Don’t go to work but do go to parties

GrannyGravy13

Thank you ayse I should be wrapping Christmas gifts, before popping out to get shopping for my DD (she had an impacted wisdom tooth extraction yesterday evening) before getting myself glammed up, instead I am mainlining caffeine and scrolling GN ???

Me too.

Alegrias1 at the height of the pandemic we decided to split the staff into two groups, working one week on, one week off. Thereby keeping their risk lower and ensuring that the company could stay open as it was deemed a critical supplier

I am not against working from home where it is feasible, but I am mindful that not all folks have either the space, privacy or kit needed to do so. Good employers should supply computer equipment and pay for high-speed connectivity, however they cannot provide an extra room or magic up a home office.

GrannyGravy13

growstuff regarding schools, we have one small local primary school closed this week reopening on Monday due to one member of staff testing positive with omicron.

The largest primary is expecting to close on Monday, not sure if it will reopen this side of the Christmas break, due to the entire admin staff off with COVID.

But schools are still very high risk workplaces. Approximately 40% of cases are in school age children, who then take infection back home.

The number of closed schools is irrelevant because they're under great pressure to stay open, despite the risks.

Josianne

Alegrias1

Everybody in my "old" company where I used to work, worked from home during the first year of the pandemic. Engineers, designers, accountants, tech support, call centre staff, salesmen....

(Although TBF there are a lot fewer of them than there used to be. Brexit bonus.)

I think its a myth that only "office jobs" can be done from home.

Sort of yes, Alegrias, but just to clarify the above, eldest DS is a geological engineer and can't dig up soil samples of Hinckley Point, Stonehenge etc and test them in his kitchen, so he has to go into work.

Of course Josianne. The lady on the meat counter at Tescos can't work from home either.

But lots of people can, just like growstuff said. Including all the engineers I know who design and test electronic equipment.

Growstuff I quite agree. I found it very disturbing that most questions to Johnson last night were about Christmas parties at No 10 last year, and detracted from the serious scientific based decisions on the latest omicron outbreak. It is the latter we should all be concerned about. The parties can be sorted later. Last night’s new regulations announcement was not the right place.

Lucca

“ Advising folks to work from home only affects a small percentage of office/clerical/management jobs as many jobs cannot be done from home.”

As a matter of interest do we know how many people are involved in working for home ?

I don't know how many people are involved with working from home.

However, approximately 60% of the workforce is employed as a manager, director, senior official, in a professional occupation, an associate professional or technical occupation or an administrative or secretarial capacity.

www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/gor/2092957698/report.aspx#tabempocc

Some of the above, such as teachers and healthcare staff, can't work from home, but many of the others almost certainly can. That's not a small percentage.

Alegrias1

Everybody in my "old" company where I used to work, worked from home during the first year of the pandemic. Engineers, designers, accountants, tech support, call centre staff, salesmen....

(Although TBF there are a lot fewer of them than there used to be. Brexit bonus.)

I think its a myth that only "office jobs" can be done from home.

Sort of yes, Alegrias, but just to clarify the above, eldest DS is a geological engineer and can't dig up soil samples of Hinckley Point, Stonehenge etc and test them in his kitchen, so he has to go into work.

Well I guess I’ll be persona non grata on GN as I’m stubbornly planning to stick to my planned visit to Italy plus myriad tests…(my friend has sent me photos of the food prep….?.) I feel in serious need of a change of scene. I shall be as careful as possible until I go. I’m fully vaccinated. I’m a keen mask wearer.

Everybody in my "old" company where I used to work, worked from home during the first year of the pandemic. Engineers, designers, accountants, tech support, call centre staff, salesmen....

(Although TBF there are a lot fewer of them than there used to be. Brexit bonus.)

I think its a myth that only "office jobs" can be done from home.

growstuff regarding schools, we have one small local primary school closed this week reopening on Monday due to one member of staff testing positive with omicron.

The largest primary is expecting to close on Monday, not sure if it will reopen this side of the Christmas break, due to the entire admin staff off with COVID.

Alegrias1

Probabilities. Probabilities. Probabilities

Big sigh.

