Anyone even back into the work office yet?

[Birdman1811]

Been back for a while now.

[backsidebaggie]

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.

The heating costs is one of the main reasons a lot of workers will be keen to return to the office in winter IMO. They won't be so keen on home working when their home heating costs are going up 50 quid a week. Its also not a case of whether people "can" do their job, its the things you lose out on - learning faster from others, office culture, mental health through interaction. I can see most places allowing 1 or 2 days a week at home (my place already has for the last 2 years), but I fully expect offices to be back by next year once social distancing ends.

[Protheroe]

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.

That's not what our clients are telling us. In fact point 2 is the greatest consumer of productive time in the office.

For the first time support services staff have been trusted (forced) to work from home. Most have managed succesfully. There is no longer any justification for paying prime rents for floorspace to accommodate back office staff - much will be outsourced as it's the next logical step. Two of the larger law firms we're working with have cut back their relocation space requirements by 60%.

There is a huge paradigm shift going on.

[billybassett]

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.

That's not what our clients are telling us. In fact point 2 is the greatest consumer of productive time in the office.

For the first time support services staff have been trusted (forced) to work from home. Most have managed succesfully. There is no longer any justification for paying prime rents for floorspace to accommodate back office staff - much will be outsourced as it's the next logical step. Two of the larger law firms we're working with have cut back their relocation space requirements by 60%.

There is a huge paradigm shift going on.

My experience too from where I work and what I'm hearing from a contact who works in a commercial rental business. There predicted revenue will be stable for the next 18 months as leases lapse and then they predict 60% reduction in revenue and they're starting to think about how they divest their portfolio

[AnelkasBeard]

I'm not back yet. They were meetings discussing a potential return to the office, but nothing else for about a month now. Don't see it happening til next year personally, and even then I imagine it will be half office, half home based.

Some friends have been told that they won't be back in the office until next year, and then only allowed in the office 2 times a week, the rest they must WFH.

[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.

That's not what our clients are telling us. In fact point 2 is the greatest consumer of productive time in the office.

For the first time support services staff have been trusted (forced) to work from home. Most have managed succesfully. There is no longer any justification for paying prime rents for floorspace to accommodate back office staff - much will be outsourced as it's the next logical step. Two of the larger law firms we're working with have cut back their relocation space requirements by 60%.

There is a huge paradigm shift going on.

Time will tell, but I think it'll go 90% back to normal.

As for point 2, I agree the social interaction reduces productivity - however, long term effects of no social interaction for some people will bring mental health issues too, and none of this has become measurable in the short time we've been working from home.

But for me, the biggest thing is what you learn from others around you. I think businesses will realise this has a large impact. And I also think a cold winter and heating bills going up a lot each month will change people's minds too.

[Morley]

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.

The heating costs is one of the main reasons a lot of workers will be keen to return to the office in winter IMO. They won't be so keen on home working when their home heating costs are going up 50 quid a week. Its also not a case of whether people "can" do their job, its the things you lose out on - learning faster from others, office culture, mental health through interaction. I can see most places allowing 1 or 2 days a week at home (my place already has for the last 2 years), but I fully expect offices to be back by next year once social distancing ends.

 
£50 per week on heating?  What are you burning gold?  I currently pay £70 per month for gas, your valuation has me paying £200.

[backsidebaggie]

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.

The heating costs is one of the main reasons a lot of workers will be keen to return to the office in winter IMO. They won't be so keen on home working when their home heating costs are going up 50 quid a week. Its also not a case of whether people "can" do their job, its the things you lose out on - learning faster from others, office culture, mental health through interaction. I can see most places allowing 1 or 2 days a week at home (my place already has for the last 2 years), but I fully expect offices to be back by next year once social distancing ends.

 
£50 per week on heating?  What are you burning gold?  I currently pay £70 per month for gas, your valuation has me paying £200.

Lol, perhaps I over estimated

The point stands though, 8-9 hours more heating per day in a cold winter will seriously add up.

[Morley]

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.

The heating costs is one of the main reasons a lot of workers will be keen to return to the office in winter IMO. They won't be so keen on home working when their home heating costs are going up 50 quid a week. Its also not a case of whether people "can" do their job, its the things you lose out on - learning faster from others, office culture, mental health through interaction. I can see most places allowing 1 or 2 days a week at home (my place already has for the last 2 years), but I fully expect offices to be back by next year once social distancing ends.

 
£50 per week on heating?  What are you burning gold?  I currently pay £70 per month for gas, your valuation has me paying £200.

Lol, perhaps I over estimated

The point stands though, 8-9 hours more heating per day in a cold winter will seriously add up.

I think that point is not important, even it it costs me £50 per week I was paying £180 per month in diesel.  Add the cost of servicing, higher insurance costs and depreciation then I will save money by working from home just on car costs. 

I agree that the main one is the social aspect and the loss of absorbed learning from watching your colleagues work. Meetings online work with people you already have a relationship with, with new clients it is a bit weird and you loose the ability to build up trust but maybe that's just me.

[backsidebaggie]

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.

The heating costs is one of the main reasons a lot of workers will be keen to return to the office in winter IMO. They won't be so keen on home working when their home heating costs are going up 50 quid a week. Its also not a case of whether people "can" do their job, its the things you lose out on - learning faster from others, office culture, mental health through interaction. I can see most places allowing 1 or 2 days a week at home (my place already has for the last 2 years), but I fully expect offices to be back by next year once social distancing ends.

 
£50 per week on heating?  What are you burning gold?  I currently pay £70 per month for gas, your valuation has me paying £200.

Lol, perhaps I over estimated

The point stands though, 8-9 hours more heating per day in a cold winter will seriously add up.

I think that point is not important, even it it costs me £50 per week I was paying £180 per month in diesel.  Add the cost of servicing, higher insurance costs and depreciation then I will save money by working from home just on car costs. 

I agree that the main one is the social aspect and the loss of absorbed learning from watching your colleagues work. Meetings online work with people you already have a relationship with, with new clients it is a bit weird and you loose the ability to build up trust but maybe that's just me.

For some folk there won't be the fuel/travel offset though, it all depends on individual circumstances. It'll make a difference for some (including me, as I walk to work when in the office). I appreciate for others with transport offsetting the cost, it won't.

Agree about face to face stuff, you just can't fully replicate it with technology.