Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi all,
Vanilla are planning an update to the site on April 24th (next Wednesday). It is a major PHP8 update which is expected to boost performance across the site. The site will be down from 7pm and it is expected to take about an hour to complete. We appreciate your patience during the update.
Thanks all.

Is there really that many working from home?

  • 07-10-2020 1:30pm
    #1
    veryangryman
    Registered Users Posts: 5,528 ✭✭✭


    Dr Glynn the other wk mentioned the traffic around Dublin. Given that alot of the work there is office based, what is causing the queues. There must be a decent amount of office workers in those cars.


«13456

Comments

  • #2
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭[Deleted User]


    I am WFH about 80% of the time, but still make frequent trips into the office.
    So right now, I do about 50% of the journeys that I did in the years BC.


  • #3
    bk
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,446 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    veryangryman wrote: »
    Dr Glynn the other wk mentioned the traffic around Dublin. Given that alot of the work there is office based, what is causing the queues. There must be a decent amount of office workers in those cars.

    That is definitely a lot of offices closed. Certainly all the big IT companies are.

    However for those who are going into offices still, people who would have a car, but might have taken public transport in the past, are probably opting to take the car now instead over worries about Covid19 on public transport, thus adding to congestion.


  • #4
    GT89
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,770 ✭✭✭GT89


    The schools would be a big one too


  • #5
    jrosen
    Registered Users Posts: 1,629 ✭✭✭jrosen


    Offices are not closed they are very much open and there are lots of people who are required in the office or want to be in the office. Im sure there are also employees who previously would have taken public transport who are now driving.

    Then all the sectors who are required on site plus the schools are back and there are lots of parents who are choosing to drive their kids to school because buses are full.


  • #6
    Tabnabs
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 15,687 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tabnabs


    M50 is very light on traffic these days, especially during rush hour. When you get into the suburbs it's the school traffic and awful traffic light sequencing that is screwing traffic up.


  • Advertisement
  • #7
    sphinxicus
    Registered Users Posts: 131 ✭✭sphinxicus


    veryangryman wrote: »
    Dr Glynn the other wk mentioned the traffic around Dublin. Given that alot of the work there is office based, what is causing the queues. There must be a decent amount of office workers in those cars.

    from comments i've read elsewhere it seems that lots of places are starting to ask their staff to come back into their place of work. Once a few people go maybe the rest feel even more pressured to go in too?

    I've definately notices a massive uptick in the number of cars on the road when im dropping the kids off at school.

    Personally my company has said we wont be back until well into next year at the very least and even then they are actively pushing many teams to consider making working from home a permenent thing. If enough do it, they can cancel rents on office space they no longer need.


  • #8
    GooglePlus
    Registered Users Posts: 2,010 ✭✭✭GooglePlus


    jrosen wrote: »
    Offices are not closed they are very much open and there are lots of people who are required in the office or want to be in the office. Im sure there are also employees who previously would have taken public transport who are now driving.

    Then all the sectors who are required on site plus the schools are back and there are lots of parents who are choosing to drive their kids to school because buses are full.

    I've friends divided over a number of sectors from marketing to IT and even public service. They're all working from home and haven't been into the city for work since late March.


  • #9
    GerardKeating
    Registered Users Posts: 7,523 ✭✭✭GerardKeating


    We are approx 200 people in our offices in Galway and Dublin, and most every is working from home since march, maybe a dozen make the odd trip to the office, last time i was there, we had 3 cars in the car park.


  • #10
    loyatemu
    Registered Users Posts: 14,716 ✭✭✭✭loyatemu


    jrosen wrote: »
    Offices are not closed they are very much open and there are lots of people who are required in the office or want to be in the office. Im sure there are also employees who previously would have taken public transport who are now driving.

    really - all the tech company offices are closed, & anyone I know in the banks are WFH full time. I pass the Dart station in Greystones and there's rarely anyone on the trains, or any buses that I see, and the bike racks are 90% empty which would normally be full. Now maybe loads of Dart commuters have switched to the car, but my impression is most large offices are currently closed, or have a skeleton staff in.

    A colleague who was in the IFSC last week said the whole area is dead. Colleges are also closed so there are no students or lecturers on the road.


