Working in an office

[Bruce Spanner]

16 minutes ago, Sugar Ape said:

Of course, but I doubt most people currently living in or around London and working in an office there would move to Bradford or Sunderland or somewhere if they could work at home more but they might be able to move a bit further out where house prices are cheaper and they don’t have to worry as much about the commute and the associated costs of commuting. 
 

Some of the prices of season tickets for trains I read about down south are eye watering. If they only have to travel in once a fortnight they’d save a fortune. 

Completely agree, but there’s a compromise with living in cities, be it London, Liverpool, Tokyo or Paris and that’s that costs are higher but the rewards are worth it. You also tend to get paid more, or have adjusted wages. 

 

Move to the suburbs and human nature will kick in and you’ll end up going to the same shit pub, to see the same shit people, to have the sane shit conversations, rinse and repeat until death.

 

I understand the argument, and to a degree like the romantic idea of it, but the reality is Bradford (insert anywhere shite) is fucking grim and once you admit this the depression of staring out of your window everyday and seeing Bradford will make you crave the idea of talking to Barbara in the office which is based somewhere else, we are, in the main, social creatures.

Also, Rico’s point above is very pertinent about one hand washing the other clean.

 

[Bruce Spanner]

8 minutes ago, Stront19m Dog™ said:

Everyone will have their own perspective, and maybe I'm unusual in this regard, but I don't like the idea of work encroaching into my home space. Home is a haven for me from all that shit. A place where I can be free. When I'm in the office, I'm their paid slave, but it ends when I leave the premises. I don't want to be oppressed in my own home.

There’s a very real and dangerous chance that the line could become blurred.

[Duff Man]

Hate to agree with Stronts but that is a good point. I've often found myself working more hours than I actually needed to, and not properly clocking off mentally at the end of the day.

[Vincent Vega]

People will always want to live in cities and especially London for the culture. I love visiting London as I only do it occasionally, and it’s usually for a gig, or some sightseeing, or for a sporting event. I would absolutely hate having to travel an hour and a half there and back for my job and paying £5k a year for a train season ticket that provides a terrible service for the privilege. 
 

The country also desperately needs rebalancing, Germany manages to spread the wealth around the country (though the East is still way behind due to the old communism days) despite Berlin being by far away it’s most cultural city.

[Guest]

46 minutes ago, Stront19m Dog™ said:

Everyone will have their own perspective, and maybe I'm unusual in this regard, but I don't like the idea of work encroaching into my home space. Home is a haven for me from all that shit. A place where I can be free. When I'm in the office, I'm their paid slave, but it ends when I leave the premises. I don't want to be oppressed in my own home.

This is a very good point but on the flip side, if you have set tasks to do and have achieved them you should surely be out of work for now. The idea that a person works 40 hours per week should be replaced with you have your responsibilities; once they're achieved...

[Sugar Ape]

There is a flip side to what SD is saying though in that for every person who feels working from home doesn’t suit them and invades their home space there will be another, like me, who feels a lot less stress and anxiety when they don’t have to travel a couple of hours a day on crowded transport to do a job at a desk that I could do at home. 
 

Surely the right answer is to give people a choice and not force people to work at home when they don’t want to, but also don’t force others to come in the office every day if it would be better for their mental wellbeing if they work from home. 

[Dr Arthur De Sabre]

1 hour ago, Bruce Spanner said:

True, but you’d still be living in Bradford.

 

There’s are reasons apart from money that people move to big city’s. 

as other people have said Bradford and London are not the only options. I’m in a different country, but live in St Kilda as I can cycle to work in half an hour, quite tempted to look at a place down nearer Sorrento though if I don’t have to go to work 5 days a week.

1 hour ago, suzy said:

I’m working from home at the moment and I would love to do it more long term. I’ve only been working at this place since October so it’s not like I’ve got really deep friendships with the people I work with. In January a new lady started and I can’t stand her - so I’d be quite happy to not see her!

