Shed for remote office

AndrewJRenko

Jimson wrote: »

Sell out colleagues really? WOW

WFH is great and is the future and long may it continue!!

Surely you can put a small desk in your bedroom and let your partner have the living room.

I paid 50 quid in woodies for a 6ft folding table, brought office chair home along with laptop Docking Station etc. All sorted and the 50 quid table is great.

No issues whatsoever!

Is it really that difficult to understand that what works for you doesn't work for everyone? Not everyone has space for the folding table. Not everyone has fifty quid spare to subsidise their employer.

Public servant here. We were allowed to take monitors, and chairs from our office to work from home. Laptops were also provided on request and new laptops are now being rolled out to every staff member at the moment.

Some people just want to ruin it for everyone else. We are in the middle of a pandemic, yet some are moaning about wfh being "non-negotiated"? Planning cases for the WRC when its over?

Would you GTFO. The public health supercedes your need to complain and your employer is not responsible for your lack of appetite control, either.

I'm sure many of those who lost their jobs would be happy to swap with you.

samo

I got a Clane steel shed 10ft x 8ft (around 1650e) but it was a long lead time and waited 4 months for it! Also around 500 for proper electricity wiring/lights and then TP links for WiFi.

Finally, boarding it and insulation- around 600 but it does get cold now these days.
So all in all 2.6k, plus IKEA for the furniture, not cheap but it’s making a huge difference in terms of sanity.

JDxtra

There are many sides to this. For example, a large employer I know well have now given up the lease for part of their building. Companies are seeing that there are real cost savings to be had here and they can just get "free" office space in employees homes indefinitely.

That same company offered no laptop, no phone, no screens etc. to support employees working from home. All employees got was a forced pay cut. The company remains profitable and have not suffered due to the pandemic.

Agree, employees need to be flexible to get through the pandemic and be thankful to have that employment - however some companies are using this to their own financial advantage going forward.

Jimson

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Is it really that difficult to understand that what works for you doesn't work for everyone? Not everyone has space for the folding table. Not everyone has fifty quid spare to subsidise their employer.

Its 50 euro, not 5 grand. If you can't afford a spare 50 euro its time to move jobs or upskill to a better job.

No sympathy. Oh poor me i live in a shoebox and can't afford a spare 50 quid ffs.

And about sharing rooms ffs Mrs o bumble, if your that paranoid about GDPR get a pair of Bluetooth noise cancelling headphones for your partner and you can both share the room, unless your too paranoid he might turn them off and listen yo your conversation. Oh dear god the horror!

Anyone will come up with any sort of excuse just to get back to the office.

AndrewJRenko

Deleted User wrote: »

Public servant here. We were allowed to take monitors, and chairs from our office to work from home. Laptops were also provided on request and new laptops are now being rolled out to every staff member at the moment.

Some people just want to ruin it for everyone else. We are in the middle of a pandemic, yet some are moaning about wfh being "non-negotiated"? Planning cases for the WRC when its over?

Would you GTFO. The public health supercedes your need to complain and your employer is not responsible for your lack of appetite control, either.

I'm sure many of those who lost their jobs would be happy to swap with you.

Thanks for your fraternal support. That will be remembered when management come after you for some of your benefits that have been hard-earned by negotiation over many years.

But you seem to have missed the point here. Nothing that I've suggested will 'ruin it' for you and nothing will worsen the pandemic.

I haven't suggested that WFH is pulled from everyone to suit my personal needs. I'm well aware that I'm in a small minority, and that most people are quite happy with WFH.

What I am suggesting is that having a small minority of staff for whom WFH doesn't work AND having largely empty offices sitting vacant at the same time doesn't make sense. There must be a solution where the small minority can get back into the office and work from there, while the majority remains in WFH.

AndrewJRenko

Jimson wrote: »

Its 50 euro, not 5 grand. If you can't afford a spare 50 euro its time to move jobs or upskill to a better job.

No sympathy. Oh poor me i live in a shoebox and can't afford a spare 50 quid ffs.

I'm not looking for your sympathy. I'm looking for your recognition of the current law which states that employers cannot change terms and conditions unilaterally.

That's the law.

AndrewJRenko

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Thanks for your fraternal support. That will be remembered when management come after you for some of your benefits that have been hard-earned by negotiation over many years.

I'm not going to support you when I think you're wrong, just because I'm also a public servant. As for holding that against someone in future negotiations - Its that kind of attitude that gives unions a bad rep. Petty comment.

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

But you seem to have missed the point here. Nothing that I've suggested will 'ruin it' for you and nothing will worsen the pandemic.