  • #11
    jrosen
    Registered Users Posts: 1,629 ✭✭✭jrosen


    loyatemu wrote: »
    really - all the tech company offices are closed, & anyone I know in the banks are WFH full time. I pass the Dart station in Greystones and there's rarely anyone on the trains, or any buses that I see, and the bike racks are 90% empty which would normally be full. Now maybe loads of Dart commuters have switched to the car, but my impression is most large offices are currently closed, or have a skeleton staff in.

    A colleague who was in the IFSC last week said the whole area is dead. Colleges are also closed so there are no students or lecturers on the road.

    Yes lots of offices open.


  • Advertisement
  • #12
    Cookiemunster
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 11,792 Mod ✭✭✭✭Cookiemunster


    Most people in employment in Ireland don't work in jobs where WFH is possible, so once non essential workers were allowed backed to work traffic shot up too. The fact that PT is still limited means that more of those are driving than before too.


  • #13
    MaryL88
    Registered Users Posts: 6 ✭MaryL88


    in my company 95% are working form home and will be until March next year.


  • #14
    Milena009
    Registered Users Posts: 133 ✭✭Milena009


    My company is on WFH further notice with the note that our regular contracts do allow Flex work (wfh and occasional office depending on agreement)


  • #15
    Mrs OBumble
    Registered Users Posts: 25,658 ✭✭✭✭Mrs OBumble


    Companies may be WFH - but is it actually home, or just some other convenient place that people are working from.

    In one company I do work for, there's one person we know is working from an office somewhere-or-other, one from her brother's house 'cos hers is too noisy, one who works from her home or her mothers depending on which sibling is doing the elder-care that week. There may be others who've done all sorts of deals that we just don't know about yet, too. All we really know is that they're not working from our offices.


  • #16
    bk
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,446 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    Mrs OBumble wrote: »
    Companies may be WFH - but is it actually home, or just some other convenient place that people are working from.

    In one company I do work for, there's one person we know is working from an office somewhere-or-other, one from her brother's house 'cos hers is too noisy, one who works from her home or her mothers depending on which sibling is doing the elder-care that week. There may be others who've done all sorts of deals that we just don't know about yet, too. All we really know is that they're not working from our offices.

    Of course there would be some exceptions, but from what I've seen most are genuinely working from home. At least as far as I can tell from zoom meetings and from what people say.

    Having said that, I've been WFH for years and pre-covid, sure I would change it up and work from various local cafes and a local library just for a change of scenery. I'd also work from family or friends homes in other parts of the country and even other countries. WFH back then was more of a broader idea that you aren't office based, rather then definitely being home. It is more about flexibility of working where is suits you and makes life easier for you.


  • #17
    magicbastarder
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 48,234 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    i've been able to work from home for years, but used to go into the office a couple of days a week for the social aspect, and for the exercise.

    i can't work in a public place though, a lot of what i deal with is in relation to cyber security so not something i can let people eavesdrop on should i need to take a call.


  • #18
    breezy1985
    Registered Users Posts: 24,302 ✭✭✭✭breezy1985


    Mrs OBumble wrote: »
    Companies may be WFH - but is it actually home, or just some other convenient place that people are working from.

    In one company I do work for, there's one person we know is working from an office somewhere-or-other, one from her brother's house 'cos hers is too noisy, one who works from her home or her mothers depending on which sibling is doing the elder-care that week. There may be others who've done all sorts of deals that we just don't know about yet, too. All we really know is that they're not working from our offices.

    You make that sound very sinister


  • #19
    techdiver
    Registered Users Posts: 3,063 ✭✭✭techdiver


    I've been working from home since March and I love it. I did do a couple of days a week at home for the last few years anyway and have an appropriate home office setup.

    I live in the Midlands but my job is based in Dublin and I feel like I've gotten my life back. There has been no drop in productivity in our team and I really hope companies look at this as a long term strategy and only have people come into the office that want to and not require it. It would be a win win for everyone apart from commercial property owners. Companies save money by reducing office space and they have happier employees with a better work life balance.


  • #20
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭[Deleted User]


    techdiver wrote: »
    I've been working from home since March and I love it. I did do a couple of days a week at home for the last few years anyway and have an appropriate home office setup.

