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Civil service staff plan walkout after being told to work in office two days a week
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Learn to cook 30p Lee Anderson having a rant at civil service statistics staff planned walkout after being told to turn up at work two days a week
“”This is actually happening.
Imagine if every working person in the country refused to actually go into their place of work as required.
If this was the private sector they would be out of the door. Gentle reminder to the staff who think they are above going into work - the taxpayer pays your wages, the same taxpayer who actually turns up at work every day.”” |
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As a civil servant I did fully agree with going back to the office.
It turns out that in the department that I am employed in, they advertised and gave positions based on work from home. There are people employed in the north when their official office in the south and that’s basically the issue, or at least it is where I am.
I know a lady who works in Liverpool but her office is in Bristol and spoke to another lady who commutes 1:30 each way twice a week to an office in Manchester. Both was employed post pandemic when work from home was the big thing. |
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I'd prefer if people have the technology and the capability to work from home, then they do so. There is a whole tier of middle management supervising bums on seats in offices who are mostly superfluous. That much became clear with WFH during lockdowns and many teams organised themselves well and got on with the job. Sure, not all, but WFH proved that it can be done.
It's not for everyone ofc, but for those who can manage it well, it's a blessing.
Personally, get rid of the HoP and just get MP's in large conference calls when needed. Don't need the second homes, or the subsidised bars either. All digital. |
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By *abioMan 4 weeks ago
Newcastle and Gateshead |
"As a civil servant I did fully agree with going back to the office.
It turns out that in the department that I am employed in, they advertised and gave positions based on work from home. There are people employed in the north when their official office in the south and that’s basically the issue, or at least it is where I am.
I know a lady who works in Liverpool but her office is in Bristol and spoke to another lady who commutes 1:30 each way twice a week to an office in Manchester. Both was employed post pandemic when work from home was the big thing."
Because they found in a lot of departments that work from home was actually working… I know.. radical that!
Obviously there are customer facing roles you always need to be in work… but for everyone else.. why should it matter!, for example in my part of the civil service they actually found that productivity actually went up because people were happier with the balance (trust me, I was sceptical at first.. now I find it easier)
The other thing in context is that most civil servants already go in the office 1 day a week.. so the jump is from 1 to 2… not 0… I go in once a week, I have a little office at home, all is good
The other thing is that for a lot of departments they were trying to reduce the amount of office space they had, so the pandemic just accelerated what they were looking at in WFH practices |
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By *irldnCouple 4 weeks ago
Brighton |
Presenteeism is soooo 20th century.
With technology enabling WFH I have been able to recruit excellent staff from all over the country rather than restrict it to South East commuter zone. Not only getting the best staff but able to pay lower salaries than those who would have been London based.
Staff enjoy the flexibility and are actually working a bit longer as they no longer have to factor in a commute each way.
Our productivity has increased.
The bean counters have reduced office space requirements (more collaboration space on a needs basis but far less banks of desks) saving a fortune in rent and utility costs.
Anyone unable to effectively WFH is soon found out if you operate on a task and finish approach. Within reason I don’t care if my staff log off early on a Friday but do a bit of work on the weekend as long as they hit deadlines to right quality (on the understanding that if they need to collaborate with colleagues to deliver they arrange this together).
As a result we have happy motivated staff doing great work with a good work life balance and more money in their pocket rather than paying for trains etc.
This is purely politically motivated. Commercial landlords are major donors and many MPs (looking at you Reece-Mogg) have shareholdings in commercial landlord companies. |
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"I'd prefer if people have the technology and the capability to work from home, then they do so. There is a whole tier of middle management supervising bums on seats in offices who are mostly superfluous. That much became clear with WFH during lockdowns and many teams organised themselves well and got on with the job. Sure, not all, but WFH proved that it can be done.
It's not for everyone ofc, but for those who can manage it well, it's a blessing.
Personally, get rid of the HoP and just get MP's in large conference calls when needed. Don't need the second homes, or the subsidised bars either. All digital."
And Claiming a Quarter of a Million Pounds to Heat MP’s Second Homes
Plus the rents, mortgage interest, tax free capital gains flipping second homes, Zahawis horse stabling and everything else they’ve claimed for.
Zoom would save the taxpayer a lot of money. |
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"
And Claiming a Quarter of a Million Pounds to Heat MP’s Second Homes
Plus the rents, mortgage interest, tax free capital gains flipping second homes, Zahawis horse stabling and everything else they’ve claimed for.
Zoom would save the taxpayer a lot of money. "
Indeed it would.
.
There is an awful lot of office space in London not really needed anymore when a digital office environment can provide a suitable, if not more flexible solution in many cases.
.
And longer term, we don't need the accumulation of movement to major centres/cities, when folks can work from a cottage somewhere remote (and cheaper to live too !).
You can start to see why projects like HS2 are not really that essential if no one is commuting, nor needs to.
