Working From Home Megathread

Rather than the government saying "September" they should be saying "we want to reopen schools and colleges safely first as priority 1, if that goes smoothly, a few weeks thereafter, we will look at offices, which will probably be towards the end of September". I saw a survey on Twitter today where there was a strong preference to do schools and colleges first before considering the lifting of other restrictions such as offices.

If offices do reopen and if masks are required all day and if you need to socially distance your desk from others and if the flu & Covid goes on the rampage this Winter ... a lot of people are going to think what is the point been in the office.

Same here. I'd like to be in the office for two or three days ideally. However if it involves wearing masks all day I think I'd prefer to stay at home.

I won't be going back to the office at all, unless I physically need to setup some hardware, and in which case, I will just setup shop in the data center for the whole day (usually only person in there). Won't even bother going to my desk, except to grab some tools.

Delays to return to office continue, u-turns to return to office continue and mandatory vaccinations for office returns increase ...

• The New York Times Company indefinitely postponed its planned return to the office. The company, which employs about 4,700 people, had been planning for workers to start to return, for at least three days a week, in September. (There was a big uproar from staff about not wanting to return).
• Lyft postponed its return to office until February 2022.
• Uber pushed their expected return to October at the earliest. (Joining Google and Apple).
• Twitter did a u-turn and shut down their office that they had reopened.
• Walmart and the Walt Disney Company introduced new requirements that some employees must be vaccinated.

More evidence that September return to office plans are not happening in many cases.

• Microsoft's LinkedIN have done a u-turn and have changed their hybrid policy from 50/50 to offering the option of 100% remote working. It will be left up to the employee to decide where to work.

Meanwhile: ( https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-28/virus-surge-upends-plans-for-companies-trickling-back-to-office?utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_content=business&utm_medium=social&cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business )

• California's biggest employer, the state, has said that they have plans to reopen offices but only to those who are vaccinated, mask wearing in the office will be strictly enforced and screenings will occur.
• Citi (who have not given a return to office date) say wearing masks will be mandatory inside the office.
• Wells Fargo will make wearing masks mandatory inside the office when they reopen offices.
• Many employers "don’t have enough certainty" to "demand a return" and for companies that are "really trying to pull everybody back in a firm way, it’s kind of ignoring how tenuous many of these situations are turning out to be".  

The HSE can ask because of the nature of their work and the potential risk to "clients" but they can redeploy staff. Otherwise it is private data that an employer has no right to know. They also can't make you get vaccinated as the Constitution refers to the protection of bodily integrity.

Eamon Ryan has said that offices are likely to be allowed open at some stage in September but he has not named a date. He has said it must be a slow return and restrictions will apply (likely mask wearing and social distancing between desks). Many companies have pushed back return to office until October and in some cases November and even March in other cases.

Hence, if offices do reopen by October, it is likely to be with a small amount of staff and unpleasant restrictions like mask wearing all day.

Therefore, given the likely small scale of office return, until after Winter, I don't think offices will take the blame for any increase in cases if this does happen. In addition, if there is a Winter wave, work from home restrictions could easily get reintroduced.

That's a drastic reduction of 80% in desks due to social distancing. I often hear 50% mentioned as the reduction in desk space but I guess if the desks are in pod and if you need to keep 2+ meter distance then 80% must happen in some cases. As you said, these type of restrictions are likely to cause companies to wonder what the point is with reopening until the restrictions are lifted. It's more hassle than it is worth.

Many companies are changing to a mask while indoors policy rather than an at your desk exception. In certain European countries it is mandatory to wear a mask while indoors in the office including at your desk. Many US tech firms have changed from a 'mask while moving' to a 'mask while indoors' policy. Just because you are sitting at your desk does not mean you can't spread something in an indoor enclosed office. But surely at some stage mask rules indoors will be lifted but I suspect that it will be after Winter.

I agree - I mean if you are sharing the same office air as people for 8 hours, 2m is not going to have any impact one way or the other. I don't really get it!

There is no logic to requiring social distancing between desks in the context of a disease that's airborne and infects people that way.

Interesting Bloomberg article about the many people who just do not want to return to the office ...

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-03/return-to-work-americans-willing-to-take-pay-cut-to-never-go-back-to-the-office#:~:text=Americans%20Are%20Willing%20to%20Take,reduction%20to%20stay%20at%20home.

• Many workers aren’t too fond of the prospect of going back to the office — whether they are concerned about their health, have domestic responsibilities that keep them home or simply don’t want to return to an unwelcome commute.
• 65% of American workers who said their jobs could be done entirely remotely were willing to take a pay cut of 5% to stay at home.
• Nearly half — 46% — said they would give up a quarter of their days off in order to never have to return to the office again.
• To entice workers back, some companies are holding back-to-work parties and dishing out prizes, providing free lunch or child care, or even offering yoga classes.

Employers have a big struggle on their hands dealing with the many people who simply do not want to return to the office ever again.

Maybe there is an opportunity for employers to offer optional 5% pay cuts in exchange for 100% remote jobs.

The government where I'm based have approved hybrid working so my work place are going to go ahead and try to get us back into the office in September.

My manager is very keen because she knows I don't want to go back and she is an absolute pr1ck. She has been pushing going back into the office for over a year now. She is incompetent and has problems so I think she thinks she will get more support if we are in the office.

I'll miss the view from my window at home as I'm not near a window in work. There is a man who I have dubbed 'the dumpster diver' who looks for valuables in the large bins outside. He found a tv the other day, wrapped it up and took off with it. A half naked drunk guy was flinging fire crackers on to the road. Many people check the parking meter across the road for change.

More companies cancelling September return to office plans. Amazon has delayed their return to office from September to January 2022. Amazon say masks will be mandatory inside the office when they reopen.

Because its about control over your employees. Much less control over them when they're in their kitchens instead of the office. Plus the people making theses decisions aren't going to be the ones masked up in cubicles.

CNN have fired 3 unvaccinated staff for going into the office. Meanwhile in Ireland you can't even ask if your staff are vaccinated.