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Post by frankwellshrews on Jul 28, 2020 8:26:24 GMT 1
Apologies for the slightly grim topic but we seem to be getting a lot of news now about cast numbers out of work and more expected but, as ever, it's very urban focussed so it would be good to get an idea how the good folk of b and a are fairing.
Poll above - suppose I could put 2 in, but perhaps if people can just say where they're based in the thread when responding? Cheers.
Personally, I'm WFH at the moment and will be for the foreseeable. Live just outside the county town (couldn't be arsed to change username though) but my job is nominally based in Birmingham.
Edit; as a couple of people have raised this, it does say "Work situation" in the title so not really aimed at our esteemed retired members.
For anyone (only one so far), who's responded "Looking for work", appreciate you may not want to talk about this but would be really interested to know what it's like out there at the mo, particularly if you're in Shropshire.
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Post by GlosShrew on Jul 28, 2020 8:39:39 GMT 1
Usually work in Bristol now wfh close to Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire.
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Post by sheltonsalopian on Jul 28, 2020 8:41:07 GMT 1
Wouldn't let me vote on the poll for some reason but I'm working from the office and have been through-out all of this, based just over the border in Wales.
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Post by martinshrew on Jul 28, 2020 10:25:58 GMT 1
Worked from home 3 days a week before, now working from home permanently. Odd visit to another office every 6-8 weeks.
The old "we can't work from home" myth has been fully blown out the water, and about time too.
Better for people's health, the environment, work/life balance ...
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Post by Pilch on Jul 28, 2020 11:01:49 GMT 1
no option on there for me
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Post by frankwellshrews on Jul 28, 2020 11:18:15 GMT 1
Worked from home 3 days a week before, now working from home permanently. Odd visit to another office every 6-8 weeks. The old "we can't work from home" myth has been fully blown out the water, and about time too. Better for people's health, the environment, work/life balance ... I'm hearing this a lot and I agree to an extent. Like you I used to work from home a couple of days a week on average. Used to like it as an optional change of pace or ability to deal with life admin. Not a fan of enforced working from home to be honest and doubt I'm the only one. Dealing with childcare whilst trying to work is a challenge too. My main concern though is I think we are living in a bit of a fool's paradise with it at the moment. The ability to work from home is about to become a seismic fault line in society as those of us fortunate enough to be able to do so enjoy less commute time and cost whilst those whose employment relies on the decades (centuries?) old concept of people travelling in to work at a central location lose out. There's the obvious points about sandwich shops and bars and office cleaners in city centre locations but look at the news about TfL. Public transport is going to look vastly different in a year's time. More expensive and less frequent services with a lot of jobs lost to boot. There's an outside chance that the concept of travelling to away fixtures is a goner. Definitely out for this season and as the recession bites, will Prob ably look unattractive if we ever do get back to full capacities in stadia as costs rise and number of services falls. Definitely one to think about for a group such as football fans who are so heavily reliant on public transport but only really on an on demand basis.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2020 12:02:12 GMT 1
Self employed at the moment but will be unemployed in the next few months I would think. My wife works for me so that'll be both of us out of work.
I catch the train in every moring from Telford Central and usually at half 8 there's 200 cars in the car park. In the 6 weeks i've been back the most i've seen is 12. Practically nobody is travelling on to Brum and the rail operators cannot keep running the services they do and make money. As has already been mentioned above that will have a knock on effect for those who do still need to travel in to work as services will have surely be cut and prices will have to go up.
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Post by northwestman on Jul 28, 2020 12:10:45 GMT 1
No option for me either. Retired.
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Post by frankwellshrews on Jul 28, 2020 12:12:58 GMT 1
Self employed at the moment but will be unemployed in the next few months I would think. My wife works for me so that'll be both of us out of work. I catch the train in every moring from Telford Central and usually at half 8 there's 200 cars in the car park. In the 6 weeks i've been back the most i've seen is 12. Practically nobody is travelling on to Brum and the rail operators cannot keep running the services they do and make money. As has already been mentioned above that will have a knock on effect for those who do still need to travel in to work as services will have surely be cut and prices will have to go up. Sorry to hear things are difficult at the moment business wise, hope it picks up. Is online something you could look at to expand your customer base? Would have thought it might work well for cards. Interesting about Birmingham. That's my commute (Salop to Brum). Done that an average 2 - 3 times a week for 7 years, not been near the place since February. My dad sent me a picture of Grand Central on a weekday lunchtime a couple of week's back deserted. With John Lewis already announcing they're closing that store, future not looking bright for Birmingham city centre to be honest. I normally walk through Dale End twice a day to and from the office. Can only see the social problems from there spreading if the rest of the city centre area starts to deteriorate.
