Get back to the office! But why?

Whether or not anyone watched the lunchtime news I don't know, but a family of illegal immigrants were being interviewed and all they receive is £35 a week---family of four. Husband can't look for work etc until paperwork is sorted but meanwhile he does voluntary work delivering food parcels to families.

No sign of a long face, happy children and mum. They'd probably give their eye teeth to be able to visit those coffee shops mentioned along with the sandwich shop. After seeing these families on the news I couldn't care less how many of those shops fold.

Does our way of life focus that much around overcharged coffee and sandwich shops ? These people were so happy and cheerful----with nothing ! Makes you think.

I will admit that if empty office blocks are converted to living accommodation my business will benefit.

If everyone was working as hard as they claim to be and production/output was up why is this ?

I don't know whether banks and local authorities were able to give every employee full access to the systems they would need, in order to do their jobs fully Gillybob? But, if they couldn't, that would mean that only a percentage of their staff would be able to be in the workplace at any one time, to allow for safe social distancing. So, out of a team of say 40 staff, if only 10 can be accommodated in their workplace, they can only take 25% of their usual rate of calls.

It will not be up to the employees whether or not they continue working from home, it will be up to the employers. If the employers find that the work continues to be done as efficiently or even with greater efficiency with employees working from home then that is what will happen.
What matters to a business is its own profits. It will not care whether city centre buildings stand empty or whether sandwich shop employees lose their jobs.

Yes.
I'm reminded of working in a care home, when the residents were all invited down to the main lounge for a big Christmas dinner.

One of the carers cried, because she said her residents shouldn't have to go. (She had worked there for years, and it would mean a change to her routine)

Some eople are asking what will happen to all those who will not be needed (or nor as many of them) if pwople don't go back to working in offices.

They will go the same way as crossing sweepers did when horse traffic no longer covered road crossings with dung, lamplighters when they no longer needed to go round the street lamps with long poles, and roadside blacksmiths when there was no longer a roaring trade shoeing the horses of passing stagecoaches.

I've not noticed anyone insisting that we should have kept gas lamps and refused to use any transport that wasn't horse-powered.

MissAdventure

Why should people put themselves at risk for office work and making overpriced coffees and sandwiches, grandad?

A Distribution centre worker engaged in working unsocial work shifts does not get to see sandwiches and coffee unless that is brought from home previously prepared by that worker.

That persons bosses are the ones who requires those expensive coffees and sandwiches as they work from their remote very smart city-centre offices on regular daytime hours.

And it is those that are moaning about returning to that life and actually once again supporting those under their charge on those out of town industrial centre distribution sites.

They can’t complain when people use their freedom to decide where to work. Cummings can’t direct everything especially individual choice.

With respect Whitewave, it's not really individual choice that's driving people working from home, as opposed to going into the office. Many offices are unable to accommodate all of their staff safely, following COVID safety guidelines information, and so have no choice but to ask them to remain at home for the time being. Some employers, like mine, are offering their staff a staged return, so that just 1 person in each department is working in the office on any one day. So it's not really "freedom to work where they want to", it's more a matter of "working where it's safe to do so."

Peoples fear of change is quite palpable isnt it.

The problem with “working from home” is that many people mustn’t be, ( working that is) or why are we still sat in telephone queues for hours and hours waiting for someone to pick up. ? 1 hour and 20 minutes Barclays today . 45 minutes my LA yesterday and then a message saying “ due to Covid 19 our agents are working from home ... blah blah blah please try later”

My son waited over 3 hours to speak to his insurance company last Friday.

If everyone was working as hard as they claim to be and production / output was up why is this ?

The entrenched behaviour of office life has been remarkably easy for me to shirk MissA Me too Chewbacca. I just wear much more casual clothes that I already had, and of course big savings in petrol.

They get more out of me, as I work a bit longer than agreed hours, especially if there is something I want to finish. There is no chatting apart from our whatsapp group or occasional phone calls.

Isn’t it likely that people who work from home are less productive than if they were in the office?

This is a whole other debate, but always worked in a role that meant I could work from home as long as I didn't need to be in the office, and can honestly say that it evens out. Yes, I would sometimes put a wash in, but at work I would sometimes chat to a colleague - what's the difference?

Also, we could move to a model where people are paid on results more, and get rid of some of the awful presenteeism that has taken hold in some workplaces. People are afraid to come in late or leave early, even when they have been far more productive than those who are always there, but are swanning around 'being seen'.

People do work at different rates, and it seems fairer that they are paid for what they do, not how long they are in the building. Obviously it is easier in some roles to count the widgets and pay accordingly, but in more diffuse roles it shouldn't matter whether you take 5 hours a day or 8, so long as you get the job done.

