Is work from home or caravan over?
- Thread starter Dustydog
- Start date
Perahps not dead but on life support. My neighbour is a police officer based in Essex and WFH in Wiltshire. His wife is a civil servant in defence and goes into the office 2 days per week. Since November 2022 my grandson has been working from my dining room 2-3 days a week, and from a friends 1 day a week., but he's been WFH for three years, but come to us to save costs as he's saving fora house. His partner has recently applied for two positions one in the MoD and one in a software company both allow WFH, and lastly my son's partner works full time from home and in her last WFH job she never actually came face to face with anyone in her company. My daughter a Mental Health nurse visits her patients but does all of her reports and admin from home, only going into the office one day week. I must say though that my family who work from home do put in a full days work.
My son packed up work about three years ago and now looks after his woodland. Our other neighbours are similar, in virtually full time WFH It is a sea change from when I left at 0630 and arrived home around 1900, when office appointed, that is.
My son packed up work about three years ago and now looks after his woodland. Our other neighbours are similar, in virtually full time WFH It is a sea change from when I left at 0630 and arrived home around 1900, when office appointed, that is.
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Parksy
Moderator
My eldest son started a new job as a repairs coordinator for a national sheltered housing company last month.
He works from home and only needs to spend a day at the head office once every month.
He works from home and only needs to spend a day at the head office once every month.
Far far cheaper for companies. I do some fostering panels for a Fostering Charity. Pre pandemic the company and all its staff ( mainly Social workers, admin and HR/infrastructure staff) were all office based; now zero offices, all staff work from home and panels are via Teams. Saves the charity thousands and thousands.
mel
mel
When I worked for the local County Council and there was a huge fuss in the press because the chief finance officer was WFH full time (this was before Covid)
They lived in Australia
They lived in Australia
Additional to my post above my grandsons partners interviews with the MoD and a software company were both conducted on Teams with all parties WFH.
But WFH the individual misses out on the office banter and doesn’t get the vibes of what’s going on. I saw it some years ago when we were moving offices throughout the U.K. and London.
General discipline dropped and then tarnish that rubs off from one to another was missing. Take a particular case , this got discussed by five of us and helped the front man to see a better solution. Sorry WFH imo is not a positive progressive step ,but one that suits some people. Good job my builders didn’t WFH😉😉
General discipline dropped and then tarnish that rubs off from one to another was missing. Take a particular case , this got discussed by five of us and helped the front man to see a better solution. Sorry WFH imo is not a positive progressive step ,but one that suits some people. Good job my builders didn’t WFH😉😉
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Working life for many has certainly changed for many people. Accelerated by covid but with the advent of very fast and secure internet meant things were moving that way anyway.
When I started at my last college in 1986, my imediate boss’s only ability to ensure his staff were pulling their weight was to give surprise visits into staff rooms to make sure we all had our heads down. This annoyed me, and I took him to one side and told him that if he had a problem with my performace in any respect I am willing to discuss it, but not to base his assumptions on a glance.
Thankfully we progressed, and eventually I took his job. We introduced trust. However we all had to meet targets. My targets were set and I would set my staff their targets weekly. (Mostly they would set their own). As we were teaching, WFH was limited. But certainly possible. And it worked fine.
Our IT systems were such that we could access data from our sites, government departments, exam boards etc. Also build courses, collaborate, mark course work and communicate with students.
There was so much inervation and change that it was quite stressful times and no doubt it continues.
We have family members who WFH without a problem though one grandaughter hates it and would rather go to an office. A grandsons partner’s office is 80 miles away, since starting she hardly ever goes there. But apparently she is doing really well.
I think the employer should set the conditions. But if they don't keep up with current trends they will die.
John
When I started at my last college in 1986, my imediate boss’s only ability to ensure his staff were pulling their weight was to give surprise visits into staff rooms to make sure we all had our heads down. This annoyed me, and I took him to one side and told him that if he had a problem with my performace in any respect I am willing to discuss it, but not to base his assumptions on a glance.
Thankfully we progressed, and eventually I took his job. We introduced trust. However we all had to meet targets. My targets were set and I would set my staff their targets weekly. (Mostly they would set their own). As we were teaching, WFH was limited. But certainly possible. And it worked fine.
Our IT systems were such that we could access data from our sites, government departments, exam boards etc. Also build courses, collaborate, mark course work and communicate with students.
There was so much inervation and change that it was quite stressful times and no doubt it continues.
We have family members who WFH without a problem though one grandaughter hates it and would rather go to an office. A grandsons partner’s office is 80 miles away, since starting she hardly ever goes there. But apparently she is doing really well.
