What are we all doing for a living?

From: Rich (RICARD00)21 Aug 2020 09:20
To: ANT_THOMAS 121 of 183
Turned out nicely for all concerned I think!
From: ANT_THOMAS21 Aug 2020 16:45
To: ALL122 of 183
So who has returned to the office if they've been WFH?

My place are encouraging returns but I'm yet to go in. May do a day or two a week from September. Maybe.
From: Kenny J (WINGNUTKJ)21 Aug 2020 17:14
To: ANT_THOMAS 123 of 183
Working from home is now officially the default for us, until further notice. The main office in Glasgow is open, but we need to request to be put on the rota to work there. The Edinburgh office is closed, with a view to opening it soon, and the London office is kind of in limbo - the lease ran out during lockdown, and the plans to move to the new place are going as well as can be expected given the circumstances.

We seem to be getting on OK working remotely, although I've definitely noticed the effect on my mental health and sleep patterns, especially if I don't get out for exercise.
From: milko21 Aug 2020 19:40
To: ANT_THOMAS 124 of 183
Our Slough office is open but I’ve not been there in 2020 anyway I don’t think. We’re lapsing the London lease, probably at some point (debate over soonish or 2021) we’ll get a smaller one and hot-desk, there are a few people miss human contact and don’t have much at home. Or don’t have good working space. If that happens I might go in once or twice a week if there’s a meeting or to Show Leadership, I dunno. 
From: milko21 Aug 2020 19:41
To: milko 125 of 183
There’s also talk of a budget for getting us all together in a social setting on the regular, once that’s sensibly allowed. 
From: ANT_THOMAS21 Aug 2020 19:50
To: milko 126 of 183
There's definitely a balance to be found. One of the issues I face (or maybe it's in my head) is that because I work at a factory there's been quite a few people in the office/management team who have remained on site as they're more "operational" and they can't exactly do their jobs at home, but their presence on site gives off the feeling that they're risking more for the business (and was seen via a bonus for on-site workers a few months ago....). I'd say I could do all my on site stuff in a day a week.

There's also been a decent amount of recruitment during this period across other departments, all of which are on site. Not being able to actually see and speak to these new people face-to-face for the first time isn't too great.
From: CHYRON (DSMITHHFX)21 Aug 2020 21:59
To: ANT_THOMAS 127 of 183
I started going in two days a week, mainly for some hardware upgrades, but also doing some dev stuff.
From: Dave!!23 Aug 2020 13:37
To: ANT_THOMAS 128 of 183
I won't be back this year I don't think. Doesn't bother me much if I'm honest as I was WFH before, albeit with odd office trips now and again. My company's approach though is that people should only go into the office if they have problems working from home (kids, lack of space, that kind of thing). Given I've got a dedicated man-cave with three monitors, I don't think that'll apply to me :)
From: koswix25 Aug 2020 11:31
To: ANT_THOMAS 129 of 183
We're under a fair bit of pressure to get everyone* back in the office ASAP. We're resisting and currently am doing 2 days in, 3 days at home. 

The 2 days in the office is really weird, but definitely helpful for mental health if nothing else. Now the kids are back at school it's really odd being in the house alone all day. 

my boss wan'ts to 'promote' me but he's since revealed there's essentially zero budget for pay raise or whatever (unsurprising seeing as we've been making a loss for years and are permanently on the verge of going under...), so might push for an official WFH half the week as a compromise. I have better IT facilties and a much  nicer working environment at home than at work, and the saving on fuel would effectively be a pay raise in itself. We'll see though!

Sort of expecting a second lockdown in Scotland in about a month anyway, case numbers are going up fast and suspect the local lockdowns are going to start merging into one soon.
From: ANT_THOMAS25 Aug 2020 16:21
To: koswix 130 of 183
Decided I'm gonna go back in next Thursday to get my office sorted. Then likely each Wednesday after that. Going to be in a different office to when I started WFH in March, which is a good thing, actually my office before we did a big office move late last year. Less people around and less distractions.
From: Mr (M00RL0CK) 1 Sep 2020 10:53
To: ANT_THOMAS 131 of 183
I'm still working from home, recording lectures, delivering shiz remotely. Don't think that will change too soon.
From: ANT_THOMAS 1 Sep 2020 11:36
To: Mr (M00RL0CK) 132 of 183
Hello Greg.

