Coronavirus Thread (Off Topic, Politics) (8 Viewers)

[Grendel]

I'm not upset! I challenge the notion that people are inherently less productive in an office environment because I don't believe it to be true. That said, I certainly don't advocate people being forced into work for no good reason.

Your workplace sounds pretty progressive, I agree with the measure of work being output not hours, arbitrary contracted hours belong in industry that is for the most part long gone.

When people quote increased productivity at home its obvious they just want to be at home

I would hazard a guess I have worked from home for more than most - if anyone on this forum - times have changed but those at home I wonder if they have conditions that require them to be visibly on line to HQ all the time.

 

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[Ccfcisparks]

When people quote increased productivity at home its obvious they just want to be at home

I would hazard a guess I have worked from home for more than most - if anyone on this forum - times have changed but those at home I wonder if they have conditions that require them to be visibly on line to HQ all the time.

Worked from home over your life, or over the pandemic do you mean?

 

[Grendel]

Worked from home over your life, or over the pandemic do you mean?

The opposite - I worked in the pandemic in work and 13 years I worked at home prior to that

 

[fernandopartridge]

When people quote increased productivity at home its obvious they just want to be at home

I would hazard a guess I have worked from home for more than most - if anyone on this forum - times have changed but those at home I wonder if they have conditions that require them to be visibly on line to HQ all the time.

That is a concern of mine is that wfh will eventually mean some pretty intrusive surveillance software which monitors and reports on each individual, which is far worse for them than being in an office in view of a manager. It's the sort of stuff already in use in call centre type jobs.

 

[shmmeee]

That is a concern of mine is that wfh will eventually mean some pretty intrusive surveillance software which monitors and reports on each individual, which is far worse for them than being in an office in view of a manager. It's the sort of stuff already in use in call centre type jobs.

Any manager that is dumb enough to think that’s a good idea can do it now and more easily in an office.

 

[Saddlebrains]

Much prefer WFH than office

But im a miserable prick who hates people so it suits me

 

[LastGarrison]

When people quote increased productivity at home its obvious they just want to be at home

I would hazard a guess I have worked from home for more than most - if anyone on this forum - times have changed but those at home I wonder if they have conditions that require them to be visibly on line to HQ all the time.

I definitely have to disagree with this.

I’m a person who likes being surrounded by people, having that social interaction etc. and when we first went into lockdown I honestly wasn’t sure I’d be able to handle it.

Simple fact is I am more productive at home because I don’t have that social interaction. So I’m not going for coffees, going into town and taking full, if not longer, lunch breaks, being continually asked questions from my team, peers etc. which then resulted in me working late to get through my workload. Prior to the pandemic I would generally get more work done between 5-7pm than I would from 9-5.

In my opinion there is definitely a balance to be had and it does come down to individual people, roles etc. but a mass generalisation of ‘they just want to be at home’ is completely untrue IMO.

Also, going forward if there was a move by companies towards the 4 day week I would actually want to insist that at least 2 of those days were WFH to enable me to work, on the whole, relatively undistracted.

 

[SBAndy]

The opposite - I worked in the pandemic in work and 13 years I worked at home prior to that

Good of you to admit you were a dosser for 13 years.

 

[Deleted member 9744]

I definitely have to disagree with this.

I’m a person who likes being surrounded by people, having that social interaction etc. and when we first went into lockdown I honestly wasn’t sure I’d be able to handle it.

Simple fact is I am more productive at home because I don’t have that social interaction. So I’m not going for coffees, going into town and taking full, if not longer, lunch breaks, being continually asked questions from my team, peers etc. which then resulted in me working late to get through my workload. Prior to the pandemic I would generally get more work done between 5-7pm than I would from 9-5.

In my opinion there is definitely a balance to be had and it does come down to individual people, roles etc. but a mass generalisation of ‘they just want to be at home’ is completely untrue IMO.

Also, going forward if there was a move by companies towards the 4 day week I would actually want to insist that at least 2 of those days were WFH to enable me to work, on the whole, relatively undistracted.

Absolutely. I enjoy going to the office for the social aspect but definitely am more productive at home.

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

Every metric we use shows that productivity has gone up significantly with everything working from home. We also had a meeting where we had to go round everyone in the company and them say if they wanted to go back to the office or not. One or two said they'd like the option but everyone else said they preferred working from home.