If people can work around children, or take time out at lunchtime to visit elderly parents, or walk the dog, go to the dentist or do whatever they need to, and then work a bit further into the evening, why does it matter? If anything, I think they'd probably be more productive if they weren't worrying about all of those things, and the fact that they weren't being done because of office hours.

Anyway, Johnson and Cummings can huff and puff as much as they want, it ain’t going to happen and they’re just wasting our money on the media campaign next week. Of course, it could also be just an enormous dead cat.

Chewbacca I have had those thoughts myself. If empty offices could be converted into affordable housing it would keep the city centres alive, perhaps even more so, as people wouldn't need to commute to bars, theatres etc.
Innovative people would set up businesses to cater for a new way of living.

JE when people make unevidenced accusations about the possible Poor behaviour of others, I do so wonder what it actually says about them and how they’d behave?

Why should people put themselves at risk for office work and making overpriced coffees and sandwiches, grandad?

It’s called the free market. It’s what the Tories cut their teeth on.

They can’t complain when people use their freedom to decide where to work.

Cummings can’t direct everything especially individual choice.

Yes, I can imagine it's strange not to see work colleagues, not least because a lot of people spend more time with them than they do their families.

Offices in towns turned into housing. More cafes opening up in local areas, as workers from home may still want a stroll and a coffee with friend, and also want a local gym. ? Develop local unoccupied premises as business conference/meeting rooms that can be hired by the half day.

It is a big change but good could come from it.

Many people have had to physically attend their places of work throughout the Covid-19 crisis especially in sectors and industries which have been essential to keep us all supplied with food, water, electricity, gas and transport both passenger and freight.

Very often while those essential workers have been carrying out their duties they have been hampered by office staff who should be operating in support of those workers not being located in their normal locations or even working their normal hours.

The above can affect efficiency, bring about frustration to those in the workplace and through that affect the safety of operations in large processing plants and distribution centres etc.

Working from home can be beneficial to some people but where those persons have to collaborate with others or have others reliant on their work, those now working from home in those roles need to get back to those offices as soon as possible.

One of our assignment team controllers was stating when he came into our offices a few weeks back that the entire loading dock crew in a large food distribution centre were saying they felt completely abandoned by "the bosses" who were supposedly working from home but seemingly could never be contacted and that had indirectly brought about a safety incident.

It has been throughout this crisis shop floor supervisors and team leaders that have in many cases kept those essential industries and services operating day to day, often with very little support.

To be blunt, many of those who are supposed to be in charge or in support of shop floor workers need to stop moaning, get back into their offices, work the problems borough about by that, and do the jobs they are paid to do.

Hopefully, the powers that be in many companies will realise that many of those who were assumed to be overseeing others but have been " entirely absent" supposedly working from home throughout the crisis can now be dispensed with entirely and the work organised and overseen by those actually on the shop floor.

Then those home workers can spend as much time in their homes with no risk or inconvenience to themselves whatsoever.

The entrenched behaviour of office life has been remarkably easy for me to shirk MissA! I haven't worn makeup since last March (that's another lost sale to the cosmetics industry). Nor have I worn "formal" office wear (so I haven't been to the dry cleaners). I've bought no new clothes because I can just slob about in leggings (that's if I get dressed at all) and I ignore "lunch time" because I just carry on and work until I'm done and eat when I'm finished. Life is much easier; but I do miss the office banter and chats with colleagues. But overall, it suits me to work from home.

My youngest daughter has successfully worked from home since March. The company she works for are moving staff from their pricey office in Canary Wharf to the head office in Surrey. Companies will be looking to save wherever possible and if an employee can work just as effectively and productively from home it may continue for some time to come and perhaps permanently.

See, we're gradually working it out ourselves.
"Going to work" is entrenched behaviour; it would take a lot of undoing.

Indeed what will happen to all the cafe workers,shop workers,cleaners etc? In recent decades jobs requiring the skill set of many workers have disappeared. I'm not sure what the answer is. A universal income so everyone can cover basics but spend time working on voluntary or creative projects? Sounds to idealistic. Maybe we will all end up working for Amazon,although I'm sure Mr Bezos will soon find a way of making it a totally robot led process(much cheaper and dont go sick or need toilet breaks). Hmm.?

There is another issue to consider if workers don't return to office based jobs: many offices will not be 're let and so will lie empty and become subject to vandalism and decay. If properly managed, those offices could be turned into living accommodation thereby easing the housing crisis and breathing life back into town centres. It would still have the focus of people actually being in the areas, just for different reasons.