Offices Reopening-Will you go?

JimmyVik

JTMan wrote: »

As per the government website on essential workers:

"As stated in previous guidance, all employees should work remotely from home if at all possible. The purpose of this document is to provide guidance to employers and employees as to what constitutes an essential service where workers cannot work from home and have no option but to travel to work".

And as they are doing already companies will just say essential worker, was working from home but they cant perform their job properly at home so we need them in the office.


On the internet everyone thinks all things are black and white. They arent

JimmyVik

BrentMused wrote: »

The problem here arises for employees who are in an organisation that doesn't pay sick pay.

They'll get signed off very easily, but will need to go on the illness benefit to receive any payment. There can be issues such as delays in receiving this, and although I'm just guessing you'd have to think that the €350 will be reduced to closer to the maximum of the €203 that it was pre-COVID when the 12 weeks are up in mid-June.

Employees could be faced with the decision of putting their health at risk in order to attend work in the office, or trying to get by on a relatively small amount of money from illness benefit (presuming it's reduced soon).

Even if they got 2 weeks at home they would call in sick for it. And worry about the office after that 2 weeks.

JTMan

JimmyVik wrote: »

And as they are doing already companies will just say essential worker, was working from home but they cant perform their job properly at home so we need them in the office.

Sure some companies will lie to get staff back in the office but no decent and honest company will go against government rules which are quite clear.

Szero

unhappys10 wrote: »

Tried that and no reply yet.
They'll have to clarify if everyone kicks up.

Did you hear anything back from your HR department?

Anyone got any advise as I am dealing with a similar situation whereby my company is hiding behind "essential workers" (finance company) and sending us back to work gradually despite the fact that essential workers are only supposed to be going to work if they can't work from home. :mad::mad::mad:

Any advise? Thanks.

unhappys10

Szero wrote: »

Did you hear anything back from your HR department?

Anyone got any advise as I am dealing with a similar situation whereby my company is hiding behind "essential workers" (finance company) and sending us back to work gradually despite the fact that essential workers are only supposed to be going to work if they can't work from home. :mad::mad::mad:

Any advise? Thanks.

Nothing yet but I'm not surprised, our excuse for HR is awful.
My wife is in the vulnerable category and we have a 10 month old baby.
I won't be going back near office until its safe. I can easily work from home. If they don't like it I'll get another job.

Daemonic

HR departments are there to protect the company so are not on your side. If you want them to take notice you need to frame it in a manner that makes it a risk for the company to have you back in the office.

rn

For companies chomping at the bit to get everyone back in the office and everything back to "normal", they've weigh up risk of an infection in office v current lack of output (or perceived output). Certainly there's an argument that these companies are putting employees health second to the business.

If they open and there's a case in the office, emergency closing of office along with employee self isolation for 14 days, plus recovery time for any staff who get sick will be pretty disruptive to the business.

Employees who have health or care reasons to self isolate can't go back to office anyway.

And then there's need to respect social distancing, so offices are either getting much bigger or staff capacity is reduced.

The_Brood

Any employer who even "invites" non-essential staff who can work from home back to the office needs to be arrested immediately and thrown in prison. Regular office jobs from now on need to become permanent work from home positions.

seamus

The_Brood wrote: »

Regular office jobs from now on need to become permanent work from home positions.

That's pushing it a bit. Plenty of people who don't have the ability to work from home long term. There just needs to be better regulations around spacing & infection control.

In terms of bringing office staff in right now, there is literally zero excuse for any company not to have arranged home working at this stage.

I know one person who works for a huge insurance provider, who is sitting at home twiddling their thumbs because the company refuses to buy more VPN licences to facilitate everyone working from home.
And someone else who works for a tiny company and is succesfully working from home because they brought their big office computer and laserjet printer home.

Zero excuses, just stingyness or laziness that's standing in the way.

And if anyone owns a company and wants to set up home working, I'm available on decent daily rates

s1ippy

Are you going back to work tomorrow?

How do you feel about it?

Let's find out.

_Brian

Have been home since early March doing maybe 5% work for 100% pay.

It’s been great, tipping about the farm doing jobs, home schooling the kids and generally living a great life.

Tomorrow I’ve a start back but truthfully it will be maybe 5-6 weeks before I’m fully back. I usually work from home anyway and only visit the office maybe once every two weeks. I go direct to clients from home.

Its a bit like I’m coming out of retirement.

Flimsy_Boat

I wish I had a job before the crisis that I could be happy about not doing.

Bobby42

I'm back in the office 2 days a week from next week and I'm looking forward to it to be honest. They've put a social distancing policy in place and no more that 40% of team to be in. My mental health has nose dived with working from home so looking forward to getting back to some semblance of routine.

Lundstram

Where's the "been working through the pandemic to pay for you lazy feckers €350 to sit on your asses all day" poll option?

s1ippy

Maybe a mod might get a chance to amend the poll, but it being Sunday I'm not going to ask.

I always get polls wrong! Maths was never a strong suit of mine and the same extends to parameters for data collection

In the meantime if you're working away the whole time comment here and maybe let us know about it.

There's probably also the need for a "working from home indefinitely" option too.

Oh and gainfully unemployed, thanks for the heads up! :pac:

ED E

You need another option: Never stopped.

Shamboo1801

Back to work on site tomorrow. Can't wait.

Flimsy_Boat

Lundstram wrote: »

Where's the "been working through the pandemic to pay for you lazy feckers €350 to sit on your asses all day" poll option?

Hotel staff are anything but lazy.

Sheep Shagger

Will be working from home for the foreseeable, the school situation doesn't help that. Would actually like to go in for few days bit say we will be a good while away from that happening.

mortgagehunter

Are flooring and carpet stores opening tomorrow in phase one,or is this classed as homewares?

JoeA3

mortgagehunter wrote: »

Are flooring and carpet stores opening tomorrow in phase one,or is this classed as homewares?

Yes they are open.

mortgagehunter

Cheers joe,some conflicting info on line, some seem to be opening while others are not��

Stheno

Wfh indefinitely. Waiting to hear if there will be redundancies as hours have been cut company wide

RocketRaccoon

Can't wait to get back to work tbh but it's a long way off for aviation workers.

Rubberchikken

Haven't stopped. Off this weekend and back tomorrow night. Nothing changed. But glad to see some places opening, it can't have been a 'holiday' for most.

Same as every Monday for me only I’ll be sorry to see a load of other ****ers back on the road. Traffic has been brilliant.

lawrencesummers

HaveNt stopped working.

The commute has been a breeze for the last few weeks. That’s gonna end tomo...

Maz2016

We are back and it’s 100% of the staff back. New social distancing policies implemented. I’m glad to be back as mentally I found it tough at home. I would have preferred if we went back 3 days and WFH the other 2

Be right back

Haven't stopped working either. Has been a dream going to work, traffic wise.

Will be working from home till August but suspect even l after that I'll be working from home.