I haven't suggested that WFH is pulled from everyone to suit my personal needs. I'm well aware that I'm in a small minority, and that most people are quite happy with WFH.

What I am suggesting is that having a small minority of staff for whom WFH doesn't work AND having largely empty offices sitting vacant at the same time doesn't make sense. There must be a solution where the small minority can get back into the office and work from there, while the majority remains in WFH.

You're completely deluding yourself if you think that public servants taking cases to the WRC for "non-neogiated WFH" being imposed on them during a worldwide panemic won't make them gun-shy of future claims.

Which will have a knock on affect of getting applications for extended WFH approved for those who want it, while you'll be back in your office not giving a toss about that.

If office based work is essential to business needs, you can request an exemption that allows you access to your building. It has to be approved at A/Sec level, but its not impossible. If its not essential to business needs, I'm afraid you'll just have to wait it out like everyone else.

AndrewJRenko

Deleted User wrote: »

I'm not going to support you when I think you're wrong, just because I'm also a public servant. As for holding that against someone in future negotiations - Its that kind of attitude that gives unions a bad rep. Petty comment.

You've some neck accusing others of petty comments after your "Would you GTFO" and your 'sure aren't you lucky to have a job' nonsense.

But what specifically is wrong about expecting your employer to provide a safe, furnished, heated place of work when they have safe, furnished, heated offices sitting empty?

Deleted User wrote: »

You're completely deluding yourself if you think that public servants taking cases to the WRC for "non-neogiated WFH" being imposed on them during a worldwide panemic won't make them gun-shy of future claims.

Which will have a knock on affect of getting applications for extended WFH approved for those who want it, while you'll be back in your office not giving a toss about that.

If you believe this very stretched point yourself, then the obvious solution to avoid any need for WRC claims would be for you to support your colleagues who need their employer to provide them with a safe, furnished, heated workplace.

But I don't quite get your twisted logic that claims about getting back to the office would impact staff who don't want to get back to the office?

Deleted User wrote: »

If office based work is essential to business needs, you can request an exemption that allows you access to your building. It has to be approved at A/Sec level, but its not impossible. If its not essential to business needs, I'm afraid you'll just have to wait it out like everyone else.

Office based work is not essential for business needs for me. It is essential for personal needs for me, and for a small number of other people who don't have space, or don't have safety, or don't have heating.

How long am I going to expected to provide rent-free space to my employer, heated and furnished at my own expense? Is it 3 months or 3 years or for the remaining years up to my retirement?

gordongekko

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

How long am I going to expected to provide rent-free space to my employer, heated and furnished at my own expense? Is it 3 months or 3 years or for the remaining years up to my retirement?

100% agree with this. It's time companies start paying for a proper home office set up for people.

AndrewJRenko

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

You've some neck accusing others of petty comments after your "Would you GTFO" and your 'sure aren't you lucky to have a job' nonsense.

But what specifically is wrong about expecting your employer to provide a safe, furnished, heated place of work when they have safe, furnished, heated offices sitting empty?


If you believe this very stretched point yourself, then the obvious solution to avoid any need for WRC claims would be for you to support your colleagues who need their employer to provide them with a safe, furnished, heated workplace.

But I don't quite get your twisted logic that claims about getting back to the office would impact staff who don't want to get back to the office?


Office based work is not essential for business needs for me. It is essential for personal needs for me, and for a small number of other people who don't have space, or don't have safety, or don't have heating.

How long am I going to expected to provide rent-free space to my employer, heated and furnished at my own expense? Is it 3 months or 3 years or for the remaining years up to my retirement?

I think yours it the logic that is twisted. We are in the middle of a GLOBAL PANDEMIC, and right now, the safest place to work, is at home. I for one, am glad that my employer didn't wait to individually renegotiate every contract with every employee before deciding it was in the best interest of the public health to reduce the risk of contracting Covid19 by allowing me to work from my own home.

So, Good luck with your WRC claim.

If your claim is musculo-skeletal related, make sure you also advise your employer of the extra pounds you mentioned that you've piled on as a result of WFH (I guess they should also have provided a time-release lock for your fridge to help you keep your nose out of it) and let them check that whatever device you use for your copious boards posting, is ergonomically set up, and not contributing to your issues.

blackbox

gordongekko wrote: »

100% agree with this. It's time companies start paying for a proper home office set up for people.

This might be going too far, but there is definitely no reason why they shouldn't lend employees office equipment such as monitors and chairs that are currently not being used.

beauf

blackbox wrote: »

This might be going too far, but there is definitely no reason why they shouldn't lend employees office equipment such as monitors and chairs that are currently not being used.

