Return to the office campaign...



i believe one council north of the river are consolidating their office estate, closing down buildings and moving everyone onto one smaller site on the assumption that moving forward not everyone will ever work from the office at the same time again.

private sector already doing this, multi-nationals are redesigning offices to shared desk spaces and more collaboration spots etc, removing permanent workstations and reducing over-all office space needed.

Seems to be the general plan going forward for everybody
 
50% of our staff going back on Monday. The other 50% get to work from home for the forseeable (they've made vague promises about 1 week in, 1 week at home, but it won't happen)

I'm pretty much the only one who has over 30 minute commute (can take up to an hour if traffic is bad), the rest of the team are local to the office.

Feel shafted to be honest, and have told them as much.
 
50% of our staff going back on Monday. The other 50% get to work from home for the forseeable (they've made vague promises about 1 week in, 1 week at home, but it won't happen)

I'm pretty much the only one who has over 30 minute commute (can take up to an hour if traffic is bad), the rest of the team are local to the office.

Feel shafted to be honest, and have told them as much.
And I bet that's a large office with loads of people ? My office (that I won't be going back to)) is small, 12 people work there - 2 of which are off with confirmed cases of Covid............I dread to think of what could happen in bigger offices with more employees.
 
And I bet that's a large office with loads of people ? My office (that I won't be going back to)) is small, 12 people work there - 2 of which are off with confirmed cases of Covid............I dread to think of what could happen in bigger offices with more employees.

Probably 80 people if full capacity so will be around 40 in Monday.

They have assured us it's "Covid Secure", but that just means 2m space, sanitiser and a daft one way system.

Being used as a Guinea pig, losing time and money for the privilege :lol:
 
Homeworking is in for good like, this recent spike has seen to that. As people are more used to it and comfortable doing it, productivity is going through the roof and employers are now seeing the benefits, after initially being sceptical.
 
Homeworking is in for good like, this recent spike has seen to that. As people are more used to it and comfortable doing it, productivity is going through the roof and employers are now seeing the benefits, after initially being sceptical.
Over time they will save on office costs as well. I can see new starters using the main office for training and getting to know key staff, then working from home most of the time alone with the rest of the staff who know the systems. There will be an increase in the use of conference type facilities for whole staff training or just to get people together to make links and do the social bonding which will be lost by not all being in the office.

We are in a time of transformation of the work place, that is the only positive I can see for this pandemic. Obviously there will need to be structural changes to city centres, possibly seeing more people living in the centre of towns and in the suburbs and small towns an increase in footfall for local shops, hopefully locally run and owned rather than the one size fits all chains we currently have.
 
Over time they will save on office costs as well. I can see new starters using the main office for training and getting to know key staff, then working from home most of the time alone with the rest of the staff who know the systems. There will be an increase in the use of conference type facilities for whole staff training or just to get people together to make links and do the social bonding which will be lost by not all being in the office.

We are in a time of transformation of the work place, that is the only positive I can see for this pandemic. Obviously there will need to be structural changes to city centres, possibly seeing more people living in the centre of towns and in the suburbs and small towns an increase in footfall for local shops, hopefully locally run and owned rather than the one size fits all chains we currently have.
Spot on
 
since very early on in this (the end of march), i've thought it unlikely our office would be back before christmas... and every passing week confirms it.

Aye don't know why our office just don't say see what happens January...

Plenty people relied on parents for childcare etc aswell so even more of an issue now aswell to even return on rota
 
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.
I have a real challenge on my hands as to what to do with our London office in the next 2 years. We are effectively squatting from the end of this month but by hook or by crook can eek things out to 2 years. I suspect what we end up with will be very different to what we have now.
 
Another mate has just been told not to expect to be going back. Was scheduled to review in January. The lease is up in June so looking to shift
And I bet that's a large office with loads of people ? My office (that I won't be going back to)) is small, 12 people work there - 2 of which are off with confirmed cases of Covid............I dread to think of what could happen in bigger offices with more employees.

HMRC doing a review apparently for Longbenton. Looks like with distancing they can't get more a third in at any one time. Sounds like they are looking at split rotas for the future.
 
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We were asked this week how many days we wanted to go back to the office when they hope to open next year. I said 1 day a week. I think most said the same, if any days at all. Company have said there will be changes and we can expect to have a part home part office job from sometime in 2021 :cool:
 
I have to go in for 2 days in 2 weeks time to help train a new lass in our team.

Got sent the covid rules earlier, all bonkers.

First time there in 16 month.... 😂
 

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