| Topic: | Working in London during a pandemic | |
| Posted by: | Paul Campbell | |
| Date/Time: | 11/09/20 23:03:00 |
| The government and its pet media are pushing this line about the young getting back to work Jayne but the reality is that it is a nonsense. I work in a high-rise in the city in one of the many large firms representing a significant percentage of employment and tax revenues in similar accommodation. We cannot get our people back to work because it is just not feasible. The young people in my team want to go back to the office but they cannot. The buildings were not designed to accommodate social distancing rules. Lifts are a major bottleneck. Battery farm open office environments means red tape across 90% of desks blocking them off to allow sufficient distance between occupied desks. We operate at a max of 10 to 15% capacity per day. Then add in all the additional complexity of high-frequency intense cleaning regimes, one way systems, closure of catering facilities, every other toilet being closed etc etc Young people want to return to the office because they want to socialise and build their networks and get away from shared accommodation but it is not possible. This is just the latest of many examples where I wonder why the government doesn’t spend any time talking to people who know something before launching an inItiative and weekend media onslaught. It is myopic at best. |