I think people were expecting to return to the office part of the week.

In which case they would turn up in the office and their equipment would be at home.

AndrewJRenko

Deleted User wrote: »

I think yours it the logic that is twisted. We are in the middle of a GLOBAL PANDEMIC, and right now, the safest place to work, is at home. I for one, am glad that my employer didn't wait to individually renegotiate every contract with every employee before deciding it was in the best interest of the public health to reduce the risk of contracting Covid19 by allowing me to work from my own home.

You're right, we are in the middle of a pandemic. Not the start of a pandemic, the middle of the pandemic. At the start of the pandemic, we all got with programme and did the good corporate citizen thing of being flexible for our employer, no problem there. It was indeed appropriate that the employer didn't wait to individually negotiate.

But we're not at the start of a pandemic now - we're in the middle, with 3-6 months or possible 3-6 years if the vaccine doesn't come through.

We have largely empty offices, still being managed, maintained, heated, staffed for security purposes for a small number of essential staff, with loads of space for the very small number of staff for whom WFH isn't safe.

What are you afraid of?

Deleted User wrote: »

If your claim is musculo-skeletal related, make sure you also advise your employer of the extra pounds you mentioned that you've piled on as a result of WFH (I guess they should also have provided a time-release lock for your fridge to help you keep your nose out of it) and let them check that whatever device you use for your copious boards posting, is ergonomically set up, and not contributing to your issues.

The only thing they should be providing is an office space, same as they always did.

beauf wrote: »

I think people were expecting to return to the office part of the week.

In which case they would turn up in the office and their equipment would be at home.

Some employers have provided extra monitors for home, a fairly low cost overall.
Personally I'd be happy to use the laptop one day a week at home, and leave the big screens in work.

AndrewJRenko

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

You're right, we are in the middle of a pandemic. Not the start of a pandemic, the middle of the pandemic. At the start of the pandemic, we all got with programme and did the good corporate citizen thing of being flexible for our employer, no problem there. It was indeed appropriate that the employer didn't wait to individually negotiate.

But we're not at the start of a pandemic now - we're in the middle, with 3-6 months or possible 3-6 years if the vaccine doesn't come through.

We have largely empty offices, still being managed, maintained, heated, staffed for security purposes for a small number of essential staff, with loads of space for the very small number of staff for whom WFH isn't safe.

What are you afraid of?


The only thing they should be providing is an office space, same as they always did.


Some employers have provided extra monitors for home, a fairly low cost overall.
Personally I'd be happy to use the laptop one day a week at home, and leave the big screens in work.

Yes. The middle of a pandemic. Its far from over yet

What am I afraid off? Catching Corona Virus from someone who thinks its over.

If the employer was to allow "some" people back to work who are not essential, then it would be open to abuse - and would be open to some managers to abuse by insisting staff who are not needed in the office and do NOT want to return to office based work, into returning. This was already happening, the last time they tried to open up.

Now is NOT the time to be whinging about your terms and conditions, Andrew. You could have it a lot worse.

Get with the programme.

Mrs OBumble

Jimson wrote: »

Sell out colleagues really? WOW

WFH is great and is the future and long may it continue!!

Surely you can put a small desk in your bedroom and let your partner have the living room.

I paid 50 quid in woodies for a 6ft folding table, brought office chair home along with laptop Docking Station etc. All sorted and the 50 quid table is great.

No issues whatsoever!

It's great that your accommodation is large enough that you were able to do that.

Mine isn't: If I did that, the only way to get from the door to the window, wardrobe or one side of the bed would be by crawling over the bed. Not gonna happen. I deliberately rented a small, well-located apartment that's fine for two people to live in. I did not expect to have to provide my employer with office space - and I cannot afford to do so. I have priced what it would rent an office within 2km of my home. Cost is horrific.

In a previous job, to be allowed to work form home for a couple of evening meetings over three weeks, I had to sign a form saying I was providing an ergonomic workstation with lots of other things, right down to daily rubbish removal from the premises. It's likely that many people doing WFH will asked to do similar, especially if they want it to be long term and not just a pandemic response.

California Dreamer

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

In a previous job, to be allowed to work form home for a couple of evening meetings over three weeks, I had to sign a form saying I was providing an ergonomic workstation with lots of other things, right down to daily rubbish removal from the premises. It's likely that many people doing WFH will asked to do similar, especially if they want it to be long term and not just a pandemic response.

Personally I cannot see that. Look at the money that companies have saved in the last 8 months in energy costs alone. This whole WFH is a gift for a lot of companies.

