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Original poster

Are people going back to wfh?

135 replies

Wfhquery · 09/12/2021 07:16

We all wfh in first lockdown.
2nd lockdown most wfh but employer said anyone that wanted to could go in if wfh difficult.
We’ve all been back since isolation rules changed in aug.
Although we can work from home our employer prefers us to office work as it does make certain aspects slightly easier.
Expect we’ll have an announcement about what they are doing next couple of days but just wondering what are most employers doing? Are they going back to full wfh where employees can or carrying on requiring people to attend.
Personally I like wfh as I get more done as we are really busy but I like the cut off of a start and finish when in office

OP posts:
GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 09/12/2021 17:43

Why do you need to do that? The parent WFH still needs childcare, I'd have to change my nursery if you started to discrimate like that.

I agree with this. You can’t wfh with a nursery aged child there.

ikeptgoing · 09/12/2021 17:47

Yes we have been told to wfh and they are shutting our offices- we need permission from a very senior manager to go into office and tbh it will be difficult to access it as they are locked and need to be unlocked before we can use other key codes to get in

Still are visiting clients at home and at sites but wfh otherwise

ElizabethG81 · 09/12/2021 17:50

[quote Ozanj]@LaBelleSausage It’s my own policy. I have already seen NHS and Care Agency letters demanding some of our parents work from their hospital / clinic full time. In the event it becomes a requirement I was considering closure because we had so many parents supply fraudulent letters last time (housewives pretending to work for their husband’s companies) / people lying about their profession & then refusing to supply evidence that it became stressful to manage the admin. But poor Arthur’s case has made me think twice about it and I’m thinking I might go in much tougher this time and start handing notices to some parents.[/quote]
I don't understand this at all. People can't WFH and look after nursery aged children, surely you'd know that if you run a nursery? Why would you try to turn business away?

NothingIsWrong · 09/12/2021 17:51

@Ozanj

I can’t wfh as I own and run a nursery - but I have asked parents who are wfh and who no longer need childcare to let me know asap so I can prioritise parents who have been told to come in 5 days a week. If people aren’t honest with me then I will move back to a key worker only policy.
Umm, I still need childcare if I'm working from home? I'm not allowed to WFH and be in charge of a child of primary school age?
Summersdreaming · 09/12/2021 18:08

@Ozanj I don't really understand what you're saying? Do you want less children to attend? Surely that means you lose income and would struggle to pay your overheads if you ban children from attending?

Summersdreaming · 09/12/2021 18:10

To answer OP, we will be staying in the office as we have throughout and Xmas party is going ahead.

GiveMeNovocain · 09/12/2021 18:22

@Ozanj how does having less children improve safeguarding? There's not even guidance that nurseries should be reducing numbers. I don't understand why you'd be turning anyone away

OhMyCrump · 09/12/2021 18:27

@Ozanj its not the same as the other lockdowns where it was wfh and home school etc. Schools and nurseries were only open to key workers then.
This time other workers other than just key workers will be going out to work because there's no furlough etc. And schools are open to all children.
Its just wfh if you can, and wfh means work! Not work and look after children too.

FlorenceWintle · 09/12/2021 18:31

The office will remain open for those who wish to use it but you should work from home if you can

Jourdain11 · 09/12/2021 18:33

@OnGoldenPond we have our guidance now and there's no suggestion that teaching is moving online next term. Our social events have been cancelled for Christmas, but graduations are going ahead. Staff have been advised to wfh if possible in their role, but may come in if they don't have adequate home working conditions or for wellbeing reasons.

OnGoldenPond · 09/12/2021 18:42

@Jourdain11 we haven't had any guidance for January just a statement that we will be updated beginning of January. Fingers crossed that the online teaching is just to get to the end of the current term.

Drywhitefruitycidergin · 09/12/2021 18:44

Yep announcement first thing this morning as well as Christmas party cancellation for tomorrow night & offside meeting & team lunch Monday cancelled too.
Office still open if wfh difficult.

