DVLA Adding To HGV Shortages

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rjk

not very easy to nightclub from home is it?

---

I thought the concern was for people's health? Four people working in an office is less dangerous than 300 in a nightclub, no?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rjk

This thread just reads like the tory boys on here are desperate for someone to take part of the blame for the ongoing CF with regards to hgv drivers, and they don't want it to be the Tories or Brexit, so now we are blaming unions and mark Drakeford

---

bLoOdY ToRiEs!

Or maybe the reasoning for HGV issues thats been drummed into you is not the whole story and you should be open minded to hearing other sides of it?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JamesWales

Speaking to people, friends, colleagues, co-workers, clients and obviously working myself.

---

Definitive stuff.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JamesWales

I thought the concern was for people's health? Four people working in an office is less dangerous than 300 in a nightclub, no?

---

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you have to provide either proof of vaccination or a negative LFT to gain entry to a nightclub here in Wales? No?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Lone Gunman

Definitive stuff.

---

Do you have no opinions of your own? You await the releases from National Statistics to tell you what to think?

If you think a City player is good, what do you base it on? Probably your own eyes. Now stop being obtuse!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Lone Gunman

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you have to provide either proof of vaccination or a negative LFT to gain entry to a nightclub here in Wales? No?

---

Yes you do. And he could say that he would encourage businesses to do the same in order to allow staff to work together in a safe manner.

He offers a route into nightclubs, but asks people to work at home. That's the difference.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rjk

This thread just reads like the tory boys on here are desperate for someone to take part of the blame for the ongoing CF with regards to hgv drivers, and they don't want it to be the Tories or Brexit, so now we are blaming unions and mark Drakeford

---

Of course Brexit played a part ,along with a global shortage , 400 thousand vacancies in Europe , unattractive working conditions , poor pay driven by cheap agency labour, unattractive industry for women and young men .The point I made could the backlog at the DVLA help to move out the HGV /Driver applications rather than look to ballot for industrial action , this is effecting other workers not just themselves ,and what really does worry me will governments or businesses move this work away from Wales whcih woudl be a massive impact in that region if it thinks the DVLA is going to continue to be a barrier ?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JamesWales

Do you have no opinions of your own?

---

I have plenty of opinions and I'm of the opinion that you're making assumptions based on little other than your own biases.

I'm a civil servant. The only times I've worked at home during the pandemic have been on weekends when I've done unpaid work in an attempt to make up for the chronic staff shortages in our office which have been brought about by severe funding cuts in recent years.

Despite the fact that around 80% of the work my office does is now digital and could easily be done by the staff while at home, our senior management have insisted on 100% staff attendance in the office since February - this while the Welsh government were recommending that people should work from home if they can and while the senior management (who are all based in England) were working from home themselves.

It's Ok, though - we have plastic barriers between our desks now. They were installed on Monday afternoon. I kid you not. Meanwhile, the private enterprise that is based on the floor above us, and whose staff numbers usually dwarf ours, has had little more than a skeleton staff on site since the pandemic began.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JamesWales

He offers a route into nightclubs, but asks people to work at home if they can. That's the difference.

---

There wouldn't be much point in asking people to go nightclubbing at home, no?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Lone Gunman

I have plenty of opinions and I'm of the opinion that you're making assumptions based on little other than your own biases.

I'm a civil servant. The only times I've worked at home during the pandemic have been on weekends when I've done unpaid work in an attempt to make up for the chronic staff shortages in our office which have been brought about by severe funding cuts in recent years.

Despite the fact that around 80% of the work my office does is now digital and could easily be done by the staff while at home, our senior management have insisted on 100% staff attendance in the office since February - this while the Welsh government were recommending that people should work from home if they can and while the senior management (who are all based in England) were working from home themselves.

It's Ok, though - we have plastic barriers between our desks now. They were installed on Monday afternoon. I kid you not. Meanwhile, the private enterprise that is based on the floor above us, and whose staff numbers usually dwarf ours, has had little more than a skeleton staff on site since the pandemic began.

---

Thats interesting. My experience is the exact opposite. Everyone I know in public sector offices is generally at home. Private sector, the opposite.

It would certainly be interesting to see the data

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Lone Gunman

There wouldn't be much point in asking people to go nightclubbing at home, no?

---

You are missing my point. The point is to try and continue with our lives in a safer manner. It is demonstrably safer to have a meeting in an office than be in a large nightclub.

