Property companies 'research' says everyone wants to return to office

Well obviously. But lots of people aren't travelling at peak time. Or in a car. Or leaving the house. Especially those coming into the country. That wasn't 500k more cars on the road at peak time. I was on the train and it was half empty. Wednesday it was standing only. Of course a train broke down.

Driving to work is nightmare. Too much housing with no transport means getting out of the local area is a nightmare. Across the city. All the roads are narrowed and lights are prioritising pedestrians over cars since lockdown. Almost every evening I try using the M50 there's an accident and/or a queue. Then you meet the same gridlock trying to get back in to the local area.

This is not new. Been fighting traffic in Dublin for decades. Goes in cycles but let's face it Dublin cant handle the number of cars.

Plenty of people aren't price-sensitive, though, and value convenience and their time more highly than the absolute cost of driving to work and paying for parking for a day or two a week versus getting public transport.

I have to go into the office 2 days a week (sometimes more) in my current place and I can't stand it.

Driving 90 mins to 2 hours each way to sit in a city centre office where I get less done than I can get done at home - most of the day is emails/calls with team members who are remote or offshore themselves, a lot of which can't be discussed in an open office anyway.

I've had recruiters call about jobs and if there's no WFH/mostly remote option, I'm immediately not interested. I've no problem going in if I NEED to do something there or to catch up with someone in person, but the pointlessness of it otherwise grates on me every time.

I'm 9 - 6 not including lunch break. So, a 40 hour week. I'd say most office jobs are 37.5 - 40 hours. I did have a 35 hour week once. But it's rare.

Anyway, that's fine working from home, but working in the office and you can tag 3 - 4 hours per day on that. I even work more hours at home cause I can easily work any extra bit of time or start early without worrying about FPT.

**** public transport

its often the dead weight workers who won't quit - they just ring in sick or their car breakdown when they are expected in the office - they rely on excuses.. It's the good people that leave because they know the can get home working employment elsewhere.

35% of the workforce working remote or hybrid suggest otherwise.

Good sign of a company when they are quiet firing people and trying to avoid statutory redundancy. Time to brush off the CV for those not getting fired.

It's up to the employer & employee to decide the working patterns, at the contract and job offer stage.

If it's in your contract to work fulltime in the office, then that's what you are contracted to do. End of story.

Many employers do feel that working in the office is more productive; we have seen this in evidence recently, with many of the tech companies moving people back to the office.

The personal arguments for and against WFH are irrelevant; what matters is the contract you signed and agreed to.

If people dont like their contract conditions, thats fine, get another job.

It is not up to the employee to dictate their working conditions to the employer, especially when the contract the employee signed is in conflict with their WFH request.

I dont think people are against it, but most people accept the stipulations of their contract, the one they signed, with agreement from their employer.

If the employer feels it is better for their business that you are in the office and you sign a contract to work in office, then you work in the office, as agreed by all parties.

Same scenario if you sign a remote or hybrid contract.

I agree, but I think this hybrid idea is a cod.

If I'm just as productive from home and want to stay working from just let me stay work from home.

Don't force me to come into the office for a certain amount of arbitrary days a week or a month just for the sake of it.

Exactly, contract trumps everything.

If someone is contracted remote, they can't be forced back into the office.

If they are contracted 100% in-office, they have no contractual right to WFH.

The reasons companies might insist on enforcing their own in office policy doesnt matter; It's the policy.

And we signed up to that policy when we accepted the job.

Theres usually a get out clause, subject to business requirements. So you kinda are stuffed if they change it.

I see there was a first "win" for someone challenging a rto mandate. Kinda irrelevant for most people..

This is incorrect. Many places have different remote policy's for different roles.

That's why I said it was irrelevant for most people.

Most employers want everyone back in the office now, because the increase in productivity in the office more than outweighs the extra overheads of office rent, heat, rates etc.

Yeah that's not true even if when they measure it and vast majority don't.

Even the tech companies have stopped using these fake narratives because they've realised they don't have to. They can just order people back due to their contracts and give no reason..