WarriorN · 09/12/2021 18:47

Traffic did seem less today at rush hour.

I love it, I can fly through! (Have to work in setting as teach.)

maddiemookins16mum · 09/12/2021 19:08

Ours is going to WFH from Monday, limited staff in the office again. Pissed off with having to do all the extra stuff again that comes with people wfh (stuff they can’t print out and post remotely) but the roads will be quieter I suppose. It will also mean the lovely food truck won’t come every lunchtime so gutted for her too.

RedVelvetBow · 09/12/2021 19:50

We had been going to the office twice a week, but have now been told that from Monday onwards we are to WFH unless we have permission from our manager.

Our Christmas party still went ahead today though, but anyone who didn't want to attend could WFH instead (I decided to WFH). Seems a bit mean that those who are nervous about COVID have to work whilst the rest of the company has a non-working day but I'm glad we at least had the choice not to go

GinWithLemon · 09/12/2021 19:53

No we're in the office. The occasional staff member works from home for convenience but it's not a permanent fixture.

ruabon1977 · 09/12/2021 19:59

We are, were only going in twice a week anyway. If someone really has not the ability to work from home they can ask to go in.

BoredZelda · 09/12/2021 20:04

When I told my boss Sturgeon said we should all work from home he said ‘she can fuck off’. I told him I wasn’t coming in for the two days I don’t WFH, he said that was fine.

BoredZelda · 09/12/2021 20:09

Seems a bit mean that those who are nervous about COVID have to work whilst the rest of the company has a non-working day but I'm glad we at least had the choice not to go

You always had a choice not to go, surely? The Christmas party isn’t usually mandatory. Working if you aren’t going is also usually standard practice.

Choosing not to go isn’t necessarily about being nervous about Covid. Part of my husband’s work had theirs and someone got pinged the next day as having been a close contact of someone (not at the party) who had covid. Now they all have to isolate until they have a PCR or two clear LFTs in the next week, as per their company’s rules and it has really fucked up the business.

I can’t go to mine on the 23rd as we will (hopefully) be away. But even if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be going partly because I hate them, and partly because I don’t want to risk either being unwell over Christmas or passing it on to the various elderly relatives we plan to see.

Abcdefgottago · 09/12/2021 20:09

I work for a mortgage company, wfh for a year now. Absolutely love it. No more commuting, save time & money. Better work/life balance.

However, as I'm taking phone calls & financial info I absolutely could not have children at home with me. I have to be focussed. I'd be pretty peeved if a nursery manager was deciding whether my child deserved a place based on my job. If I've paid for a place for my daughter I'd be using it. There's no such thing as a key worker now.

canary1 · 09/12/2021 20:15

Nope, can’t bear it, so won’t be doing it. Half my team are at home at any one time since March 2020 though, and they do bugger all when they are ‘working’ from home.

BoredZelda · 09/12/2021 20:17

Half my team are at home at any one time since March 2020 though, and they do bugger all when they are ‘working’ from home.

Same half who probably did bugger all in the office too.

audweb · 09/12/2021 20:21

Never stopped working from home. Just as busy, if not more as no travelling means more meetings can be squeezed into the day. Pretty tired of it. Would never want to go back full time to the office but it’s pretty hard going living as a lone parent and being stuck in the house all day and night.

audweb · 09/12/2021 20:22

@Ozanj

I can’t wfh as I own and run a nursery - but I have asked parents who are wfh and who no longer need childcare to let me know asap so I can prioritise parents who have been told to come in 5 days a week. If people aren’t honest with me then I will move back to a key worker only policy.
Why would you do this? It’s not a lockdown, it’s just people doing jobs from home?
HarryLimeFoxtrot · 09/12/2021 20:32

No - the dispensation I got to go into the office in May still applies. So fortunately I can still keep going into the office. Which is a huge relief. WFH made me really ill. I have no intention of WFH ever again.