Fine for going to work?

I've just read on the trusty Wales Online pages that people can now be fined for not working from home (where they are able to), and also that their employers can also be fined if they fail to allow people to work from home. I've gone into work (more or less) since the pandemic started, and have no desire to work from home. To be fair to them, my employers have provided me with a lot if kit to enable me to work from home, but there has never been an insistence that I actually had to.
This seems a bit excessive to me, particularly with a Christmas break approaching, when a lot of people will be off work for a week or so anyway. Does anyone else think this is a step too far?

It's abhorrent. How can red Labour who are in charge in Wales, be against low paid workers , who are at the mercy of big companies.

What idiots are running the country

Why would you not want to work from home? Do you love commuting or something?

Personally I absolutely hated working from home. Had the biggest impact on my mental health of anything in my life (and I've been through the usual stuff).

It's also considered pretty inefficient and has long term problems for many (though I aopreciate others think differently on that and this needed be long term..)

Nonetheless this is an absolutely ridiculous policy from the Welsh government.

It's ridiculous, working from home is really affecting some people's mental health. Sooner or later the solution becomes more damaging than the problem, we're there in my opinion.

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Originally Posted by tforturton

I've just read on the trusty Wales Online pages that people can now be fined for not working from home (where they are able to), and also that their employers can also be fined if they fail to allow people to work from home. I've gone into work (more or less) since the pandemic started, and have no desire to work from home. To be fair to them, my employers have provided me with a lot if kit to enable me to work from home, but there has never been an insistence that I actually had to.
This seems a bit excessive to me, particularly with a Christmas break approaching, when a lot of people will be off work for a week or so anyway. Does anyone else think this is a step too far?

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completely over the top, if its safe to travel to / from work ( you might drive yourself ), safe to work from the work place, its just crazy

I have the best of both worlds and mix it up each week as I feel like.
Saves me fuel, wins me back commuting time, eat with the family at a reasonable time. Stuff like shopping and hair cuts don’t come out of my own time and works result and achievements are higher than ever before.
I wouldn’t want to be 100% either way anymore.

The rules haven't changed here at all, but publishing an intention to impose them is s bit ridiculous. As long as the employer can show why a person can't work from home then who is anyone to argue.
I agree about the mental health aspect though. I've been into the office twice. I miss the Monday morning chats about the crap you've watched on TV and just going to lunch with someone. The savings have been good but its all at a cost.

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Originally Posted by Alan Lung

Why would you not want to work from home? Do you love commuting or something?

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I love working from the office. It's really well set up for doing work. Working from home is OK now and then, but I'd hate for it to be my permanent workplace or even where I spend most of my time. I value separation of work and home life.

Our firm has kept its offices open throughout and I'm grateful for that. The guidance as to whether you can/should go to the office changes with government guidance - at the moment it's the case that you can come in if it is necessary for your mental or physical health to do so. A lot of our staff our young people living in shared accommodation in easy reach of the office and I think a lot of them would much rather work in the office rather than their bedroom in their shared flat and so it is important for them to be able to go in. I look after a dozen or so of our new graduate joiners and almost without exception they've been in to the office every day that they can - they love it and it's helped them integrate quickly. So this idea that the younger generation is dead against the "old fashioned" working practices of the office is just not true (or at least it isn't in my work place).

Having said all of that: at the moment, I am not going in to the office and I really don't think anyone that has a reasonable home work set up should do so. Omicron is absolutely flying through the population here in London. Overall case numbers in our place are multiple times that of the highest peak last year. I'd not make it law: it's too subjective to decide who has a "good" reason for coming in and who does not. But if you can work at home, that's one less commuter that runs the risk of catching and speading it. But I do think that travel to work places should be discouraged where possible. (obviously all of this applies only to people who can realistically work from home. If you are a window cleaner or whatever it's obviously irrelevant).

I'm glad I don't work from home.
It must be so lonely for those who do this.

Love working from home, felt I got to know people and speak to more people over Teams than I would have in the office. I was enjoying the blended working as well of 2 days in the office a week although 1 was enough for me.

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Originally Posted by Alan Lung

Why would you not want to work from home? Do you love commuting or something?

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Maybe there are young kids about or people don’t have an appropriate place to work in their home

I mean it's understandable, in under two years it has been illegal to work and run businesses in the hospitality sector, illegal to mix with more than your own household, illegal to travel more than 5 miles from your house without a good excuse, illegal to not wear a mask in certain settings unless exempt.

