[News] Return to the Office ... what's your company doing ?

[Westdene Seagull]

This story pricked my interest .... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56993886

So I was a wondering what everyone's employers were doing moving forwards ?

For me I've just changed company - old company planned to have everyone back in the office 1st September but my new company is changing most peoples' contracts to WFH permanently.

So what's your company doing ?

Two points :

a. Yes, I appreciate fully that all the honourable tradesmen on here have been, and will continue, to carry on working in other peoples homes

b. David Solomon is clearly a complete prick but given he runs a company that expects interns to work in excess of 70 hours a week it's not much of a surprise

 

[Frutos]

Our office is open, but there has been no push for people to go back at the moment and WFH is still very much the norm.

From what we've heard, the earliest that will change is 21st June if the restrictions ease as per the roadmap, but even then the plan seems to be for a 3/2 split one way or the other between office and WFH.

Prior to the pandemic, we were all in the office five days a week without exception.

 

[Chicken Run]

I’ve met a lot of people who want to go back to office with some meeting resistance from employers!!


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[clapham_gull]

Well it's exposed nationally (and globally) is that a number of people are happy to work at home and others clearly not.

Possibly a few in-between.

Now of course that is obvious - but the ramifications are huge. I read somewhere there was a definite age bias to it and younger workers want to go back.

I guess they have had much less of trudging into work everyday. Companies can also employ anyone anywhere potentially.

Personally (if given the choice) I have no intention of working in an office again.

 

[pb21]

Our office is open, but there has been no push for people to go back at the moment and WFH is still very much the norm.

From what we've heard, the earliest that will change is 21st June if the restrictions ease as per the roadmap, but even then the plan seems to be for a 3/2 split one way or the other between office and WFH.

Prior to the pandemic, we were all in the office five days a week without exception.

Similar.

We are still WfH, albeit work in office if you need to.

No firm info on when things will change. Previously, we didn’t have WfH and in the office five days a week.

I think my company would like people back in the office as before, but realise there will be push back from most/many against this and, realistically, this probably wont happen.

I’m not sure what will happen and how we will be working this time next year…

Edit: I think being in an office with all my colleagues at the same time is important and useful, but not necessarily every day of the week.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I changed jobs in January, starting a new role with a company that in the UK is basically a startup (though a very well funded VC Series B one). With cash not an issue they've rented space in a WeWork in central London but told people attendance is not compulsory. I've been in three times in the last three weeks - once for the Series B funding announcement (went for beers outside afterwards and froze), once to meet the sales team (went for beers afterwards and froze) and once to meet clients for a workshop (guess what....).

I've thoroughly enjoyed getting out of the house and working with people properly again. Teams meetings really are shite. However, I have also got used to having lie ins, doing a school run or two and being able to snack at will. For me the perfect work/life balance would be 2 days a week in the office and at the moment the new chaps seem happy to accommodate that from mid May.

Goldman Sachs only want people in so they can check they actually are clocked on at 6am and out again at midnight. There isn't enough money in the world to make that job attractive IMO.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Personally (if given the choice) I have no intention of working in an office again.

Ditto

 

[Gazwag]

Still all WFH until middle of June but office has one person in all day to manage post and phone calls since last summer. After that they are trialling 2 days in 3 at home for a year to see how it works, quite happy with that.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Our office has never closed, zigzagging on desks, some offices with perspex divider screens between desks, masks on every time you leave your desk, only one allowed in the kitchen at a time, regular desk wiping down, hand gel everywhere etc.

 

[DIFFBROOK]

Wfh until at least 21 June. Like many, we have had discussions about flexible working i.e a mixture of the working week split between wfh and in the office.

I think the key word here is flexible. Not everyone likes wfh and vice versa, so wherever possible I think peoples preferences should try to be respected. Within reason of course.

Be interesting to see how much office space will be left vacant.

 

[brighton_tom]

Letting us choose essentially. If we can do our work from home to the same quality then they seem fine, for now. Suits me as I can work from home or get out the house for a change of scenery when I like.

