The Work Thread 2 - Get back to work!

[Drumstick]

I hope the comments on that BBC article are indicative of how most people feel about working from home because strawberry float going back to 5 days a week in an office. It worries me that people might be attributing their frustration with lockdown - not seeing friends, family or being able to go anywhere - to working from home.

This is a really important distinction to make and perhaps not one that people may think of.

[Oblomov Boblomov]

I hope the comments on that BBC article are indicative of how most people feel about working from home because strawberry float going back to 5 days a week in an office. It worries me that people might be attributing their frustration with lockdown - not seeing friends, family or being able to go anywhere - to working from home.

This is a really important distinction to make and perhaps not one that people may think of.

I think I have naively assumed that people will understand this blindingly obvious factor in terms of how they feel about working from home right now compared with how it will feel once lockdown has been lifted.

[Jenuall]

Come on now lads you need to be team players, get back in the office like the rest of us hard workers!

[Poncho]

I hope the comments on that BBC article are indicative of how most people feel about working from home because strawberry float going back to 5 days a week in an office. It worries me that people might be attributing their frustration with lockdown - not seeing friends, family or being able to go anywhere - to working from home.

This is a really important distinction to make and perhaps not one that people may think of.

I think I have naively assumed that people will understand this blindingly obvious factor in terms of how they feel about working from home right now compared with how it will feel once lockdown has been lifted.

I've listened to several colleagues fail to make the link. It's weird and depressing.

[Winckle]

I hope the comments on that BBC article are indicative of how most people feel about working from home because strawberry float going back to 5 days a week in an office. It worries me that people might be attributing their frustration with lockdown - not seeing friends, family or being able to go anywhere - to working from home.

This is precisely my fear. Imagine a world where you don't have to commute but can see your friends after work. Imagine how much more time people would have for hobbies and exercise, cooking properly, seeing their kids.

[Oblomov Boblomov]

The Guardian's at it now:

Working from home turns out not to be the dream we were sold

The only thing less fun than a pandemic spent at the kitchen table is a lifetime at one.

...

Homeworkers aren’t abolishing the office – they’re just paying for the pleasure of taking it home.

They can't halt the revolution .

[Squinty]

I fully expected the media to start churning out anti WFH articles.

I don't work from home. But I want it to continue for the people that do in my office. They can pretty much do everything they need to there, bar printing documents (they just send them through to someone in the office).

I know for a fact bosses can keep an eye on them easily enough at home. So that argument would be bollocks if it came up.

[Errkal]

The key for businesses is to proivide actual choice and flexibility, this could be a massive massive win for moral.

Many will want to be in the office, many will want to be at home and many something in between, the key for businesses is to see that after this year both models have proven to be possible and workable and so they should allow staff the choice, come in if you want, stay at home if you dont.

Our challenge at the moment is working out how it will work with some in and some out with team calls and things, in pre 'rona days we did standups and catchups in person and all sat together, now we do teams, but with some in the office and some at home you risk the people in the office coming in to basically sit with a headset on and they may as well be at home.

I'm happy at home and am building a new office to make it more comfortable as my place is going for the ulitmate flexibility option of not requiring any set "in and out" days but leaving it to teams and staff to find what works for them, if we perform as we should they dont give a gooseberry fool where we work, but that said I miss the office and am very much looking forward to going back in at least once a week because I like the little chats and "fun" that occurs in the office with people that you are with for a long time each day.

It wont be as lonely post 'rona as I dont be stuck at home at weekends too which will be nice but I deffo dont want an "end" to our office and would have to "have" to be at home all the time instead of getting a choice and I'm lucky enough to have the space to have a proper workspace setup and soon an office room and not working on the kitchen table like many in my team are.

[Victor Mildew]

I don't need to be in the office at all now. I'd like to go in every now and then to catch up, get hands on with some products that I'm making manuals for (really helps to understand it), but my workspace at home is now considerably nicer than the one at the office, with the added bonus that I don't have to listen to bellends spouting rubbish, or have people looking over my shoulder critiquing work that's not even close to being finished yet.

[Dual]

My employer has closed my office completely and will not be renewing the rent on it.

[Rocsteady]

The Guardian's at it now:

Working from home turns out not to be the dream we were sold

The only thing less fun than a pandemic spent at the kitchen table is a lifetime at one.

...

