Working conditions

Gsp23

I am employed by a local government authority. They have had us working since September on a rota of 1 week at home and 1 in the office. 

Before Christmas several people in the office contracted COVID and lots more had to isolate. 

Since the new lockdown has come in the suggestion at work is to go in for 3 days on 1 week and at home the next. 

All of us feel uncomfortable having to go in. They say that we are an essential service and need to be available to respond to emergencies in the community. However, we have been able to respond to these from home on our week at home. So why are they continuing to have us in? We don’t see clients in the office, only in the community. All we do in the office is update our notes in our computers! 

Given that they’ve failed to keep us safe previously, we don’t want to go in. 

What can we do? 

I’d like to refuse though I’m still in probabtion and fear for my job if I do. 

Thanks 

Marcon

Gsp23 said:

I am employed by a local government authority. They have had us working since September on a rota of 1 week at home and 1 in the office. 

Before Christmas several people in the office contracted COVID and lots more had to isolate. 

Since the new lockdown has come in the suggestion at work is to go in for 3 days on 1 week and at home the next. 

All of us feel uncomfortable having to go in. They say that we are an essential service and need to be available to respond to emergencies in the community. However, we have been able to respond to these from home on our week at home. So why are they continuing to have us in? We don’t see clients in the office, only in the community. All we do in the office is update our notes in our computers! 

Given that they’ve failed to keep us safe previously, we don’t want to go in. 

What can we do? 

I’d like to refuse though I’m still in probabtion and fear for my job if I do. 

Thanks 

Have you tried asking your employer why they think continuing to have you in is necessary? Given the latest restrictions and the very clear government instruction to work from home unless you can't do your job from home should add weight to your argument, so I'd try that route (following government guidance rather than 'don't want to').

General_Grant

Gsp23 said:

I am employed by a local government authority. They have had us working since September on a rota of 1 week at home and 1 in the office. 

Before Christmas several people in the office contracted COVID and lots more had to isolate. 

Since the new lockdown has come in the suggestion at work is to go in for 3 days on 1 week and at home the next. 

All of us feel uncomfortable having to go in. They say that we are an essential service and need to be available to respond to emergencies in the community. However, we have been able to respond to these from home on our week at home. So why are they continuing to have us in? We don’t see clients in the office, only in the community. All we do in the office is update our notes in our computers! 

Given that they’ve failed to keep us safe previously, we don’t want to go in. 

What can we do? 

I’d like to refuse though I’m still in probabtion and fear for my job if I do. 

Thanks 

Are you suggesting that your authority did not keep you safe before because a number of people contracted the virus?  You do know that the virus doesn't only pass from one person to another in the workplace, don't you?  If they really aren't providing a safe working environment take it up via your trade union.

elsien

More accurately, the guidance says:

You may only leave your home for work if you cannot reasonably work from home.

Where people cannot work from home - including, but not limited to, people who work in critical national infrastructure, construction, or manufacturing - they should continue to travel to their workplace. This is essential to keeping the country operating and supporting sectors and employers.

Public sector employees working in essential services, including childcare or education, should continue to go into work.

Employers and employees should discuss their working arrangements, and employers should take every possible step to facilitate their employees working from home, including providing suitable IT and equipment to enable remote working.

 So there is a bit of a get out there. I agree that the OP should ask their employer why they feel that people need to be in for some of the time but it's unlikely to be just for the fun of it. 

What is it about the office that you consider to be unsafe - what precautions have they taken to ensure that the workplace is as safe as it is possible to make it? You need to know the rationale in order to argue against it. 

 As an example I wouldn't mind going into my office one day a week because I'd be the only one there, I could wipe things down before I touched anything and it's probably quieter than at home. Whereas if the whole team were there we'd be on each other's laps and no sort of distancing would be possible. There is a bit of missing context here. 

Gsp23

We have asked and the rationale is that we are critical services and need to be able to respond to emergencies in the community. Yet we have been able to do this from home. So why the need to be in the office?
It’s a large office that has no open windows as it’s made of glass panels. You can’t open them. 

As someone suggested, yes I’m aware it can be passed on in various settings, though why should I be put at risk in an office of 20+ people when I can work as effectively at home?
4 teams sit in our office and before Christmas 3 people contracted covid and a further 10 had to isolate. So if anything that shows we are less effective as teams on the office as more than a quarter had to isolate. 

elsien

Gsp23 said:

We have asked and the rationale is that we are critical services and need to be able to respond to emergencies in the community. Yet we have been able to do this from home. So why the need to be in the office?
It’s a large office that has no open windows as it’s made of glass panels. You can’t open them. 

As someone suggested, yes I’m aware it can be passed on in various settings, though why should I be put at risk in an office of 20+ people when I can work as effectively at home?
4 teams sit in our office and before Christmas 3 people contracted covid and a further 10 had to isolate. So if anything that shows we are less effective as teams on the office as more than a quarter had to isolate. 

What did they say when you asked them that? What does the risk assessment say about ventilation?  How many people would be in the office at any one time, if you are taking it in turns to go in?

TELLIT01

The OP has said that it's necessary to attend the office to update information on computer systems so not all work can be done from home.

elsien

I was presuming (perhaps wrongly) that they were also able to update notes while working at home as the OP hasn't indicated that this would be an issue. 

Gsp23

We can update notes at home. 

There is literally nothing that we can’t do at home. Nothing. 

I’ve not come here for criticism. Only to ask if I have any rights to refuse to go in perhaps and still protect my job. I don’t feel safe. I’m asthmatic, as is my partner.the guidance is work from home where possible and it’s possible - as we do it on an alternate week basis. So it can be done. Given the new strain I don’t feel it’s safe to go in. Simple as that. 

68ComebackSpecial

It may be that some staff have not been working effectively from home and the decision has been made to bring in everyone on a rota basis rather than publicly "name and shame" those who have been taking the proverbial. Also, not everyone will have suitable conditions at home in which to work and others may suffer mentally from the isolation if they live alone - home working is far from ideal for many.

elsien

elsien said:

Gsp23 said:

We have asked and the rationale is that we are critical services and need to be able to respond to emergencies in the community. Yet we have been able to do this from home. So why the need to be in the office?
It’s a large office that has no open windows as it’s made of glass panels. You can’t open them. 

As someone suggested, yes I’m aware it can be passed on in various settings, though why should I be put at risk in an office of 20+ people when I can work as effectively at home?
4 teams sit in our office and before Christmas 3 people contracted covid and a further 10 had to isolate. So if anything that shows we are less effective as teams on the office as more than a quarter had to isolate. 

What did they say when you asked them that? What does the risk assessment say about ventilation?  How many people would be in the office at any one time, if you are taking it in turns to go in?

This is not intended as a criticism, but have you raised those specific concerns with them and if it is considered to be so unsafe have you involved the union. it's not good saying you want to work from home because it's not safe to go in, without actually saying what the worries are and asking what they are doing about it. And asking the specific reasons (not just the essential worker bit) why they feel it is so important for someone to be there.