Most definitely
It’s not about shutting down the whole economy again but trying to get a reasonable balance
The hospitality trade needs to keep in business
I have always thought the wearing of masks in restaurants pubs ect totally pointless The virus doesn’t disappear once you are eating and drinking. It’s also enforcement now social distancing and numbers regulations are gone

Most of the people I know havent stopped working from home, the more progressive organisations have realised the benefits for those who can and want to do it. I do all my admin for my job at home, the rest of my role is face to face.

I spent yesterday -most unlike me- drawing up a chart to limit my social matrix day by day until it leaves only my favourite people (family) by the end of next week. Today and tomorrow I've reorganised the hairdresser and nails, at the weekend it's the illuminations and the Christmas market (my sort of party!), then next week down to my little French group and one more choir concert with people I know are equally careful, then the lid goes down apart from our neighbour.
Oh yes, and of course GN friends up until the last minute!

Half the family are in the education world so can't do anything about that until December 17th including parties at school. And by the way Boris said Nativity plays CAN go ahead, which I would have attended. grrrr. Our eldest son will stop commuting to Bristol and will work from home.
There is not a hierarchy of things that are more worthy than others I think I'm on your wavelength here Alegrias.

I expect that some people have already made a personal decision not to socialise over Christmas. That's their choice and I hope people won't be pressurised by cries of "bah humbug".

The call to encourage people to work at home, if possible, is a wise one. I hope there won't be the old arguments about some people having to work face-to-face, so everybody should. Fewer people out and about reduces risk - for everybody, including those who can't work at home.

I doubt very much whether the public would comply with orders to ban socialising after the revelations about partying in Number 10. Nevertheless, I hope people won't take the attitude that they can do what they want because Number 10 staff do. The virus doesn't care less about fairness.

I don't think the government has much choice but to announce what it has.

PS. I wish somebody would pay attention to what's going on in schools.

Lucca

“ Advising folks to work from home only affects a small percentage of office/clerical/management jobs as many jobs cannot be done from home.”

As a matter of interest do we know how many people are involved in working for home ?

Lucca I have been thinking the same thing. In our SME only one member of staff has been continuously working from home since March 2020, but even they have to come into the office approximately one/two days per month.

Thank you ayse I should be wrapping Christmas gifts, before popping out to get shopping for my DD (she had an impacted wisdom tooth extraction yesterday evening) before getting myself glammed up, instead I am mainlining caffeine and scrolling GN ???

“ Advising folks to work from home only affects a small percentage of office/clerical/management jobs as many jobs cannot be done from home.”

As a matter of interest do we know how many people are involved in working for home ?

Granny

Have a lovely lunch.

I am off to a Christmas lunch party today, there will be twelve of us in a fairly large restaurant. (We are all double vaccinated and had our booster)

I think the still socialise this Christmas is a nod to the hospitality industry which has in some areas been decimated over the last 20 months.

Advising folks to work from home only affects a small percentage of office/clerical/management jobs as many jobs cannot be done from home.

In my humble opinion the Government have acted now in order that they cannot be called out in the coming months for not acting quick enough against Omicron (anagram moronic).

To answer OP. It seems the Daily Mail and the Mirror plus others are saying that this time the deadcat won’t work. Some are saying there are more revelations to come and some Tory MPs are furious at Johnson’s response.

All interesting but will it make any difference to the state of our country and the threat to democracy?

Probabilities. Probabilities. Probabilities

Big sigh.

From the BBC News website this morning

Masks will still not be needed in hospitality settings such as pubs or restaurants, nor in venues where it is "not practical to wear them" (for instance, where exercise or singing takes place).

It just leaves me scratching my head in wonderment. Surely far more loud voices go on in busy and noisy pubs than sitting quietly on the bus? Having said that I’m glad that more people are wearing them on public transport.

It all seems so piecemeal and not thought through. Big sigh ?

I just put something similar to this on another thread.

Its a numbers game. Its about probabilities and absolute numbers.

You might catch Covid at a party, you might catch it at work. Its about cutting down interactions. Going to work every day, possibly travelling on public transport, interacting with other people regularly. Against one-off fun interactions with other people. You can choose not to go to the party.

There is not a hierarchy of things that are more worthy than others and many - not all, I know - but many people can work perfectly well from home.

I really don’t believe that any restrictions are ‘a distraction’ the
Scientific advisors are in full agreement on them and we don’t know how serious the new variant will be, but we do know it’s much more transmissible ( faster rate.)
The government don’t want to spoil any Christmas plans, but in my view if working from home is in then office parties should be out.