"Get off your Pelotons and back to the office"
Discussion
"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?
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?
captain_cynic said:
It's almost as if the Tories are completely out of touch with the average person.
You're shocked, I know.
He only mentioned the Peloton because a senior civil servant had said that working from home was good for her as she can work more flexibly and hop on her Peloton and do some exercise. It was a dig at her specifically and more broadly at the "lazy" civil service.You're shocked, I know.
Our MD has a Peloton and has been promoting flexible working long before covid. Just because Oliver Dowden wants to trumpet these tropes doesn't make them true, especially as he's pretty much never actually had a proper job having graduated, worked at tory head office, done PR for a bit and then been a SPAD before becoming an MP.
ClaphamGT3 said:
A few thoughts on working from home;
1) it is largely a white collar/middle class conceit that the workforce will now move to wfh. Even in major cities with a far higher than average number of knowledge workers in the workforce, only c 50% can wfh
2) socially and economically, wfh compromises the benefits of agglomeration. Small, isolated communities are poor for a reason and, equally, London is the largest net contributor of any region in the UK for a reason - it is the only city in the UK that has absolutely nailed agglomeration
3) wfh compromises creativity, innovation, training and development. Tech does mean that these needs can be somewhat addressed when wfh but they are more easily achieved in an office/work environment
4) studies show that the much vaunted productivity benefit of wfh is actually overstated. Despite avoiding 'dead' commuting time and workplace time inefficiencies, productivity has not dramatically risen and, in some businesses and sectors, has fallen since the beginning of the pandemic.
Overall, I suspect that we will see more wfh and flexible/adaptive working than before Covid but predictions that it will - or even could - be 'the new norm' are fanciful
I'm sure all of what you have said is true. But what it doesn't include is the benefits to the staff of WFH part time - if you're an employer competing for comparatively small numbers of qualified/talented individuals then you need to bear that in mind. 1) it is largely a white collar/middle class conceit that the workforce will now move to wfh. Even in major cities with a far higher than average number of knowledge workers in the workforce, only c 50% can wfh
2) socially and economically, wfh compromises the benefits of agglomeration. Small, isolated communities are poor for a reason and, equally, London is the largest net contributor of any region in the UK for a reason - it is the only city in the UK that has absolutely nailed agglomeration
3) wfh compromises creativity, innovation, training and development. Tech does mean that these needs can be somewhat addressed when wfh but they are more easily achieved in an office/work environment
4) studies show that the much vaunted productivity benefit of wfh is actually overstated. Despite avoiding 'dead' commuting time and workplace time inefficiencies, productivity has not dramatically risen and, in some businesses and sectors, has fallen since the beginning of the pandemic.
Overall, I suspect that we will see more wfh and flexible/adaptive working than before Covid but predictions that it will - or even could - be 'the new norm' are fanciful
Where I work they're going for a 2/3 days in 2 days at home approach. This tackles a lot of your points especially point 3.
Doesn't the use of tech overcome some of the lack of agglomeration issues? Has to be good news for the PM's levelling up agenda if better paid jobs are now more widely dispersed around the country too.
croyde said:
Yeah, our line manager is still working from home, or time in a villa on the Med, whilst the rest of us have slogged it into the office all through this mess.
I'll give her this, she does answer phone or reply to emails and texts on a Friday night and over the weekend.
Does make me laugh that she's sending us emails from beside a pool whilst sipping on a Pina colada, telling us that we need to be in extra early on a Monday morning.
All for £80k a year.
wow, surprised there hasn't been a mutiny. I'll give her this, she does answer phone or reply to emails and texts on a Friday night and over the weekend.
Does make me laugh that she's sending us emails from beside a pool whilst sipping on a Pina colada, telling us that we need to be in extra early on a Monday morning.
All for £80k a year.
croyde said:
Yeah, our line manager is still working from home, or time in a villa on the Med, whilst the rest of us have slogged it into the office all through this mess.
I'll give her this, she does answer phone or reply to emails and texts on a Friday night and over the weekend.
Does make me laugh that she's sending us emails from beside a pool whilst sipping on a Pina colada, telling us that we need to be in extra early on a Monday morning.
All for £80k a year.
wow, surprised there hasn't been a mutiny. I'll give her this, she does answer phone or reply to emails and texts on a Friday night and over the weekend.
Does make me laugh that she's sending us emails from beside a pool whilst sipping on a Pina colada, telling us that we need to be in extra early on a Monday morning.
All for £80k a year.
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