Should the government encourage a return to the office?

"Encourage"- as in encouraging someone to take an absolutely unsuitable job or lose their benefits?
Or "Encourage" as in asking people to volunteer to go back to the office only if they feel safe enough to?
 
Paterson said:
As everything still got done just as efficiently when we were all working at home I've given everyone that I manage the choice of where they work and they all elected to work from home. Most of them have a decent commute so I can understand their reasoning. I'm the other way, I like to separate work and home as best I can and as I'm only twenty minutes walk from the office I can get ten thousand steps a day in if I go home for lunch. Plus, as I work for an Italian company, the coffee is better at work.
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That is understandable. If I had a nice walk to work Id be doing the same. Commuting two hours a day on a packed train and tube is totally different and that time is better employed working at a home desk or table rather than swaying from side to side in pretty uncomfortable conditions.
 
with some, of course not all, its simlar to those advocating bringing back national service, they didn't do and and are now too old but they think the young uns should be
 
I have a 10 hour commute every week - 2 hours round trip per day on packed trains. It's the only way I could reach the office. If I was forced back into going back, I would seriously have to weigh up my options, taking into account my age etc
 
For those WFH the question they need to ask themselves is "If I can do my job perfectly well from home could somebody else living anywhere in the world do it just as well?" If the answer is yes & your not a civil servant then you better get back to the office as quick as possible.
 
BoroBosco said:
For those WFH the question they need to ask themselves is "If I can do my job perfectly well from home could somebody else living anywhere in the world do it just as well?" If the answer is yes & your not a civil servant then you better get back to the office as quick as possible.
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That makes no sense whatsoever.

If the jobs could be done 'anywhere in the world' then they would have already been outsourced. Or do you think businesses didn't try to cut costs historically?
 
Trug said:
Colour me suspicious but that sounds like a threat to me.
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It's also utter bollox, as there's a small thing called employment law.

Although of course they can theoretically change that and erode workers rights now we've left the EU and taken back control. Rule Britannia!
 
BoroBosco said:
For those WFH the question they need to ask themselves is "If I can do my job perfectly well from home could somebody else living anywhere in the world do it just as well?" If the answer is yes & your not a civil servant then you better get back to the office as quick as possible.
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Someones been reading the daily mail
 
Colgates_shaving_foam said:
That makes no sense whatsoever.

If the jobs could be done 'anywhere in the world' then they would have already been outsourced. Or do you think businesses didn't try to cut costs historically?
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Of course businesses have tried to cut costs historically & now they have found a possible new way by reducing office space as they don't need to have all the staff in one place.

The next logical step is if the staff can work from anywhere and still be as productive then lets employ those in places with lower wages.
 
BoroBosco said:
Of course businesses have tried to cut costs historically & now they have found a possible new way by reducing office space as they don't need to have all the staff in one place.

The next logical step is if the staff can work from anywhere and still be as productive then lets employ those in places with lower wages.
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So they didn't offshore the jobs to an office in another part of the world but now they're going to try and round up a load of individuals all over the planet and try and train and equip them to do a job from scratch? Completely risking their business?

Sounds like a great plan!
 
SmallTown said:
My take on WFH is similar to A_typicals. It hasn't affected my productivity. IN fact it's probably increased it as there has been no quick chats at the kitchenette about the weather/sports/who it work we dislike.

It is, however, a horrible and drab way to work. I feel like I'm more living at my office than working form home. It's a mental health problem for me. We need human interaction and a couple of days in the office would be good for me.

Of course all the money the employers save on air con/lighting/electricity is now being spent by the employees.
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Hey look at this myself and a Small Town in complete agreement!

I have worked from home throughout and prior to lockdown did a couple of days from home. People really do need social interaction in person, there are tonnes of people I won't talk to on teams but will have a great conversation with in person .. these things can even lead to germination of ideas if you will.

The problem is say everyone goes in twice a week, big office spaces will still feel empty as there are 5 other 'working' days to choose from.
The impact on surrounding businesses will still be felt as say a 40% drop in footfall still = unviable business.

Many are saying well that's that then frankly **** those people. Which is so weird as it's the small business that suffer not the large corporations. Very odd for 'left leaning' folk to be happy to throw fellow working class under the bus so readily.

We are about to hit the biggest depression in all of our histories (as in those of us currently alive) and the blase attitude on here of 'tories just want to send us in to be killed' etc etc shows a complete lack of understanding of how we are all connected.

I. Am. Alright. Jack. - for now.
 
Alvez_48 said:
Hey look at this myself and a Small Town in complete agreement!

I have worked from home throughout and prior to lockdown did a couple of days from home. People really do need social interaction in person, there are tonnes of people I won't talk to on teams but will have a great conversation with in person .. these things can even lead to germination of ideas if you will.

The problem is say everyone goes in twice a week, big office spaces will still feel empty as there are 5 other 'working' days to choose from.
The impact on surrounding businesses will still be felt as say a 40% drop in footfall still = unviable business.

Many are saying well that's that then frankly **** those people. Which is so weird as it's the small business that suffer not the large corporations. Very odd for 'left leaning' folk to be happy to throw fellow working class under the bus so readily.

