If you work in an office FT and now WFH

[Energem]

When do you think you will return to the office and on what arrangements?
Where is your office e.g. city like London, industrial park drive in..
What is your management saying (and what do they actually want?)

I usually work in a big central London office. They’re reopening the office in August but only to people who really don’t want to work from home or are struggling with it. There will be a limit of 30 people a day (down from 150) and you have to sign up in advance.

They’ve actually been very good at sending regular surveys and apparently people have been feeling a bit rubbish about wfh recently plus we also have a lot of young people that live in house shares so they’re keen to open ASAP.

I think I’ll probably start going back in early September, maybe 2 days a week just to get out the house for a bit.

September is what the whispers say but only for maybe 2 or 3 days a work. We work right in central London

City, lots of people use public transport. Opening next month, but not compulsory to go in, only really fit those struggling at home.

I can't go in until schools are properly sorted. I miss it, home is overwhelming and tense and we never get away from work

I work in a large Government building in a city and don't expect to be back in the office in this year. Hoping for new year 2021.

Scientific consultancy here in an office on a Science Park in the North West. Tiny company, closing the office completely and going to permanent WFH. I'm delighted, most of my colleagues were mainly travelling anyway, socialising on the school run and then back to the peace and quiet of my own house will be bliss from September. I used to WFH x2 days per week and loved it.

Large town outside London (so about half the office comes in by public transport). We’re Head Office so have been told that WFH is here for the foreseeable. It’s tough on those who are home alone and those with small DC where both parents are working in particular. Regular surveys that have so far been pretty positive. I’ve been impressed by the understanding there has been about things (eg my boss rang me because he’d heard my broadband was ridiculously slow and wanted to know if we needed to be bought out of a contract so we could move to a faster provider as work would pay...sadly we’re in a black spot (top out at 0.8MB on a really good day)).

I think it may be 2021 before I’m back in the office.

City of London. Office is re-opening to 25% capacity in first week of August but on a voluntary basis. I will continue to WFH and might go in once a week, mostly to supervise junior staff that I am training up.

Never, we got told the other day that the companies doing a full review globally of all the office space they have and looking to either let go of the lease or reconfigure from office space to hot desk facilities and meeting/conference/training rooms for advocacy collaborative working.

They're exploring technologies to make remote collaborative working better and putting in plans for indefinite WFH solutions.

Office in the centre of Cambridge, we’ve been told they plan to start opening the building in September but there will only be low numbers in initially, so maybe in once per week and WFH the rest of the time.

London. There’s capacity for people to work in the office if they can’t do their job at home or are finding WFH very difficult but most of us won’t be in until 2021.

Liverpool city centre and phase 1 has gone back to the office (18 people out of 300). We've been classed as flexible and I doubt we'll be back before the end of the year.

My whole desktop was sent home (this was the case for the majority) so with local lockdowns I cannot see my employer wanting to move us unless they have to in case they have to send us home again

Industrial park in the North West, anyone with difficulties wfh are coming back first, followed by those who want to come back in. All has to be approved by management, with a view to getting 'the new normal' in place by September/ October which is probably some sort of rota. We're head office so not the priority, the focus is getting any salespeople/ customer facing roles back up and running.

The City. We are a small office of 30 people. We plan to maintain our office. We’ve always been flexible and will continue to be so but the last few weeks have made it clear that we do need some office time. Not only are we missing some nuances and spontaneity by being completely remote but there are increasing number of staff who want some office time. I think that eventually we’ll have a mix of people working 2/3 days office 2/3 days home. Personally I work 4 days and Plan to do 2 days office and 2 days home. Previously 1 day home and 3 days office but I don’t want to do 109% wfh

November has been suggested but only 1-2 days a week. I expect it might be later than that because I'm not sure they've thought through all the practicalities. Given we get busy at the end of the year, I suspect they'll request a minimal number to either go in or be available to go in at the drop of a hat.

We are not expecting to be back in the office on any real capacity before January

Central London. Been going in 2/3 days a week since end of May. Expecting to be told everyone in 5 days as normal within the next couple of weeks. I think this will cause a lot of people to start looking elsewhere.. .

I work for an office in Manchester. Only those who need to be in the office, are doing so - practicalities, system, mental wellbeing. Boris announced today that people should go back into work; within three hours our senior managers had emailed to say we should all continue to work from home if possible. I think they will phase us in, but can only do so once all social distancing has ended as our desks are in an open-plan, call-centre style layout. I don't expect my team to be back in until 2021.

City centre, not London. We've been told from Sep we can go back if we want to, but they don't want more than 20% of people in the office. I reckon next year is more realistic, but even then I think it will be very optional

Large office in a small town in Scotland, bit also and industrial estate office in a commuter town in South England. Most people drive or get the train to work at both.

There has been conversations around opening the offices for a tiny few who are really struggling with, but other than that it remains WFH is the main way just now.

We haven't had any real clarity on when we will open again, but from the tone of messages I would think it may be a part time, slow reintegration sometime in 2021

Thanks everyone. Sounds like there's a small number of extremes, @TorysSuckRevokeArticle50 @TokyoSushi on one end WFH forever and bold move to drop the lease entirely... and the other end @LilyE1234 where they are eager to get on back to normal asap. And the vast majority in between, building up from 25% to a rota system by 2021, or they dont quite know what to do yet.

My office is in city (about 150 people) and the boss wants everyone back in 5 days etc (european offices now back at 70-80% capacity no rotation but free masks etc etc) but everyone is protesting. I voiced my concern for parents who still need to juggle childcare and the team who need public transport, typically more experienced ones.

I was hoping for more flexibility given it has actually been quite smooth. I am personally looking forward to being back in the office maybe 3-4 days on different hours to avoid crowded trains, but aiming to get everyone in daily 9-6 seems so backward and I'm disappointed.

work in a office in edinburgh and they are planning for us to be back in the office mid august providing the all clear is given
theres about 500+ people in our office and so far the info they have given doesnt make me feel safe going back as theres plenty of instances social distancing cant be done, but all we can do is wait and see what the final plans look like

Mine office is in a large building in a city centre. We've been told we're not due back until at least April next year, unless we have some sort of extenuating circumstances for needing the office.

Never going back. London centre. All offices are being permanently closed and everyone has to work from home.

Central Manchester, opened a week ago, ideally they want us I 5 days but for now 2-3 has been allowed, other cities opening over next few weeks so I think we will be full time once every office is open in August
There are allowances for shielding and those with childcare issues

@daisypond

Never going back. London centre. All offices are being permanently closed and everyone has to work from home.

Another forward thinking one! What sector is this? But would you be OK permanently WFH from a social pov? No physical meet ups ever? I am tired of video conferencing now.