The only downside for me is my journey is an half hour walk each way - so I’m feeling less fit! I absolutely hated with a passion leaving home in the pitch dark because I start at 8am. Knowing my luck I’ll be back in the office when the mornings are dark again.

Do a half hour walk before work, same after work, and have a wander at dinner hour, no need to change your habits - yeahs it’s easier to sit on yer arse in yer PJ’s now, but walking - no-ones taking that away from you.

1 hour ago, Mook said:

I was missing the walking around so started jogging a mile every lunchtime & am now probably fitter than I have been for 15 years.

Well done yer fat bastard

1 hour ago, Stront19m Dog™ said:

Everyone will have their own perspective, and maybe I'm unusual in this regard, but I don't like the idea of work encroaching into my home space. Home is a haven for me from all that shit. A place where I can be free. When I'm in the office, I'm their paid slave, but it ends when I leave the premises. I don't want to be oppressed in my own home.

To each their own, but surely you enjoy the zoom chats with the kind of wall based backgrounds you could provide.

I don’t find it ideal as my office is also where my music studio is, and my wife’s is the library, but you know what it’s better than 5 days in an office.

Once a week maybe, 5 days is a massive drag and takes a good 3 hours out of the day with dinner hour, time to get changed going to and from work, and then actual travel time.

[Dr Arthur De Sabre]

24 minutes ago, Sugar Ape said:

There is a flip side to what SD is saying though in that for every person who feels working from home doesn’t suit them and invades their home space there will be another, like me, who feels a lot less stress and anxiety when they don’t have to travel a couple of hours a day on crowded transport to do a job at a desk that I could do at home. 
 

Surely the right answer is to give people a choice and not force people to work at home when they don’t want to, but also don’t force others to come in the office every day if it would be better for their mental wellbeing if they work from home. 

Choice is the key, also don’t forget this is a very middle class problem, not many sales assistants or cleaners or drivers are going to get this choice.

This is where there will need to be mandatory adjustments made to working practices and hours - shame that this government is probably the most unlikley to pursue this.

[Dr Arthur De Sabre]

I have been back in the office for most of this morning incidentally, and it reminds me of why I would rather not be in here.

my MacBook has shit a brick over the weekend. Someone booked me a slot in the Tech Lounge to get it sorted, the techys are not calling out names but shouting next please. And selfish pricks are ignoring any queueing protocols and queue jumping.

[Lee909]

Offices closing is going to lead to a lot of people losing jobs aswell. Cleaners, security, catering, maintenance, facilities staff, add to that the losses at suppliers to catering firms etc. 

 

Needs to be more balance to it, but it needs taken into account. 

[Dr Arthur De Sabre]

7 minutes ago, Lee909 said:

Offices closing is going to lead to a lot of people losing jobs aswell. Cleaners, security, catering, maintenance, facilities staff, add to that the losses at suppliers to catering firms etc. 

 

Needs to be more balance to it, but it needs taken into account. 

Yeah, the impact on the jobs market will be massive, it needs structural change - better hourly wages and reduced working hours. 
ni chance of that under Tory charlatans

[suzy]

Yeah @Audrey Witherspoon I know I can still go for walks, and I have been because of the lockdown at the beginning only allowing us to do that.But as I live in a residential area it’s not pretty and lately it’s either been too hot or raining - too easy to find an excuse! However I never ever work in my pjs - I always get dressed!

[suzy]

8 hours ago, Stront19m Dog™ said:

Everyone will have their own perspective, and maybe I'm unusual in this regard, but I don't like the idea of work encroaching into my home space. Home is a haven for me from all that shit. A place where I can be free. When I'm in the office, I'm their paid slave, but it ends when I leave the premises. I don't want to be oppressed in my own home.

I know what you mean. I’m lucky enough to have a spare bedroom so my ‘office’ is set up there - and I close the door when I’m finished.