Meetings can be held online. Socialising can also be done online. He offers a route to nightclubs (via vaccinations etc) yet keeps the door shut on offices, which is perhaps more important to the wider economy, wellbeing, secondary businesses etc.

I don't see what's controversial here. We probably agree about most of it, you're just upset cos I'm not sucking off Mark Serwotka or something.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JamesWales

You are missing my point. The point is to try and continue with our lives in a safer manner. It is demonstrably safer to have a meeting in an office than be in a large nightclub.

Meetings can be held online. Socialising can also be done online. He offers a route to nightclubs (via vaccinations etc) yet keeps the door shut on offices, which is perhaps more important to the wider economy, wellbeing, secondary businesses etc.

I don't see what's controversial here. We probably agree about most of it, you're just upset cos I'm not sucking off Mark Serwotka or something.

---

Your having a mare.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JamesWales

It would certainly be interesting to see the data

---

It would, because for many months I've been reading reports about companies whose staff are mostly or entirely working from home, and how they'll never go back to working the way they used to as it was costly and counter-productive.

I'm certainly not seeing much evidence of all of the private sector offices being full again when I walk through Cardiff city centre each day, that's for sure.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JamesWales

I don't see what's controversial here. We probably agree about most of it, you're just upset cos I'm not sucking off Mark Serwotka or something.

---

I'm not upset in the slightest. I'm merely amused by your ignorance.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JamesWales

Thats interesting. My experience is the exact opposite. Everyone I know in public sector offices is generally at home. Private sector, the opposite.

It would certainly be interesting to see the data

---

I work in the private sector and almost everyone in my company, and the previous company I worked for are still working from home most of the time.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Lone Gunman

It would, because for many months I've been reading reports about companies whose staff are mostly or entirely working from home, and how they'll never go back to working the way they used to as it was costly and counter-productive.

I'm certainly not seeing much evidence of all of the private sector offices being full again when I walk through Cardiff city centre each day, that's for sure.

---

I didnt say full, and no one is talking about all companies going back to how they were before the pandemic. A shift, unquestionably has occured

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Lone Gunman

I'm not upset in the slightest. I'm merely amused by your ignorance.

---

I said that I believe private sector offices are generally more full than public sector. And that is my experince.

Are you really saying that you think that is wrong?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hilts

Your having a mare.

---

I don't think explaining myself again for those that don't understand my point is having a mare, but thanks for the concern.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JamesWales

I said that I believe private sector offices are generally more full than public sector. And that is my experince. Are you really saying that you think that is wrong?

---

I don't have a firm opinion either way as the evidence is unclear.

One thing I will say, though - at the behest of the Tory government, the work of the entire civil service has become increasingly digitalised in recent years and a far greater percentage of civil servants are now working at home either mostly or entirely. There was a very clear drive towards this situation long before Covid-19 reared its ugly head, and in some respects the pandemic has actually slowed the move towards remote working for various departments, including the one I work for.

There is no issue working from home on sensitive data when using the correct IT equipment. I used to work for Capita doing PIP assessments. I did my assessments at peoples homes and wrote my reports at home. I used a laptop with IL3 security, security dongles and a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) for secure HDD encryption. Computer users trying to upgrade to Windows 11 will be hearing quite a bit about TPM’s as they will be are a requirement for the upgrade.

IL3 standard allows for restricted data to be moved over public networks securely. This allowed me to access DWP databases at home. I doubt that the DVLA data has a higher security level that the DWP data.

What annoys me TLG is that you label me ignorant when it's basically your personal experience vs. mine. I would never call you (or anyone else) ignorant for expressing their experiences as they see it.

Here is at least one article that does back up my experience by the way.

https://inews.co.uk/news/uk-cities-m...easing-1239719

It's dated from last week, it uses data compiled by Google and it actually cites Cardiff specifically stating:

"Cardiff had the greatest drop in people in the workplace, with a 47 per cent fall. Edinburgh came second with a 44 per cent cut, followed by London, at 40 per cent."

And, in respect of why this may be:

"Ben Bolton, director of Cooke & Arkwright, the largest firm of independent commercial property advisers in Wales, was not surprised that Cardiff had suffered the highest decline.

He said the city had a high proportion of public-sector workers, who were more likely to work from home due to budget constraints making it more difficult for the workplace to be made Covid-secure."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JamesWales

What annoys me TLG.....

---

I'll be honest, I couldn't care less what annoys you.

