Returning to the Workplace

[fossyant]

A thread for those starting to go back to the workplace, well aware some have been working in 'work' throughout.

My employer is starting to work through a new policy, but are expecting it to take a 'year'. In the meantime they are trying to class people into if they need to be in or not. I fall into a hybrid working category - i.e. can be in or at home, doesn't matter. What's becoming clear is work will only equip one workplace - OK for me as I only took the laptop home and already had monitors lying about (spares from gaming PC's/ Zwift PC) but others face taking back chairs and monitors.

My wife is back this week two days and then for 3 days per week in June. Whilst I'm not required to be back, it makes sense to share the commute, as I have parking (the only advantage of breaking my spine), so that will save £5 a day. It's a little longer commute as it means dropping my wife off and collecting her (trip round the ring road).

Looking forward to being back, as I've missed the interaction - it's quite isolating being in a shed all day, although the flexibility to listen into a meeting whilst potting a plant or washing the bike will be gone. Looks like I'll be back Monday, Weds and Thurs, which suits me. Usually Friday's are a 'quiet' day, i.e. no meetings, so better off at home so I can get on with work, and it's also my wife's busiest day for payment processing, so better with no disturbances.

We aren't sure how we handle meetings yet, certainly come September, with a mix of staff in a meeting room, and quite a few remote.

There will be days where I'm required in, or my wife, and the other not, which we will work around.

I can, unfortunately, see a pause in the restrictions being lifted, and social distancing remaining for a while longer yet, which impacts the number we can have in - in a room of 22 desks we can have 8 people in at present.

What's your workplace plans ?

 

[Jody]

What's your workplace plans ?

Keep quiet and hope they forget i'm at home. Social distancing means we currently don't have enough space in the office for everyone. I'm happier and more productive at here.

No doubt at some point it will have to go back to normal

 

[fossyant]

Keep quiet and hope they forget i'm at home. Social distancing means we currently don't have enough space in the office for everyone. I'm happier and more productive at here.

No doubt at some point it will have to go back to normal

I'm just starting to go a little stir crazy, as I get a fair bit 'done' on corridors/in the kitchen etc. We've got a bit of an issue with some folk 'jobsworthing' whilst off site, and it's making things difficult - I've been sorting out loads of stuff that should never cross my path.

 

[Sterlo]

I was back for one day in January, then we went on the last lockdown so working from home. Went back into the office 1st March. On 9th March, bike accident, surgery and still working from home. Including odd half days during Jan/Feb, I reckon I've been into work for about 8 days this year!

 

[Eric Olthwaite]

For the next year or so, they're aiming for 2 "core days" in the office - half the office Mon /Tue, the other half Wed/Thu. Then wherever you want (home or office) the other 3 days.

Sounds like a reasonable plan to me.

 

[Drago]

I don't work, so no problems there. Chatting to Daughter #3 last night. Shes a newly qualifed accountant and has been working from home throughout, and will remain so now the office has re-opened. There's no business argument whatsoever for being in the office, and the firm are letting those that want to remain working at home. Only exception to that is client meetings, which will be in person, albeit suitably numbered and distanced.

Shes fine with that. She's not felt like stabbing anyone for a whole year, there are no distractions, and as a result she is getting so much more work done. When you're commission based thats important - going by the previous year she was on target for about 38 or 40k the year to April 2021, but she nipped just 70 past gees (at 24 years old!). She's very happy with that, her firm are very happy with the output, and shes not pissing away 90 minutes a day commuting and polluting. Win-win.

 

[steverob]

I'm caught between two stalls. My employer (big IT outsourcer) is very happy for staff to continue working from home and are willing to make it as easy as they can for you to be as productive as possible - if you need extra IT equipment etc., then they'll strongly consider it. Half of their offices are still closed, or only open to a skeleton staff and as far as they are concerned WFH has been a resounding success and if it works, why change it?

However, the client whose site I normally would work from are a typical 'bums on seats' mob and have been absolutely itching to get people back in to the office for months now.