We are about to hit the biggest depression in all of our histories (as in those of us currently alive) and the blase attitude on here of 'tories just want to send us in to be killed' etc etc shows a complete lack of understanding of how we are all connected.

I. Am. Alright. Jack. - for now.
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Has anyone actually said “tories just want to send us in to be killed”? I might have missed it but I think the vast majority of people have simply highlighted that from a financial, productivity and health point of view WTF is a win for the businesses and the workers. Not to mention the environment.

It’s unfortunate for low skilled workers but they’re going to have to adapt to a changing economic market. We can’t hold back progress because dog walkers and sandwich sellers will lose out.

That’s capitalism, that’s the free market. The market has decided there isn’t a demand for offices or sandwich shops. I might not like it but every election that comes around this country rejects democratic socialism in favour of capitalism so that’s not going to change anytime soon.

This whole debate shows what nonsense trickle down economics is, the moment we aren’t all out consuming it all falls apart.

What we need is a plan for how these low skilled workers can be skilled up into new roles where there is a demand. But with this government I wouldn’t hold my breath.
 
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Pog said:
Has anyone actually said “tories just want to send us in to be killed”? I might have missed it but I think the vast majority of people have simply highlighted that from a financial, productivity and health point of view WTF is a win for the businesses and the workers. Not to mention the environment.

It’s unfortunate for low skilled workers but they’re going to have to adapt to a changing economic market. We can’t hold back progress because dog walkers and sandwich sellers will lose out.

That’s capitalism, that’s the free market. The market has decided there isn’t a demand for offices or sandwich shops. I might not like it but every election that comes around this country rejects socialism in favour of capitalism so that’s not going to change anytime soon.

This whole debate shows what nonsense trickle down economics is, the moment we aren’t all out consuming it all falls apart.

What we need is a plan for how these low skilled workers can be skilled up into new roles where there is a demand. But with this government I wouldn’t hold my breath.
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Yup. I don't think the attitude from most on here is "tough luck" for those small businesses, but more we have to accept the world is changing and work out how to support those people affected.

Whether you like it or not the number of people travelling into city centres to work is going to remain reduced long after Covid is no longer an issue. It makes no sense making people travel into work if they can be just as productive working at home and want to do it. Those city centre businesses are probably going to suffer as a result, so what do we do about it?

That's the question the government should be grappling with. Not trying to control something they don't really have any control over. It was going to be a problem eventually anyway, it's just been drastically accelerated.
 
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I hate to break it to you both .. there is no massive demand for people in any sector. Difficult to upskill for jobs that already have people in them and are actually down sizing their workforce as more automation comes our way.

Quote me on this in the future, a significant % of the workforce we lose in this depression will never be employed again. That is how drastic I think this situation is. That is what I mean by all connected, eventually it feeds up to all of us who are 'safe' in our roles because if there isn't a bottom end then there is no room for the middle either.

We are transitioning to a new economic system entirely whilst all of the politicians believe printing loads of digital cash will somehow help.

Scary scary times.

I hasten to add whilst everyone says 'im more productive at home' I can't help but feel that for the majority of people, they can do their weeks worth of job in 3 days at the office. Move that to home and it's basically doing your entire weeks work in 2 days.
This isn't a bad thing per say because I believe we should all be having more free time, what's the point in technology otherwise.
I do however think it puts those of us fortunate to be in a 'in demand' role in a precarious position.

Oh and please don't take this at me having a go at you maybe I was a little crass with my implication that people are like '**** the small business'.. I just think that give it a couple of years and people will likely be wishing that the old s***y system was around. Unless we manage to find utopian leaders by then..
 
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Alvez_48 said:
I hate to break it to you both .. there is no massive demand for people in any sector.
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Without doing any research I can tell you the country is around 40,000 nurses short and will need an extra 500,000 in the care sector over the next few years.

Then of course the government could create work and opportunity with investment.
 
I’m in the ‘dinosaur’ bracket previously believing if you weren’t in the office you weren’t working hard.
I’ve gone full circle.
The business has continued to do really well, everything is getting done and the vast majority have been working from home.
I’m pretty relaxed now and told everyone as far as I’m concerned you can come in as little or as often as you want.
The only proviso being if you have team members in the building pop your head in occasionally to say hi.

it isn’t governments job to tell my people to get back into the office.


Also be interesting to see 600 or so MPs in the HOC soon?
 
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Pog said:
Without doing any research I can tell you the country is around 40,000 nurses short and will need an extra 500,000 in the care sector over the next few years.

Then of course the government could create work and opportunity with investment.
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Right.. 40,000 let's say 80,000 nurses... This requires going to university for 4 years taking on a further £9,000 a year in debt as well as having the qualifications to get to uni to do the course in the first place.

Similar situation for these 500,000 care sector workers.

You're suggesting people in all age ranges just find the ability to stop their lives for the required years of training to go into these roles.

You keep coming at me as if I'm a right wing person when I'm not at all, I don't have the answers but I am just pointing out that your simplistic view is just that.
 
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