Fines for home working are just the next step. I think if our vaccine take up was a fair bit poorer there would be all sorts of mandates for that too.

Dont get me wrong, I along with most bought into the rules and restrictions in March 2020 and then last Christmas but when you think of it it's just madness.

This is what happens when you don't have proper scrutiny of a government. The opposition is useless, the Welsh media are cheerleaders, and the UK media don't care.

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Originally Posted by LeningradCowboy

This is what happens when you don't have proper scrutiny of a government. The opposition is useless, the Welsh media are cheerleaders, and the UK media don't care.

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The Soviets called it 'salami-slicing'. Small, unnoticeable curbs and rules introduced, one at a time.

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Originally Posted by tforturton

I've just read on the trusty Wales Online pages that people can now be fined for not working from home (where they are able to), and also that their employers can also be fined if they fail to allow people to work from home. I've gone into work (more or less) since the pandemic started, and have no desire to work from home. To be fair to them, my employers have provided me with a lot if kit to enable me to work from home, but there has never been an insistence that I actually had to.
This seems a bit excessive to me, particularly with a Christmas break approaching, when a lot of people will be off work for a week or so anyway. Does anyone else think this is a step too far?

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Are we in communist China? They’ll be shooting the migrants as they come across the channel next….

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Originally Posted by goats

Are we in communist China? They’ll be shooting the migrants as they come across the channel next….

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will I be safe coming over the bridge to pick up my mum :hehe:

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Originally Posted by blue matt

will I be safe coming over the bridge to pick up my mum :hehe:

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If it's fine for you to go to work you won't get fined; if it's not fine you will.

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Originally Posted by goats

Are we in communist China? They’ll be shooting the migrants as they come across the channel next….

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You're obviously against the decision of the Welsh Government in trying to stop the initial spread of Omicon.

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Originally Posted by 19bluebirds27

I have the best of both worlds and mix it up each week as I feel like.
Saves me fuel, wins me back commuting time, eat with the family at a reasonable time. Stuff like shopping and hair cuts don’t come out of my own time and works result and achievements are higher than ever before.
I wouldn’t want to be 100% either way anymore.

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Pretty much this word for word.

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Originally Posted by Alan Lung

Why would you not want to work from home? Do you love commuting or something?

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I can't understand this either. I've been working from home for the last 8 years and I love it. I can keep away from the nobheads I don't wish to associate with and if I ever need company I go to the pub.

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Originally Posted by Dorcus

I can't understand this either. I've been working from home for the last 8 years and I love it. I can keep away from the nobheads I don't wish to associate with and if I ever need company I go to the pub.

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You sound like a fine man. Work dickheads are an absolute curse.

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Originally Posted by Tuerto

You sound like a fine man. Work dickheads are an absolute curse.

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Absolutely true, they steal your creativity and motivation 👍

This is a genuine scandal. Absolutely ****ing disgraceful. If I hadn’t just read it on the BBC website, I would have assumed this story was the invention of some conspiracy-theory nutcase.

A £60 fine for going to work? Incredible. Truly incredible. Welsh Labour are an abomination. I’ve voted Labour most of my adult life, including in the last election. Never again.

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Originally Posted by The Lone Gunman

A £60 fine for going to work? Incredible. Truly incredible. Welsh Labour are an abomination. I’ve voted Labour most of my adult life, including in the last election. Never again.

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You Do realise Sludge has already marked you down in his book now, thats it, you are done on here

Just read it on the BBC website, link below.

Unbelievable!
It's like something you might have read about eastern Europe during the cold War.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-59741680

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Originally Posted by Alan Lung

Why would you not want to work from home? Do you love commuting or something?

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That’s a pretty blinkered view on how some people live. Some people don’t have the luxury of a spare room to use as an office. Hell, some people barely have a room big enough for a bed and wardrobe let alone a desk and computer too. Some people can be stuck with loud arsehole neighbours or housemates or could be living next to a construction site, etc.
As others have said loneliness is a big one. At the height of lockdown I’m sure loads of people went days/weeks without interacting with another person. If you live alone going into work and meeting friends/coworkers might be the only thing people have to look forwards to.

Here’s the BBC story on the subject;-

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-59741680

Back in the late summer/autumn of last year, the UK Government were ordering some civil servants who had been working from home back to work, with the damage being done to sandwich bar type premises that were heavily reliant on such workers being given as the reason for this decision. However, I read recently that there were quite a few speeches at this year’s Conservative Party Conference from right wingers (including Lord Frost) condemning working from home as some sort of shirker’s charter, so I wonder if that is a factor behind Welsh Labour’s stance?

