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I Would Rather Not Go, Back to the Office

Started by turnstyle, February 24, 2021, 02:18:31 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Sebastian Cobb

Just think how many custard creams you could buy for the price of a monthly season ticket. Bet I couldn't even fit them all in my gaff.

Or maybe I could but block the exit then have to eat my way out.

Fambo Number Mive

Quote@PoliticsForAlI
NEW: Boris Johnson on working from home:

"Mother nature does not like working from home... I predict people will come into the office".

I presume a lot of his donors invest in the commercial property market.

SpiderChrist

Quote"Mother nature does not like working from home... I predict people will come into the office".

What the barreling fuck does that even mean?

Johnson wouldn't know Mother Nature if she sat on his face.

Ignatius_S

Quote from: jamiefairlie on November 16, 2021, 10:20:36 PMThe entire thing reminds me of the music biz reaction to Napster and file sharing, total denial, try to kill it so they could retain the old ways...

Speaking as someone who was reporting about technology at the time and wrote extensively about what was happening with music online, I don't feel that's the strongest comparison. When the first reiteration of Napster, music labels were trying work out how to respond to online music and some (like EMI) were offering their own alternatives - they didn't like what was happening and it could be argued that their mindset was based on a model that was stuck in the past, but there was growing acceptance that the writing was on the wall, the industry needed to adapt.

Quote from: jamiefairlie on November 16, 2021, 10:20:36 PM...Employees like working from home...

Some do, some don't, some like a blended approach.

Fambo Number Mive

You wonder how employees who are at high risk from COVID or who have family members who are at high risk from COVID cope. In this, as with the rest of the pandemic, the needs of those who are are still at high risk from COVID are being ignored or shouted down in the desperate attempt, driven by the government and their capitalist funders, to get back to "normal".


Ignatius_S

Quote from: Fambo Number Mive on November 22, 2021, 05:37:41 PMYou wonder how employees who are at high risk from COVID or who have family members who are at high risk from COVID cope. In this, as with the rest of the pandemic, the needs of those who are are still at high risk from COVID are being ignored or shouted down in the desperate attempt, driven by the government and their capitalist funders, to get back to "normal".

Likely depends on the company - my organisation, for instance, is having blended working for the majority of staff but are factoring in the kind of health aspects that you mention.

There will be employees where onsite working offers a safer space than working at home, which is something organisations also have to consider.

Uncle TechTip

Quote from: The Culture Bunker on November 16, 2021, 05:26:09 PMI think the long spell working at home really has lowered my tolerance for noise pollution.

I feel this totally, even the noise of a pair of colleagues jabbering about nothing I find I can't tolerate. Not to mention interruptions, the constant flow of people arriving and going, packing their bags and doing all the crap smalltalk. I treasure the quiet environment I now have.

The Culture Bunker

Quote from: Uncle TechTip on November 22, 2021, 08:13:36 PMI feel this totally, even the noise of a pair of colleagues jabbering about nothing I find I can't tolerate. Not to mention interruptions, the constant flow of people arriving and going, packing their bags and doing all the crap smalltalk. I treasure the quiet environment I now have.
Again - I'm aware of how lucky I am to live in my own place, with plenty of space/quiet to do my job effectively and in comfort. The combination of noise, the commute and shitty office chair in the office does nothing for how well I do my job. Perhaps being needlessly miserable about my work is the "natural" way.

Milo

I asked to work from home tomorrow to finish up a load of online course stuff. I was given short shrift. I think that working from home isn't going to remain as the default, despite it making the most sense wherever possible.

flotemysost

Quote from: Ignatius_S on November 22, 2021, 05:52:34 PMLikely depends on the company - my organisation, for instance, is having blended working for the majority of staff but are factoring in the kind of health aspects that you mention.

There will be employees where onsite working offers a safer space than working at home, which is something organisations also have to consider.

Same at my company, they're being pretty decent about the whole hybrid working thing and there's no obligation to come in at all for people who can do their jobs remotely (which is most of us), even though most people are choosing to come in one or two days per week now. It's possible that some individual managers are being shits about it to their direct reports, though (mine is great, and has always strongly advocated for employee health and wellbeing over productivity or presenteeism).

I've found myself actually missing the usual natural hum of background office chatter - there are far fewer people in than before, and so it's really quiet and they often end up conversing in hushed library tones at the moment - but then I'm good friends with most of my team so we're well beyond the "vapid small talk" phase, which I appreciate is unusual.

I find it really hard to focus in complete silent solitude anyway, but I realise if I wasn't so lucky to be working around people I like, who are talking about a field I have an interest in, I'm sure I'd feel differently.


flotemysost

Posting here rather than the Plan B thread, but the timing's kinda apposite... after nigh on a year of the entire company already successfully (more or less) working remotely, last winter my work introduced a pointless, not-at-all-inclusive security policy that requires everyone to tap a link on a verification app on our own personal smartphones/devices every day, in order to be able to log in.

My own phone currently looks to be on its last legs (I suspect I've ushered it towards an early grave from months of over-zealous Dettol scrubbing). I mentioned to IT that if it gives up, I don't have any way of working unless I go to the office (which is obviously off the cards as of next week).