I think the employer should set the conditions. But if they don't keep up with current trends they will die.
John
Charles Handy wrote many books on organisational culture and models, particularly in how he predicted working styles would change, particularly with the advent of desktop computing. He predicted that no longer would individuals work for one company for many years, they would move to a portfolio of jobs. The companies would use more contract staff on looser contract arrangements, and would themselves contract more roles to other organisations. In his book The Age of Unreason (1989) he predicted changes such as WFH, but his first book in 1976 set the scene for how he predicted organisations and their staffs would evolve. Covid just accelerated what was happening already.
”……in the future, people will have shorter and more careers, and they will do more part time work and volunteer work. More people will work independently in small businesses where they contract out their services to larger organizations. More workers, especially women, will work from their homes. ”
”……in the future, people will have shorter and more careers, and they will do more part time work and volunteer work. More people will work independently in small businesses where they contract out their services to larger organizations. More workers, especially women, will work from their homes. ”
You are right there are big changes in education. My daughter has just completed two end to end degrees. The first required one day attendance a week, the second degree no face to face attendance other than via Teams. My grandson‘s partner is going to do her third year of her degree fully on line, whilst seeking jobs that allow WFH. Grandaughter does most of her college course on line and only rocks up when she thinks there’s something to learn. She revelled in online working during covid lockdowns. But she’s officially ‘ quirky”.
All this working from Home , stuff is good for some, but the " Real hands on workers" Plumbers, Motor Mechanics, builders the gardeners, etc do not WFH.. I know Air Traffic controllers do not work at Heathrow or Gatwick, would people be happy for them to WFH, through Talk Talk or BT. Etc. .
It suits some folk but not others . Get back to the office and have a real life, pay for your rail fares, to keep the railways and Coaches going. 1 tea break in the morning instead of getting non your Peleton Bikes. For 15 minutes around a Virtual Mont Blanc cycle track.
It suits some folk but not others . Get back to the office and have a real life, pay for your rail fares, to keep the railways and Coaches going. 1 tea break in the morning instead of getting non your Peleton Bikes. For 15 minutes around a Virtual Mont Blanc cycle track.
I have worked from home for 13 years, I go into the office or out visiting someone a day or two a week but it is a lonely existence! The company I used to work for encouraged conference calls etc which kept up human-interaction but where I am now is very different and I can go all day without speaking to anyone until my wife gets home.
COVID changed some people’s attitude to work and not necessarily in the best interests of businesses. The COVID way of working life gave SOME people an easy life that they have got used to.
COVID changed some people’s attitude to work and not necessarily in the best interests of businesses. The COVID way of working life gave SOME people an easy life that they have got used to.
Too Woke for me! A massive fire or explosion etc I had to be on site. Today, nothings changed. DIL is a teacher in Harrogate. Must attend school. Son is a gas engineer, WFH, impossible. SIL , Phamaceutical Industrial Engineer, must be on site between U.K. and Germany. Back to the OP do we really want to lose our Banks?
Our subjects could not wholly be taught online. However, a grandson has just completed a degree apprenticeship. I don't even think he ever attended Reading Uni. Until his graduation. But he managed to get honors. But I am aware he worked very hard. What shocked me, is I did a similar subject mid 70’s at HNC. When I showed him the methods we used for quantity surveying and critical path, (pre-computer), it appeared so incredibly ancient. But things have moved on and changed so much I was little help
John
Both of our Village banks have closed NatWest and Barclays, a village of over 9k people with new builds of over another 6k homes nearby, we are at alose.
We now have Starship robots to deliver to people's who WFH.. as they cannot leave their homes for too long as they are always monitored.
It’s not anything to do with “woke” that’s something quite different. It’s socio -cultural change that had been accelerated by covid. From my perspective I would miss the social interaction at work from face to face communication, and the highs and lows which were dealt with by personal dealings, if they were only to drown sorrows or celebrate success down the pub.
Based on the title of the thread "Is work from home or caravan over?" I don't think it is over.
A not insignificant number of organisations have discovered that Work From Home (WFH) is actually working well for them, and thus despite the reduction in c19 restrictions they are maintaining the new working practice.
Obviously it can't apply to many physical types of work, but for a large part of the services sector, WFH is likely to become standard employment.
Lets be clear, where WFH is being continued its only becasue it seems to make financial savings for the employer. Smaller offices means lower business rates, less heating, lighting, communications, janitorial and security services. Even if the employer does make a contribution to the employees to cover services used at home, it's generally at a lower tariff than the cost for running a commercial office.
