Rishi Sunak reckons...

Randy said:
How is internet security in government buildings compared to ours at home?

Wouldn't it be easier to hack into somebody's home computer than say a computer in a government building? I don't know how I'd feel about important files been worked on from home as opposed to in a 'secure' office.
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I work with secure documents from governments around the world. To access them I have to be on the company vpn. Its exactly as secure as sitting in the office.

Security won't even factor in to the decision.
 
Laughing said:
I work with secure documents from governments around the world. To access them I have to be on the company vpn. Its exactly as secure as sitting in the office.

Security won't even factor in to the decision.
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Good to know mate.
 
festa5 said:
there's a big drive to move jobs out of London. Which, as someone alluded to earlier, you can't do if everyone can just work from home.
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The drive to move out of London is driven largely by talent management and has been the government policy for several years. I know this as I designed the new operating model for one of the largest government departments and that was a constraint on my design. They can't compete with the private sector for wages and benefits, particular due to changes in the pensions which were traditionally very very good. The idea was that by setting up hubs related to local universities, they can offer a wage that is at least moderately competitive for non-London dwellers, hoovering up the talent coming out of uni and giving them a decent career and hoping to keep 25-30% of them for at least a decade.

The problem with that is that if we move to a work from home economy, you can work for city firms from anywhere. All the best talent throughout the country can work for the London financial sector and multi-national firms while having the benefits of cheaper accommodation in other parts of the country. The regional hub systems starts to break down. I mean if you can afford a massive house outside of London working for a blue chip firm why would you live in London?

If work from home is the new norm moving forward in the private sector, it will harm the government talent management strategy, because talent will drift to the better payers even more than today. It might drive public sector wages up to be honest, they'll have to to compete and will probably have to move to WFH as a benefit. They might just outsource even more to be honest and leave it for the private sector to sort out.
 
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boot boy ally said:
You and many office workers on here are revelling in the fact that you're working from home and dont seem at all botherd about workers who earn a living from passing trade.Pass the buck and blame the government for everything as long as you feel good in yourself.
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We don't owe any business it's livelihood. It's up to those businesses to react to market changes and update their value proposition. If you sell sandwiches in London, move out to a suburban town and do a drive through for office workers that want quality ready made sandwiches near their home. They need to react to the market pressures and stop whining. This could be what we have wanted for years, to stop everything gravitating to London and big cities.
 
BoroMart said:
The drive to move out of London is driven largely by talent management and has been the government policy for several years. I know this as I designed the new operating model for one of the largest government departments and that was a constraint on my design. They can't compete with the private sector for wages and benefits, particular due to changes in the pensions which were traditionally very very good. The idea was that by setting up hubs related to locale university, they can offer a wage that is at least moderately competitive for non-London dwellers, hoovering up the talent coming out of uni and giving them a decent career and hoping to keep 25-30% of them for at least a decade.

The problem with that is that if we move to a work from home economy, you can work for city firms from anywhere. All the best talent throughout the country can work for the London financial sector and multi-national firms while having the benefits of cheaper accommodation in other parts of the country. The regional hub systems starts to break down. I mean if you can afford a massive house outside of London working for a blue chip firm why would you live in London?

If work from home is the new norm moving forward in the private sector, it will harm the government talent management strategy, because talent will drift to the better payers even more than today. It might drive public sector wages up to be honest, they'll have to to compete and will probably have to move to WFH as a benefit. They might just outsource even more to be honest and leave it for the private sector to sort out.
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It's a good point and I'm willing to bet that angle hasn't been thought through properly yet. Of course a lot of these moves are political too, so unlikely to change any decisions anyway.

We've all just been told the Cabinet Office "second HQ" will be Glasgow. Ministers and senior leaders are supposedly expected to spend a few days a week there once established.

I assume part of the reason is to try and strengthen the Union. As if Gove's smug face appearing in Scotland Mondays and Tuesdays is going to make any difference. If anything it's surely going to make Scottish independence even more likely isn't it?
 
Each to their own but I don't get the "i'm never going back in the office" comments from people (in general - not on here as such).

They managed fine before covid.

I have a feeling there will be a fair bit of conflict between some employers and employees around this when the time comes.
 
I was full time in the office, then I’ve been full time WFH for a year. I’d give my right arm to be back in the office, fingers crossed for June!
 