So it came as no surprise to anyone when the bosses decided everyone had to start coming back into the office. Its one of those things where no matter what the data says those in charge just can't get their head around the fact people just get on with it when they work from home and aren't sat watching Netflix all day. Probably says something about what they've been doing all those years when they've been the only ones with a working from home option.

Also if productivity is increasing while people are at home without needing to be managed that much, it kind of makes their own job a bit redundant, and they don't want that.

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

It’s different for everyone, I also feel I’m far more productive from home and my KPIs suggest that. I don’t see a direct benefit to me going into an office, having to travel an hour each way and pay the cost of said travel. People newer to the role that I’m in would see great benefits and I get the angle of some of my knowledge rubbing off on them, but the newest recruit on our team joined 4 years ago.

Besides, the fucking noise in the office when you’re on the phone to someone in comparison to when at home. Staggering how I ever got anything done there.

Bet if the law was changed that you had to pay people's travel costs to and from home as well as the time spent travelling they'd all suddenly find working from home actually was a great idea and it was ridiculous nobody had done it before.

Agree entirely about the background noise. I really struggle to hear people on the phone when there's background noise

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

When people quote increased productivity at home its obvious they just want to be at home

When people quote increased productivity at the office it's obvious they think the lower orders are workshy slackers who need to be nagged to get anything done, or because they or their mates have big money in commercial property.

 

[Grendel]

Good of you to admit you were a dosser for 13 years.

You’d be amazed what some people did. One had another cash job on the side - I never missed a kids sports day / parents evening etc - send a few e mails at 11 pm etc

Yes it’s different now but let’s not kid ourselves. There’s no travel to work especially in the winter - no boss hovering over you forcing you to stay late. I’ve always never been happy with it anyway as it’s elitist with track workers blue collar etc having to slog in every day while white collar put the laptop on and watch the test match while “working”

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

You’d be amazed what some people did. One had another cash job on the side - I never missed a kids sports day / parents evening etc - send a few e mails at 11 pm etc

Yes it’s different now but let’s not kid ourselves. There’s no travel to work especially in the winter - no boss hovering over you forcing you to stay late. I’ve always never been happy with it anyway as it’s elitist with track workers blue collar etc having to slog in every day while white collar put the laptop on and watch the test match while “working”

So you could offset that unfairness monetarily with travelling time considered work time (up to say 2-3 hours so people aren't deliberately having jobs with long commutes) and travelling expenses paid and/or a premium for not being able to WFH.

 

[wingy]

Work with a team of data analysts and they are absolutely convinced that working from home enables them to be way more effective and focused

Well its self explanatory really isn't it.
When you way around 3hrs of prep and travel per day , not to mention stress involved with transportation, let alone ludicrous costs of that travel.
Then the pleasure of interacting more with your young ones more, having the opportunity to walk them in and save the planet a little.
No brainer from where I sit.
Having been around their house while the kids were off can absolutely vouch for their full on desire to fulfill their roles and meet their hours.
Both were required to go back in, but its hybrid now, around 50/50.

 

[wingy]

You’d be amazed what some people did. One had another cash job on the side - I never missed a kids sports day / parents evening etc - send a few e mails at 11 pm etc

Yes it’s different now but let’s not kid ourselves. There’s no travel to work especially in the winter - no boss hovering over you forcing you to stay late. I’ve always never been happy with it anyway as it’s elitist with track workers blue collar etc having to slog in every day while white collar put the laptop on and watch the test match while “working”

Give over, you'd revel in that shit.

 

[shmmeee]

You’d be amazed what some people did. One had another cash job on the side - I never missed a kids sports day / parents evening etc - send a few e mails at 11 pm etc

Yes it’s different now but let’s not kid ourselves. There’s no travel to work especially in the winter - no boss hovering over you forcing you to stay late. I’ve always never been happy with it anyway as it’s elitist with track workers blue collar etc having to slog in every day while white collar put the laptop on and watch the test match while “working”

With all due respect, you’ve clearly worked in or presided over some shitty work environments. Maybe skill up so you can get a job you aren’t trying to avoid without a toxic culture?

 

[Wyken Sky Blue]

Depending on what you read, there's talks of potentially introducing mask wearing in public spacesand worst case another lockdown

Surely we have to just get on with things now? Those that haven't been jabbed yet never will, we've been 'back to normal' for a good couple of months now so why take a step back now?