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Post by GrizzlyShrew on Jul 28, 2020 12:30:10 GMT 1
Worked from home 3 days a week before, now working from home permanently. Odd visit to another office every 6-8 weeks. The old "we can't work from home" myth has been fully blown out the water, and about time too. Better for people's health, the environment, work/life balance ... Its fine for those who dont do any physical work, ie manufacturing, storeage or delivery work. Cant see that changing much in that it will still involve plenty of people travelling.
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Post by venceremos on Jul 28, 2020 13:04:35 GMT 1
I've been self employed and home-based for 7 years, so this isn't new to me. I did work a couple of days a week in Birmingham for a few years but that ended last year. I'm now active in three different areas.
My consultancy business came to a halt in March - there's now a trickle of work and I may give that more of a push in the autumn or just leave it as it is and do something else.
I'm involved in a holiday lettings business which has just resumed.
I'm working with another company on a new venture that's just getting going. The lockdown has slowed progress but it could be my main work activity by autumn.
On the whole, I think increased working from home is a good thing but with some serious qualifications. We can see it's having a knock-on effect for those sectors of the economy heavily dependent on commuters. However, there might be a compensatory benefit for businesses that can tap into those people now working from home - if they're saving commuting/lunch money, they're likely to spend it elsewhere.
Good point about the implications for public transport. However, I think we're going to see some big changes in transport policy with the announcements of big investment in provision for cyclists and pedestrians suggesting that town and city centres are going to become no go zones for most cars. I don't believe public transport will be abandoned but it will need to be subsidised and probably restructured.
Of greater personal significance is the effect on people working from home. To those new to it I'd say you don't yet know what it's really like. You've been working at home during unusually lovely spring weather, followed by summer, perhaps with a bit of football to watch as soon as you finish work. You need to experience working at home when the weather's cold, it's frequently grey and wet, the days are short, you're conscious of your rapidly increasing fuel bills …..
When you're not meeting people or even in regular contact with others, it can quickly feel very isolated. Be ready for that. You can have one day when you're buzzing with what you're doing and then feel lonely next day - that's been my experience. Eat well and exercise for the benefit of your physical health but be aware that you'll need to find 'exercise' for the sake of your mental health as well. There'll likely be days when you'll welcome the social contact of meeting someone while you walk your dog or chatting to a neighbour or someone in a shop. But perhaps, like me, you've got an extra couple of hours in your day once you stop commuting and that can help you find ways of socialising that you didn't have time to do before.
It reminds me of a holiday I had in Ireland years ago, when we were chatting to a local about the possibility of moving there. His advice was to spend a winter there before we made that decision!
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Post by llanymynechshrew on Jul 28, 2020 13:10:55 GMT 1
I work from home, but normally visit our head office in Darlington on the first Monday,Tues, Weds of every month. i stay at the Blackwell Grange Hotel and i travel up on Sunday Afternoon. I would normally visit clients in Wales & the West country occasionally too. But now its all home based at the moment.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2020 13:22:03 GMT 1
I'm a casual exam invigilator but I have no work as exams have been cancelled.
Meanwhile my daughter has been working from home since lockdown. As things stand this arrangement will continue for at least the rest of the year. She's certainly not missing her daily commute. She works for an American based company so her monthly trips to Denver are also on hold.
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Post by frankwellshrews on Jul 28, 2020 13:37:43 GMT 1
Some really good insights into the reality of perpetual home working from venceremos there. I'd echo a lot of that. I've had the option to be extremely flexible with actually going in to an office for some years now but always kept WFH to a "balanced" amount.
Do wonder if people have really thought this through. Bit of a honeymoon period at the moment but it'll be too late when companies start ending leases.
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Post by Minormorris64 on Jul 28, 2020 13:50:17 GMT 1
Full time at work now into my 38th year with the Company, we closed for 2 weeks at the start of April, (using Summer Shutdown week and Easter Hols) we have had our busiest 3 months ever and at the moment no sign of letting up.
