Working From Home Megathread

Kilboor

average_runner wrote: »

Dont think many of those are real concerns. I go through them:


City centres will still be busy on a Friday and weekend nights, alot will go to office for one day a week, younger group will go in on Friday


Unskilled jobs will still be there, just outside the city in other areas.


People straight from college will be in the office more and companies provide social activites for them.


Shops and coffee shops will grow outside the city, might decrease inside the city, no harm as alot are of a poor standard. Prefer the ones with the personal touch that you get close to home as people from home working in them.


Up skilling for jobs works grand through zoom etc. I spend half my day up skilling new younger team members.
Out sourcing doesn't work. most IT companies will tell you that, what they do out source is the minor work or old products, which happens already

I don't think you have eased my concerns to be honest....

- A lot will go to the offices one day a week? Younger group on friday? Who is saying this and this is nowhere near the footfall there was before work from home.

- Unskilled jobs won't still be there in the same numbers. How could they possibly be? You can't surely expect the same number of cafes/shops etc as in the city to now operate across a greater spread of area. That's what makes cities viable places for business, the footfall is narrowed to streets and the centre. There is no centre if everyone lives and works around it yet avoids it, there won't be near the same level of demand/ease of job location/footfall (from lack of travel)

- You're assuming companies will go to the trouble of providing the offices for the young people and also organising social activities, some might but it's way more trouble and not quite the same as working on the job with the more experienced employees.

- No harm in coffee shops/shops/restaurants/cafes closing apart from the large unemployment for both the owner/entrepreneur and employees

- I disagree, I also provide upskilling and training to younger members in the company and it pales in comparison to face to face interaction and learning. Interns should and do want to be working in the office.

- I disagree again on outsourcing, don't be surprised when processes are fully implemented and smoothened out that outsourcing becomes more viable. We've already had numerous employees move back to home countries and continue working. What's to stop the company hiring other people from these countries now they understand and have a process that works? Nothing.

I'd be very wary of job security particularly for IT going forward. I think if work from home continues it may be time to start learning another profitable skill on the side, something with a more meaningful and localised output

average_runner

SusanC10 wrote: »

Posted this on the Main thread too.

Confused on what the message is likely to be on "work from home".

Read this during the week :-

"Under the heading ‘Work’ Level 1 and 2 advise, ‘Work from home where possible’; Level 3 will advise staying at home, it says,‘Work from home unless absolutely necessary to attend in person.’

Level 4 and 5 will send a chill through city centre business across Ireland. Level 4 says ‘Only essential or other designated workers should go to work’.

Level 5 says, ‘Work from home unless essential for work which is an essential health, social care or other essential service and cannot be done from home.’"


https://extra.ie/2020/...-with-covid-plan/amp


But friends saying that people will be encouraged back to the office including long commutes etc

Selfishly, I would love the work from home to continue for my Husband.
It has made such a positive difference to our family life and for us one of the very few positives of this pandemic.
Pre-Covid, he spent 3 hours every day Mon-Fri commuting to Dublin. He travelled a lot for work too so the Kids barely saw him. They love having him here now. It is great that if he finishes work at 6.30pm then he just has to switch off the computer and he is done.

Depends on the company, but alot want their staff to be happy. In IT sector there is so many jobs out there, companies will do their best to keep their employees happy.

antimatterx

The younger crowd will 100% go back into the office for a Friday at least when things calm down some more.

I'm 24, and work in tech. I'm loving WFH, but if I had to pick one day to go into the office, it would be a Friday, so we can go for a drink or something after work. But I'm not going into the city center yet. It doesn't feel safe.

keane2097

GDK_11 wrote: »

Public servants make sense but the private sector no chance, I would be lucky to get 70% of my salary in Cavan for example (not picking in Cavan, just an example).

Any salary in Dublin, Sydney, Edinburgh, Singapore etc is inflated due to living costs, when my company relocated people from the UK a few years back we had to look at the cost of living in Dublin to offer a fair package, had we been relocating people to the middle of nowhere they would have been getting far less.

