Working From Home Megathread

The general government advice is that people should work from home where possible. It seems to be the opposite where I work where the mantra seems to be to get as many people to work from the office as possible even where work can just as easily be done from home - public sector worker

Covid-19: Relaxation of social distance rules under consideration (irishtimes.com)

Draft roadmap proposals:

(1) Social distancing to stay until Spring 2022 - as many predicted by many here. i.e many desks out of use in open plan offices.

(2) Lifting other restrictions, like office reopening, to be subject to the following criteria:

1. 85-90% of those aged 16+ fully vaccinated AND
2. R level below 1 AND
3. Hospitals aren't "struggling" AND
4. No "variants of greater transmissibility or vaccine resistance".

We currently don't meet 3 of the 4 criteria, and it is easy to see how hospitals will struggle quite soon, let alone this Winter.

Even with this criteria, there is “profound concern” among public health officials that deterioration in the disease in the coming weeks could make progress harder. HSE say when there will be 400 people in hospital with covid the HSE will be at a "harder to manage" stage.

Based on this criteria, I would guess that the chances that offices will not reopen until Spring 2022 are now even higher.

I can see them extending WFH to Feb in the public sector where its been working ok.

HSE is a different case.

I really feel like its mixed messaging at the moment.

On the one hand, the Government are saying the beginning of a phased implementation will begin from September onwards. But on the other hand, NPHET and the HSE continue to make nervous sounds as @JTMan outlined above.

Its so hard to know what way it will go. It feels too soon to be talking about returning if we are to believe that things are as precarious as is being made out.

Office being closed imo are not a big deal. They should be the last thing to reopen, as people can work from home just fine in most cases.

Don't our hospitals struggle every winter, even without covid?

I mean, I saw a tweet from the INMO the other day saying that over 300 people were waiting for treatment on trolleys, the highest number since the pandemic began. Which makes it sound like the hospitals are struggling more now than at any point over the past 18 months. What it doesn't say that the record number of people on trolleys is over 700, which was back in 2018. Once flu season starts, and the economy is open (even without office workers) the hospitals will go into their usual winter meltdown. I don't think that should be used as a criteria, because that means we are all WFH from October to April forever more.

I agree that the R number should be below 1 before offices reopen.

I don't think the phrasing should be "a new strain with more transmissibility" - it should be a new strain that is not dealt with as effectively by the vaccines. Of course if a new strain is more transmissible that might increase hospitalisations, but perhaps not to a "struggling" point.

We'll get to the vaccine coverage point in the next week or two, I expect. 90% of adults have had their first shot so far.

My company sent a mail last week that the office is open again for people to come on a voluntary basis, one day per week. Each day has a list of people associated, so for example if I want to go my team is on Mondays and I am not allowed in any other day.

My wife's employer had a plan to open in September, but they are postponing to mid-October now.

If companies really wait for the end of the government recommendation to WFH, I don't see it happening any time soon. My bet is that most of the companies will open before on a voluntary basis, but won't be able to force anyone in before the end of the recommendation

A friend of mine works in an IT company where they have reduced their office space so much that they could only seat 70% of their employees.

They are now asking any employees whether they want to return to the office 5-days-a-week. The rest will be asked to hot-desk with the minimum attendance being 2 days a month (for team meetings). They are still showing higher productivity than in 2019.

It's going to fall apart a bit when every other country is going back to the office (and events) and we're not in Ireland. It should start off with it removing the required WFH ruling but make it clear that it's entirely optional to go back to the office and not required until some future date.

This would allow those who want to go back to go back, and those who are happy to WFH to WFH without pressure either way.

Hopefully companies can also mandate that only vaccinated workers can return into the office, but unvaccinated can continue to WFH as they have been all along, again, with no pressure either way.

Whats the wfh policy in Europe does anyone know? Netherlands France Portugal?

Our office told us this week we are reopening in a weeks time - staff split in 2 and working 2 days in 3 at home one week and 3 days in 2 at home the next week....they seem to think its needed for "morale" - be some morale if someone gets unwell and other people around them end up unwell due to it!!

Aw stop, and the "face" was pulled saying it too, you know that face when they know they are speaking bull** !!