Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

Covid is a gift to the lazy, and it's turning people against restrictions, vulnerable, etc

118 replies

tfresh · 08/03/2022 10:09

More of a rant than anything, but I think most people would agree at this point many private companies, and the vast majority of the public sector are now acting a total disgrace when it comes to covid.

Passports now take 2 months to turn around, the reason.. covid.

Bins still not regularly emptied ... covid

Ring up any government service, sorry we're not answering the phones..covid

None of it makes sense anymore, there are no restrictions, we have a vaccine, etc.

Certain jobs cannot be done from home, it's time to go back to work or move job. Why are companies putting up with staff who are refusing to work? It's crazy.

What makes matters worse is, this is turning people against the genuinely vulnerable. Now when someone says they can't come into the office because they're vulnerable, it's treated with suspicion and eye rolling rather than care. As always the piss takers ruin it for everyone.

If you can get down the pub on friday night, you can get down to work.

OP posts:
ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 08/03/2022 10:10

Passports have a massive backlog.

The rest l agree with.

DockOTheBay · 08/03/2022 10:12

Agree 100%
For too long it has been used as an excuse for poor customer service, or to charge extra for things which are pointless (our local pool charging £5 for a padlock for a locker because they can't use the normal wristbands because of touch points Hmm)

"Its slow because we are working from home" shouldn't have been an excuse since about June of 2020. Any half decent company would have sorted out their home working practices by then to deliver a suitable service.

Saladd0dger · 08/03/2022 10:17

Dvla has a huge backlog

HereComesSpringAgain · 08/03/2022 10:23

Sorry but covid STILL means staff are off ill

Or if kids are off ill

Covid has made life difficult for those of us working with the public. Who have been VILE by the way!

We have had no cover. We are stretched very very thinly. Can't have someone standing around waiting for a phone to ring when there's 6 customers stood there glaring at you

Roles have had to change, but people only have one pair of hands. And employees are now going off sick with stress after running round after the general public for 2 years

Sparklingbrook · 08/03/2022 10:32

DVLA have had a huge backlog for months.

Bins not been a problem here, they are emptied weekly, never been missed.

People are still getting Covid and places have staff shortages.

HereComesSpringAgain · 08/03/2022 10:33

Stop trying to stir up trouble op

You are moaning about situations where staff gave, and still are, trying their best with a skeleton staff

Nobody is being 'lazy' ffs!!

Sparklingbrook · 08/03/2022 10:36

There are some very sweeping statements in that OP, that's for sure.

RafaIstheKingofClay · 08/03/2022 10:41

We’re still in the middle of a pandemic whatever the government might want you to believe.

If some people are stupid enough to take this out on the vulnerable it’s because they are twats. Don’t try and justify it, call them out on it.

Butteryflakycrust83 · 08/03/2022 10:46

In the last month we have had over a quarter of our staff off poorly with Covid.

Just because we are all pretending its gone away, doesnt mean it has.

GCAcademic · 08/03/2022 10:48

Sorry but covid STILL means staff are off ill

This. I've had more colleagues off sick with Covid in the last month than at any other point in the pandemic.

luckylavender · 08/03/2022 11:02

Whatever this government wants you to believe, it's not over. I know more people with COVID now than the whole of the pandemic. DH & I have both caught it for the first time. It's not mild.

emmathedilemma · 08/03/2022 11:12

@luckylavender

Whatever this government wants you to believe, it's not over. I know more people with COVID now than the whole of the pandemic. DH & I have both caught it for the first time. It's not mild.
same! I've lost count of how people I know who've had it in the last month and it's still a legal requirement to self isolate here so it must be affecting staff sickness rates, particularly jobs that can't be done from home.
Howshouldibehave · 08/03/2022 11:22

the vast majority of the public sector are now acting a total disgrace when it comes to covid

A total disgrace-really? The cast
Majority-so, nurses, teachers, speech therapists, police? What are they doing exactly that is such a disgrace to you?

Dynamicsloth · 08/03/2022 11:27

What a nasty goady OP. I am a public sector worker, I currently have COVID and feel like shit. Unfortunately while in the pre covid world I could be signed off sick, I now have to work from home as best I can despite being ill and not very coherent.