What's the difference in the cost of living between Dublin and Cavan roughly?

average_runner

antimatterx wrote: »

The younger crowd will 100% go back into the office for a Friday at least when things calm down some more.

I'm 24, and work in tech. I'm loving WFH, but if I had to pick one day to go into the office, it would be a Friday, so we can go for a drink or something after work. But I'm not going into the city center yet. It doesn't feel safe.

And that's how it will work. Older folks like me might do a Wednesday, to let the younger ones in. They need to their outlet, while the nightclubs are only twice a year for me:)

average_runner

Kilboor wrote: »

I don't think you have eased my concerns to be honest....

- A lot will go to the offices one day a week? Younger group on friday? Who is saying this and this is nowhere near the footfall there was before work from home.

- Unskilled jobs won't still be there in the same numbers. How could they possibly be? You can't surely expect the same number of cafes/shops etc as in the city to now operate across a greater spread of area. That's what makes cities viable places for business, the footfall is narrowed to streets and the centre. There is no centre if everyone lives and works around it yet avoids it, there won't be near the same level of demand/ease of job location/footfall (from lack of travel)

- You're assuming companies will go to the trouble of providing the offices for the young people and also organising social activities, some might but it's way more trouble and not quite the same as working on the job with the more experienced employees.

- No harm in coffee shops/shops/restaurants/cafes closing apart from the large unemployment for both the owner/entrepreneur and employees

- I disagree, I also provide upskilling and training to younger members in the company and it pales in comparison to face to face interaction and learning. Interns should and do want to be working in the office.

- I disagree again on outsourcing, don't be surprised when processes are fully implemented and smoothened out that outsourcing becomes more viable. We've already had numerous employees move back to home countries and continue working. What's to stop the company hiring other people from these countries now they understand and have a process that works? Nothing.

I'd be very wary of job security particularly for IT going forward. I think if work from home continues it may be time to start learning another profitable skill on the side, something with a more meaningful and localised output

IT will be grand. IT companies have always out sourced. I have worked with people I never seen for years as in different countries. But the core is always here. The office will remain there, it will be used a meetings place and for staff to go in if they want.

Kilboor

antimatterx wrote: »

The younger crowd will 100% go back into the office for a Friday at least when things calm down some more.

I'm 24, and work in tech. I'm loving WFH, but if I had to pick one day to go into the office, it would be a Friday, so we can go for a drink or something after work. But I'm not going into the city center yet. It doesn't feel safe.

To contrast, I'm 26 and work in tech. I dislike work from "home". Sleeping and working in the same room is great fun :rolleyes:

Regardless if a few of the younger members of staff decide to go to the office on Fridays (which all won't, maybe half at a liberal estimate imo) it still leaves 4 days of reduced footfall for other services. I also believe it will leave a huge gap in company training/fitting in/and general company atmosphere.

I'd love to be wrong but I see it already.

hetuzozaho

People talking about cafes/restaurants.

I still get my coffee but it's in a local cafe, ran by people who live in my area.

The amount of travelling involved in me keeping Starbucks open is just silly. For me and the Starbucks staff.

I think they need to start allowing people to live in the city. And cafes and restaurants will do just fine. Some areas of Dublin were dead in sat / sun pre covid anyway as offices were empty.

Everyone trying to get to the same place from multiple places at the same time everyday is just bad planning when you think about it. And I'd like to think it started organically and with lack of tech needed. But now we've proven it can be done. If we actually decide to go back to the way it was.. I dunno.

Kilboor

average_runner wrote: »

IT will be grand. IT companies have always out sourced. I have worked with people I never seen for years as in different countries. But the core is always here. The office will remain there, it will be used a meetings place and for staff to go in if they want.

