Scared about full time return to office. What are other places doing?

[Lizzie523]

Just that. Informed we must all return full time as before the pandemic although most of job fully doable from home. Ive been productive and have grown in the role even from home, excellent PDRs etc. Flexible working denied.

I will be travelling on public transport and am now more or less expecting to get covid unless im really lucky.

Looked at level 0 rules and it says a phased return to the office will be planned so it seems like my company is defying that? Are others all going back to the office full time or are most still working from home at least home of the time?

Have you had the vaccine? Are ypu particularly vulnerable?

I have been using public transport throughout, and have never had covid.

My workplace is going to move to hybrid working - we need to be together some of the time.

I've had the first vaccine. I have asthma.

Years ago I used to have panic attacks. Been fine for years. Since receiving this news I'm really struggling, all the symptoms have come flooding back.

Initially we were told a phased return but that has now changed to straight back to 5 days a week.

You do know that loads and loads of people have been in their normal workplaces throughout?

@DisgruntledPelican the main mode of transport I will need to use is the underground. I'm worried about that due to the lack of ventilation.

Will you have had your second vaccine?

Do you have to use the underground?

No I won't have @Sittinginthesand. They said they would bring us back in after the first vaccine. I'll get it as soon as I can which will be after the return.

Your employer can ask you to return if they determine there’s a business case. Clearly during pandemic restrictions they implemented a wfh but it was not a forever measure. I can appreciate it feels scary and you’ve gotten used to wfh.
Do ask if there a graded return?will you be able to work flexibly and wfh on occasion
It inevitably had to end that wfh was the default and employee return to office
Unless you’re CEV it’s not inevitable that you need heightened fear or arousal

I do yes @Sittinginthesand, if there was a better transport option I would take it. But at the moment there isn't.

Could you speak to your gp? It does sound like your fear is a bit more than needed- you can’t stay at home forever!

Once you get back I expect it will all start to feel very normal again very quickly. If you stay at home you are risking other negative impacts on your health!

@Sittinginthesand I think I might try and get an appointment next week.

I split up with my partner just before this pandemic so I have been living alone for a long time. I now see friends and family in small groups only for the moment.

When they said a gradual return that felt ok but straight back in all guns blazing is a frightening thought and on unventilated transport.

It’s only guns blazing if that’s how you catastrophise it. Alternatively it’s returning to work. You need to try keep this in some kind of perspective, so it feels manageable.
Practice your journey, wear a mask if you chose to
Otherwise mixed mode journey part underground part bus

In Scotland masks are still required anyway
My dh went back to work as soon as he could although he does drive there rather than use public transport

I think it’s very natural that it feels scary - I think you know you are still ver reacting a bit though. We have to get back to normal sometime! Think how nice it will be to have real life colleagues again (unless they are awful of course!) perhaps you could meet a couple of them for a drink before you go back? As a pp said practise the journey, perhaps pop into the office for half an hour?

I get what you mean OP although so many organisations spoke about hybrid working and never returning to normal it seems all of this is forgotten and no matter how well people have done their jobs at home the last 15 months has been forgotten . On the one hand you have Nicola Sturgeon saying home working should be more open etc then on the other most companies seem determined to have everything back to normal . I get that wfh doesn’t work for some people and others have worked outwith the home all through it but feel like we have all been sold a lie about everything in the world of work changing to get us to adapt to Covid and now we have to totally forget all that and go back to workplaces .

I think some people have gotten used to wfh and have an expectation it be maintained because it suits them and it feels favourable to return to work. There is a lack of realism, COVID measures were emergency and by their nature temporary for most people. Your employer isn’t compelled to maintain WFH as your t&c. Sure you might like it, or hope for it but the business needs to look at what works for them. What’s profitable and beneficial for the company

Are you scared to return to work or do you feel that you have worked just as well from home and are annoyed at the inconvenience and expense of being expected to work from the office? I think the latter is completely valid and is a conversation worth having

are annoyed at the inconvenience and expense of being expected to work from the office? that’s her actual job. She knew there’d be an expense in travel costs.
The inconvenience? She’s Travelling to a job that she’d previously travelled to. It doesn’t appear to have relocated. She’s not incurred hugely extra expense travelling to work base. Thing is she’s just not done so

The actual issue is, op like many has gotten used to zero travel and WFH
During lockdown Her journey is from bedroom to living room via the kitchen. That’s a temporary measure to comply with COVID restrictions. Now it’s time to return

I've been working 5 days a week every week for the NHS since forever and never caught COVID. I think you need to get a grip OP.

I’m a secondary teacher so been back for ages and mix with hundreds with no distancing. It’s totally normal to be anxious but within a week it will be totally normal and you will adapt much quicker than you think. Try not to worry and just make plans for nice things around that time to take your mind off.

@ForgedInFire

Are you scared to return to work or do you feel that you have worked just as well from home and are annoyed at the inconvenience and expense of being expected to work from the office? I think the latter is completely valid and is a conversation worth having

Both. We tried to have the conversation and were shut down. Even though my productivity levels and skill set has grown, as has many others.

Many people have already left for hybrid or work from home roles. The commute is not straight forward and in a world where we should be cutting pollution I don't think x5 times a week is forward thinking at all. Not in a company like ours - we aren't the NHS, the job can be done from home. We've been flat out refused any flexibility.

I appreciate the helpful replies on things to consider and doing a re run, seeing doctor. To those telling me to 'get a grip' - not so much. It hasn't been my choice to live in relative isolation for 1 1/2 years and there are consequences to that. A bit of empathy wouldn't go amiss.

I get your fears op. I know someone who is pregnant and didn't want to return to the office but was told she had to ( there was no need to return as she'd been fulfilling her role at home for months). Anyway, she's now caught covid through a colleague.
My husband's worked throughout and I'm a teacher so have had a few close calls. If people want to work from home and can fulfil their roles in doing so, they shouldn't be forced to return.

@StarryEyeSurprise exactly my fear. Several of my colleagues are young/very social and 2 have caught covid as they are mixing in bars etc a lot more. 1 seems to have caught it during euros celebrations.

I have specifically avoided those situations and had complete control over my safety. Now I feel that control is being removed and I will be much more vulnerable.