Have a good evening. I'm off to a gig, Covid passport in hand. I don't need it for the office, though.

:thumbup:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JamesWales

Thats interesting. My experience is the exact opposite. Everyone I know in public sector offices is generally at home. Private sector, the opposite.

It would certainly be interesting to see the data

---

I went in on Monday to return my IT equipment and I was surprised to see a very tiny proportion of the staff in the office (and there are about 900 on the books). We were blessed with portable laptops and we were used to hot desking before Covid hit, which helped.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Lone Gunman

I don't have a firm opinion either way as the evidence is unclear.

One thing I will say, though - at the behest of the Tory government, the work of the entire civil service has become increasingly digitalised in recent years and a far greater percentage of civil servants are now working at home either mostly or entirely. There was a very clear drive towards this situation long before Covid-19 reared its ugly head, and in some respects the pandemic has actually slowed the move towards remote working for various departments, including the one I work for.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Lone Gunman

I'll be honest, I couldn't care less what annoys you.

Have a good evening. I'm off to a gig, Covid passport in hand. I don't need it for the office, though.

:thumbup:

---

No, you don't seem the kind of person who would care.

Have a nice evening

I think this is a cracker!

At the end of the day there are only two groups of people who constantly worry about the increasing number of people working from home.

1) Supervisors and Middle Managers whose only purpose in life is to regard themselves as superior to the Hoi polloi. They make limited money out of it but more than the people who accomplish real work. They are the unquestioning slaves of the money men who drive their performance. Their object in life is to accede and command and WFH has seriously eroded their significance. They feel emasculated and have to find other methods to snoop remotely; not easy.

2) Old Fashioned business owners who believe in old fashioned concepts of work effort and time constraints rather than having the nous to evaluate data.

Fortunately both groups are likely to wither in time.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Lone Gunman

I don't have a firm opinion either way as the evidence is unclear.

One thing I will say, though - at the behest of the Tory government, the work of the entire civil service has become increasingly digitalised in recent years and a far greater percentage of civil servants are now working at home either mostly or entirely. There was a very clear drive towards this situation long before Covid-19 reared its ugly head, and in some respects the pandemic has actually slowed the move towards remote working for various departments, including the one I work for.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dorcus

I think this is a cracker!

At the end of the day there are only two groups of people who constantly worry about the increasing number of people working from home.

1) Supervisors and Middle Managers whose only purpose in life is to regard themselves as superior to the Hoi polloi. They make limited money out of it but more than the people who accomplish real work. They are the unquestioning slaves of the money men who drive their performance. Their object in life is to accede and command and WFH has seriously eroded their significance. They feel emasculated and have to find other methods to snoop remotely; not easy.

2) Old Fashioned business owners who believe in old fashioned concepts of work effort and time constraints rather than having the nous to evaluate data.

Fortunately both groups are likely to wither in time.

---

Completely disagree. There are potentially very serious long term consequences of permanent home working, the loss of sharing of information, mental wellbeing impacts, new staff training, business cultures, isolation, the impact on younger staff, the impact on poorer staff, establishing contacts with new clients, ensuring work is understood properly etc. It definitely has the potential to lead to greater isolation and impacts on some much worse than others, and it's typically those who are younger or with less happy home lives

Not to mention the impact on business, sustainable transport and the like.

I know people who have been to a very very dark place through WFH so I have to speak up when you try to charactise it as something simple or wholly positive which it absolutely isn't. It's a very complex topic

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JamesWales

There are potentially very serious long term consequences of permanent home working.....

---

I agree (to a degree), but perhaps you should attempt to express your concerns to the Tory twats you vote for. In my experience, they are extremely keen on digitalization, remote-working, downscaling, cost-cutting, etc. Give it another five years under this shower of shit and I reckon you'll be lucky to speak directly to a civil servant anywhere about anything. Ever.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Lone Gunman

I don't have a firm opinion either way as the evidence is unclear.

One thing I will say, though - at the behest of the Tory government, the work of the entire civil service has become increasingly digitalised in recent years and a far greater percentage of civil servants are now working at home either mostly or entirely. There was a very clear drive towards this situation long before Covid-19 reared its ugly head, and in some respects the pandemic has actually slowed the move towards remote working for various departments, including the one I work for.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dorcus

I think this is a cracker!

At the end of the day there are only two groups of people who constantly worry about the increasing number of people working from home.