I am not automatically against this change, as there can be benefits to the employee, for example cutting down on the time and cost commuting, reducing the cost of refreshments, And some intangibles such as having the house occupied might reduce the risk of being burgled, more time to spend with the family.
But there are some potential downsides. WFH for some means they can't establish distinct work and home environment's. Work and life can beging to blur. This can impact mental health. Being isolated from simple human interactions can prevent the bouncing of idea's or getting support from colleagues or senior staff. This can be especially difficult for people who may already have mental health issues.
I think the Department for Work and Pensions should bring forward legislation that requires employers' to show they have evaluate dthe WFH situations with a view to the wellbeing of the employee, and have processes to support the employee should any situation prove to harmful to the employees wellbeing.
A not insignificant number of organisations have discovered that Work From Home (WFH) is actually working well for them, and thus despite the reduction in c19 restrictions they are maintaining the new working practice.
Obviously it can't apply to many physical types of work, but for a large part of the services sector, WFH is likely to become standard employment.
Lets be clear, where WFH is being continued its only becasue it seems to make financial savings for the employer. Smaller offices means lower business rates, less heating, lighting, communications, janitorial and security services. Even if the employer does make a contribution to the employees to cover services used at home, it's generally at a lower tariff than the cost for running a commercial office.
I am not automatically against this change, as there can be benefits to the employee, for example cutting down on the time and cost commuting, reducing the cost of refreshments, And some intangibles such as having the house occupied might reduce the risk of being burgled, more time to spend with the family.
But there are some potential downsides. WFH for some means they can't establish distinct work and home environment's. Work and life can beging to blur. This can impact mental health. Being isolated from simple human interactions can prevent the bouncing of idea's or getting support from colleagues or senior staff. This can be especially difficult for people who may already have mental health issues.
I think the Department for Work and Pensions should bring forward legislation that requires employers' to show they have evaluate dthe WFH situations with a view to the wellbeing of the employee, and have processes to support the employee should any situation prove to harmful to the employees wellbeing.
Parksy
Moderator
Dustydog said:
I don't see what your problem with this is Dusty.
My son interacts with tradesmen online and via phone all over the Midlands and the North of England.
The sheltered homes contact my son direct, he logs the repair and allocates the job to a listed tradesmen in the correct area.
My son only needs to visit the head office to provide details of the work that's been done.
His office is at his own house.
Our SIL has never worked from an office and at present lives in England, but works in South Africa. Only issue is due to time difference in winter her starts work at 6am and summer at 7am, but obviously finishes work a lot earlier.
I think that the point above is the most important drawback as already people even when sitting almost next to one another, will use a text to communicate. Eventually people will become too afraid to go outside into the big bad world and for them to enjoy life and will prefer to isolate themselves to their computers. Face to face communication is essential for the human race to survive.
I think that the point above is the most important drawback as already people even when sitting almost next to one another, will use a text to communicate. Eventually people will become too afraid to go outside into the big bad world and for them to enjoy life and will prefer to isolate themselves to their computers. Face to face communication is essential for the human race to survive.
Clive , call it what you like but it remains very clear we are on the same page. I believe there is a cultural , Wokey , Snowflake attitude out there. We are dinosaurs and seen as non PC. I’m too old to get too involved with Diversity and Inclusion. I will say however from the day I started work we were taught to be courteous, respectful, honest , non racist. I fully agree with everything else. Dare I say I looked forward to going into Head Office for meetings. As you say the banter was crucial to our development and lateral thinking. Stand alone , work from home I personally would have missed out on a life time of experience.
My Daughter , Civil Service, attends a half day meeting with other managers ,monthly, to discuss the mental health of their employees. No one ever did that in my day but I guess that’s how it is now. The Prof last post is spot on.
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I go in the office, maybe 6 days every 6 weeks
When i need peace and quiet at home, I'll go sit in the caravan. In fact, i was doing job interviews out of my caravan for 2 days last week
When i need peace and quiet at home, I'll go sit in the caravan. In fact, i was doing job interviews out of my caravan for 2 days last week
Agree whole heartedly Buckman, during covid I had a zoom meeting with our accountant, Ok so it was right at the time and forced upon us.
He wanted to continue this fiasco, not for me.
Either face to face or I go elsewhere.
Actually had a meeting last week for year end accounts and told him to stop sending me electronic apps to sign up for this, sign up for that.
I will communicate in person, by phone and emails, thats it!!
His response..............You not the first one to respond with that request.
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