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?)

Communications business with multiple offices. We are planning to open offices in August for people who want to go in on a limited socially distanced basis. I don't expect to ever go back.

Work in financial services, City of London. Back office staff already in (reduced numbers) but rest of us won't get to go back even on a phased basis until November at earliest.

We are lucky that basically everyone mid-level up can afford to live in London (many live in Zone 2/3) so can bike in or afford childcare. Lots of us - myself included - keen to go back at least a few days a week as we miss the interaction. Even if WAH is absolutely doable.

I was actually really looking forward to going back into the office in a few weeks just for a couple of days a week but now we’ve been issued with the rules I don’t think I’ll bother.
Hand washing and temperature checks before coming into the office. If your temperature is raised go back home
One way system around the office
Only 5 people in the kitchen at one time
Shifts you have to sign up for to make your lunch
No leaving the office during the day so have to bring in lunch
No clients in the office
Cleaning meeting rooms after you’ve been in them
Sitting alone and only being allowed to sit in your allocated seat
Taking all tech equipment home at the end of the day
Only 2 people in the toilet at one time (how are you supposed to know before you go in?!)

I know some rules are necessary but it just seems like such a hassle just to get out the house when I can work perfectly well at home so I don’t think I’ll bother now

DH has been told New Year and even then it's likely to be 2 days a week (out of 4 he does condensed FT hours). He'll have to go in the odd day here and there between now and then if he's needed or the work demands it, which is fine.

He's delighted. No more 1.5 hour each way commute meaning those hours can be spent with our two small children. DD is starting reception this year and it means he'll be able to do some school runs, something he'd otherwise miss out on. He can work perfectly well at home and we're well set up because we have a study. Also the fuel saving is huge!

All good for us!

I'm hoping to go two days from September, but might only be allowed 1 still.

September is the earliest for people to go back into the office part time.

Large school office which has been on a rota basis since May half term although I'm in everyday. Much prefer it to wfh.

Summer we are spending time making the offices Covid secure with everyone returning full time. Everyone, without exception, wants to come back into the office.

Midlands business park.

We’ll continue with our current rota which means only three or four people on site at any one time, the rest working from home three or four days a week.

This reduces commuting, helps with child care and reduces risk but still allows some sociability to remain. Everyone’s happy.

Suburban London.

Encouraged to work from home, but option to go in if necessary, or even just desired from this week Meetings still happening using Zoom or Teams rather than in person. Other measures in place to ensure social distancing and frequent cleaning.

They're being pretty decent actually.

I'm trying to keep Friday clear of meetings so that i can actually go in. I don't have a printer at home and there some things I want to print, I need to collect some post, and also, I think it will be good for me to engage with some different people and to try to do something a bit more normal.

In a town centre in Thames Valley. Globally our offices are closed until at least the new year when apparently it will be reviewed. Originally they planned to open in July for people who really wanted to be in an office but after a number of surveys they've clearly decided it's not worth it right now.

I highly doubt we'll go back to being in the office full time, especially our software engineers etc. Most people don't want to and the company must be saving a bomb.

Central London. Some of the company’s work can’t be done remotely so people who do that are already in a few days a week. My team’s work can be done largely remotely. I imagine we will start 1-2 days a week from q4. We will definitely be shrinking the property estate.

City centre (not London), management have not even mentioned returning to work. At the moment we are all working from home full time and have been since February. I don't think we are in the position to implement social distancing, the office is very small and over crowded on a normal day we also don't have ventilation so I can't see it being soon