Return to the office campaign...

DaveH said:
A few years ago, I was promoted to manage the team I was in and realised after a while that if I’m working late, signing when off etc it puts pressure on the team to do the same. I decided for the good of the team and workplace not to do that. I prefer my free time anyway.

On the rare occasion I have worked late (from home), I’ve been known to compose a few mails and not click send until the next morning.
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I don’t send any emails in the evening, just write, draft, send in the morning. No point sending them on the night!
 


dangermows said:
So only a few hundred at the office and they aren't even safe. And the chances of getting more back to the office takes another step back :lol:
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After more and more gradual opening and relaxations we just announced that staff have to wear masks when moving down corridors but not at desks, must be worn in the shared kitchen area but not if eating or drinking. Basically all day, mask on, mask off, mask on again etc (which health wise is the worst way to do it). A number of people (myself included) have decided fuck that and while we were having the occasional day in work it is only in emergency.

That and the closing of the showers (after being open since lockdown started) takes away cycling as an option. It just all seems too much hassle when I can stay at home.
 
TopCat said:
Based on what? As soon as there is a vaccine the vast majority will be back in the office, if not sooner.

I'd be surprised if many people get away with this to be honest. Certainly once the threat of the virus has gone away - there will be no practical reasoning for an employee who previously worked in the office to then work from home.
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The majority will not be back in the office. Productivity has gone up since people have worked from home, the genie is out of the bottle.
This is what we need to get to...

 
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TopCat said:
Based on what? As soon as there is a vaccine the vast majority will be back in the office, if not sooner.

I'd be surprised if many people get away with this to be honest. Certainly once the threat of the virus has gone away - there will be no practical reasoning for an employee who previously worked in the office to then work from home.
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No they won’t. Companies won’t spend millions on big office blocks where they’re responsible for the rent, maintenance and utility costs of those premises when their staff can work from home and literally bear that cost themselves.
 
Hep said:
The majority will not be back in the office. Productivity has gone up since people have worked from home, the genie is out of the bottle.
This is what we need to get to...

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tested these at work. Good when they work but still needs to be more reliable. Strange taking a teams call on one. With somebody using one.
 
West_Winger said:
No they won’t. Companies won’t spend millions on big office blocks where they’re responsible for the rent, maintenance and utility costs of those premises when their staff can work from home and literally bear that cost themselves.
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Yeah, I see where you are coming from but I also think there is a control element that will make companies want a lot of workers back in the office. Call Centres, for example, must be a nightmare to manage with everyone at home. We were chatting on a Teams call just now about how hard it is just to share knowledge with each other - what used to be a conversation over the desk is now an IM or a Teams Call. No more shooting the shit, just cracking on with work (I definitely get the productivity argument - if there is no-one to gossip with, you might as well crack on with work). Going to be in interesting few months coming up.....
 
TopCat said:
Yeah, I see where you are coming from but I also think there is a control element that will make companies want a lot of workers back in the office. Call Centres, for example, must be a nightmare to manage with everyone at home. We were chatting on a Teams call just now about how hard it is just to share knowledge with each other - what used to be a conversation over the desk is now an IM or a Teams Call. No more shooting the shit, just cracking on with work (I definitely get the productivity argument - if there is no-one to gossip with, you might as well crack on with work). Going to be in interesting few months coming up.....
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Knowledge sharing is easy, it just needs a culture shift to get everyone using the technology to its full potential.

If you're relying on stuff that's in people heads, that's not ideal.
 
Hep said:
Knowledge sharing is easy, it just needs a culture shift to get everyone using the technology to its full potential.

If you're relying on stuff that's in people heads, that's not ideal.
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I meant more in a "you remember how we did x,y & z that time, did we use a or b that time?"

Not so much knowledge sharing, but the sort of conversations you have over the desk to re-affirm your own thinking etc
 
TopCat said:
I meant more in a "you remember how we did x,y & z that time, did we use a or b that time?"

Not so much knowledge sharing, but the sort of conversations you have over the desk to re-affirm your own thinking etc
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Just ping an IM or hit 'call' on teams. You can see and hear the person exactly the same. Surely the 3 extra seconds to do that can't be a problem?
 
Hep said:
Just ping an IM or hit 'call' on teams. You can see and hear the person exactly the same. Surely the 3 extra seconds to do that can't be a problem?
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Think you are missing my point so i'll just leave it there I think.
Technology definitely helps - had we been stuck with email or BT Meet Me only, this would have been far more difficult
 
TopCat said:
I meant more in a "you remember how we did x,y & z that time, did we use a or b that time?"

Not so much knowledge sharing, but the sort of conversations you have over the desk to re-affirm your own thinking etc
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I'm with you on that one. I'm at home at the minute and have a few different chat sessions going but it is not the same as someone turning round and saying "Dave, can I just have your thoughts....?". It feels more like a formal contact.

