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Let& #39;s stop treating WFH as some futuristic utopia for everyone. I have a team member in a studio - sleeps, works and lives in the same room, another in a crowded house working on a chest of drawers, both of them deserve the opportunity to return (with safety measures in place).
This is by no means to dispute that employers forcing people to return to the office are cruel and unjust, but we have to acknowledge that for some it is destroying their mental health and their living situation was never designed to be a workplace, and these people need support.
Our employer is supportive, and is reimbursing the cost of desks, chairs, monitors etc. I was thrilled when we were told "we will pay for you to buy a proper desk and chair!" But I know people for whom that doesn& #39;t matter because they don& #39;t have anywhere to put it!
Obviously as socialists our goal should be better housing for everyone but the reality at the moment is that blanket WFH is not sustainable for many people& #39;s physical and mental health because of the housing they live in right now and that& #39;s not going to change overnight.
Which leads on to what annoys me about companies mandating WFH, selling entire offices etc. Is employees pay going to be lifted by the money they save on offices? To allow them to rent a place with a spare bedroom to work in? Absolutely not. Workers wont see a penny.
I detest the propaganda machine in the press right now about having to return and we should reject it. The decisions should be in the hands of the workers themselves, who can weigh up what& #39;s right for them, their well-being and their families. Return on our terms, not theirs.