Their reply was "Well don't you have another personal device you can use, a laptop, or someone else's phone in your household?" Oh yes I'll just ask my flatmates to hand me their phones while they go off to work, shall I? I do have an ancient personal laptop but technically it's nowhere near up to speed for the stuff I need to do. Also I have to use a lot of shared company accounts on retailer sites for my job - like fuck am I letting my personal browsing habits sully the algorithms.

Aside from all that though, it's the assumption that everyone has/wants a personal smartphone at all, it's a massive assumption of existing privilege which could well be a barrier to potential new employees. It sounds petty, and I know there are far grimmer stories of people having to use their own personal/borrowed equipment to work or teach children - it just really annoyed me. I wonder how common it is.

DrGreggles

They can't force you to install anything on a personal device.
If their policy requires mobile authentication, and you are unable/unwilling to use a personal device, they need to provide you with one.

flotemysost

Thanks - I've doggedly pursued this line and they're sending me a work phone. I'm not exactly keen on ploughing through loads of devices either from a sustainability point of view, though, so I'm going to raise it with management as it just feels like an unnecessarily exclusive policy when we already have loads of authentication/data protection steps before getting to anything juicy anyway.

Milo

Given that a phone capable of receiving the auth codes would start from about forty quid you can reasonably expect one to be provided. I don't install work things on my own phone as they force you to have a PIN code on the lock screen which is a bloody nuisance.

flotemysost

The app we have to use is pretty unobtrusive in itself, so that's fine - it's more the glaringly obvious flaw of not being able to work at all if your phone suddenly stops working/gets nicked/gets accidentally lodged up your anus if you slip getting out of the shower. Also yeah, the fact that it's an immediate barrier to any potential employees who for whatever reason don't have access to a personal smart device.

Serendipitous timing to hammer my point home, anyway.

The Culture Bunker

Had the situation today where I spoke to my manager just to clarify whether I was expected to come in Monday to Wednesday, as I have been doing. Nothing yet to suggest otherwise - email sent out by the big cheese just before 4pm emphasised again how the office is "Covid secure", which I know from experience is the biggest load of shit going. Most staff wander round maskless, including the cleaners, and you have to touch numerous buttons to get in and out of rooms.

shoulders

Where's the sicko guy laughing image? It's home working time again, baby!

Yes! Hahahaha! Yes!!

chveik


The Culture Bunker

Yep, logged in this morning to see the email from my line manager that basically says: "nothing has changed, see you on Monday".

Milo

But Boris Johnson ordered everyone to work from home where possible on Wednesday.

The Culture Bunker

I'm guessing the wording was ambiguous enough so that it's fine for people to go into offices if they want or, in my case, they are told to.

Fambo Number Mive

The anti working from home propaganda from the BBC contines: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-59634245

Interesting that so many of these anti wfh articles get on the front page. I understand there are disadvantages of wfh for some people and some parts of some roles may be difficult to be done from home, but it doesn't justify all these front page BBC News articles.

The Culture Bunker

Had a long discussion with my manager: seems the department head is insistent there's a "presence" in the office every day for no real reason but to give an impression of "business as usual". To give my manager dues, she did add that I'm epileptic and at a degree of higher risk, but the response was "I can't be any clearer in how important it is that they are in the office".

On the tram home, I'd say it was 30/40% maskless, more so when a load of schoolkids got on, none of them bother. A bunch of Metrolink staff got on at one point and asked them to mask up and on being told "haven't got one" just shrugged and responded "next time, OK?" What's the fucking point?

wooders1978

Advised my team to stay at home if they prefer, office is open if they want to utilise it however,after a typically ambiguous "we encourage you to use the office as necessary" statement from HR
I don't think it's reasonable, on the run up to Christmas, to expect people to risk having to self isolate just to show face in the office

turnstyle

#265
We've been allowed to WFH for December, but my place is excitedly making plans for office meetings from the 4th of January...I mean, that's not going to happen, is it? Feels like government advice to WFH will carry on well past the end of the year.

Also, email went round on Monday that someone at the Christmas party had the Rona. GOOD ONE LADS.

mothman

We've been told to stay home in the 4th while the senior leadership gets the lay of the land and decides what our in-office posture will be. Why yes I am a civil servant, why do you ask?

jamiefairlie

Quote from: mothman on December 16, 2021, 07:22:57 PMWe've been told to stay home in the 4th while the senior leadership gets the lay of the land and decides what our in-office posture will be. Why yes I am a civil servant, why do you ask?

Arses up in the air of course, ready for your servile shafting by 'the man'

dissolute ocelot

Our office is doing an Xmas lockdown from now till the 5th Jan (as we're in Scotland we get the 4th off, but we're open between Xmas and New Year). Previously even with Scotland's work from home advice a lot of people had been going in, either to use equipment they couldn't do at home or to escape their families or for the exercise or just to drink high quality coffee. We've had months of meetings about going back to the office and complicated flexible working rules and all kinds of things, but the loungewear can stay on a while longer.

The Culture Bunker

I did get a call yesterday from my line manager saying the "carry on as normal" message had been withdrawn and I'm to stay at home at least for this side of New Year. Seemed a somewhat rapid about-turn, but I have a feeling the union may have been involved.