I spent a good few days in mid-2020 going in to London while it was virtually empty in order to help them set up the office so it could be used with social distancing in mind - moving people's desks so no-one was sitting near to anyone else, setting up one-way systems, perspex screens etc. They did come up with a rota where initially 25% of staff were meant to be in every day, but a week and a half after that was launched, one of the staff who had been in a few days previous reported a positive test with symptoms, so they "temporarily" shut back down again; then the second lockdown happened about two weeks later and the rota was never restarted.

But rumours are that as soon as they get the green light from the authorities, it'll be a mandatory 50% attendance ASAP (one week on, one week off) unless you have particular shielding requirements or something and it'll be back to 100% probably by the end of the year if there's no further case increases / lockdowns. This has aggravated their staff no end, because for years their HR team have forbidden pretty much any working from home discussions, yet for the past 14 months the company has been fine with enforced WFH (some are saying it's been MORE successful) and now they expect people to just go straight back to full-time commuting. I think they're going to find there's going be a lot more resistance than they anticipate.

Meanwhile I'll let my employer and the client argue amongst themselves over when they want me in. I think by the middle of June I'll be back to doing a few days a week commuting at least, but probably not the full amount.

 

[Ridgeway]

Go to work ?

The work bit i get, but struggling with the "go to" bit

Some more travelling planned over the next few weeks but only at about 30% of what i usually do, still too few clients accepting external visitors.

In the mean time i've upgraded my laptop, added a blogger light and microphone (really helps a lot on Zoom) oh and cleaned my desk...

 

[vickster]

Maybe...if I need to for team meetings or whatever but there'll be no expectation for regular attendance.
The plan is very much for blended working for permanent staff (ie not me). I might go later in the year when I can actually walk more than a couple of hundred yards (maybe if my friend who works for a different company a few floors up is in)

 

[gavroche]

I hope lots of people will carry on working at home as that will mean less cars on the road and less stressful for me when I drive down to Devon.
Driving back to Wales tomorrow by the way.

 

[johnblack]

Continue working from home for the foreseeable future. At some point I'll do the odd day in the office but as they are reducing seating by 40% I'm more likely to stay away as there are certain jobs where being in the office is far more necessary than for me.

I'm meeting up with work mates for a few beers and a meal so that will do me for now. Once the bike racing finishes for winter I'll probably make more effort to use the office, but I'm fairly happy watching all the racing on GCN for the next few months.

 

[Dan77]

Been in the office throughout. We're probably over 50% in the office now and I expect the remainder will return as soon as we're allowed to ask them to.

In our experience some people are more efficient than others at working from home but even the better ones are more efficient in the office and require less support from others when they are in. Working from home just doesn't work well for us as a business. I appreciate that it does work well for many others. I can particularly imagine a large number of London commuters fighting hard to stay working from home. It's really in their interests to show that they can be efficient doing so.

 

[DCLane]

My university's starting to set out what's likely to happen from late summer. Most in a non student-facing role are heading towards a blended working approach, with those who are student-facing doing the same but coming in only on 'classroom teaching' days. Lectures are likely to stay online as a) they save space and b) multiple lectures due to capacity shortage can be combined into one which saves more space and staff time allocation.

The challenge will be where buildings have moved from being single occupancy or two sharing in the older buildings to my building where it's up to 23 sharing. There's clearly some early prep work going on to organise desk space/hot-desking as I got a message from IT last week asking whether I'd been using remote-access to my PC (erm ... no!). However, academics tend to like their own space so hot-desking for many may not be an option.

We've a small number that have been playing the system whilst away, or have struggled working remotely, and I'm guessing they'll be asked to be in more frequently or recommended that they are more present.

 

[GetFatty]

We have 4 phases:

• Those who need to be in to do their jobs and have been in all the time e.g. Border Force etc
• Those whose wellbeing (mental and physical) is impacted by not being in the office
• Those who feel they can collaborate better by being in the office
• Everyone else

I'm in the everyone else group but to be honest I intend to remain working from home. I will probably visit supplier sites more than I visit my nominal office but when I do go to Croydon it will be for a specific meeting and I'll leave afterwards. All of this applies to my team too and as we've successfully worked from home for over a year I don't really see the need for change except to visit suppliers. Oh and I've got a puppy!

 

[vickster]

Oh and I've got a puppy!

Joking aside that could be an issue for lots of people...doggy daycares will fill up or there’ll be lots of pugs and poodle hybrids up for adoption