 

[maffew]

Who'd have thought that leaving the office, laptops in hand 14 months ago, it would be so permanent/such a change. I lived 200 metres from the office before, 200 miles now! I suspect it will be a mix at our place. Some choosing to go back full time, some hybrid, and some, like me, quite rarely/when needed. I dont think I could/would want go back to a situation EVER where Monday to Friday being in the office fulltime is a requirement of the job.

 

[Acker79]

Receptionist has to be in, so volunteers for optional return in the office to avoid lone working. Consultation going on at the moment to determine how things will change as restrictions are lifted. Already announced plans to replace desktop computers with laptops staff can take home for work purposes.

 

[scooter1]

I started back in the office full time at the beginning of April. I prefer the structure of being office based, and being a 15 min cycle away is another reason I’m happy to get back. I’m equally productive WFH, but prefer to be amongst colleagues(albeit superficially distanced)

 

[Notters]

Funny you should ask, had to do a survey on this today. The two key questions were:

5.Ideally, would you prefer to work from home?
We may need to cohort and have teams in the office and out of the office at certain times in order to facilitate social distancing. If you opt for an option to work from home and this continues to be an acceptable position for the business and your line Manager in terms of meeting you role requirements, it may mean that when this is all over you do not have an allocated desk and permanently 'hot desk'.

Yes

Most of the time

Some of the time

No
6.Comments
Why do you want to work from home?
What would you consider to be the positive and negative impact on your team / the business?

It's a yes from me! In fact working from home has completely transformed my life.
We were asked similar last summer and I believe about half of the company wanted to continue to work from home at least some of the time. I imagine they'll want us in once or twice a week though.

From discussions I've had, people with kids (but with enough space to get away from them) seem generally to want to keep working from home. Singletons, junior staff etc. are more inclined to office working.

It's a no-brainer for me. I'm fitter, healthier (physically and mentally), get to spend more time with my family, more time outdoors. No wasted time commuting. etc. etc. etc. In fact it's the first year I've had with no time off sick.

I genuinely don't see any real benefits from being in the office now, the technology has worked so well and there are far fewer distractions. The results speak for themselves.
I thought it may be necessary for training junior staff but we had a graduate start in January and she's doing brilliant. She's never worked in an office and none of us have ever met her!

 

[Eric Youngs Contact Lens]

We are all WFH still and unlikely to return to Office until September. we moved into new office 3 years ago
More flexible working in place now for all "office-based" positions, 3 /2 split Office/Home, but complexity is evident. I want to get back in full-time - for me the physical split between work/home just feels better, but there is considerable angst from some (minority) , who now don't want to work in the office it appears.
Flexible working was always available, but rarely taken, so now the swing to demanding more flexible is interesting, but there is definite reluctance from senior Euro Management, who stipulated the 3/2 split but would not concede to any more than that..
Govt guidelines will be key in how and when we go back ultimately - social distancing, mask-wearing, debates around vaccinations all adding some complexity

 

[southstandandy]

Fortunately retired, but my old office is allowing staff to continue to work from home for the remainder of the year and I hear maybe even considering selling their office in Portland Road. The old office landscape as we know it is going to change.

 

[clapham_gull]

Ditto

I do need to "get out" sometimes and this is gonna sound bonkers but I'm already primed.

1) I have variable voltage battery pack that will charge a laptop and basically anything else.

2) A mini laptop "tent" that stops the glare.

3) And unlimited 5G on my mobile.

Until it started raining I was doing the odd afternoon on Clapham Common.

 

[Baker lite]

Have started to notice the trains getting a bit busier the last few weeks,people are obviously starting to creep back into the capital, when the pandemic first started last March,I pretty much had a carriage to myself, now each vestibule is taken but still comfortable with plenty of room. The tube is still taking under half its capacity. Hopefully after June 21st things will gradually get back to how they were.


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[MJsGhost]

As a result of a survey showing pretty much everyone wanted a hybrid approach (most said 3:2 or 2:3 for office:home), we're keeping the same office, but with more space between desks and a booking system. Staff can choose when they work from home or the office (first come, first served for the desks) and as long as people are flexible to go into the office when needed in person (e.g. any training that can't effectively be done remotely, or for some more formal meetings), they can WFH as much as they like.