    I live in the Midlands but my job is based in Dublin and I feel like I've gotten my life back. There has been no drop in productivity in our team and I really hope companies look at this as a long term strategy and only have people come into the office that want to and not require it. It would be a win win for everyone apart from commercial property owners. Companies save money by reducing office space and they have happier employees with a better work life balance.
    Same here, I used to work in Dublin and the commute was an absolute nightmare,I since quit that job and got one only 10 minutes away so no commute to speak of now.
    Having said that, I am now WFH 3.5 - 4 days a week and loving it!
    Long may it continue, It's also much better for the environment as well as far less stressful.


  • #21
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭[Deleted User]


    Everyone is in the car and nobody is sharing cars

    I mean, is that really a mystery

    Actual numbers in town are noticeably much reduced.


  • Advertisement
  • #22
    drunk_monk
    Registered Users Posts: 719 ✭✭✭drunk_monk


    I believe most large offices are closed particularly in the IT sector and call centres. Companies have a responsibility to protect the health and well being of their employees and it is very difficult for companies to do that and be compliant with C19 regulations when workers are in the office. Also no company wants to be in the news for a large C19 outbreak.


  • #23
    Mrs OBumble
    Registered Users Posts: 25,658 ✭✭✭✭Mrs OBumble


    breezy1985 wrote: »
    You make that sound very sinister

    Not sure where you get that from.

    It does have some GDPR implications, though, which managers are currently ignoring.


  • #24
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭[Deleted User]


    Mrs OBumble wrote: »
    Not sure where you get that from.

    It does have some GDPR implications, though, which managers are currently ignoring.
    If all the data is retained on the company devices and that device is kept secure, there should be no issues.


  • #25
    AndrewJRenko
    Registered Users Posts: 28,324 ✭✭✭✭AndrewJRenko


    drunk_monk wrote: »
    I believe most large offices are closed particularly in the IT sector and call centres. Companies have a responsibility to protect the health and well being of their employees and it is very difficult for companies to do that and be compliant with C19 regulations when workers are in the office. Also no company wants to be in the news for a large C19 outbreak.

    It's also very difficult for companies to be compliant with H&S obligations when staff are hunched over a laptop at a kitchen table or a dressing table in a box room


  • #26
    Mrs OBumble
    Registered Users Posts: 25,658 ✭✭✭✭Mrs OBumble


    dolanbaker wrote: »
    If all the data is retained on the company devices and that device is kept secure, there should be no issues.

    We've told them that they aren't allowed to print, but couldn't find a way to prevent taking screenshots only when logged in thru the VPN.

    Also we've said that no member of the household should be able to overhear phone calls, but there's no way to enforce that.


  • #27
    Thinkingaboutit
    Registered Users Posts: 2,179 ✭✭✭Thinkingaboutit


    WFH for all except one day a week. Some things cannot be easily be done remotely.


  • #28
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭[Deleted User]


    Mrs OBumble wrote: »
    We've told them that they aren't allowed to print, but couldn't find a way to prevent taking screenshots only when logged in thru the VPN.

    Also we've said that no member of the household should be able to overhear phone calls, but there's no way to enforce that.
    You don't have to be this extreme, but most people can find a private space for the WFH.
    home-front-door-security-cartoon-illustration-many-locks-weapons-31441949.jpg


    If privacy is an absolute requirement, then it would make sense to rent a local office space, they're going to be part of the new normal.


  • #29
    _Brian
    Registered Users Posts: 18,468 ✭✭✭✭_Brian


    Haven’t literally been inside the company premises since February.

    I’m actually planning (and hoping) that my job will be 100% WFH going forward.


  • #30
    techdiver
    Registered Users Posts: 3,063 ✭✭✭techdiver


    Thinkingaboutit wrote: »
    WFH for all except one day a week. Some things cannot be easily be done remotely.

    True but it depends on the industry. Some managers seem to be very creative with the "required in the office" line. I know people going to the office that do not need to. All to satisfy an over zealous manager who wants everyone on his eye line.

    Luckily my company is more trusting of their employees. That in turn actually has a positive outcome as regards quality and quantity of work.

    If the government are bringing in more stringent measures workplaces should be forced to allow staff to work from home unless they can present a valid reason as to why they cannot.


  • Advertisement
  • #31
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭[Deleted User]


    I find that many companies are actively keeping non essential staff WFH to reduce the risk of production staff being infected by the office staff.


Advertisement