[JagSquared]

Personally I’m all for wfh more. In fact I’m going to ask to be made a homeworker with a trip into the office once a week at most. It’s an hour commute and while I like my team I don’t actually work together with them on anything and most of the projects I do are with people based in our other offices anyway.

 

While I think there are some negative points to wfh they are counter balanced by the benefits for me. If I could go to the gym and occasional meal out (I’m not quite comfortable enough yet that it’s safe to do so) I’d be happier and would also satisfy my social needs. 
 

Looking beyond myself if everyone decides to wfh then there will be huge issues, as has been pointed out, for a lot of lower paid jobs especially in support businesses who support the ‘office jobs’. In addition With increasing automation and AI companies will start cutting people and we don’t seem to have a plan on how to retrain some of the most vulnerable people in lower skilled and lower paid jobs. We need to seriously look at things like UBI and have a plan to deal with the consequences of such a huge impending shift.

 

i won’t hold my breath though.

[Dr Arthur De Sabre]

16 minutes ago, JagSquared said:

Personally I’m all for wfh more. In fact I’m going to ask to be made a homeworker with a trip into the office once a week at most. It’s an hour commute and while I like my team I don’t actually work together with them on anything and most of the projects I do are with people based in our other offices anyway.

 

While I think there are some negative points to wfh they are counter balanced by the benefits for me. If I could go to the gym and occasional meal out (I’m not quite comfortable enough yet that it’s safe to do so) I’d be happier and would also satisfy my social needs. 
 

Looking beyond myself if everyone decides to wfh then there will be huge issues, as has been pointed out, for a lot of lower paid jobs especially in support businesses who support the ‘office jobs’. In addition With increasing automation and AI companies will start cutting people and we don’t seem to have a plan on how to retrain some of the most vulnerable people in lower skilled and lower paid jobs. We need to seriously look at things like UBI and have a plan to deal with the consequences of such a huge impending shift.

 

i won’t hold my breath though.

It shouldn't just be for lower paid workers in support jobs for office workers, it's critical that all lower paid workers are given either much better wages and reduced hours or an income support such as UBI to ensure they have a good minimum basic income.

This is the start of reduction in work time on work life balance and it needs to be shared across society, if not then the middle classes who benefit will continue to disregard the support workers who cannot work from home util crises such as covid turn up , when it will be jolly good claps all around. 

[KMD7]

Harder in a dole office to get to work from home but I was one of the fortunate ones selected as I was high risk. I really enjoyed it.  I'm not due to go back to work until mid-September but I doubt I'll be working in the office again until a vaccine is found as I will still be high risk as all the anti rejection meds I'm on has compromised my immune system.  

[YorkshireRed]

As has been said, the key is choice. In terms of mental health benefits it does go both ways. I’m definitely someone who has no problem working at home for lengthy periods but have known colleagues who really do struggle.
 

One girl had a full time work from home contract but admitted that if she couldn’t find an excuse to come into the office every couple of days, she’d go set herself up in a coffee shop, just so she stopped herself feeling isolated. It wasn’t like she even lived alone, she was married with school age kids but couldn’t even cope with 0900 to 1500 on her own for more than two days. 
 

Until relatively recently, there wasn’t a lot of support or understanding for those whose mental health benefited from being able to work from home, even for part of the week. Now that’s much better, it’s important not to go too far the other way and fail to empathise with those who are the opposite. 
 

Where businesses can operate using a ‘Hub’ system, that seems a sensible approach, for all sorts of reasons, not least mental health. 

[Dr Arthur De Sabre]

14 minutes ago, KMD7 said:

Harder in a dole office to get to work from home but I was one of the fortunate ones selected as I was high risk. I really enjoyed it.  I'm not due to go back to work until mid-September but I doubt I'll be working in the office again until a vaccine is found as I will still be high risk as all the anti rejection meds I'm on has compromised my immune system.  

What have they got yo on Dec? Any sign of PredHead, I ate like a bastard after I got done - nut addiction was crazy. Gone from 82k in March last year, 84 at op, now hovering around 89-90 - put myself on fasting diet from tomorrow.

