Get back to the office! But why?

There’s some very arrogant, patronising, ill informed posts on this thread.

Actually, Grandad quite a lot has changed since 1966

Galaxy

I think that was a view about homeworking that was prevalent many years ago. Some of the most progressive companies I know have been home based well before the pandemic. Believe me those companies are very keen on productivity and results, they also have established trusting relationships with their employees so that may help.

Galaxy very few call centre employees have, "established trusting relationships with their employers". That industrial sector has one of the highest employee turnover rates of any sector of British industry.

Poor pay and poor conditions make it a job many take up while they look for a decent job.

As a side issue the Bristol Bus Company was exactly the same in the 1960s. I went there as a twenty one year old driver in 1966 and lasted seven weeks before moving on to a lifetime of driving and involvement in the road haulage industry.

Bristol Bus Company never got much commitment from me or anyone else that were bus crew at that time. It was a good laugh though for all us youngsters working there, but not much pleasure for the passengers at that time. ??

seacliff

At my place of work, the system clearly shows if we are logged on and working or not, and exactly what we have been doing that day.

Same here seacliff, and you can see on your computer screen who's "active" or available to attend a meeting or take calls.

Elegran

MaizieD Were the age 65+ respondents in that survey all fully aware of the workers who were actually still working although not doing it in the office, or did they think they were all sitting around skiving, as a surprising number of people believed all teachers were doing? If they thought that"go back to the office" meant "start working again" it is not surprising they were in favour.

I think you are right that people who have not themselves worked from home often have this misconception.

I found that when I was working on some tasks I could get on far better without the phone ringing, a knock at the (office) door, people 'popping in', and general distractions of all kinds. Working from home meant that I had none of that, and could get a lot more done that when I was in the office.

I also had an extra two hours to do it in, as it took me an hour each way for my commute.

It's not just an either-or situation with a stark choice between working at home, alone, or doing a long commute to a city office.

A large proportion of workers could, in fact, work locally in smaller office environments. Often, there's actually no need for workers to be physically present in the same place.

I think that was a view about homeworking that was prevalent many years ago. Some of the most progressive companies I know have been home based well before the pandemic. Believe me those companies are very keen on productivity and results, they also have established trusting relationships with their employees so that may help.

At my place of work, the system clearly shows if we are logged on and working or not, and exactly what we have been doing that day.

Grandad1943

Ilovecheese

As to the point about long waits an answer to a phone call. The right technology has to be in place for the employee to be able to access the information that they need to answer your query or solve you problem using their own laptop. Not all companies have got this far yet, but when they have they will be able to help you from anywhere they have their laptop.

That depends on whether the person in customer services working from home is actually working or has decided to take a couple of hours off to go shopping.

It takes a considerable amount of self discipline to work on your own from home. All to often call centre staff are poorly paid and such poor rewards does not sit well with expecting such tight self discipline

So let’s force these poorly paid unskilled workforce into overcrowded transport and offices and call centres.

What an unfortunate opinion about these hard working folk! Especially from one who seems to know everything there is to know about the working individual.

Ilovecheese

As to the point about long waits an answer to a phone call. The right technology has to be in place for the employee to be able to access the information that they need to answer your query or solve you problem using their own laptop. Not all companies have got this far yet, but when they have they will be able to help you from anywhere they have their laptop.

That depends on whether the person in customer services working from home is actually working or has decided to take a couple of hours off to go shopping.

It takes a considerable amount of self discipline to work on your own from home. All to often call centre staff are poorly paid and such poor rewards does not sit well with expecting such tight self discipline

Many things will have to change and certainly will change as a result of the pandemic.

So many people who have been spending two or three hours a day commuting in an overcrowded train to do work in a city centre office have now proved, not only that they can do the work from home, but they can be much more productive working from home and at the same time have a better work/life balance.

So why on earth should they go back to that hellish treadmill five days a week?

Companies may need some sort of physical office and some of their empoylees may have to turn up there once in a while but lets just hope that we can move on to a more humane and more efficient way of working.

MaizieD Were the age 65+ respondents in that survey all fully aware of the workers who were actually still working although not doing it in the office, or did they think they were all sitting around skiving, as a surprising number of people believed all teachers were doing? If they thought that"go back to the office" meant "start working again" it is not surprising they were in favour.

I hate working from home. It's really isolating and I miss the office gossip and banter. I've been doing it now since March and we've been told we won't return to the office until at least next spring!

I have just read that workers spend 221 hrs a year commuting. That is a whole month of stressful travel, cancelled trains etc.

I have noticed that some of the people I know who have been working at home have become very insular and inward looking.
That's interesting Sallywally1 and someone else said the szme thing earlier on here.
Maybe that is why our so many more European counterparts have returned to the office, because they are more sociable, demonstrative types, whereas the British are happy to be more reserved and insular.
I lived in France for many years and couldn't obtain so much as a house insurance quote without going into the office to fill out the paperwork, sit down face to face, shake hands (and have a quick tipple!) And their 2 hour lunch hour means that the restaurants in the town are busy every day. It is win win all round.

Very true varian - but things have now moved on, with employers and employees having been forced to work in a different, more flexible way. Many have found it a better way too. Things will not just go 'back to normal'.

Work/life balance is important and wfh certainly helps achieve that.

Distractions happen in offices all the time, I would say more so than at home. It astounds me how upset people get about people doing things differently to them.

The reason that the government is trying to pressurise office workers, in London and other cities is because they and their financial backers have a huge amount invested in commercial property.

I noticed my mistake was addressed but not the post itself !
Goes without saying I suspect.

I can't work from home, but I think in some ways work isolates people.
It takes so much effort to work full time, meet targets, training, shopping..
Nobody has time to go out and about.

* Asylum Seekers * it should have read, not Illegal immigrants.

Ellianne

In addition Chewbacca we shouldn't forget the transport workers who serve office personnel. TfL is in big trouble because fares income has fallen by 90 per cent during covid. Londoners have done the right thing and stayed at home – so there simply isn’t enough money coming in to pay for the services. I forget the exact amount but they are several billion short. This could result in laying off many many staff.

This is why we need a proper policy to manage a shift from citycentric working to whatever takes its place.

Nationalised or subsidised transport should in any case be a priority in my opinion, as it seems madness to have so many cars with one person in each, belching out fumes and clogging the roads. A lot of small towns and villages have virtually no public transport, and what there is is expensive and unreliable.

If there were shuttle buses or revitalised railways between these smaller towns (ones that people could afford to use on a regular basis) then people wouldn't be so isolated and there would be a chance for business to thrive outside of busy city centres.

My youngest son and wife are both wfh and their lives have been transformed- my son had a one hour commute each way - 2 hours per day, 10 hours per week, 40 hours per month - so that’s a whole weeks work he gains by wfh, now he gets to see his children everyday rather than only at weekends. It’s got to be a bonus for those who can do it. They shouldn’t be forced into unpleasant commutes just to keep cleaners and coffee shops in business- btw- he always took his own lunch and never bought sandwiches or coffees.

As to the point about long waits an answer to a phone call. The right technology has to be in place for the employee to be able to access the information that they need to answer your query or solve you problem using their own laptop. Not all companies have got this far yet, but when they have they will be able to help you from anywhere they have their laptop.