I wish I could agree but I don't. I think the long term economic impact from this is not fully understood. A slowdown in the economy and the oncoming swathes of long term unemployment for unskilled workers/students as well as the social implications of deader city centres, lack of office work atmosphere, and the huge strain on government finances which have been keeping economic activity somewhat ok, will all be seen in greater light by next year and we simply don't know the full story of how this will affect every part of our lives. It's especially not good reading for people looking to buy/rent outside of Dublin

mohawk

Kilboor wrote: »

To contrast, I'm 26 and work in tech. I dislike work from "home". Sleeping and working in the same room is great fun :rolleyes:

Regardless if a few of the younger members of staff decide to go to the office on Fridays (which all won't, maybe half at a liberal estimate imo) it's still leaves 4 days of reduced footfall for other services. I also believe it will leave a huge gap in company training/fitting in/and general company atmosphere.

I'd love to be wrong but I see it already.

Company atmosphere right now is gone in many places. With social distancing in place it’s not the same. Meetings are gone to Skype or equivalent so there is less general chit chat before and after a meeting. I don’t think bringing everyone back in will help either as many will be wary of bringing Covid back home to elderly parents etc.

I hope it comes back but I don’t think it will come back for awhile.

crisco10

I do feel sorry for Grads in this WFH period (and wonder what it will be like into the medium term).

When I think back to when I was 22/23 and green outta college, I learnt so much by just being around more experienced/senior people around the office, at lunch etc. Yes, I also had a million questions which I would still ask if I were WFH. But I learnt a huge amount about the unknown gaps in my knowledge from being in an office environment. Humans are great adapters so I'm sure they will find a way, but still, it's a huge loss in the formative career years IMHO.

Kilboor

crisco10 wrote: »

I do feel sorry for Grads in this WFH period (and wonder what it will be like into the medium term).

When I think back to when I was 22/23 and green outta college, I learnt so much by just being around more experienced/senior people around the office, at lunch etc. Yes, I also had a million questions which I would still ask if I were WFH. But I learnt a huge amount about the unknown gaps in my knowledge from being in an office environment. Humans are great adapters so I'm sure they will find a way, but still, it's a huge loss in the formative career years IMHO.

Definitely agree, when I started office work as an intern it was the experience of being around the senior and more experienced members of staff that made me learn quickly.I can't stand virtual meetings and screen sharing..it's simply not the same.

Also being able to go for lunch with the team, and chat at coffee breaks, in the morning, before meetings etc is a massively underrated social aspect of work that leads to happier and better communicating teams.

Cina

To be people who seem to be against the whole WFH and want to get back to the offices, what exactly are you expecting here? Because I promise you it'll be nothing like the "social" scene it was for you before.

We were back a few days a week before the latest restrictions and it was utterly pointless. We couldn't interfact with each other, all meetings were still online, we couldn't stand in the kitchen or eat lunch together with a chat. Most cafes and restaurants near us were still closed or only doing takeaway so you couldn't even sit in there. We had zero food in the kitchen anymore. We had to bring out laptops to/from work every day and then go through setting them back up. We had to take our temperature, wipe the desks down, sign in/out every day.

It was so utterly pointless and dejecting to be in there. It felt like we had none of the benefits of being in an office anymore yet all of the negatives like the commute, as well as feeling myself like I was less productive due to all the safety measures in place and the frustration of being in there when I didn't need to be.

I can understand wanting to be back in the office when we can actually return to normal but trust me, right now, it makes no sense unless your company can't function WFH.

Kilboor

Cina wrote: »

To be people who seem to be against the whole WFH and want to get back to the offices, what exactly are you expecting here? Because I promise you it'll be nothing like the "social" scene it was for you before.

We were back a few days a week before the latest restrictions and it was utterly pointless. We couldn't interfact with each other, all meetings were still online, we couldn't stand in the kitchen or eat lunch together with a chat. Most cafes and restaurants near us were still closed or only doing takeaway so you couldn't even sit in there. We had zero food in the kitchen anymore. We had to bring out laptops to/from work every day and then go through setting them back up. We had to take our temperature, wipe the desks down, sign in/out every day.