I had to take part in a legal process this morning with a Judge over a teams call because there was no one else that could do it. So if anything it means that public sector staff are forced to work when they are sick, rather than skiving off as you suggest.

megletthesecond · 08/03/2022 11:28

Even if people can WFH they are often too poorly to work for 3/4 days. I know so many people finally getting it and it isn't just a cold.

godmum56 · 08/03/2022 11:29

seem like most people wouldn't agree OP? I am guessing the passport thing is because many many people who whould normally have renewed at some point over the past couple of years didn't because for most of us, there was no possiblity of foreign travel. I renewed mine during the first lockdown and it was particularly complicated because I had lost my previous passport but also it was a really old hand written one so it wasn't on their records. The people I spoke to (and I spoke to many) were really helful and efficient, and, while it took several months to unravel the complications of my application, once that had been done, it took 2 weeks to get my passport. My sis renewed last year straightforward renewal with a paper form, not online, and again it took 2 weeks start to finish. I get that folk didn't want to waste money by getting their renewal too soon but I don't think that the passport office can be blamed for that.....og and Sis renewed her driving licence last year and got fast service doing that too.

IKnowYouDontTurnTheLightOn · 08/03/2022 11:33

I literally just got my passport back today - took less than 10 days!

ItWorriesMeThisKindofThing · 08/03/2022 11:34

Always surprised at these people who believe so many “public sector” are sitting at home paid a large wage to do fuck all. Why don’t you just get one of these many thousands of jobs and do the same if you truly believe that?

Is it because it’s bollocks?

Wolveryeti · 08/03/2022 11:35

OP is obvs a bit thick- bought govt line that Covid is 'over'. No restrictions has caused cases to rise (rather than being evidence we are done) and you can still get infected and v.sick even though vaxxed...

Leftbutcameback · 08/03/2022 11:36

We have loads of cases at the moment - people started going back into the office / meetings etc and now people who haven't had it before are catching it and are not well enough to work for a couple of days or so (most of these are doing PCRs because they have symptoms). It's noticeable at the moment. Should calm down in a few weeks I hope. Agree re some of the backlogs where some public sector organisations had poor business continuity planning and took far too long to have new systems in place eg WFH IT.

Leftbutcameback · 08/03/2022 11:37

I'm also public sector and would agree that people are working through it as they are able to WFH. I did that too and would say I was at 50% for a few days.

fromdownwest · 08/03/2022 11:55

You are not being unreasonable at all.
It is apaprent that many of our public services can not run from home, and maintain a sufficient level of control and efficiency.

People have become lazy, and sadly the impact is wide felt.

It is not limited to the Public Sector - Virgin Airlines have 4 hour phone queues, totally unacceptable for any listed company, been like this for months now

luckylavender · 08/03/2022 11:59

@fromdownwest

You are not being unreasonable at all. It is apaprent that many of our public services can not run from home, and maintain a sufficient level of control and efficiency.

People have become lazy, and sadly the impact is wide felt.

It is not limited to the Public Sector - Virgin Airlines have 4 hour phone queues, totally unacceptable for any listed company, been like this for months now

What a horrible post.
NOTANUM · 08/03/2022 11:59

I agree to an extent but don’t think it’s a public/private divide.
We can’t get repairs done to our car and the insurance company aren’t picking up the phone, both because of Covid.
I can’t get a doctor appt. Covid.
Planning is taking forever, Covid.
The potholes on the street are just getting bigger. Covid.

Yet those services that only get paid if working are back to normal: private building, shops, sales, dentistry..

It has become the perfect excuse for many.

AliceIntWunderland · 08/03/2022 12:00

Thing is people aren’t ill, they may have COVID but in a large majority they’re not ill or no more ill than they would have been 2 years ago with a cold. COVID is used as an excuse now, it shouldn’t be a reason not to go to work, not to staff an office, to run a reduced or restricted service or to impose limits.

We need to get back to feeling obliged to get to work to provide the service rather than shirk at the first opportunity and expect others to pick up the slack.

Swipe left for the next trending thread