1) Supervisors and Middle Managers whose only purpose in life is to regard themselves as superior to the Hoi polloi. They make limited money out of it but more than the people who accomplish real work. They are the unquestioning slaves of the money men who drive their performance. Their object in life is to accede and command and WFH has seriously eroded their significance. They feel emasculated and have to find other methods to snoop remotely; not easy.

2) Old Fashioned business owners who believe in old fashioned concepts of work effort and time constraints rather than having the nous to evaluate data.

Fortunately both groups are likely to wither in time.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Lone Gunman

I agree (to a degree), but perhaps you should attempt to express your concerns to the Tory twats you vote for. In my experience, they are extremely keen on digitalization, remote-working, downscaling, cost-cutting, etc. Give it another five years under this shower of shit and I reckon you'll be lucky to speak directly to a civil servant anywhere about anything. Ever.

---

Yes, I don't agree with 'digital first' strategies in many cases as we are losing a lot of contact and communication, empathy, and the finer grain understanding of issues. It's not helpful for a cohesive society.

I don't see any difference from Labour or other parties however (if I did I would applaud it) and as stated earlier, if anything they seem keener on it all. I would like more organisations to stand up for and recognise the value of human interaction. The loss of it can be devastating.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed your gig.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JamesWales

I don't see any difference from Labour or other parties however......

---

Perhaps if you worked in the public sector, you would.

I've worked in the same department for almost 30 years. The reductions in resources and staff numbers that have occurred within the last four or five years have dwarfed anything that has gone before. Many of our long-standing customers can't understand why our services have deteriorated so rapidly in recent times. Many think we're joking when we tell them about our staffing levels.

Brexit has resulted in an approximate 40% increase in the workload of the team that I'm currently overseeing. Nevertheless, during the pandemic our staffing levels have been slashed by 60%. I work in transport. Like the DVLA, we have large backlogs of work, and that's despite 100% of our staff being onsite for almost all of this year (despite the fact that a large percentage would have been equally productive if they'd been at home). This is life in the civil service under the Tories.

Part of the trade off for the Patent Office allowing me to become a working from home “Guinea Pig” back in 2000 was that my annual target of cases was increased by, I seem to remember, fifteen per cent - there were better, more efficient, Trade Mark Examiners working there than me, but I was able to achieve that target for nine years before I took up an offer of early retirement.

In those pre Covid days, I’d say home working was not for everyone, but it was fine for me because I went into work for one and a half days a week and would not have liked the idea of permanent home working, so I can understand the desire to cut back on it somewhat to a small degree.

However, as so often these days with the what’s in it for me party in power, money seems to be behind efforts to reduce home working - it certainly was this time last year when pressure from places like sandwich bars and other food outlets prompted a short lived change of policy where civil servants especially were told they had to reduce home working and this, along with Sunak’s barmy “eat out to help out” scheme played a part in creating the autumn second wave which eventually led to another lockdown.

The OP’s motives for starting this thread became clear from the first sentence of his first message , while James Wales, who tries to come over as all reasonable and even handed and yet, without fail in my experience, comes down on the what’s in it for me party side of the argument. Frankly, the arguments against home working in this thread would have been more convincing if they had come from people with less of an agenda than the OP and James Wales.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Lone Gunman

Perhaps if you worked in the public sector, you would.

I've worked in the same department for almost 30 years. The reductions in resources and staff numbers that have occurred within the last four or five years have dwarfed anything that has gone before. Many of our long-standing customers can't understand why our services have deteriorated so rapidly in recent times. Many think we're joking when we tell them about our staffing levels.

Brexit has resulted in an approximate 40% increase in the workload of the team that I'm currently overseeing. Nevertheless, during the pandemic our staffing levels have been slashed by 60%. I work in transport. Like the DVLA, we have large backlogs of work, and that's despite 100% of our staff being onsite for almost all of this year (despite the fact that a large percentage would have been equally productive if they'd been at home). This is life in the civil service under the Tories.

---

I do work in the public sector and have done for many years

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by the other bob wilson

Part of the trade off for the Patent Office allowing me to become a working from home “Guinea Pig” back in 2000 was that my annual target of cases was increased by, I seem to remember, fifteen per cent - there were better, more efficient, Trade Mark Examiners working there than me, but I was able to achieve that target for nine years before I took up an offer of early retirement.

In those pre Covid days, I’d say home working was not for everyone, but it was fine for me because I went into work for one and a half days a week and would not have liked the idea of permanent home working, so I can understand the desire to cut back on it somewhat to a small degree.