Two wrongs don’t make a right though and, after creating a situation whereby it’s okay for Wrexham fans to congregate in the pub right by the Racecouse to watch a stream of a game they are barred from watching live, this is another own goal by Welsh Labour for the reasons already quoted in this thread - the unuion spokesperson is entirely correct in what they say.

As for working from home, it’s not a right or wrong issue because it works for some people and not others. It worked for me, but that doesn’t mean those who struggle with it should pull themselves together and get on with it - having done it for nearly ten years, I can see why not everyone would benefit from it.- I also had what I think is the best of both world in that I was still expected to come into work one and a half days a week.

On the subject of apparent shirking by home workers, one of the stipulations for me being allowed to do so was that I accept a slight increase in my annual target - this had the knock on effect of creating more correspondence for me to answer, but I thought it was a reasonable request and agreed to it. In the event, I found hitting the larger, working from home target easier than reaching the smaller one I had when I was coming into work five days a week.

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Originally Posted by The Lone Gunman

This is a genuine scandal. Absolutely ****ing disgraceful. If I hadn’t just read it on the BBC website, I would have assumed this story was the invention of some conspiracy-theory nutcase.

A £60 fine for going to work? Incredible. Truly incredible. Welsh Labour are an abomination. I’ve voted Labour most of my adult life, including in the last election. Never again.

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They literally think they can do what they want knowing the Welsh will always get their vote, let’s hope a few more wake up

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Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee

You're obviously against the decision of the Welsh Government in trying to stop the initial spread of Omicon.

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I’m more concerned about peoples mental health and if they have a room to “work” at home or no doubt kids at home for the next two months….

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Originally Posted by blue matt

will I be safe coming over the bridge to pick up my mum :hehe:

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As long as it sells Welsh on your passport you might get a pass

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Originally Posted by Dorcus

I can't understand this either. I've been working from home for the last 8 years and I love it. I can keep away from the nobheads I don't wish to associate with and if I ever need company I go to the pub.

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12 years now in blissful isolation where I can think, create, work as long as I want without pointless interruptions and office politics. Fast internet means I can 'meet' anyone I need, anywhere in the world, at a click of the mouse. VR means I can have as much 'space' as I want.

Social life can be online, VR, or down the pub/footie/whatever-pastime-interest-group. I haven't needed to drive a car for over 10 years now. I know, my work allows this and it's not for everyone, but it is the future. There are a lot of sound environmental arguments for home working too.

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Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee

You're obviously against the decision of the Welsh Government in trying to stop the initial spread of Omicon.

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Eric, there's nothing wrong with 'requesting' people work from home, but to fine them for not doing so is draconian, surely?

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Originally Posted by goats

I’m more concerned about peoples mental health and if they have a room to “work” at home or no doubt kids at home for the next two months….

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I agree. Working from home for a nephew of mine means sitting in his bedsit with the computer on the bed.

What next nailing our front doors up? Drakeford can do one.

I bet he is regretting the old toll booths being removed on the Severn Bridges , he could have turned them into checkpoints to stop illegal workers ... no not sneaking into the country but sneaking out !!!!

:hehe::xmashehe:

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Originally Posted by billy.ronson

I bet he is regretting the old toll booths being removed on the Severn Bridges , he could have turned them into checkpoints to stop illegal workers ... no not sneaking into the country but sneaking out !!!!

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Originally Posted by lisvaneblue

I agree. Working from home for a nephew of mine means sitting in his bedsit with the computer on the bed.

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If only we had vaccines, I hear they might have found one…….

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Originally Posted by goats

As long as it sells Welsh on your passport you might get a pass

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:wales: Im ok then, though might have to leave the girls home incase they are detained

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Originally Posted by Citizen's Nephew

12 years now in blissful isolation where I can think, create, work as long as I want without pointless interruptions and office politics. Fast internet means I can 'meet' anyone I need, anywhere in the world, at a click of the mouse. VR means I can have as much 'space' as I want.

Social life can be online, VR, or down the pub/footie/whatever-pastime-interest-group. I haven't needed to drive a car for over 10 years now. I know, my work allows this and it's not for everyone, but it is the future. There are a lot of sound environmental arguments for home working too.

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God that sounds like an Orwellian nightmare to me.

I don't think it is the future. Hybrid working and flexibility is, but not mass working at home and people spending no time mixing. Works for some, but not most.

All the best to you though.