It was so utterly pointless and dejecting to be in there. It felt like we had none of the benefits of being in an office anymore yet all of the negatives like the commute, as well as feeling myself like I was less productive due to all the safety measures in place and the frustration of being in there when I didn't need to be.

I can understand wanting to be back in the office when we can actually return to normal but trust me, right now, it makes no sense unless your company can't function WFH.

To be clear I agree with all the above, anything I've said in my posts does refer to when things are back to normal. To return to the office right now would be stupid.

JDD

I'm going into our office for the first time on Thursday. Just for a change of scenery really. On a floor usually holds 150 people there are usually only 15-20 people in on any one day, so I'm not looking for the office atmosphere or anything. I've just organised with some close colleagues (3 of them) that we would come in on the same day and go for lunch together. We are lucky in that we have a canteen so we can socially distance and still have the chats.

There is definitely going to be some short term pain from the adjustment that will inevitably happen next year when most office workers opt to WFH on at least a part time basis. Whether long term we end up, as an economy, in a better or worse position remains to be seen. Yes, lots of shops and cafes will not be able to survive without office workers there five days a week, but personally I think there were far too many takeaway/small coffee & sandwich shops in town anyway. Most office workers haven't been affected by the covid fall out, in that they are still getting paid their full salary. The money that used to be spent on commuting, daily coffee and lunches out (and that's a fair whack of money, as I found out in April) will now be spent on something else. As long as it is spent in Ireland, and not on Amazon or Wish or Asos, then the impact long term on the economy will be minimised. Hopefully it will go to local cafes in their suburb, or home improvements or such like. And while initially town will be much quieter, ultimately what will happen is the shopping/entertainment part of the city will get smaller, and less office blocks will be needed. Whether this means that more space close to the city is available for living space is hard to know - it depends on how smart the council is and to be fair, they don't have a good record in this regard.

There is something exceptionally annoying about this idea of forcing people back into offices so they spend money on coffee.

This is despite the massive benefits the majority are getting from WFH yet people should have to give that up to spend money in cities. Feck that.

It also completely ignores that a lot are spending more money in their local areas now, rural areas especially could massively benefit from people wfh and spending in local coffee shops etc rather than wasting time and money needlessly commuting to work every day.

There is certainly a lot to be said for the hybrid model of 2 days in and 3 days wfh or what ever way you mix it but also full time wfh makes sense for many jobs too. The idea of commuting to an office to sit at a desk 5 days a week should be consigned to the dust bin ASAP as it’s an outdated, old fashioned idea that has no place in 2020.

antimatterx

Aniya Tiny Saucepan wrote: »

There is something exceptionally annoying about this idea of forcing people back into offices so they spend money on coffee.

This is despite the massive benefits the majority are getting from WFH yet people should have to give that up to spend money in cities. Feck that.

It also completely ignores that a lot are spending more money in their local areas now, rural areas especially could massively benefit from people wfh and spending in local coffee shops etc rather than wasting time and money needlessly commuting to work every day.

There is certainly a lot to be said for the hybrid model of 2 days in and 3 days wfh or what ever way you mix it but also full time wfh makes sense for many jobs too. The idea of commuting to an office to sit at a desk 5 days a week should be consigned to the dust bin ASAP as it’s an outdated, old fashioned idea that has no place in 2020.

We got free tea/coffee in work so it wouldn't benefit local coffee shops to have us back.

DebDynamite

JDD wrote: »

IAs long as it is spent in Ireland, and not on Amazon or Wish or Asos, then the impact long term on the economy will be minimised. Hopefully it will go to local cafes in their suburb, or home improvements or such like. And while initially town will be much quieter, ultimately what will happen is the shopping/entertainment part of the city will get smaller, and less office blocks will be needed. Whether this means that more space close to the city is available for living space is hard to know - it depends on how smart the council is and to be fair, they don't have a good record in this regard.

