Revised Plans for Boro Centre.

[Nero]

For you. I've done it for 8 years and I love it. I'm on the south coast and my office is in North Shields. I'm there twice a year, the rest of the time I'm home and I don't see people that often. For me it works, and my mental health is better because I'm not constantly surrounded by people I don't like. Where home working permanently is an issue, is that you lose social skills. I've forgotten how to have a normal conversation with someone, and the silences are painful.

I think you'll see a bigger transformation to home working and collaborative office spaces than you would if Covid had never happened, but it was always going that way. As long as businesses offer people the choice of office or home, then thats up to the employee to decide whats best for them. It'll never be all or nothing because not every industry can work that way.

One thing I am keen to see is how taxation will change for employees who are home based. There is a worry that business will try and lowball staff because they don't have all these extra costs anymore, but my argument to that has always been you hire someone based on their skills, not how far their commute is. The company is already saving money by having me work from home because I use my own utilities, they don't have to buy office equipment or fit out an office.

Hell, they could even just outsource meeting spaces to a third party, you as an employee book them, and the company is charged for usage time.

Humans are fundamentally social animals. What you've just described goes against the very nature of our species. I actually don't mind being alone or working at home, but can see how others will not.

 

[BaronSmoggie]

Humans are fundamentally social animals. What you've just described goes against the very nature of our species. I actually don't mind being alone or working at home, but can see how others will not.

You are implying that all humans are social animals, some are not. I don't like to socialise at work, they aren't my friend group, they are colleagues who I have a working relationship with. My friends I still spend time with and do other stuff. All I am saying is I don't need that social interaction at work, others may well do.

 

[r00fie1]

For you. I've done it for 8 years and I love it. I'm on the south coast and my office is in North Shields. I'm there twice a year, the rest of the time I'm home and I don't see people that often. For me it works, and my mental health is better because I'm not constantly surrounded by people I don't like. Where home working permanently is an issue, is that you lose social skills. I've forgotten how to have a normal conversation with someone, and the silences are painful.

I think you'll see a bigger transformation to home working and collaborative office spaces than you would if Covid had never happened, but it was always going that way. As long as businesses offer people the choice of office or home, then thats up to the employee to decide whats best for them. It'll never be all or nothing because not every industry can work that way.

One thing I am keen to see is how taxation will change for employees who are home based. There is a worry that business will try and lowball staff because they don't have all these extra costs anymore, but my argument to that has always been you hire someone based on their skills, not how far their commute is. The company is already saving money by having me work from home because I use my own utilities, they don't have to buy office equipment or fit out an office.

Hell, they could even just outsource meeting spaces to a third party, you as an employee book them, and the company is charged for usage time.

In my previous job I covered a large area of 5500 square miles and home was my "base". I used a printer, paper, stationery and everything else associated with an office. I have applied to the taxman for "expences" including, heat, light and equipment. Not yet had a reply, .......

 

[Nero]

You are implying that all humans are social animals, some are not. I don't like to socialise at work, they aren't my friend group, they are colleagues who I have a working relationship with. My friends I still spend time with and do other stuff. All I am saying is I don't need that social interaction at work, others may well do.

The vast majority of humans are social.

 

[swordtrombonefish]

The vast majority of humans are were social.

I think that is changing as the Internet has grown and social media takes hold in the 1st world at least
Look at the number of pubs and clubs closing year on year pre-pandemic as an example, the numbers tell a story

 

[r00fie1]

You are implying that all humans are social animals, some are not. I don't like to socialise at work, they aren't my friend group, they are colleagues who I have a working relationship with. My friends I still spend time with and do other stuff. All I am saying is I don't need that social interaction at work, others may well do.

I miss the creativity when people spark off each other in an enclosed environment.

 

[asredastheycome]

Working from home is completely and utterly ghastly in my opinion.

you never see any of your colleagues, it’s impossible to team build, communication is poor, and if you live alone like me you never see anyone to speak to all day.

I genuinely don’t understand the clamour for it. And this is from someone who lives 37 miles from his office and is saving a fortune in petrol.
I can’t wait to go back to the office

I know someone who had a good job but was asked to work from home. Hated it he eventually packed it in because of this.

 

[r00fie1]

The vast majority of humans are social.

It was Aristotle who said:

“Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something that precedes the individual.”

 

[Aet290204]

The vast majority of humans are were social.

I think that is changing as the Internet has grown and social media takes hold in the 1st world at least
Look at the number of pubs and clubs closing year on year pre-pandemic as an example, the numbers tell a story

I cannot stand looking at a screen all day.
I can’t stand zoom and teams
I’d love to go to a pub.
I just want to go back to the routine working in an office.
Good luck to you. Clearly you don’t have the same mental health issues I do and you have coped with the pandemic and lockdown. I haven’t.

I’m going to sleep now. Night all

 

[Aet290204]

I know someone who had a good job but was asked to work from home. Hated it he eventually packed it in because of this.

Sensible I would say. It’s a mindset. Prior to covid i worked from home one day a week. It suited. I could arrange deliveries appointments around it and I used to do specific pieces of work that day.

working from home 24-7 is not the same. It’s just plain bloody awful.

 

[swordtrombonefish]

Good luck to you. Clearly you don’t have the same mental health issues I do and you have coped with the pandemic and lockdown. I haven’t.

I appreciate what you are saying and I sympathise - I don't expect everyone to be the same and I know people are suffering. I am simply pointing out that things are changing and not all because of the pandemic, if that is painful for you then apologies. I am sure there will be a way forward that encompasses all needs / desires, but don't expect things to just revert to a pre-pandemic lifestyle becauise I suspect that is a long way off. If we all temper expectations, we won't have so far to fall.

