"Get off your Pelotons and back to the office"

[PeteinSQ]

"People need to get off their Pelotons and back to their desks," Conservative Party Chairman Oliver Dowden has said.

Speaking at Daily Telegraph fringe event at the Conservative Party conference, Mr Dowden said: "People really want the government to lead by example - they want civil servants to get back to work as well. We've got to start leading by example on that."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-58804607

Which people really want civil servants and other office workers back in the office? They are "at work", just not commuting pointlessly five days a week.

I'm not a civil servant but isn't Dowden talking rubbish here?

[bitchstewie]

It's just more culture wars crap.

[Scrump]

DVLA

[ScotHill]

He doesn't understand that "get back to work" and "get back to your desks" are two entirely different things.

[anxious_ant]

The thing about most civil services is that you still need to complete forms by post.
If no one is in the office to handle this, it just unnecessarily prolongs the whole process.

[glazbagun]

Great. First we have Boris telling us there is such a thing as society and now we're being told to get off our bikes. The tory party is clearly dead.

[hairykrishna]

I've decided that these various people who complain about people working at home are people who are awful at working at home themselves. Because they're not productive at home they've decided nobody else is either so everyone has to go back to the office. That or they have interests in commercial property and are absolutely terrified by the idea that people need less offices now.

[mikees]

Google the great resignation. We are recruiting ‘00s of staff and very few will consider an office based role.

[Randy Winkman]

hairykrishna said:

I've decided that these various people who complain about people working at home are people who are awful at working at home themselves. Because they're not productive at home they've decided nobody else is either so everyone has to go back to the office. That or they have interests in commercial property and are absolutely terrified by the idea that people need less offices now.

Exactly. Most Whitehall civil servants might just as well work at home since it saves the taxpayer stacks of money on office space. They can send emails, make telephone calls and have online meetings just as well from there as they can from the office. For places like DVLA and the passport office it's rather different. Since they need to use specialised IT systems, that needs to be properly sorted before WFH is accepted as the norm.

[kowalski655]

Most CS jobs can be done from home. Boris etc just want need people back in the office so the Tory donor class dont lose a bundle on their commercial property portfolios

[Kevin Cozner]

Randy Winkman said:

Exactly. Most Whitehall civil servants might just as well work at home since it saves the taxpayer stacks of money on office space. They can send emails, make telephone calls and have online meetings just as well from there as they can from the office. For places like DVLA and the passport office it's rather different. Since they need to use specialised IT systems, that needs to be properly sorted before WFH is accepted as the norm.

Not much chance of an affair after a few drinks in the Strangers Bar when WFH though.

[HappyClappy]

You can’t blame the Civil Servants for not wanting to commute in to central London.

It’s the only time they have to have any contact with the great unwashed plebs they rule over and experience first hand the complete disaster zone they have created.

Any opportunity to avoid it and they jump at it.

[spaximus]

I think anyone who has had to deal with DVLA for example whilst they WFH would agree with the instructions to get back in the office.

I am sure many are working just as hard, but many simply will not. When you have the woman saying she likes to WFH as it gives her time to be on her Peloton bike and she is in charge, is there any wonder they don't want to go back in.

It was interesting that yesterday Facebook were saying that having staff WFH had caused delays in getting the site back up and running.

Those who are not in the CS who advocate WFH will see as wages rise in the UK their jobs are moved overseas to cheaper places. Manual workers will still be needed and those who cannot WFH

[Randy Winkman]

HappyClappy said:

You can’t blame the Civil Servants for not wanting to commute in to central London.

It’s the only time they have to have any contact with the great unwashed plebs they rule over and experience first hand the complete disaster zone they have created.

Any opportunity to avoid it and they jump at it.

Most of them will meet more of the general populace where they live than on the train or in central London at lunchtime.

Plus, at least 95% of them don't "rule over" anyone.

[kowalski655]

HappyClappy said:

You can’t blame the Civil Servants for not wanting to commute in to central London.

It’s the only time they have to have any contact with the great unwashed plebs they rule over and experience first hand the complete disaster zone they have created.

Any opportunity to avoid it and they jump at it.

I doubt he means the Sir Humphreys,they can always WFH, he means the PBI on the front line dealing with the masses: either poor struggling decent folk or work shy scum, depending on your views (spoiler alert-its a bit of both!) Some HAVE to be in an office, many dont need to be

[Fish]

All I can say is the entire planning and council service is buggered and yes they are working from home.. They were slightly less crap before working from home but are definitely worse now.. read into that what you will.

Sorry but in the building/developer word working from home definitely does not work.. it's bks.

[Electro1980]

hairykrishna said:

I've decided that these various people who complain about people working at home are people who are awful at working at home themselves. Because they're not productive at home they've decided nobody else is either so everyone has to go back to the office. That or they have interests in commercial property and are absolutely terrified by the idea that people need less offices now.

I have a theory that it’s not that they are unproductive at home, but they are forced to actually work because they can’t spend their day swanning around the office annoying other people claiming to “work” by being physically present but actually doing SFA. They now have to actually do something.

[Electro1980]

spaximus said:

Those who are not in the CS who advocate WFH will see as wages rise in the UK their jobs are moved overseas to cheaper places.

Every single time WFH is discussed this comes up. No, they won’t.

[pquinn]

Randy Winkman said:

Most of them will meet more of the general populace where they live than on the train or in central London at lunchtime.

Plus, at least 95% of them don't "rule over" anyone.

Aren't you one of the 'them' you're talking about in the abstract?

[spaximus]

Electro1980 said:

spaximus said:

Those who are not in the CS who advocate WFH will see as wages rise in the UK their jobs are moved overseas to cheaper places.

Every single time WFH is discussed this comes up. No, they won’t.

Well time will tell but as certain back office functions in the NHS are already done in India, why do you think business owners will not cut costs now they have proved, if it is to be believed, that location no longer matters?

No expensive offices in the UK, not as many employment rules to contend with, less union control, why would they not?

The same argument was used when the police said that employing PCO and highways officers would free up "real police" to do other work. They simply cut the number of "real police" as it was cheaper to do so.

When something like this happens the consequences that follow are always obvious but ignored.