AndrewJRenko

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Yes. The middle of a pandemic. Its far from over yet

What am I afraid off? Catching Corona Virus from someone who thinks its over.

If the employer was to allow "some" people back to work who are not essential, then it would be open to abuse - and would be open to some managers to abuse by insisting staff who are not needed in the office and do NOT want to return to office based work, into returning. This was already happening, the last time they tried to open up.

Now is NOT the time to be whinging about your terms and conditions, Andrew. You could have it a lot worse.

Get with the programme.

So just like everything else in the workplace, managers would need to manage the return to the workplace for staff who can't wfh. Just like the manage access for essential staff at present. All that is required is a shared diary or spreadsheet. It's not hard really.

AndrewJRenko

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

So just like everything else in the workplace, managers would need to manage the return to the workplace for staff who can't wfh. Just like the manage access for essential staff at present. All that is required is a shared diary or spreadsheet. It's not hard really.

Completely ignores the points made about the potential for abuse by managers who just want arses back in seats even if non-essential, and even though we know it was happening before this lockdown, when earlier restrictions were lifted.

Ok then.

Now whose lacking in "fraternal support".

Mrs OBumble

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

In a previous job, to be allowed to work form home for a couple of evening meetings over three weeks, I had to sign a form saying I was providing an ergonomic workstation with lots of other things, right down to daily rubbish removal from the premises. It's likely that many people doing WFH will asked to do similar, especially if they want it to be long term and not just a pandemic response.

I've been working from home at least one day a week, for over a year, long before Covid19 happened. If it wasn't a requirement before Covid19, I doubt it will be a requirement after it.

Never been asked for any of this, and certainly nothing to do with rubbish collections - never heard of that even from private sector friends who've worked from home for years. Not necessary in this day of paperless offices, anyway.

beauf

Deleted User wrote: »

I've been working from home at least one day a week, for over a year, long before Covid19 happened. If it wasn't a requirement before Covid19, I doubt it will be a requirement after it.

Never been asked for any of this, and certainly nothing to do with rubbish collections - never heard of that even from private sector friends who've worked from home for years. Not necessary in this day of paperless offices, anyway.

I have heard of it, and I have heard of some people locations being checked. We have a similar policy but it was never enforced pre lock down. Though some manager have been muttering about it during lockdown.

Checking locations and ergonomics used to be a thing in the civil service back in the dark ages approx 20-ish years ago when "e-working" was first introduced (except for the bit about rubbish collections - never heard of that) but its not something I've heard of in recent times. I wouldn't let someone into my house anyway, during a level 5 lockdown.

Mrs OBumble

California Dreamer wrote: »

Personally I cannot see that. Look at the money that companies have saved in the last 8 months in energy costs alone. This whole WFH is a gift for a lot of companies.

Those savings will be quickly enough wiped out by the compensation claims from people with long term injuries from sitting hunched over a laptop for months at a time. You may scoff, but these injuries can happen. It will only take a couple before employers liability insurers demand action.

Jimson

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Those savings will be quickly enough wiped out by the compensation claims from people with long term injuries from sitting hunched over a laptop for months at a time. You may scoff, but these injuries can happen. It will only take a couple before employers liability insurers demand action.

Jesus Christ. That's like demanding a standing desk in the office and then suing the employer for not getting one.

AndrewJRenko

Deleted User wrote: »

Completely ignores the points made about the potential for abuse by managers who just want arses back in seats even if non-essential, and even though we know it was happening before this lockdown, when earlier restrictions were lifted.

Ok then.

Now whose lacking in "fraternal support".

So now we're getting to see what you're actually afraid of. You're afraid that if some staff are given the choice to get back to the office, you will end up being forced back into the office by a dodgy manager.

So like a dog in the manger, you're pushing for no-one to be let back into the office, instead of dealing with the actual problem with your own manager.

Again, the fraternal support is noted.

Deleted User wrote: »

I've been working from home at least one day a week, for over a year, long before Covid19 happened. If it wasn't a requirement before Covid19, I doubt it will be a requirement after it.

Never been asked for any of this, and certainly nothing to do with rubbish collections - never heard of that even from private sector friends who've worked from home for years. Not necessary in this day of paperless offices, anyway.

Deleted User wrote: »

Checking locations and ergonomics used to be a thing in the civil service back in the dark ages approx 20-ish years ago when "e-working" was first introduced (except for the bit about rubbish collections - never heard of that) but its not something I've heard of in recent times. I wouldn't let someone into my house anyway, during a level 5 lockdown.

Worked in a hi-tech multinational in the naughties, and those looking to work for home had to have their room (not the kitchen table, had to be a room) inspected for safety and ergonomic purposes.