 

[Aet290204]

For you. I've done it for 8 years and I love it. I'm on the south coast and my office is in North Shields. I'm there twice a year, the rest of the time I'm home and I don't see people that often. For me it works, and my mental health is better because I'm not constantly surrounded by people I don't like. Where home working permanently is an issue, is that you lose social skills. I've forgotten how to have a normal conversation with someone, and the silences are painful.

I think you'll see a bigger transformation to home working and collaborative office spaces than you would if Covid had never happened, but it was always going that way. As long as businesses offer people the choice of office or home, then thats up to the employee to decide whats best for them. It'll never be all or nothing because not every industry can work that way.

One thing I am keen to see is how taxation will change for employees who are home based. There is a worry that business will try and lowball staff because they don't have all these extra costs anymore, but my argument to that has always been you hire someone based on their skills, not how far their commute is. The company is already saving money by having me work from home because I use my own utilities, they don't have to buy office equipment or fit out an office.

Hell, they could even just outsource meeting spaces to a third party, you as an employee book them, and the company is charged for usage time.

Your working environment sounds utterly grim to me. Surrounded by people you don’t like? Move on mate....

 

[Randy]

Exactly. There's so much to consider and not least the mental health of people.

Also to take into consideration are the people who can't afford to work from home. For example you could have someone who cycles to work in an office everyday but struggles to pay the extra utility costs at home, plus equipment costs, may have no space at home to work.

 

[ThatFragranceGuy]

Some will work from home, some won’t, some will want to, some wont

ive worked from home for four years and took a Job last Feb in an office and then promptly back to working from home which is now permanent again, but with potential collaboration areas.

works great for me but then I see people working at their kitchen table hunched over a laptop. We don’t have kids so I’ve got an office with a high quality webcam, speakers, mic on a boom, good quality headset and a 38 inch monitor.

I thinkf I didn’t have dedicated space and decent gear i would be miserable as anything. Isn’t ideal for everyone at all

As it is in saving a 100 mile daily ommute which takes 3 hours a day, so saving a fortune in time and money.

 

[Scrote]

Humans are fundamentally social animals. What you've just described goes against the very nature of our species. I actually don't mind being alone or working at home, but can see how others will not.

I'm not sure that humans are fundamentally working animals, though. At least not in the 9-5 office environment where half the time people don't even know what the long-term value is in what they're doing.

Working long hours in the fields to provide enough food for the village makes a certain degree of sense. The social bonds required for that are how we evolved.

I've worked from home throughout the past year. I actually enjoy it for the most part, as long as I have plenty to do. I miss certain aspects of 'office life' but most of those are the non-work bits e.g. coffee-break chats, lunch-time walk with work-mates, and staring at the girl in the corner (there's a song and everything).

The work bits I miss are also the more social aspects around communication where face-to-face allows you to judge reactions better. Also, being able to grab the senior boss for five minutes and quickly run through and sort out a problem without letting it fester for months and cause longer term problems. Being able to see what 'mood' someone is in before asking them to do something is also a massive bonus...

 

[asredastheycome]

I'm not sure that humans are fundamentally working animals, though. At least not in the 9-5 office environment where half the time people don't even know what the long-term value is in what they're doing.

Working long hours in the fields to provide enough food for the village makes a certain degree of sense. The social bonds required for that are how we evolved.

I've worked from home throughout the past year. I actually enjoy it for the most part, as long as I have plenty to do. I miss certain aspects of 'office life' but most of those are the non-work bits e.g. coffee-break chats, lunch-time walk with work-mates, and staring at the girl in the corner (there's a song and everything).

The work bits I miss are also the more social aspects around communication where face-to-face allows you to judge reactions better. Also, being able to grab the senior boss for five minutes and quickly run through and sort out a problem without letting it fester for months and cause longer term problems. Being able to see what 'mood' someone is in before asking them to do something is also a massive bonus...

Have you got your new album finished during lockdown.

 

[Scrote]

Have you got your new album finished during lockdown.

No. I've not really done anything since I was in the studio just before the first lockdown started.

I've really struggled with motivation and only started singing properly (if you can call it that) a few weeks ago.

I've got a fortnight off work starting next week and the current plan is to dust everything off and see where it's at.

So fingers crossed.

I'll probably wake up in three weeks time and wonder where all the time went, though...

 

[r00fie1]

Lloyds to axe a fifth of office space

Profits tumble to £1.2bn after a year scarred by the pandemic, but the bank restores its dividend

www.telegraph.co.uk

Lloyds to axe a fifth of office space​

 

[The_Unicorn]

Blimey I thought it was just me.

I’ve actually been prioritised by my employer to be able to go into the office for well being issues. The problem with that being if I go in, I’m likely to be sat in an office on my own, with no facilities and forced to wear a face mask. So equally grim as being sat at home alone.

i’m hoping we return to a combination of home and office working ( eg 3 days in the office 2 days at home)

Very much like you Aet, although when at the office I will be in and out visiting clients (which also isn't happening at present) it's good to have a base to return to, especially if it's been a particularly difficult case and there is someone you can let a little bit of stress off to.

 

[Corcaigh_the_Cat]

Working from home doesn't necessarily mean you're working alone. I've just had a year of it in a shared room, used as an office through the day. The majority of us need social interaction, the majority working from home still had that.

Neither of us contracted Covid, the office where I worked had a number of cases, though as many will have read, it doesn't spread in offices or in hospitality venues.

An advantage to society is the cutback in wasted resources, the fuel wasted on unnecessary journeys, some quite considerable. This should be continued where possible for the sake of future generations.