Offices Reopening-Will you go?

JTMan

So 10 August is the date for the gradual reopening of most offices. Anyone who can work from home must continue to do so until 10 August.

antimatterx

That is incredible. 5 months. Must be done though.

I'm going to a buy monitor though!

andrew1977

I am bit confused , can somebody clarify please.

Initially it looked like office workers would return on 10th August, but going on the attached , looks like anyone who can work from home must continue to work from home after this date.

Row 5 , 3rd block down says that or do I have it all wrong ?

Thanks .

JTMan

Yeah, I noticed that the shortened version contradicts the official longer version.

I think it is safe to call the longer version the 'gold record'.

The longer version clearly states that 10 August is the date that those who can work from home, can gradually return to the office.

Synode

Which one? The columns are numbered. Rows go left to right

andrew1977

Synode wrote: »

Which one? The columns are numbered. Rows go left to right

Column 5 , and the 3rd block down on this row.

Szero

The date is August 10th but this is just the date that companies can "implement plans for how they can eventually progress towards onsite return of full staff complement" for a "phase return".

Hence, August 10th is just the date of the first phase of a return-to-office.

The document also talks about "applying a risk-based return". Surely companies will need to risk based analysis before letting staff return on this date.

sterz

Would be nice if there was some flexibility with regards to returning to the office. I know that in our place (100 staff), the majority are happy to continue to work from home for whatever reason (living with people who have underlying conditions, prefer to work from home for as long as possible, have a proper setup, etc) but there's some that would prefer to go back in if the option was there.

Surely there's a way of working it so that x number could work in the office from July onwards (if the criteria numbers, whatever numbers the government are looking for, are where they need to be). I'm thinking that there's roughly 20 in our place who would take up on such an offer and I think that should be manageable.

Cyrus

Folks once offices are reopened most will find they are contractually required to be at a certain place of work

So if your employer wants you in you go or you get another job it won’t be up to you to dictate in most cases.

Eggs For Dinner

I'm fortunate in that I've being working from home for nearly a year. I was set up with everything I had at work such as laptop with a docking station, dual monitors, integrated phone etc. The mechanics of working from home are a dream. I don't have young kids and have a big enough house for a dedicated office, which I only use when working.

My colleagues were all set up in haste when the lockdown was announced and working with single screens and internet phones. Many have rugrats pestering them while they try to work and other distractions. While it's great that we are still employed, most of my colleagues can't wait to get back in the office. I won't ever go back

Szero

sterz wrote: »

Surely there's a way of working it so that x number could work in the office from July onwards (if the criteria numbers, whatever numbers the government are looking for, are where they need to be). I'm thinking that there's roughly 20 in our place who would take up on such an offer and I think that should be manageable.

It does not matter is a company thinks X number of people is manageable from July. The document is quite clear, the date for the start of the resumption of working in offices is August 10th.

So if your employer wants you in you go or you get another job it won’t be up to you to dictate in most cases.

In most cases, for the first phase, on August 10th, companies will make it optional. Most companies will not force people back into the office for liability reasons.

sterz

Szero wrote: »

It does not matter is a company thinks X number of people is manageable from July. The document is quite clear, the date for the start of the resumption of working in offices is August 10th.

The first sentence of my post:

Would be nice if there was some flexibility with regards to returning to the office.

Szero

Szero wrote: »

The date is August 10th but this is just the date that companies can "implement plans for how they can eventually progress towards onsite return of full staff complement" for a "phase return".

Hence, August 10th is just the date of the first phase of a return-to-office.

The document also talks about "applying a risk-based return". Surely companies will need to risk based analysis before letting staff return on this date.

Offices can only open up to the extent they can facilitate social distancing. Everyone 2m apart..... Lots of folk will be WFH well beyond August.

anewme

Does it not say at the end of each step including 10th August....people able to work remotely should continue to do so.

anewme

anewme wrote: »

Does it not say at the end of each step including 10th August....people able to work remotely should continue to do so.

Small, bean counter family owned type crowds will try and ignore that I imagine.

sterz

Augeo wrote: »

Offices can only open up to the extent they can facilitate social distancing. Everyone 2m apart..... Lots of folk will be WFH well beyond August.

That's what I'm saying though. Some offices will be able to implement it because the majority (well, in our office for example) will want to continue working from home until well into the autumn.

Akrasia

Cyrus wrote: »

Folks once offices are reopened most will find they are contractually required to be at a certain place of work

So if your employer wants you in you go or you get another job it won’t be up to you to dictate in most cases.

You might be contractually obliged to be at the office, but your employer is legally obliged to provide a safe place to work, and if they cannot do so in the office, and you can perform the same function from home, then that makes for an interesting court case.