Just on this point here, if people aren’t coming into town for work and buying products in the shops on their lunch break or after work, people will just buy their clothes and various other items online from the likes of Amazon, etc. Nevermind coffee shops, the “high street” will also die a death. No one wants a soulless and empty city center. It’s not just bad for retail, it’ll also be bad for tourism. It really benefits very few.

antimatterx

antimatterx wrote: »

We got free tea/coffee in work so it wouldn't benefit local coffee shops to have us back.

Very same here, free tea and coffee. I did buy lunch every day but even when I’ve been back in a little in recent weeks I’ve brought lunch as I have been in the habit of making a sandwich myself all through lockdown an plan to keep that up at least 3 or 4 days a week. So even if I was only coming in 2 days a week I’d probably buy a sandwich but if I’m in 5 I’d probably still only buy it twice now.

We aren’t being forced back in by any means, I need to start going in for a few weeks at least as I’ve paused a number of hands on tasks all through lockdown and they need to be caught up on but days there it’s just calls and desk based work I’d plan on doing from home.

Quin_Dub

Aniya Tiny Saucepan wrote: »

There is something exceptionally annoying about this idea of forcing people back into offices so they spend money on coffee.

This is despite the massive benefits the majority are getting from WFH yet people should have to give that up to spend money in cities. Feck that.

It also completely ignores that a lot are spending more money in their local areas now, rural areas especially could massively benefit from people wfh and spending in local coffee shops etc rather than wasting time and money needlessly commuting to work every day.

There is certainly a lot to be said for the hybrid model of 2 days in and 3 days wfh or what ever way you mix it but also full time wfh makes sense for many jobs too. The idea of commuting to an office to sit at a desk 5 days a week should be consigned to the dust bin ASAP as it’s an outdated, old fashioned idea that has no place in 2020.

Absolutely agree here.

So people aren't buying coffees/lunch in cafes etc. in town?

In the grand scheme of things , so what - That money is now being spend in the suburban and beyond localities on more groceries or lunches etc.

I highly doubt that now that places are open that there has been a significant net decrease in spending in these categories , it's just being spent in different places.

Totally agree on the hybrid approach , it's the one that makes the most sense - Have a building with desks and meeting spaces and people will come and go ad-hoc as needed.

Maybe come in once a week for team meetings or in blocks of days on a monthly basis for more extensive get togethers , but most people spending 70/80% of their time working remote.

There will be those that cannot work remote for various reasons , be they role related or just down to personal circumstances and that's fine too - All variations should be accommodated.

Blanket edicts of "Everybody in" or "Everybody Out" won't work in the long term.

Staff will leave if they aren't getting the flexibility that they want.

JDD

DebDynamite wrote: »

Just on this point here, if people aren’t coming into town for work and buying products in the shops on their lunch break or after work, people will just buy their clothes and various other items online from the likes of Amazon, etc. Nevermind coffee shops, the “high street” will also die a death. No one wants a soulless and empty city center. It’s not just bad for retail, it’ll also be bad for tourism. It really benefits very few.

Not necessarily. If you think of London, there's no "city centre" as such. There are hubs across the city that have their own high street, their own pubs and atmosphere.

There will always be young people wanting to live in a busy, buzzy area and are happy to live in apartments. So there will be areas close to the city centre that have a good nightlife and have good footfall during the day. And if there is less land taken up by offices, that makes more land available for apartments, which *should* decrease the cost of living in the centre of the city, which means a more diverse population living there.

I don't believe for a moment that tourists like visiting and staying in a place like Grand Canal Dock. High rise office blocks, expensive and samey restaurants, apartments and cottages populated solely by tech workers. And I'm not saying that tech workers aren't lovely people, but to get a "buzz" in a city you need artists and independent clothes shops and ethnic restaurants, and shift workers, alongside some offices and some high street stores. That can't happen when it is so expensive to live close to the city.

GDK_11

Quin_Dub wrote: »

Absolutely agree here.

So people aren't buying coffees/lunch in cafes etc. in town?