However, as so often these days with the what’s in it for me party in power, money seems to be behind efforts to reduce home working - it certainly was this time last year when pressure from places like sandwich bars and other food outlets prompted a short lived change of policy where civil servants especially were told they had to reduce home working and this, along with Sunak’s barmy “eat out to help out” scheme played a part in creating the autumn second wave which eventually led to another lockdown.

The OP’s motives for starting this thread became clear from the first sentence of his first message , while James Wales, who tries to come over as all reasonable and even handed and yet, without fail in my experience, comes down on the what’s in it for me party side of the argument. Frankly, the arguments against home working in this thread would have been more convincing if they had come from people with less of an agenda than the OP and James Wales.

---

That's an extremely unfair thing to say, and you saying the "what's in it for me party" does somewhat undermine your position to be even handed on it. I've not mentioned party politics whatsoever other than to say that I don't see other parties as being any better and perhaps worse on WFH issues from my perspective. (And I only mentioned that cos TLG decided the conversation couldn't continue without some sectarian element coming in..."I hear what your saying but are you saying it with the right colour rosette on!?"

WFH disproportionately impacts upon those with difficult home lives. There has been some very dark moments in the last 18 months and I can think of at least a dozen people who have felt really very low as a result. If it suits you, fine, but you're lucky. Howerver, when you isolate people you can isolate their problems too.

It's a serious topic. We spend 40 hours a week surrounded by other humans and then suddenly sat on your own for the rest of your career? The changes are stark and I don't think you help by politicising it tbh

Driving examiners striking next week I believe.

With the bufoon and co waffling on about a high pay economy but with many public service workers having their pay frozen , rising fuel prices , rising cost of living , you wonder who will be next to strike.

Still Jeremy Corbyn , Diane Abbot , Captain Hindsight etc etc etc.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Lone Gunman

Perhaps if you worked in the public sector, you would.

I've worked in the same department for almost 30 years. The reductions in resources and staff numbers that have occurred within the last four or five years have dwarfed anything that has gone before. Many of our long-standing customers can't understand why our services have deteriorated so rapidly in recent times. Many think we're joking when we tell them about our staffing levels.

Brexit has resulted in an approximate 40% increase in the workload of the team that I'm currently overseeing. Nevertheless, during the pandemic our staffing levels have been slashed by 60%. I work in transport. Like the DVLA, we have large backlogs of work, and that's despite 100% of our staff being onsite for almost all of this year (despite the fact that a large percentage would have been equally productive if they'd been at home). This is life in the civil service under the Tories.

---

It's death by a thousand cuts (pun intended), one of the teams where I work has reached the death bit after years of enforced cuts and workload increases, 95% of the team left within 2 months. Anybody they recruit now will leave once they see what is going on.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JamesWales

That's an extremely unfair thing to say, and you saying the "what's in it for me party" does somewhat undermine your position to be even handed on it. I've not mentioned party politics whatsoever other than to say that I don't see other parties as being any better and perhaps worse on WFH issues from my perspective. (And I only mentioned that cos TLG decided the conversation couldn't continue without some sectarian element coming in..."I hear what your saying but are you saying it with the right colour rosette on!?"

WFH disproportionately impacts upon those with difficult home lives. There has been some very dark moments in the last 18 months and I can think of at least a dozen people who have felt really very low as a result. If it suits you, fine, but you're lucky. Howerver, when you isolate people you can isolate their problems too.

It's a serious topic. We spend 40 hours a week surrounded by other humans and then suddenly sat on your own for the rest of your career? The changes are stark and I don't think you help by politicising it tbh

---

No, although I haven’t been entirely critical of this Government, I freely admit I’m not even handed in my judgement of them. You’re not even handed though either because, despite attempting to make out that you are, you always end up arriving at the same conclusion and come down on the side of the UK Government.

When I read the OP, I thought of two or three posters who could well reply broadly agreeing with it, you were one of them and here you are. Why did I do that I wonder?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JamesWales

Completely disagree. There are potentially very serious long term consequences of permanent home working, the loss of sharing of information, mental wellbeing impacts, new staff training, business cultures, isolation, the impact on younger staff, the impact on poorer staff, establishing contacts with new clients, ensuring work is understood properly etc. It definitely has the potential to lead to greater isolation and impacts on some much worse than others, and it's typically those who are younger or with less happy home lives

Not to mention the impact on business, sustainable transport and the like.

