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+--- Thread: Back to the Office (/showthread.php?tid=12291)
Back to the Office - Shabby Russian - 09-02-2020
What do we think about the Govt trying to get office workers back to the office.
I don't have a particular view on this - it just doesn't affect me.
I understand the Govt wanting to protect certain businesses that rely on city workers, predominantly office workers for their trade.
On the other hand, i was talking to the husband of a friend of my wife. Since lockdown he has worked from home, currently his employer (a fairly) well known company) have no plans to return their employees to the office. H ehas no desire to return to the office. And i can understand why, he n o lnger has to spend 20 hours a week commuting and is saving a shed load of money on not having to travel on over crowded trains. Gets to spend more time with his family, doing things he wants to do.
Should he and his employee return to a work situation that no longer is beneficial to either party.
RE: Back to the Office - Ted Maul - 09-02-2020
Seeing as I never buy lunch or expensive coffee (the only time I visit a coffee shop is for my once a week free drink on O2) then surely I can stay at home as I'll make no difference?
RE: Back to the Office - Ossian - 09-02-2020
Some people reckon that there are mental health benefits deriving from the interaction in communal working environments. All I can say is that if there are they managed to escape me. But I'm probably not typical - I'd been training my whole adult life for social distancing.
My guess is that employers will weigh up the potential cost savings involved in providing less accommodation and infrastructure, the beneficial or detrimental effects on productivity, convert the whole equation into money and then decide. The thing I would expect to take a massive hit is business travel, and not before time.
RE: Back to the Office - Baggie_Nick - 09-02-2020
(09-02-2020, 10:00 AM)Ossian Wrote: Some people reckon that there are mental health benefits deriving from the interaction in communal working environments. All I can say is that If there are they managed to escape me. But I'm probably not typical - I'd been training my whole adult life for social distancing.
My guess is that employers will weigh up the potential cost savings involved in providing less accommodation and infrastructure, the beneficial or detrimental effects on productivity, convert the whole equation into money and then decide. The thing I would expect to take a massive hit is business travel, and not before time.
Personally I couldn't think of anything more mentally detremantal than being cooped up in an office full of idiots. Been there, done that - never again!
RE: Back to the Office - ChamonixBaggie - 09-02-2020
I'm back in the office at the minute. Not too bad as we have several 'sections' so the 4 of us who are on permanent contracts can just have a section each. French govt have said masks in indoor workspaces at least through til next summer... When (If?) we get our winter staff coming in I'll be requesting to work from home and expect it to be allowed as I'm not wearing a mask for 8 hours a day if I can help it.
I'm quite fortunate in that once initial setup is done I can work from home pretty easily. I actually agree that working from the office at least a couple of days a week would be good for mental health, but then again I get on with most of my colleagues and we have a laugh. I also have a 3 minute cycle commute and no dress code which I recognize makes me pretty fortunate. If I could work from home 2/3 days and from the office the others I'd be happy, though it all depends on the mask situation.
RE: Back to the Office - hudds - 09-02-2020
(09-02-2020, 09:29 AM)Shabby Russian Wrote: What do we think about the Govt trying to get office workers back to the office.
I don't have a particular view on this - it just doesn't affect me.
I understand the Govt wanting to protect certain businesses that rely on city workers, predominantly office workers for their trade.
On the other hand, i was talking to the husband of a friend of my wife. Since lockdown he has worked from home, currently his employer (a fairly) well known company) have no plans to return their employees to the office. H ehas no desire to return to the office. And i can understand why, he n o lnger has to spend 20 hours a week commuting and is saving a shed load of money on not having to travel on over crowded trains. Gets to spend more time with his family, doing things he wants to do.
Should he and his employee return to a work situation that no longer is beneficial to either party.
Twenty years ago I worked for PwC and got assent to work from home any time I wanted, which was about 75% of the time when not having to meet clients or necessary time in the office. Much more productive. Working for myself, I work from home all the time now on the same basis - travel if necessary to meet clients, goverment etc. Given you can now work anywhere effectively, it proves that you don't need to be "seen"/present at a specific place of work unless there is a clear need.
RE: Back to the Office - Protheroe - 09-02-2020
Just got off a Zoom with one of my clients who're reducing their London office footprint from 5 to 1.
RE: Back to the Office - baggy1 - 09-02-2020
(09-02-2020, 12:58 PM)Protheroe Wrote: Just got off a Zoom with one of my clients who're reducing their London office footprint from 5 to 1.
Probably saving them a fortune in the long run - market forces and all that.
RE: Back to the Office - baggy1 - 09-02-2020
The whole situation has accelerated an inevitable situation whereby, over time, retail would move gradually to more and more online and working from home became the norm. I work for a multi-national organisation and, as far as I'm aware, only the China office has reopened. We are definitely not going back before 1st October and even then we will be phased back in, as one of the older ones who isn't part of a large team I can't see me going back this year.
My boss has already asked to see when our lease runs out and if we have a break clause, I would imagine that has occurred across all businesses that rent in the country. Now is not the time to be investing in commercial property companies. The other big point made by our CEO the other day was how much he was enjoying not travelling because of the extra time he has with his family, don't expect that to change much in the short term.
It also highlights the way the government works in that it reacts to unexpected outcomes to their own reactive measures. They've looked up and realised that all of the businesses that relied on offices being full are now likely to go out of business - a sort of capitalist ponzi scheme. Instead of building a plan for those businesses and commercial space they have gone with the 'please go back to the office' approach. No business is going to send employees back in until it is guaranteed to be safe - can you imagine the 1st person that catches covid and dies after being forced back into the office and the subsequent law suit for corporate manslaughter?
Unfortunately nobody is keen to break ranks because the government have lied, and covered up their mess throughout this pandemic and are at a stage where they simply don't believe them.
Offices of the future will be smaller and hardly ever will we have a situation where we all go back together. There will be some hub facilities that can use their space as a meeting / conference type space for all employees to have get togethers but apart from that I can't see any major change soon. Let's hope someone sees this as an opportunity to redefine commercial space into residential.
RE: Back to the Office - Babel - 09-02-2020
(09-02-2020, 10:00 AM)Ossian Wrote: Some people reckon that there are mental health benefits deriving from the interaction in communal working environments. All I can say is that if there are they managed to escape me. But I'm probably not typical - I'd been training my whole adult life for social distancing.
You and me both, Oss!