In the grand scheme of things , so what - That money is now being spend in the suburban and beyond localities on more groceries or lunches etc.

I highly doubt that now that places are open that there has been a significant net decrease in spending in these categories , it's just being spent in different places.

Totally agree on the hybrid approach , it's the one that makes the most sense - Have a building with desks and meeting spaces and people will come and go ad-hoc as needed.

Maybe come in once a week for team meetings or in blocks of days on a monthly basis for more extensive get togethers , but most people spending 70/80% of their time working remote.

There will be those that cannot work remote for various reasons , be they role related or just down to personal circumstances and that's fine too - All variations should be accommodated.

Blanket edicts of "Everybody in" or "Everybody Out" won't work in the long term.

Staff will leave if they aren't getting the flexibility that they want.

But it’s not just coffee and sandwiches, it is the people who work in them, It’s the retail shops, it’s keeping jobs in this country and not being outsourced, social interaction, mental health, it is the money spent on public transport, tourism, construction etc.

I do believe that a mixed approach between being in the office and WFH makes perfect sense going forward, however, there are so many considerations to factor in before this becomes the norm.

Supercell

We have been told we can permanently WFH too after all this goes away. We will be expected to come into the office once a week but that's about it. Interestingly several team members are talking about relocating down the country instead as they can get a far nicer place for the same or less money than in Dublin. I suspect many others are having similar thoughts.

Quin_Dub

GDK_11 wrote: »

But it’s not just coffee and sandwiches, it is the people who work in them, It’s the retail shops, it’s keeping jobs in this country and not being outsourced, social interaction, mental health, it is the money spent on public transport, tourism, construction etc.

I do believe that a mixed approach between being in the office and WFH makes perfect sense going forward, however, there are so many considerations to factor in before this becomes the norm.

Partially agree - but none of the highlighted things have anything to do with working from home.

Jobs are no more likely to be outsourced because staff are working from home. The two are completely unrelated.

If Salaries are cheaper in some other country then so is office rental , they just aren't connected at all.

Construction will change - If Office blocks aren't needed , then they'll build houses and apartments instead.

Really not sure how tourism is impacted by WFH to be honest.

Naos

GDK_11 wrote: »

But it’s not just coffee and sandwiches, it is the people who work in them, It’s the retail shops, it’s keeping jobs in this country and not being outsourced, social interaction, mental health, it is the money spent on public transport, tourism, construction etc.

And what about local coffee shops or deli's? I've spent a lot more in local places be it cafes or extra groceries than pre-covid which helps to stimulate the local economy, provides employment etc.

Just because people are not buying their lunch in the city centre, does not mean they are forgoing lunch.

GDK_11

Naos wrote: »

And what about local coffee shops or deli's? I've spent a lot more in local places be it cafes or extra groceries than pre-covid which helps to stimulate the local economy, provides employment etc.

Just because people are not buying their lunch in the city centre, does not mean they are forgoing lunch.

I didn’t say they were, however the majority of these shops are in the city centre so with fewer people buying more shops go bust, more employees out of work, more benefits paid by the government, more taxes etc.

Yes these shops can relocate but what about the people who have invested their life savings and lost it all, they can’t just go open another business with no capital.

I’m really not saying it can’t happen but I do think the impact of half the country WFH forever will be far bigger than many seem to think, just my opinion of course!

DebDynamite

JDD wrote: »

Not necessarily. If you think of London, there's no "city centre" as such. There are hubs across the city that have their own high street, their own pubs and atmosphere.

There will always be young people wanting to live in a busy, buzzy area and are happy to live in apartments. So there will be areas close to the city centre that have a good nightlife and have good footfall during the day. And if there is less land taken up by offices, that makes more land available for apartments, which *should* decrease the cost of living in the centre of the city, which means a more diverse population living there.