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Post by venceremos on Jul 28, 2020 14:05:13 GMT 1
Full time at work now into my 38th year with the Company, we closed for 2 weeks at the start of April, (using Summer Shutdown week and Easter Hols) we have had our busiest 3 months ever and at the moment no sign of letting up. That sounds like good news - as long as you're not funeral directors or something.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2020 14:17:34 GMT 1
I’m working for a company based in Telford (nearly 20 years now) with approx 2,000 people and then they have other sites, the WFH option has always been there but rarely used. Since lockdown the office has remained open but 99% were WFH (even call centre/customer services), the company have been really supportive and come up with a 5 step approach to getting back to ‘normal’ and kept us communicated throughout. More people are back in the office but still a tiny proportion, the company have said they aren’t going to be rushed into going back and expect things to ramp up in the autumn (obviously subject to the position of the pandemic) but my team have been told we are likely to be towards the back of the queue to going back in. So I’m not expecting to be back in the office this year
First month was difficult as was just bombarded with Teams/Skype calls but things have settled down. But generally things have ticked a long and people have adapted, one advantage for me was I went for a promotion and had to do two interviews, both were done over Skype so a lot more relaxing than in the office! The biggest frustration is no longer being able to pop to someones desk for a 2 minute chat to get an answer on something. Plus people are definitely missing the social aspect of work
I don’t think it will lead to a big revolution in the sense of no longer needing offices but I think it will lead to a cultural/social shift as more people will consider working from home, people appreciate no commute, more time in the evenings, not having lunch at your desk etc. The company recently did a survey and a number of people said they would prefer a mix, a few days at home, a few days in the office etc. And that’s where I think we will be heading.
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Post by jamo on Jul 28, 2020 14:19:23 GMT 1
I'm involved in a holiday lettings business which has just resumed. . Domestic or international?
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Post by Minormorris64 on Jul 28, 2020 14:46:31 GMT 1
Full time at work now into my 38th year with the Company, we closed for 2 weeks at the start of April, (using Summer Shutdown week and Easter Hols) we have had our busiest 3 months ever and at the moment no sign of letting up. That sounds like good news - as long as you're not funeral directors or something. No I leave that to my Brother who is in charge since my Father passed away in February. Could never do that job, you have to be of a certain character and disposition, luckily my Brother is as good as the old chap was.
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Post by venceremos on Jul 28, 2020 15:01:09 GMT 1
I'm involved in a holiday lettings business which has just resumed. . Domestic or international? Domestic.
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Post by venceremos on Jul 28, 2020 15:05:48 GMT 1
The company recently did a survey and a number of people said they would prefer a mix, a few days at home, a few days in the office etc. And that’s where I think we will be heading. I think that's probably the ideal position for most employees that can work from home. Having a home-based office, my ideal is probably to work there with two or three trips out to meet clients etc each week.
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Post by Worthingshrew on Jul 28, 2020 15:20:08 GMT 1
No option for me either. Retired. Me neither, also retired.
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Post by blood red shrews on Jul 28, 2020 15:21:07 GMT 1
Well strange year for myself, would have been working across music festivals and then 2-3months here in Edinburgh on the Fringe. But been lucky enough to have my winter job extended over the summer despite the theatres, venues and museums etc being closed.
So just hoping there continues to be enough work, haven't been able to work from home however, so had to come into the office but luckily it's very central and i live close so not been too bad but really eerie having 6 people in a massive building on top of the spookily empty Edinburgh streets every morning normally packed with tourists, certainly an experience i'll never forget.
But now the 5 mile limit on trap has been gone a couple of weeks i've been able to book getting back home to Salop for the weekend next week which i can't wait for.
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Post by frankwellshrews on Jul 28, 2020 15:23:42 GMT 1
The company recently did a survey and a number of people said they would prefer a mix, a few days at home, a few days in the office etc. And that’s where I think we will be heading. I think that's probably the ideal position for most employees that can work from home. Having a home-based office, my ideal is probably to work there with two or three trips out to meet clients etc each week. I think this is what everybody wants but I suspect it will be hard for a lot of firms to justify the space if everybody does it. Selfishly, I'm hoping for one of two outcomes; 1. My employers downsize their central locations and keep them for clients/training only and switched back to cheaper regional "hubs" for people to go to if they need a change of scene. A smaller Shrewsbury or even a Telford office (or even Crewe for that matter) would suit me down to the ground. 2. (What I think is more likely) Access to co-working campuses becomes part of people's remuneration package. With the volume of empty commercial property on our local high streets I'm half tempted to have a go at setting one of these up. Bit of a refurb, a fridge, a kettle and a microwave and high speed broadband and you're away.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2020 15:40:02 GMT 1
Retired and have been for some years . I really feel for those who are struggling , who don’t know what the long term future holds and / or have family who would be hoping to go on to further education or the world of work . Football at this point in time is an irrelevance, unless , of course you are involved in the pro game .
