Returning to the office

[malumbu]

Ministers are encouraging employers to get people back into the office. The damage to those local economies dependent on office workers in clear - in London and I expect in many towns and cities. I don't give too much of atuff about the chain coffee shops, but cafes, pubs, dry cleaners, hardware shops that is a different issue.

I've yet to hear government say they can't lead by example. Hot desking, and flexible working mean that government departments have downsized accommodation, releasing significant central London space, giving smaller personal working space. I expect that many can only accommodate 10 - 20 % or staff whilst observing social distancing.

Are private organisations in a similar situation?

I've found flexible (ie home) working great but a day a week is fine. Doing everything remotely has made me less productive and I miss bouncing ideas of others, collective problem solving, general chat etc. There is a limit on how much this can be replicated remotely.

I'm surprised the media hasn't explored this further.

Oh and another good thing is not needing to wear office clothing (but please don't hang around in your pj's all day). Hope that when people to get back into their offices there will a lightening of dress code, if such thing still exists.

[Pugwash]

The team I used to work in voted against hot desking, but our colleagues in the main building all opted for hot desking. They found that it as harder to work as very often all the desks were occupied and they had to check 2 floors to find a vacant space. Working from home was offered for report writing and other tasks which required concentration. Also if out visiting clients were not expected back at base if it was easier to go home and work from there.

I imagine that the main Building colleagues do not have the pressures of hot desking at the moment and that many enjoy the freedom of working from home. I think it sensible for workers to return to work but allow 1 or 2 days home working a week.

Through most of my working life I have tried to opt out of the 9 - 5 mentality, my last job before retirement was 10 - 6 pm on the grounds that I was frequently having to make appointments with relatives of clients who were working and it was much easier to see them after 5 pm. When there was a transport strike many years ago _ worked from 11 - 7 pm as I was dealing with youth workers who tended to work after school and in the early evening.

[malumbu]

Administrator can you merge these two posts into the back to work thread - hadn't seen that this was already being discussed. Ta