Other than boosters for those at risk or those that want them (like flu jabs) and mask wearing during winter I wouldn't want any more mitigations

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

 

[wingy]

Depending on what you read, there's talks of potentially introducing mask wearing in public spacesand worst case another lockdown

Surely we have to just get on with things now? Those that haven't been jabbed yet never will, we've been 'back to normal' for a good couple of months now so why take a step back now?

Other than boosters for those at risk or those that want them (like flu jabs) and mask wearing during winter I wouldn't want any more mitigations

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

I've no idea what hospital rates are currently but I wonder how long 3 year waits for consultations shuold continue ?

 

[Grendel]

I've no idea what hospital rates are currently but I wonder how long 3 year waits for consultations shuold continue ?

the stats are confusing tbh - 16,000 admissions in a week but 20,000 in total so I assume a lot are discharged quickly

1,475 deaths in a week but only 350 on
Ventilators

I’ve not read anything about masks lockdowns etc

 

[skybluetony176]

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

That’s what I think yep

 

[Grendel]

That’s what I think yep

But what restrictions would you actually impose? There are 300 people in the uk from what I see that needs icu.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

But what restrictions would you actually impose? There are 300 people in the uk from what I see that needs icu.

I’m not sure but there’s no plan just an ideology

 

[Grendel]

I’m not sure but there’s no plan just an ideology

I'm not being funny but what plan is actually needed? Wasn't there the other week 5 million cases in the UK? At the start that would have been Armageddon but now is it impacting many people at all?

People I think are far happier now without daily graphs every day stressing people unnecessarily

I think there should be another booster roll out plan soon for over 40's at least but other than that what?

 

[skybluetony176]

I’m not sure but there’s no plan just an ideology

Should have kept masks in indoor public spaces at least. Possibly until next spring. I don’t think it’s an accident that cases starting to run away again has happened very soon after the end of compulsory mask wearing.

 

[Terry Gibson's perm]

My wife works in outpatients and they are trying to catch up clinics that are behind and have been running weekends for months to catch up, so she has been doing six or seven day weeks at least twice a month ( she has got to pay for my season ticket somehow)

 

[CCFCSteve]

the stats are confusing tbh - 16,000 admissions in a week but 20,000 in total so I assume a lot are discharged quickly

1,475 deaths in a week but only 350 on
Ventilators

I’ve not read anything about masks lockdowns etc

I read last week that 3/5 Covid inpatients are in for a non Covid reason.

The ‘with Covid’ numbers (deaths and inpatients) are increasingly irrelevant as so many people have it. The key is how many are ill because of Covid and the ventilator figures are reasonably positive compared to historical periods of the pandemic

The question everyone, including the NHS, should be asking is whether Covid is causing the additional pressure on health services or are the Covid health service measures/rules (which appear out of step with the Covid related data). I appreciate it’s a very fine balance as protecting those most at risk is still essential and there should be very strict rules around those patients, however, I’d imagine it’s currently the latter - I’m saying that without access to all of the available health data though

 

[shmmeee]

My wife works in outpatients and they are trying to catch up clinics that are behind and have been running weekends for months to catch up, so she has been doing six or seven day weeks at least twice a month ( she has got to pay for my season ticket somehow)

Sounds like the plan should be a massive injection of resource to clear backlogs if nothing else.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

I'm not being funny but what plan is actually needed? Wasn't there the other week 5 million cases in the UK? At the start that would have been Armageddon but now is it impacting many people at all?

People I think are far happier now without daily graphs every day stressing people unnecessarily

I think there should be another booster roll out plan soon for over 40's at least but other than that what?

That at least is a plan

 

[Terry Gibson's perm]

Sounds like the plan should be a massive injection of resource to clear backlogs if nothing else.

They have worked the current resource harder, they have been very well rewarded for it but it has been tough for her.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Sounds like the plan should be a massive injection of resource to clear backlogs if nothing else.

Hence a plan needs commitments and aims an ideology just a few sentences full of words and empty promises. If people aren’t poorly and it’s no risk just let everyone mix how they like

 

[skybluetony176]

NHS has called for a return of face masks from the government. Have basically said that the government has abandoned the NHS if it doesn’t.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

NHS has called for a return of face masks from the government. Have basically said that the government has abandoned the NHS if it doesn’t.

Public has had enough of experts though Tony

 

[skybluetony176]

Public has had enough of experts though Tony

They’ll have no issue complaining about the waiting lists though. Despite ignoring the expert advice to wear a face mask.