With grandchildren I really fear for their future , certainly society will be completely different from the one I experienced . I just hope the changes will prove more positive than negative
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Post by venceremos on Jul 28, 2020 15:42:03 GMT 1
I think that's probably the ideal position for most employees that can work from home. Having a home-based office, my ideal is probably to work there with two or three trips out to meet clients etc each week. I think this is what everybody wants but I suspect it will be hard for a lot of firms to justify the space if everybody does it. Selfishly, I'm hoping for one of two outcomes; 1. My employers downsize their central locations and keep them for clients/training only and switched back to cheaper regional "hubs" for people to go to if they need a change of scene. A smaller Shrewsbury or even a Telford office (or even Crewe for that matter) would suit me down to the ground. 2. (What I think is more likely) Access to co-working campuses becomes part of people's remuneration package. With the volume of empty commercial property on our local high streets I'm half tempted to have a go at setting one of these up. Bit of a refurb, a fridge, a kettle and a microwave and high speed broadband and you're away. I've thought about using these myself, particularly in the winter when I sometimes feel isolated at home (and living in a village can exacerbate that). There are some very nice suites around and I think more will follow but the key will be winning business from firms not renewing their office leases but wanting a guaranteed regular meeting point for their staff. If I owned a sizeable hotel, a suitable retail unit, a farm with converted or convertible outbuildings or a vacant or soon-to-be vacant commercial building, I'd be fully engaged in researching that project and making contacts right now.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2020 16:16:08 GMT 1
I think that's probably the ideal position for most employees that can work from home. Having a home-based office, my ideal is probably to work there with two or three trips out to meet clients etc each week. 2. (What I think is more likely) Access to co-working campuses becomes part of people's remuneration package. With the volume of empty commercial property on our local high streets I'm half tempted to have a go at setting one of these up. Bit of a refurb, a fridge, a kettle and a microwave and high speed broadband and you're away. Yeah that makes sense, I went down to London at the beginning of the year to meet a third party thinking it was their base, it turned out the people were all based over the south east and would meet up in these sites across London when they needed to. It was fairly basic but did the job I have seen an advert at Shrewsbury train station for co-working and having done a quick google, it does appear there are some options locally. As you said it makes sense that these grow and theres certainly a few potential spots, the old Rackhams springs to mind.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2020 16:50:24 GMT 1
How about the Shirehall . Nutting seems obsessed with getting rid as the cost of refurb is prohibitive . This was obvious from the start but hey ho , things take a while to filter through to him and his colleagues .
There again perhaps not , the building is prob. OK as long as you don’t disturb the asbestos. 😉
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Post by The Shropshire Tenor on Jul 28, 2020 16:58:34 GMT 1
I worked for a big company with departments that needed to liaise with each other, so 100% home working wouldn’t be viable. I would have loved the option to work from home a couple of days a week so as to be able to have the peace and quiet to enable me to do research and answer emails without constant interruptions.
However the opportunity to talk to colleagues was invaluable and often vital work resulted from informal chats, I hated meetings and avoided them whenever possible.
I was responsible for purchasing packaging materials and worked closely with R&D, marketing/sales and production engineering. We all got along well so we could bounce ideas off each other and dismiss those that wouldn’t work without going through a formal, time wasting project analysis.
Also, the people I worked with were good fun and I would have missed the social aspect of having them around.
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Post by frankwellshrews on Jul 28, 2020 17:03:33 GMT 1
How about the Shirehall . Nutting seems obsessed with getting rid as the cost of refurb is prohibitive . This was obvious from the start but hey ho , things take a while to filter through to him and his colleagues . There again perhaps not , the building is prob. OK as long as you don’t disturb the asbestos. 😉 Not a bad idea, although the 8 figure refurb would be a bit steep for a campus alone. Could see it forming part of the future of the place though. As I understand it a lot of the housing on that side of town, especially the new stuff around otely road, is aimed at commuters wanting easy access to the A5, but there's people from all over the region who commute into the Midlands or north west, or further afield. I bet the demand could be there, depending on what some of the bigger employers in Telford, Birmingham or i54 do. It's a short train ride or 25 minute drive in for me, I'd be tempted to use it if access to my own office become a more difficult. Add in some retail use (there's already a supermarket, and a deli/butchers round there, the council canteen might not welcome a Costa or whatever but I'm sure there's something complimentary you could bring in) and maybe look at getting one of the other public sector bodies in there (police now they're ditching the town centre hub?) and the additional income might even justify spending the money on the refurb.
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