How's this work for freshers?
Are many starting uni from home? Or moving into halls/wherever and attending minimal lectures?
From: Mr (M00RL0CK) 2 Sep 2020 10:44
To: ANT_THOMAS 133 of 183
It differs a bit depending upon what type of students they are, but there is a general expectation that students will move into halls and have some face-to-face teaching during the first term. Face-to-face teaching is obviously a headache now, as big lectures are a no-no. For intro week, we're having 25% of the cohort in on each of 4 days. Rooms that would previously hold 18 students for group work now hold 4. So sessions are going to be repeated multiple times. Teaching will be done pretty safely, I reckon, and I suspect that the risks arise more from just having the students on campus/in halls.

The MASSIVE ELEPHANT in the room is that I think we all know what the outcomes of this will be. We can pretend that freshers will socially distance and be 'responsible' within various bubbles, but I think that reality will hit home at some point. My real concern isn't so much for the freshers, the majority of whom will probably not suffer dramatic consequences. My concern is about what happens when we reach the point in the first term where everyone decides to go home for the weekend (usually around week 5, I reckon). Coinciding with declining temperatures and the predicted start of a real second wave.

Because of who I teach (med students), there are particular reasons to maintain 'business as usual' where possible, so I can understand why my department is taking its approach. Other departments, I'm not sure that the justifications are quite the same.    
From: ANT_THOMAS 2 Sep 2020 12:29
To: Mr (M00RL0CK) 134 of 183
I do feel sorry for the freshers missing out on starting first year, freshers week etc. Just absolutely not the same. Though I imagine they'll all go for it with double intensity next September if things are back to normal.

Reading week when everyone heads home asymptomatic and the spread happens. Students blamed for big local Covid spikes, looking forward to the headlines.
From: Mr (M00RL0CK) 2 Sep 2020 15:26
To: ANT_THOMAS 135 of 183
I agree. There was a lot of emphasis post-results of 'we look forward to welcoming you to campus', but the campus experience will not be the same. (I also don't think they get the same experience educationally, either, but that's another matter...) If I were a student, and I had something vaguely decent to do for a year and had the resources to do so, I'd have deferred. 
From: lp23 Sep 2020 10:34
To: ALL136 of 183
Hello.

I got an odd reminder that I'm listed as the domain owner of this forum (although I don't have it in my 123reg so presume I gave it to someone) so I thought I'd pop in and say hi.

Good to see people still posting after all these years!

As seems to have always been the way, my life has taken many turns, but I think / hope I'm relatively stable now (considering)

I'm now working for burberry as retail IT Service manager, which means I'm service owner of all the sales technologies in the stores. Until this year, it meant I was able to travel, now I'm working in my home office.

I travelled a lot before January, lived in China for a few years, met my now wife and now we're living in sunny Leeds.

Hope everyone is well!
From: milko23 Sep 2020 10:50
To: lp 137 of 183
LP! My goodness. How nice to see you again. Sounds like you've been through some stuff! Glad you're sounding happy enough now at least. How does your wife like the Leeds lifestyle?
From: lp23 Sep 2020 11:00
To: milko 138 of 183
Hey! Yeah, good to see you too! 
Life is good, for sure. In spite of the macro factors. 

She likes the UK when it's not being a dick

Nb. The rest of my post vanished. Maybe cos I put brackets on? 

Hope you're doing well! 
EDITED: 23 Sep 2020 11:01 by LP
From: Manthorp23 Sep 2020 12:38
To: lp 139 of 183
When there's an intermission in the apocalypse we should meet up for a refreshing beverage, lp.
From: Peter (BOUGHTONP)23 Sep 2020 12:55
To: lp 140 of 183
LP! \o/


> I got an odd reminder that I'm listed as the domain owner of this forum (although I don't have it in my 123reg so presume I gave it to someone) so I thought I'd pop in and say hi.

Yep, that someone was me, but I didn't get any reminders from the useless bastards, and apparently it expired yesterday.

Anyhow, I've just renewed it, so hopefully that goes through before any caches expire, and I'll look into moving it to a better registrar next year.