I don't believe for a moment that tourists like visiting and staying in a place like Grand Canal Dock. High rise office blocks, expensive and samey restaurants, apartments and cottages populated solely by tech workers. And I'm not saying that tech workers aren't lovely people, but to get a "buzz" in a city you need artists and independent clothes shops and ethnic restaurants, and shift workers, alongside some offices and some high street stores. That can't happen when it is so expensive to live close to the city.

London is completely different to Dublin. It’s a huge Metropolitan area, with smaller boroughs and towns within it. With Dublin - there’s either the city centre or the suburbs.

There’s a reason the government are encouraging people to come back into the city centre, even during a pandemic - it’s purely economical. Do we really want to see the likes of Grafton Street - Ireland’s premier shopping street with boarded up shops, flower sellers and buskers gone, music sessions in the pubs during the week with a handful of people at them. People staying at home all week working from their spare room and buying a slice pan and packet of ham for their lunch benefits very few, except the workers themselves.

Anyway, it’s only government recommendations. If employers feel WFM is a viable option and of benefit to them, they will offer it regardless of what the government advises.

DebDynamite

Naos wrote: »

And what about local coffee shops or deli's? I've spent a lot more in local places be it cafes or extra groceries than pre-covid which helps to stimulate the local economy, provides employment etc.

Just because people are not buying their lunch in the city centre, does not mean they are forgoing lunch.

Most people working from home do not go out to get lunch. As I said in my post above, the majority will buy a loaf of bread and some filling for a sandwich while they’re doing their weekly shop.

Even here on this thread, the majority are saying how much money they’re saving by not having to buy lunch every day, as let’s face, it is definitely one of the advantages of working from home.

Kilboor

Quin_Dub wrote: »

Partially agree - but none of the highlighted things have anything to do with working from home.

Jobs are no more likely to be outsourced because staff are working from home. The two are completely unrelated.

If Salaries are cheaper in some other country then so is office rental , they just aren't connected at all.

Construction will change - If Office blocks aren't needed , then they'll build houses and apartments instead.

Really not sure how tourism is impacted by WFH to be honest.

Nobody really knows the long term impacts of this but I think it's undeniable that people are now and will continue (if WFH becomes permanent) to be spending less on travel (less footfall for petrol stations and the shops contained in these stations),less money for new car dealers and mechanics, less on lunch in local shops/cafes, and companies will be spending less on offices/rent/electricity/food catering/coffee suppliers/transport (chaffeur, bus etc)

I've already seen in my own company outsourcing of jobs to different countries that would traditionally be done here, this is because they see that the onboarding process can be done successfully through virtual means. This was always a risk for companies prior to this. Companies can now pay Irish tax while hiring for foreign wages all using their new virtual onboarding and training processes.

The bottom line is that more unskilled workers will be unemployed, less money will be flowing around the economy, business owners/entrepreneurs who own service businesses even things outside of cafes shops etc like cleaning offices/coffee suppliers/food suppliers/delivery men will be impacted.

Let's not even get started on the social aspect of it all and there seems to be a narrow minded view that Dublin is the only city in the country. City centres like Limerick have long been suffering and this will only add to it.

Also Irish people dislike apartments, we can go on about how they work in Europe but I personally would never purchase an apartment and would only rent one as a last resort. They simply do not work here and certainly won't be attractive in now quieter city centres.

hetuzozaho

DebDynamite wrote: »

London is completely different to Dublin. It’s a huge Metropolitan area, with smaller boroughs and towns within it. With Dublin - there’s either the city centre or the suburbs.

There’s a reason the government are encouraging people to come back into the city centre, even during a pandemic - it’s purely economical. Do we really want to see the likes of Grafton Street - Ireland’s primer shopping street with boarded up shops, flower sellers gone, music sessions in the pubs during the week with a handful of people at them. People staying at home all week working from their spare room and buying a slice pan and packet of ham for their lunch benefits very few, except the workers themselves.

Anyway, it’s only government recommendations. If employers feel WFM is a viable option and of benefit to them, they will offer it regardless of what the government advises.

With the commute time they've won back they could learn how to cook you make it sound very depressing ha!