I think a looming recession will put the power back into businesses and think will change rapidly.
The Covid19 WFH Thread
https://www.ft.com/content/96552545-af37-490b-826a-a1f1a20172ee
The big players are rolling in it as expected. More evidence emerging that the deaths have been massively overstated and the median age of death is as first thought, above 80 years, means that the greater risk is potentially an adverse reaction to the vaccine.
Oh he’s still a proper melt case alright.
Along_the_Wire that’s an interesting point and you could well be right about this but I guess it’s also possible the recession will make firms more willing to offer wfh as a way of cutting costs: fewer, smaller offices means fewer, smaller energy bills. Plus you can pay people less if they don’t have to commute in, right?
Will be interesting to see how it plays out but my gut feel is that being office-based as standard is dead and buried now.
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C_J The hybrid approach is here to stay. Thursday nights in London are the new Friday nights. Teaming with office workers in the pubs. You still need face to face to build rapport with your clients not to mention colleagues. (so they will do you favours). I am far less likely to respond to a colleague I have never met. Team work is still crucial.
Young colleagues also want to work in the office for camaraderie not to mention the fact they don’t have a designated office to work in at home. A shared kitchen/bedroom doesn’t cut it.
Cankles-McJeggings You’re right. I still miss the original Saturday line up though
alistair in the media world, the younger end of the the spectrum are the worst
alistair I don’t think it’s that simple. I know youngsters that def fall into that category, others are wfh as it’s much cheaper for them (especially if living at home), the more reserved youngsters seem to wfh more as it fits with their personalities. That may have a longer term impact on their development and growth.
I think decent companies should be investing a lot more in understanding what works best for the employee and the company and create more guidance.
I’ve seen some youngsters working in the office alot more but complaining that their colleagues are still wfh so it’s not really benefitting them. And they aren’t getting to meet others across the business to build up their contacts and exposure, as no one knows where anyone is in an office these days.
If you WFH most of the time, you won’t be getting promoted at our place.
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Along_the_Wire more firings? Relentless. When does it end?
Along_the_Wire you took the words right out of my mouth. Stay at home and tread water. I have worked in sales and BD all my life and you don’t forge the kind of essential relationships both inside and outside the office needed to progress stuck at home all week. Different if you are a number cruncher in accounts etc.
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RichM depends on the role to a degree, and whether you work in a team or as a lone wolf I guess, but as a young employee, you need to get to know and learn off people and forge relationships to thrive. Will always be the case. The kind of conversations you can share in the office with managers etc will never be replicated virtually.
Along_the_Wire If you WFH most of the time, you won’t be getting promoted at our place.
Yeh that’s pretty much same at the place I was at and now contract for. Which is pretty much why I stayed at home as much as possible. Not interested in higher management, prefer a life.
Fuck the young guns. I want to be able to make egg on toast, play a game of Hot Wheels on the PS4 and have a midday wank.
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The trick with working from home is get up, do as much work as possible. Make it fully noticed by as many people as possible you are up and at it, then at around 930am go back to bed for a full hour or so with your phone ringing the talking clock and call wait off so it’s engaged. 
alistair I hear what you’re saying and I agree that nothing builds rapport like being in the same room.
But the rise of zoom and teams calls have also contributed to me building rapport with people on the other side of the world or even the other side of the country. People that previously you might see a few times of year, or never, because getting together is too inconvenient - now you can “see” them (online) a few times a week. And you get to see them in their home office environment rather than in offices or at formal gatherings.
Care to respond to that point?
Have never worked a day of my life from home. I work face to face in technical wholesale, and was at work every day of what was the version of lockdown we had in Finland. Except for when I had covid. Lol.
Would have much rather been at home mind, wearing a mask for 10 hours a day for 1,5 years will not be missed.