We are undergoing a restructure and there are two people I know well being shifted to another team. My feeling is that they will be apprehensive. At work I'd bump into them all the time, ask them if they fancied a cuppa together when they next have a break and after some idle chit-chat say "Hey, if you are worried, I know this team you are moving into and they are a great bunch, I think you will like it". I want to put their mind at ease as I think they will probably be a bit stressed about it.

I can catch them on Teams any time but they will see me starting a chat and wonder what this is about as I don't often call them then general chit chat does not work so it will be launching straight into the discussion. You also miss out on the bits where you don't know if someone is concentrating or in conversations with other people. Free/Busy only goes so far. You can be busy all afternoon but catch someone when they are on their way back from the bog without too much interruption.
 
TopCat said:
I meant more in a "you remember how we did x,y & z that time, did we use a or b that time?"

Not so much knowledge sharing, but the sort of conversations you have over the desk to re-affirm your own thinking etc
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Just pick the phone up though, we did and still do a lot of vid calls but never really thought of just a quick phone call for something like that, seemed to be e mail or vid call, just a new environment I guess. Plus our place now do like a group call that anyone can join in maybe once a week to replicate if you just bumped into people making a cuppa etc,non work talk but if you want to dive in for 5 or ten mins just for general crack you can. I don't bother like I'm fine on my own.
 
DaveH said:
I'm with you on that one. I'm at home at the minute and have a few different chat sessions going but it is not the same as someone turning round and saying "Dave, can I just have your thoughts....?". It feels more like a formal contact.

We are undergoing a restructure and there are two people I know well being shifted to another team. My feeling is that they will be apprehensive. At work I'd bump into them all the time, ask them if they fancied a cuppa together when they next have a break and after some idle chit-chat say "Hey, if you are worried, I know this team you are moving into and they are a great bunch, I think you will like it". I want to put their mind at ease as I think they will probably be a bit stressed about it.

I can catch them on Teams any time but they will see me starting a chat and wonder what this is about as I don't often call them then general chit chat does not work so it will be launching straight into the discussion. You also miss out on the bits where you don't know if someone is concentrating or in conversations with other people. Free/Busy only goes so far. You can be busy all afternoon but catch someone when they are on their way back from the bog without too much interruption.
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With all respect, I hate people interrupting me at work. If I've got my head deep inside something, the last thing I need is a 'can you just spare 5 minutes'

I've got slots in my diary blocked out to get stuff done with DND on, so that stops people from contacting me when I need to focus.

At other times, I'll happily respond to messages and calls. When I'm in the office, I get a fraction of the work done, mainly due to interruptions. I know that sounds really anti-social, but I've got stuff to get done.

We have a beer over teams most weeks, so whilst not the same, it's still decent enough socially.
 
Hep said:
With all respect, I hate people interrupting me at work. If I've got my head deep inside something, the last thing I need is a 'can you just spare 5 minutes'

I've got slots in my diary blocked out to get stuff done with DND on, so that stops people from contacting me when I need to focus.

At other times, I'll happily respond to messages and calls. When I'm in the office, I get a fraction of the work done, mainly due to interruptions. I know that sounds really anti-social, but I've got stuff to get done.

We have a beer over teams most weeks, so whilst not the same, it's still decent enough socially.
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That is why I think face to face is better. People can see when you are busy and catch you when you stand up and reach for your mug etc.

There is the long term aspect too. All the people I work with I have a social relationship with, made from idle chatter. I think it will be hard to add new people into the team and build those relationships if it is all remote.
 
West_Winger said:
No they won’t. Companies won’t spend millions on big office blocks where they’re responsible for the rent, maintenance and utility costs of those premises when their staff can work from home and literally bear that cost themselves.
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Correct.
TopCat said:
Yeah, I see where you are coming from but I also think there is a control element that will make companies want a lot of workers back in the office. Call Centres, for example, must be a nightmare to manage with everyone at home. We were chatting on a Teams call just now about how hard it is just to share knowledge with each other - what used to be a conversation over the desk is now an IM or a Teams Call. No more shooting the shit, just cracking on with work (I definitely get the productivity argument - if there is no-one to gossip with, you might as well crack on with work). Going to be in interesting few months coming up.....
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Was a main man on the news yday from a busy call centre in the North East. Less than 20% in the office. Said he doesn't expect it to change as there has been no impact on the business.

The control thing is dated, and as new managers come in as old uns leave its getting less of an issue.
Hep said:
Just ping an IM or hit 'call' on teams. You can see and hear the person exactly the same. Surely the 3 extra seconds to do that can't be a problem?
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Exactly. How do blind people manage?
 
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I'm kind of relieved I'm being made redundant at the end of furlough tbh. The office I worked in has already got 2 staff off with Covid (out of 12 people that are working there).
 

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