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By *os19Man 4 weeks ago
Edmonton |
As someone that works in a civil service department in a customer facing role I have to be in the office which is no big deal for me as I don’t have broadband at home.During lockdown my role was changed to conduct telephone interviews but was decided to go to face to face back in January 2022. Most of my colleagues interviews can be done by telephone or video as some as already done that way but we have been told there will be no WFH.As there is already a lack of customer facing desks my gut feeling is that by the start of next year the senior management will need to bring in WFH or what we called hybrid working where you work 3 days WFH and the other 2 in the office. |
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By *irldnCouple 4 weeks ago
Brighton |
"As someone that works in a civil service department in a customer facing role I have to be in the office which is no big deal for me as I don’t have broadband at home.During lockdown my role was changed to conduct telephone interviews but was decided to go to face to face back in January 2022. Most of my colleagues interviews can be done by telephone or video as some as already done that way but we have been told there will be no WFH.As there is already a lack of customer facing desks my gut feeling is that by the start of next year the senior management will need to bring in WFH or what we called hybrid working where you work 3 days WFH and the other 2 in the office."
Years back some Civil Service depts brought in a 70% utilisation rule to save costs (basically a team of 10 were only allocated 7 desks - assumes absence due to holiday, illness, training). This utilisation went even further as a result of pandemic. There simply isn’t enough desks for everyone to stop WFH and be in the office any more. |
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By *os19Man 4 weeks ago
Edmonton |
"As someone that works in a civil service department in a customer facing role I have to be in the office which is no big deal for me as I don’t have broadband at home.During lockdown my role was changed to conduct telephone interviews but was decided to go to face to face back in January 2022. Most of my colleagues interviews can be done by telephone or video as some as already done that way but we have been told there will be no WFH.As there is already a lack of customer facing desks my gut feeling is that by the start of next year the senior management will need to bring in WFH or what we called hybrid working where you work 3 days WFH and the other 2 in the office.
Years back some Civil Service depts brought in a 70% utilisation rule to save costs (basically a team of 10 were only allocated 7 desks - assumes absence due to holiday, illness, training). This utilisation went even further as a result of pandemic. There simply isn’t enough desks for everyone to stop WFH and be in the office any more. "
. That’s want I think that there are not enough desks especially customer facing desks.Also in my part of London they opened temporary sites to deal with the pandemic & furlough payments.Now these temporary sites are closing and staff are been redeployed to go to the permanent offices where there is a lack of customers facing desks and back office desks.Yet all staff have now been issued with a laptop even me who will not be able to work from home.It seems obvious to me that by the start of 2025 if not before WFH will have to be introduced |
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"As a civil servant I did fully agree with going back to the office.
It turns out that in the department that I am employed in, they advertised and gave positions based on work from home. There are people employed in the north when their official office in the south and that’s basically the issue, or at least it is where I am.
I know a lady who works in Liverpool but her office is in Bristol and spoke to another lady who commutes 1:30 each way twice a week to an office in Manchester. Both was employed post pandemic when work from home was the big thing."
For me this is the problem, people being sold one thing and then it changing up on them. A 2 day commute potentially to a different city is a big change for people to have to rework into their life and probably for many ~ family routine.
The problem is the working location is not written into many contracts, it tends to be a flexible working policy rather than a contractual term, meaning it can be fairly easily rescinded at the detriment to non local staff who were employed under a different expectation. I’m not even sure if they have any legal comeback despite it feeling alot like constructive dismissal if it means you have to find another job because you cant make that commute work |
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By (user no longer on site) 4 weeks ago
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Should set up an event for Civil Servants on fab to have some fun while on strike - would be a big fuck you to the Government 
Though I guess you could find yourself bumping into people you work with…
(Im not a civil servant btw) |
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"You tend to find the people who complain most about people ‘skiving’ when working from home, are the people who would definitely skive if they could work from home."
I hate working from home, I can’t do it, I get nothing done, there is too much distraction.
Thankfully I don’t have to work from home often, when I do have to, I try my best to swap it and do something different.
But I fully agree, those how assume everyone will take the pee are the people who will do it themselves. |
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"You tend to find the people who complain most about people ‘skiving’ when working from home, are the people who would definitely skive if they could work from home.
I hate working from home, I can’t do it, I get nothing done, there is too much distraction.
Thankfully I don’t have to work from home often, when I do have to, I try my best to swap it and do something different.
But I fully agree, those how assume everyone will take the pee are the people who will do it themselves."
I'm the opposite
I loathe the office. The culture, the small talk, the cliques and politics. The micro managing by middle management trying to justify their pointless positions
I get more done at home
I save money on travel
My carbon footprint is reduced by not commuting daily
I'm in the office twice a month and it's two times a month too often
I like to get my work done and frankly have no need or use for interacting with anyone outside of work queries which is what email or teams is for. |
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