I know people who have been to a very very dark place through WFH so I have to speak up when you try to charactise it as something simple or wholly positive which it absolutely isn't. It's a very complex topic

---

On the other side of the coin is that I have a friend who has been forced to go back into the office twice a week for no logical reason other than her boss liking having her staff around her. The two lengthy commutes a week cost her over £100 a month. She doesn't like driving but it's the only way she can get to work. Two weeks ago someone brought Covid into the office and half of the staff couldn't work last week as they were isolating.

She is a quiet, private person who quite often doesn't like mixing others but enjoys her own space. Breaks and lunchtimes working from home are great for her to do things that interest her without having to play office niceties. Being back in the office has affected her mental health, a point her boss has little regard for. As a result her relationship with her boss has plummeted and she's looking for another job, which has not been easy on her wage, meaning more stress and deterioration of her mental health.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by the other bob wilson

No, although I haven’t been entirely critical of this Government, I freely admit I’m not even handed in my judgement of them. You’re not even handed though either because, despite attempting to make out that you are, you always end up coming to t(e same conclusion and come down on the side of the UK Government.

When I read the OP, I thought of two or three posters who could well reply broadly agreeing with it and you were one of them. Why did I do that I wonder?

---

This thread is almost nothing to do with the government. I certainly didn't bring it up, and I certainly am critical of them when needs be. It only got brought up when the debate takes it's usual downward trajectory when the political insults start flowing.

I've voted for Labour far more times than I have Tory. I've voted to the left of Labour too. On this, my interest was initially a personal experience from the DVLA (and I hope the dispute is sorted soon) and my personal experience on WFH, which when called 'ignorant' I managed to back up with some data.

I'm more than happy to criticise the UK government or the Welsh government and orthodox left or right wing positions - in fact, it's critical we all do, but I'm not interest in partisan political battles, personal insults or mistruths.

And if you want a grown up message board you should be able to accept different opinions without resorting to insults IMO.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee

On the other side of the coin is that I have a friend who has been forced to go back into the office twice a week for no logical reason other than her boss liking having her staff around her. The two lengthy commutes a week cost her over £100 a month. She doesn't like driving but it's the only way she can get to work. Two weeks ago someone brought Covid into the office and half of the staff couldn't work last week as they were isolating.

She is a quiet, private person who quite often doesn't like mixing others but enjoys her own space. Breaks and lunchtimes working from home are great for her to do things that interest her without having to play office niceties. Being back in the office has affected her mental health, a point her boss has little regard for. As a result her relationship with her boss has plummeted and she's looking for another job, which has not been easy on her wage, meaning more stress and deterioration of her mental health.

---

Yes, I totally recognise there are two sides to it. I don't think anyone should be forced either way. That said, I do think there are serious, and sometimes hidden, long term impacts of people working alone. If your friend can prove she can work okay at home she should be allowed to do so, perhaps with catch up visits every fortnight or so.

It's a really nuanced and difficult issue, which is kinda the point I want to make, and given 'the norm' at the moment is WFH, I am more inclined to present the dangers of that. You are right though, long commutes and covid-anxiety are certainly arguments against it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JamesWales

This thread is almost nothing to do with the government. I certainly didn't bring it up, and I certainly am critical of them when needs be. It only got brought up when the debate takes it's usual downward trajectory when the political insults start flowing.

I've voted for Labour far more times than I have Tory. I've voted to the left of Labour too. On this, my interest was initially a personal experience from the DVLA (and I hope the dispute is sorted soon) and my personal experience on WFH, which when called 'ignorant' I managed to back up with some data.

I'm more than happy to criticise the UK government or the Welsh government and orthodox left or right wing positions - in fact, it's critical we all do, but I'm not interest in partisan political battles, personal insults or mistruths.

And if you want a grown up message board you should be able to accept different opinions without resorting to insults IMO.

---

Of course its to do with the government.

The DVLA are going out on strike over a dispute with them at a time of backlogs and a desperate need for HGV drivers.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hilts

Of course its to do with the government.

The DVLA are going out on strike over a dispute with them at a time of backlogs and a desperate need for HGV drivers.

---

It's primarily to do with management, safety in reference to Covid and is specific to the DVLA in Swansea. Widening into some wider political battle is what some may want, but it's not really true. The DVLA may well be a govt department, but that doesn't mean every issue flows from the top. Just as every NHS dispute isn't necessarily government related.

Either way, lets hope it is resolved soon to the benefit of all involved.