/09/2021 18:06

Just go in. My office has been open throughout.

marieantoinehairnet · 14/09/2021 18:08

We are the opposite, we've been commandeered back for presenteeism purposes.

We have to take all our equipment home each day so we don't miss anything vital out of hours, because of course, they're worried the commuting time will lose them hours worked. Hours they got for free when we were WFH.

So I'd rather be working from home, than a 3 hour commute lugging all my equipment home, to then have the expectation you'll "check in" on what you missed during commuting time.

I get for some people it's been horrible, but for a lot of people it's opened up the opportunity of a home life they never had before.

Thesandmanishere · 14/09/2021 18:50

Haven't worked in an office for 5 years, wouldn't go back if you tripled my salary. & DH and I did the entire pandemic WFH together, in a small 500sq ft flat with no garden, whilst home educating.

VanGoSunflowers · 14/09/2021 19:01

Hopefully it’s a last resort, OP. I’m with you, I hated it when the offices were shut. Ours aren’t officially open but luckily I still managed to get back in!

YellowandGreenToBeSeen · 14/09/2021 19:02

Ah. Thanks all. Business as usual then.

VanGoSunflowers · 14/09/2021 19:03

I find it really really strange that people can’t understand that we all feel differently about this topic.
Some of us don’t have horrendous commutes (wouldn’t take a job with one - even if you tripled my salary )
And yes, I am also an introvert before anyone brings that up…

Thewiseoneincognito · 14/09/2021 19:06

@Braverysalute be very grateful you may potentially have the option to WFH when our Covid plan falls apart. Many of us do not have this choice and have to deal with facing a constant stream of maskless people day in day out. I’d swap with you in a heartbeat, I’ll stay at home and you can risk catching Covid doing my job, deal? 🤗

lightand · 14/09/2021 19:07

I know someone who is a professional. Found working from home difficult. Lives near a supermarket and used to envy the person gathering up all the trollies, as they could chat to people daily. Said "I used to envy him. If wfh carries on, I am seriously considering throwing away my job to push trollies".
Hope she will be ok if wfh happens again.

Vaselike · 14/09/2021 19:09

Some of us haven’t gone back to the office yet…

Cripesitsthegasman19 · 14/09/2021 19:11

Yes I fucking hate it. Lonely, depressing existence

Hekatestorch · 14/09/2021 19:19

@lightand

I would bet my years salary, that she wouldn't actually to do it.

GoldenOmber · 14/09/2021 19:30

I’d swap with you in a heartbeat, I’ll stay at home and you can risk catching Covid doing my job, deal? 🤗

I would do this in a heartbeat! Where do I sign? Eighteen bloody months of WFH here and no end in sight.

SantanaBinLorry · 14/09/2021 19:43

No shortage of jobs out of the home, sign up pretty much anywhere.
Out of the house, people facing roles usually pay shite money though.

GoldenOmber · 14/09/2021 19:52

More seriously, my own previous line of work was mostly non-WFH-able and I’ve seriously considered going back to it for that reason, even though the pay’s not as good and it’s much less flexible and I like my new job more. But I keep thinking “oh surely it won’t be that much longer…”

mumofthemonsters808 · 14/09/2021 19:54

I hated WFH at the start of lockdown, but overtime I’ve really got used to it. We are currently back in the office, one day a week whilst a decision is made.In my questionnaire, I’ve chosen to WFH every day, only going into the office occasionally for training events.The majority of my colleagues want to do similar, those who live alone feel very differently which is understandable.

lannistunut · 14/09/2021 20:50

I thought similar OP, we were due to go back this month and then we had a slight 'pause' and I thought - they are going to start rowing back again.

I hate wfh, but am also not that keen to go back in and have outbreaks all the time (my workplace is multiple thousands).

Backofbeyond50 · 14/09/2021 21:04

Well DH who had been shielding and WFH quite happily went into the office last week.A colleague is now positive by PCR. Hoping DH doesn't get it's immunosupressed.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 14/09/2021 21:13

I'm dreading it. We're back 2 days a week going up to 3 soon and today's plane have filled me with dread. If I have to go back to WFH 5 days a week I will seriously consider handing in my notice with or without another job.

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