You couldn't be more wrong Andrew - but you have nothing else to accuse me of.

I'm not afraid of being told to go back ot office based working, because I worked part time from home already, and did even before covid rose its ugly head. My supervisor is not dodgy, they are extremely supportive and has already confirmed that WFH has gone so well that they are more then happy for that to remain unchanged, and even increased if I wish.

I am concerned that other people who do not wish to return to office based work could be forced too, (or preventing from taking up WFH in the future) because of the attitudes of the likes of yourself. This was happening during the last easing of restrictions, and you know it was.

Like I said previously, there is always someone who wants to ruin it for everyone else - someone who looks for the negative, in what the majority are finding a huge positive. My dept did a survey on WFH and the results were an overwhelmingly positive response.

YOU are thinking purely and soley of YOURSELF, with your whining about non-negotiated WFH being forced upon you and "providing your employer with free office space" during a public health emergency the likes of which we've never had before in living memory. You really have little to complain about.

PS - FYI. We are not in the naugties, anymore.

delly

Here you go OP, a Pocket Office, as featured on the Late Late Show. All for the bargain price of €2.5k/€3k if I recall correctly. Not that I like to knock an Irish business, but how you can charge that much for a revamped car parking attendant box, I don't know.

https://www.borienstudio.com/wfh-pocket-1

feel free to drop by the DIY forum if you want a thread on your actual request. I see that this thread has descended into a a WFH debate unfortunately.

AndrewJRenko

Deleted User wrote: »

You couldn't be more wrong Andrew - but you have nothing else to accuse me of.

I'm not afraid of being told to go back ot office based working, because I worked part time from home already, and did even before covid rose its ugly head. My supervisor is not dodgy, they are extremely supportive and has already confirmed that WFH has gone so well that they are more then happy for that to remain unchanged, and even increased if I wish.

I am concerned that other people who do not wish to return to office based work could be forced too, (or preventing from taking up WFH in the future) because of the attitudes of the likes of yourself. This was happening during the last easing of restrictions, and you know it was.

Like I said previously, there is always someone who wants to ruin it for everyone else - someone who looks for the negative, in what the majority are finding a huge positive. My dept did a survey on WFH and the results were an overwhelmingly positive response.

YOU are thinking purely and soley of YOURSELF, with your whining about non-negotiated WFH being forced upon you and "providing your employer with free office space" during a public health emergency the likes of which we've never had before in living memory. You really have little to complain about.

PS - FYI. We are not in the naugties, anymore.

You might want to take a look in the mirror. You accuse me of 'solely thinking of YOURSELF' while you want to stop other people getting something just in case other people don't get something unrelated?

There is no connection between the two. If you bothered putting your thinking cap on before posting, you might have worked out that actually, allowing people who don't want to WFH back into the office leaves LESS space available to force anyone else to return to the office?

But unfortunately your position seems driven by spite and fear rather than any actual logic.

Here's just some of the people that you're turning your back on with your 'little to complain about' whinge.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/0609/1146245-domestic-violence-gardai/

My reference to the practices of the naughties was to show that your claim that safety checks on home workspaces was 'a civil service' thing was untrue.

Mrs OBumble

Deleted User wrote: »

...there is always someone who wants to ruin it for everyone else - someone who looks for the negative, in what the majority are finding a huge positive. My dept did a survey on WFH and the results were an overwhelmingly positive response.

YOU are thinking purely and soley of YOURSELF, with your whining about non-negotiated WFH being forced upon you and "providing your employer with free office space" during a public health emergency the likes of which we've never had before in living memory.

I'm ok with working from grossly unsatisfactory premises during a major public health emergency. But I don't expect that emergency to last forever. Once it's under control, I expect my employer to be providing all the tools and premises that are needed to do the job.

While WFH might seem attractive, you need to remember that if a job can be done 100% WFH, it can be done 100% from Romania too, and there's someone there will do it a lot more cheaply than you will. This isn't such an issue for public servants, but is for private sector workers, and for any services that can be contracted out.

Dial Hard

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

While WFH might seem attractive, you need to remember that if a job can be done 100% WFH, it can be done 100% from Romania too, and there's someone there will do it a lot more cheaply than you will. This isn't such an issue for public servants, but is for private sector workers, and for any services that can be contracted out.

I'm so tired of this entirely specious argument. Just because a job can be done remotely doesn't mean it can be done from anywhere, by anyone.

I've been 100% WFH since March 12th and could remain so indefinitely. As I've said before, my job requires intimate knowledge of the Irish political and legislative landscape. I'd love to know how you think that could be outsourced to a desk farm in Romania.