I've got tacrolimus and mycophenelate as main dailies now, every 12 hours along with Pred in the morning. it was good to get off load of tablets by the 6th month

[Em City]

9 hours ago, 3 Stacks said:

Working in an office is shit. The commute, the interminable meetings, having to talk to your co-workers... Shit. Work from home is vastly superior in pretty much every way, including employee productivity. Of course, I happen to have a job that is impossible to do at home. Cunt. 

 

I'm surprised to hear that, I always had you pegged as an IT professional in my head.

 

[JagSquared]

32 minutes ago, Audrey Witherspoon said:

It shouldn't just be for lower paid workers in support jobs for office workers, it's critical that all lower paid workers are given either much better wages and reduced hours or an income support such as UBI to ensure they have a good minimum basic income.

This is the start of reduction in work time on work life balance and it needs to be shared across society, if not then the middle classes who benefit will continue to disregard the support workers who cannot work from home util crises such as covid turn up , when it will be jolly good claps all around. 

 I 100% agree, my point about office support workers was purely in relation to the issue we have now. But we certainly need to see the whole of society evaluated and a system which benefits the most amount of people put in place. the problem is corporations won’t want to share anything that decreases their bottom line.

[KMD7]

31 minutes ago, Audrey Witherspoon said:

What have they got yo on Dec? Any sign of PredHead, I ate like a bastard after I got done - nut addiction was crazy. Gone from 82k in March last year, 84 at op, now hovering around 89-90 - put myself on fasting diet from tomorrow.

I've got tacrolimus and mycophenelate as main dailies now, every 12 hours along with Pred in the morning. it was good to get off load of tablets by the 6th month

On Prograf, Pred and Mycolat, vacalyte and pectrin (not sure of spelling on last 2) to help with anti rejection along with a raftfull of renal meds. Was on 25 tablets a day down to 19 now.

 

Weight is creeping up a bit due to the pred mate. Was 85kg going in so only up to 86 5 since. 

 

I'm up at them again this morning to get the stent out of my bladder. Bastard.

 

The one good thing about the pred is its really cleared the bastard hay fever ive had for years

[YorkshireRed]

2 minutes ago, KMD7 said:

On Prograf, Pred and Mycolat, vacacalyte and pectrin (not sure of spelling on last 2) to help with anti rejection along with a raftfull of renal meds. Was on 25 tablets a day down to 19 now.

 

Weight is creeping up a bit due to the pred mate. Was 85kg going in so only up to 86 5 since. 

 

I'm up at them again this morning to get the stent out of my bladder. Bastard.

All the best for your continued recovery. 

[KMD7]

Just now, YorkshireRed said:

All the best for your continued recovery. 

Cheers mate. All good so far

[John102]

I find it harder to manage people. I also get people ringing me up until about 9, asking me questions. Dont mind it at the minute, as i see it as a temporary thing. If it begins more long term, then will have to address that issue.

 

I do miss my colleagues at work. Well not them specifically, it could be any colleagues ive worked with really. Miss the social side of work a lot.

[Bjornebye]

9 hours ago, Bruce Spanner said:

Completely agree, but there’s a compromise with living in cities, be it London, Liverpool, Tokyo or Paris and that’s that costs are higher but the rewards are worth it. You also tend to get paid more, or have adjusted wages. 

 

Move to the suburbs and human nature will kick in and you’ll end up going to the same shit pub, to see the same shit people, to have the sane shit conversations, rinse and repeat until death.

 

I understand the argument, and to a degree like the romantic idea of it, but the reality is Bradford (insert anywhere shite) is fucking grim and once you admit this the depression of staring out of your window everyday and seeing Bradford will make you crave the idea of talking to Barbara in the office which is based somewhere else, we are, in the main, social creatures.

Also, Rico’s point above is very pertinent about one hand washing the other clean.

 

Spot on this