I've worked for the current company since 2008 and I've been WFH full time since then (with a few visits to the office), main reason being that I live in Billingham and the office is near Bangor, just next to the Menai Strait. So it's a bit of a b^gger of a commute. Beginning to get used to it.
 
DanBoro4499 said:
I have a feeling there will be a fair bit of conflict between some employers and employees around this when the time comes.
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Maybe so, and the better employees will go to the better employers. People don't want to waste 2 1/2 hours a day 13 hours a week commuting. Successful companies will use WFH as a way of getting the best employees. Next they will start to recognise that most of our work time is unproductive and the 4 day week will start. It's been successful in trials and is the future
 
BoroMart said:
Maybe so, and the better employees will go to the better employers. People don't want to waste 2 1/2 hours a day 13 hours a week commuting. Successful companies will use WFH as a way of getting the best employees. Next they will start to recognise that most of our work time is unproductive and the 4 day week will start. It's been successful in trials and is the future
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I went to 4 days when my kids came along and still do it even though both are in nursery half the day on my day off now. I honestly don't think I do any less work tbh.
 
Companies will offer home working provided the employee agrees to give up their commuting costs. In other words, a pay cut to wfh.
 
festa5 said:
I went to 4 days when my kids came along and still do it even though both are in nursery half the day on my day off now. I honestly don't think I do any less work tbh.
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Productivity has been seen to go up in some trials, people stay more focussed and don't spend half their day writing or reading pointless emails. Every email you spend 3 mins writing will rob the company of on average another 10mins productivity as they get sent on average to 5 people...but then it becomes exponential with that email having replies and forwards. Modern comms tools which allow chat channels are far less intrusive and by using them as a primary comms tool can more than recover that lost day in a four day week.
 
Doesn't this whole thing boil down to the same thing that is etched into all of the arguements people have everyday? Which is that a balance is required and there isn't a one size fits all approach?

I've personally benefitted to the tune of about £700 per month from working from home (stupid amount right??) but there's no way that I'm willing to head into London four days a week as I was previously and likewise I cannot wait to get back into the office a little more than the single day a week that I am at the moment. There's a balance to be struck here, hybrid working sounds like the best option for me personally but I appreciate not all are lucky enough to have a job like mine.

The ability to drop and pick up my kids regularly from school though is something that i'll not be giving up for any employer and I would hope others feel the same about the other benefits we've all been able to have in terms of work / life balance
 
ThePrisoner said:
Companies will offer home working provided the employee agrees to give up their commuting costs. In other words, a pay cut to wfh.
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The costs are too variable, and will limit you potential to sign new talent, so that idea has often been rejected.

If I live 100 miles away from my nominal office? That would be a £160 per day drive on expenses at .40p per mile. Maybe I can get the train for £50 a day, lets go with that.

As an experienced professional I'm not going to take a job where I am paid £50 a day or £13,000/year less than someone who sits at a desk in the office. When I consider that I'm saving the company MORE than that in office costs, heating, electricity, insurances and office support staff, I would be sickened at that idea. Instead I will work for a company that allows me to work from home without penalty.

What your idea does is create a maximum radius for attracting talent. Why would any company decide to limit its talent pool to people within 30 miles rather than the whole country? It might work for lower skilled workers but then they will be low paid and won't take it up and increase office costs. Failing companies might do this, successful ones will not.
 
ThePrisoner said:
Companies will offer home working provided the employee agrees to give up their commuting costs. In other words, a pay cut to wfh.
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Mooted and dismissed by a lot of companies already - if they are losing nothing in terms of business impact and in fact gaining if they don't have the overheads then they should their staff be penalised...unacceptable.
 
swordtrombonefish said:
Mooted and dismissed by a lot of companies already - if they are losing nothing in terms of business impact and in fact gaining if they don't have the overheads then they should their staff be penalised...unacceptable.
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Every call centre in the country will do it. Nailed on. 'Experienced professionals' will no doubt be able to negotiate but for the average office drone I'll put my mortgage on this being a news headline before the summer's out.
 
There was a drift towards home working before Covid, it hasn’t suddenly happened.

I think the big difference is that successful working from home has called into question the point of any management layer which is just there to crack the whip. I would think the management consultants will be all over that like a rash for the bigger employers going forward.

It will be interesting to see what happens.
 
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