Anyone even back into the work office yet?

[GunsOfNavarone]

Do these office blocks come complete with stairs?

I'm on the 6th floor and would use the stairs but the key card security system prevents me from doing so.

Got stuck in a service lift once. 

Between floors. 

In the dark. 

With a stack of office furniture. 

So was basically pressed up against the criss-cross metal door thing. 

That was really good fun, I wasn't tripping out much no not at all.

Fair enough, I overlooked security systems. Your being trapped in the service lift reminds me of the return train journey from Vile Park when the wankers knocked us out of the FA Cup during 'that' week. Journey took an age as there were problems with the doors given everyone was squashed against each other like sardines ironically enough. I felt soiled by the time I got off the train at Chester Road. It was disgusting being in such close proximity with so many of them.

[baggiebloke]

Do these office blocks come complete with stairs?

I'm on the 6th floor and would use the stairs but the key card security system prevents me from doing so.

Got stuck in a service lift once. 

Between floors. 

In the dark. 

With a stack of office furniture. 

So was basically pressed up against the criss-cross metal door thing. 

That was really good fun, I wasn't tripping out much no not at all.

Fair enough, I overlooked security systems. Your being trapped in the service lift reminds me of the return train journey from Vile Park when the wankers knocked us out of the FA Cup during 'that' week. Journey took an age as there were problems with the doors given everyone was squashed against each other like sardines ironically enough. I felt soiled by the time I got off the train at Chester Road. It was disgusting being in such close proximity with so many of them.

Christ. I bet you had to burn your clothes. 

Reminds me of Unhygienix, the chef from Alex Garland's The Beach, obsessed with getting rid of the fish stench.

[HawkingsHalfpint]

Do these office blocks come complete with stairs?

I'm on the 6th floor and would use the stairs but the key card security system prevents me from doing so.

Got stuck in a service lift once. 

Between floors. 

In the dark. 

With a stack of office furniture. 

So was basically pressed up against the criss-cross metal door thing. 

That was really good fun, I wasn't tripping out much no not at all.

So you were between a clock and a hard disk space. Sounds awful.

[MassDebater]

I work at home, opening a factory in Telford in a few a weeks.

I’ve trashed the place so badly now my landlord no longer cares. I’ve basically agreed to forfeit the entire damage deposit which I’ll simply invoice back to the company.

So even though the kids have done well not to maim themselves on bits of steel and the carpets are saturated in ISO32 and Molykote grease, it’s actually been a really fun 3 months during which the kids actually see what engineers really do.

is this an engineers way of admitting to lots of wanking and getting their 'oils' all over everything??

[MassDebater]

I just wonder if a lot of companies will now realise they don't need to spunk loads of cash on renting / buying plush and fancy offices? And that finally it will be realised that a lot of people don't need to be treated like kids and watched to make sure they are working.

After all if your company only has, say ten office staff, maybe just rent a meeting room for the times they need to be together? Could change the office landscape forever, but I doubt it.

[baggiebloke]

I just wonder if a lot of companies will now realise they don't need to spunk loads of cash on renting / buying plush and fancy offices? And that finally it will be realised that a lot of people don't need to be treated like kids and watched to make sure they are working.

After all if your company only has, say ten office staff, maybe just rent a meeting room for the times they need to be together? Could change the office landscape forever, but I doubt it.

I don't think it will change much in the medium and long term.

Offices will live on.

[fuzzbox]

I just wonder if a lot of companies will now realise they don't need to spunk loads of cash on renting / buying plush and fancy offices? And that finally it will be realised that a lot of people don't need to be treated like kids and watched to make sure they are working.

After all if your company only has, say ten office staff, maybe just rent a meeting room for the times they need to be together? Could change the office landscape forever, but I doubt it.

I prefer working face to face people, maybe it's good for humans to fully interact? I also find it easier as well. You can pick up on nuances you can't see on zoom. I suppose when all this has settled we'll see just how productive people are if they are working from home! Maybe we are, maybe we're not - but we'll soon find out if we need to be treated like kids!

As for fancy offices, I agree with you, can't see the point, myself. But some people like fancy offices, just like some like branded clothes and branded cars.

[Protheroe]

One of my friends is a partner at Avison Young (formerly GVA Grimley). They had firm wide Zoom on the arrangements for returning to the office.

Anonymous poll prior to presentation - 40% want to return. Anonymous poll after presentation - 34% want to return.

My FM Team is working to reboot offices for firms seeking to return to work. The elephant in the room is that you need to recommission everything whether you have 1 or 100 people at work in the office. We've already dealt with Legionella bacteria in several water systems, extensive rodent problems, erecting desktop hygiene screens that effectively act as cells and altering the layout of lift lobbies.

Moreover we've been retained to mothball extensive office space and run down plant (to failure if necessary) where a couple of years are left on a lease.

Commercial property returns are doomed in the short to medium term. #BuyGold

[backsidebaggie]

I think within 12 months the vast majority will be back in the office (perhaps 1 or 2 days working from home will become the norm). There's a few reasons:

1) productivity will be reduced at home. I know some say they are getting more work done, but I genuinely think that will be outweighed by enough people blagging. Once a few large firms do some studies into this, I think they'll find productivity is lower and will want people back.

2) social interaction - many people miss the social interaction. The banter, chats, meeting future partners etc, home working and Teams calls can't replicate this.

3) The main one - office culture and learning. I know this varies job to job, but just being around people in the same company, overhearing things from colleagues etc, makes you learn quicker, and pick up more experience. This is the other side to productivity. Even if someone works hard at home, they simply can't pick up the experience in the same way as being around colleagues doing their job. I appreciate this does vary job to job - but I think this is where, even in cases where staff are working hard at home, you simply can't replicate the things they pick up from being around colleagues in the office, and productivity/quality of work will drop over time due to this.

4) Some really expensive long leases on offices, with expensive break clauses, companies won't want to pay this rent for nothing

5) I think many who are liking working from home will change their mind in the cold winter when their heating bills rocket.

[Cunninghamismagic]

I think things will return to normal personally.

There's no way big business will want a "workforce from home" in the longer term. It wouldn't work over time.

However, other working ways will inevitably be more fluid and flexible.

It's the logistics. If you are in an office tower block, and need to use a lift to reach your floor, it will take hours to fill and empty the building.

We have instructions 1 person per lift. We are on the 7th floor. I can walk but others aren't so mobile and will have to take the lift. Will get big queues for the lift. Imagine what it will be like for the Sky scrapers in London with 40+ floors.
Personally think companies now realise work can be undertaken at home by most office workers. Perfect opportunity for them to save cost on office rental, heating etc by allowing workers to stay at home.