I think we’re going to see a period of dual working, where people work remotely several days a week and attend at the office one or two days a week

The benefits of this are pretty undeniable in terms of reducing commuting times and costs, as well as being a good way to ensure social distancing in a limited office space

anewme

Our office is the opposite. Everyone wants to go back. We didn't appreciate how good we had it.

I'd say you'd start seeing rotating shift patterns for offices. I know in sone places that taking the doors off was another option being discussed.

Shift patterns need shift premiums.

Cyrus

Augeo wrote: »

Shift patterns need shift premiums.

More like one team in one week and one in the next that kind of thing

We could do it in my place with half staff so we will probably implement something like that

We had a similar set up in Singapore for a period earlier in the year

Cyrus

Akrasia wrote: »

You might be contractually obliged to be at the office, but your employer is legally obliged to provide a safe place to work, and if they cannot do so in the office, and you can perform the same function from home, then that makes for an interesting court case.

I think we’re going to see a period of dual working, where people work remotely several days a week and attend at the office one or two days a week

The benefits of this are pretty undeniable in terms of reducing commuting times and costs, as well as being a good way to ensure social distancing in a limited office space

Yes I don’t disagree but the employer will set the terms the way some of the folks on here are talking they will decide themselves what they do and when

Dravokivich

Cyrus wrote: »

More like one team in one week and one in the next that kind of thing

We could do it in my place with half staff so we will probably implement something like that

We had a similar set up in Singapore for a period earlier in the year

Theres a team here that function like that and they are still on premium shifts.

Cyrus

Dravokivich wrote: »

Theres a team here that function like that and they are still on premium shifts.

My team get paid a salary I can’t see why we would pay them a premium to be in the office one week and wfh the next or am I missing something

voluntary

I enjoy WFH so much that I have no idea how anything can motivate me to go back to the office! I never thought that I'd like it so much.
I'm near certain now, the next employment will be something to allow 2-3 days per week working from home.

I see WHF employer policies a huge talent attractor going forward basically starting today. Talking to a friend recruiter a few days ago, he said that's the new hot question candidates ask, what is the WFH policy in the company!

Top employees, who can pick and chose and are in someway virus paranoid will be swapping jobs in the next few months like mad.

s1ippy

anewme wrote: »

Our office is the opposite. Everyone wants to go back. We didn't appreciate how good we had it.

I'd say you'd start seeing rotating shift patterns for offices. I know in sone places that taking the doors off was another option being discussed.

In our building we have heavy doors that close behind you so that fires don't spread. I would have thought from a fire safety point of view this would be required. Fires haven't stopped happening because of Covid.

Manach

The office itself might be fine in terms of Health and safety (as there is a legal obligation to provide safe working conditions). However getting to work, especially via public transport, might be an issue especially given rush hour. Thus I'd say that a phased return to office work interspaced with some days WFH is a baseline

r93kaey5p2izun

s1ippy wrote: »

In our building we have heavy doors that close behind you so that fires don't spread. I would have thought from a fire safety point of view this would be required. Fires haven't stopped happening because of Covid.

Usually an electromagnetic system is used for fire doors in large buildings. They are kept open by a magnet that shuts off and releases the doors when the fire alarm activates.

Cyrus

voluntary wrote: »

I enjoy WFH so much that I have no idea how anything can motivate me to go back to the office! I never thought that I'd like it so much.
I'm near certain now, the next employment will be something to allow 2-3 days per week working from home.

I see WHF employer policies a huge talent attractor going forward basically starting today. Talking to a friend recruiter a few days ago, he said that's the new hot question candidates ask, what is the WFH policy in the company!

Top employees, who can pick and chose and are in someway virus paranoid will be swapping jobs in the next few months like mad.

I’m sure your recruiter friend wants to think that but the reality is the jobs market will be slow for a while.

Also top employees make the kind of money that makes moving job a lot more difficult as there are fewer jobs available paying the kind of salaries they require

stevek93

I am working at home and can do my job 100% as I would in the office I am thinking unless this is over I am staying put at home. At my desk in work there is no social distancing we are on top of each other if someone comes in on a Monday sick by Wednesday the whole office has it and the following week you have people out sick if it is a bad dose the aircon doesn't help either.

mikemac2

seamus wrote: »

Seems to be fairly accepted in my place that nobody is going back until the end of the summer at the earliest.

Though one guy is still going into the office every day, I don't know why. Maybe he likes the peace.

This is me

Only person out of 30 in our department to go to the office. Out of 200 or so staff there are 10 people dotted around. I sure am not indispensable, maybe I’m expendable ha!

They needed one person to be there to download information from a terminal twice a day. Now they have a fix for that but I still go in

I get lots and lots done with my two screens and I have peace and my music all day