Homeworkers aren’t abolishing the office – they’re just paying for the pleasure of taking it home.

They can't halt the revolution .

Torsten Bell? Torsten Bellend more like amirite

[Bunni]

So last weekend I knew we were getting bumped with a mammoth task. My two colleagues and I stayed late three hours (after three 13 hour shifts in a row) to complete because it needed to be done to launch today (giving two days for the other teams to do their side once we'd established it). We handed over to senior management having gone over things that need clarification and doing a trial run, having previously stated it would be incredibly difficult to implement with limited time and staffing and resources and was told to plod on because we just have to make it work. Today was launch day and as predicted senior management have said we did well, but it's not sustainable so let's try it differently and hit some targets rather than every single one.

So tomorrow I must go in and no only remove and undo all that work I put in over the weekend, but also find and implement new methods. And trial run it. And re-update all the risk assessments and care plans to go with it.

I know it's a very changeable time but FFS, just listen to us and let me do the job to the extent I know will work. I didn't have much time to spare before covid, I've got even less to lose on undoing myself each week.

[Memento Mori]

Just been informed of an 8:15 Zoom group meeting on Monday morning, I'm sure that's good news. I haven't even been getting out of bed until 8:30 for months.

[Rax]

Got a mail today that our office will be closed until 1st June at the earliest, goo to have a bit of certainty about it and not try to rush everyone back for no reason.

[Moggy]

My mum works at a university and has requested time off in September. It's only 2 or 3 days, but her boss has refused as "we don't know if it will be freshers week". Her boss said "it's an unwritten rule that nobody can have time off during freshers week".

Forgetting that that is bollocks (my mum knows people have had time off during freshers before!), does she risk dismissal if she just says she is not going to work on those days and then doesn't turn up?

I'd have thought she wasn't at risk of anything more serious than a verbal or written warning? She's worked there for over 10 years, I'd imagine it'd be bloody hard to get rid of her for something trivial like this?

[Oblomov Boblomov]

My mum works at a university and has requested time off in September. It's only 2 or 3 days, but her boss has refused as "we don't know if it will be freshers week". Her boss said "it's an unwritten rule that nobody can have time off during freshers week".

Forgetting that that is bollocks (my mum knows people have had time off during freshers before!), does she risk dismissal if she just says she is not going to work on those days and then doesn't turn up?

I'd have thought she wasn't at risk of anything more serious than a verbal or written warning? She's worked there for over 10 years, I'd imagine it'd be bloody hard to get rid of her for something trivial like this?

If it's an unwritten rule then it's not actually a rule...

However, I'm assuming in whatever the relevant HR policy is that it is a rule your annual leave must be authorised by your line manager and that if the request is refused, you can't take the leave.

Still, no one's ever getting sacked for a first offence of going AWOL. No chance. Unless she's on a final warning already, tell her to go for it and then she can use it as war paint in future to impress colleagues and show everyone what a badass she is.

[Moggy]

My mum works at a university and has requested time off in September. It's only 2 or 3 days, but her boss has refused as "we don't know if it will be freshers week". Her boss said "it's an unwritten rule that nobody can have time off during freshers week".

Forgetting that that is bollocks (my mum knows people have had time off during freshers before!), does she risk dismissal if she just says she is not going to work on those days and then doesn't turn up?

I'd have thought she wasn't at risk of anything more serious than a verbal or written warning? She's worked there for over 10 years, I'd imagine it'd be bloody hard to get rid of her for something trivial like this?

If it's an unwritten rule then it's not actually a rule...

However, I'm assuming in whatever the relevant HR policy is that it is a rule your annual leave must be authorised by your line manager and that if the request is refused, you can't take the leave.

Still, no one's ever getting sacked for a first offence of going AWOL. No chance. Unless she's on a final warning already, tell her to go for it and then she can use it as war paint in future to impress colleagues and show everyone what a badass she is.

Cheers. That's pretty much what I've told her. There's no way they are sacking somebody for doing it, especially when she can argue she gave 6 months notice.

She's not on any warnings. She's no badass though so I expect she'll bottle it.

[Memento Mori]

Arranging a customer call I don't want to have after a meeting where I think I might be fired.

[Zilnad]

Why you thinking that, dude?

[Victor Mildew]

Why you thinking that, dude?

He's attending the meeting nude and is going to hit on his boss.