May 18, 2022

"British workers 'lead the world' in refusing to return to the office five days a week.... Well, it’s nice to lead the world in something."

And the good news doesn’t end there. Even criminals are now being allowed to 'work from home,' completing their community service not by picking up litter but making facemasks and greetings cards from bed. Which is fair enough if you think about it. After all, the WFH culture has decimated the burglary industry. How are they expected to break into Clive’s house when there’s Clive right there on the sofa, curtains closed, rewarding himself with ten minutes of Baywatch because he managed to answer an email between 10am and 10.03? It’s the least we can do to let burglars serve their sentence in their Y-fronts. But seriously, it seems WFH is not good for you and it wasn’t good for Boris Johnson. The prime minister said that when he did it 'you spend an awful lot of time making another cup of coffee... getting up, walking very slowly to the fridge, hacking off a small piece of cheese, then walking very slowly back to your laptop and then forgetting what it is you’re doing.'"

From "The real reasons British workers like WFH — and it’s not cheese, Boris" by Carol Midgely (London Times)(the "real reason" is the expense of living in London).

21 comments:

tim maguire said...

Not sure what they're doing in the UK, but I've seen "workers refuse to return to the office" articles that are really just "employers have not yet brought their employees back." The workers' attitudes are part of the headline, but not part of the story.

As for thieves, my bicycle was stolen out of my garage while I was home. So there are still opportunities for enterprising burglars. (And on the subject of Boris Johnson, maybe that fat twaddle jerks off on the taxpayers dime, but employers are slow to bring their employees back in part because productivity from home is just as high as productivity in the office.)

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

One thing is for certain. Criminal activity has been elevated by the corrupt globalist elites.

RNB said...

"How are [burglars] expected to break into Clive’s house when there’s Clive right there...?" Half of the homes burglarized in Britain are occupied at the time.

mikee said...

It isn't working from home. It is working from somewhere you want to live and using technology to provide all the conveniences of gathering in an office, without the commute and lost time. And the IRS is going to be amazed at all the "home office" deductions for last year.

Anyone working on a computer all day has zero reason to ever return to an office setting.

Jamie said...

In anticipation of my husband's job causing him to have to return to the office full time, we've been trying to make a silk purse out of the sow's ear of having to give up our affordable, very comfortable and lovely house in the 'burbs and move into something a third the size with no fabulous yard (we have a fabulous yard) so that his commute would be manageable. It'll be fun to live in town - the restaurants! The brewpubs! And no doubt these do exist in higher concentration in the city. But we can get to them now within half an hour if we're driving at non-commute times.

But apparently everyone, especially the boss, agrees that WFH is working fine, and the current protocol is to WFH unless you have a reason to come in. So here we sit, drinking our coffee in the fabulous yard every morning, paying our affordable mortgage, enjoying the company of our neighbors, and feeling lucky that this is the kind of job he has.

Darkisland said...

In Britain, if Clive is sitting on the couch when a burglar breaks in, about the only thing Clive can do is say "Help yourself. Would you like a nice cuppa?"

Because if he tries to resist, it will be Clive, not the burglar who goes to jail.

The burglar might even be able to sue and get Clive's house.

This is what you get when you are ruled by a queen and have no constitution.

Thank God that when the founding fathers were meeting and the odious Hamilton said there was no need for a Bill of rights, because it goes without saying that we have the right to keep and bear arms someone else said "You are absolutely correct Alex, but let's right it down anyway since you have no idea what kind of twisted minds will be in power in the future.

John LGKTQ Henry

Sebastian said...

"The real reasons British workers like WFH — and it’s not cheese, Boris"

So even the British MSM are lying liars. The BJ quote shows he didn't use cheese as a reason to like WFH, considering his point was that he didn't think much of WFH.

Lurker21 said...

But seriously, it seems WFH is not good for you and it wasn’t good for Boris Johnson. The prime minister said that when he did it 'you spend an awful lot of time making another cup of coffee... getting up, walking very slowly to the fridge, hacking off a small piece of cheese, then walking very slowly back to your laptop and then forgetting what it is you’re doing.'"

Sounds like a very productive day for Joe Biden.

Joe Smith said...

'...rewarding himself with ten minutes of Baywatch...'

In slow motion?

If you don't go back to work and your colleagues do, you're at a serious disadvantage when it comes to promotions, etc.

Howard said...

Actually April, crime declined rapidly since 1982 when the globalists started their feeding frenzy following the defeat of Ross Perot. Some say abortion is responsible. A post pandemic roaring twenties crime blip is expected. The question is does it have legs? One swallow does not a Spring Make. You can pray as hard as you can for the rapturous dystopian future and it still won't come true.

Howard said...

Actually April, crime declined rapidly since 1992 when the globalists started their feeding frenzy following the defeat of Ross Perot. Some say abortion is responsible. A post pandemic roaring twenties crime blip is expected. The question is does it have legs? One swallow does not a Spring Make. You can pray as hard as you can for the rapturous dystopian future and it still won't come true.

Darkisland said...

I've "worked from home" sort of, for the past 35 years. At least the days I am not in a client's plant.

I also work a lot from the local Wendys since I find it less distracting, especially when writing. (Scott Adams said yesterday that he does the same thing. GMTA)

It takes a lot of self-discipline to do it right. Especially when one is one's own boss and has nobody looking over one's shoulder.

I have always worried that I don't have enough. OTOH, I have been doing it since 85 and fairly successful, so perhaps I do.

John LGKTQ Henry

wildswan said...

The Great Transformation. Work. Schools. Commuting. NATO and Russia. The Greenies Famine. I was there. Or, anyhow, I am here. Awake, but in pajamas, not woke.

Anthony said...

I like going to an office. I like seeing other people. I like separating "work" from "home" (or just "not-work" if you will). I like having an area dedicated to work that's rather spartan, no photos, decorations, etc. It's really only the commute I dislike.

Narayanan said...

Half of the homes burglarized in Britain are occupied at the time.
============
and home-owners are not allowed to defend themselves >>>> only allowed to call the police and wait.

any defence puts them in the court as defendants

cubanbob said...

As the recession/stagflation starts to bite companies with large leases are going to insist workers come in or else. However at renewal time the leases are going to be severely curtailed.

n.n said...

The Brits took a knee to the cargo cult, and exhibited excess Covid 19, 20, and CovaX 21, and 22-related adverse events including progressive, terminal viability, and generally all causes deaths. They offered feminists and masculinists normalization of reproductive rites for social, redistributive, clinical, and fair weather causes. What will they offer labor to compensate them for Mengele mandates, labor arbitrage (e.g. immigration reform), and progressive prices (e.g. redistributive change)?

Temujin said...

On a long flight today, watching our economy crash on CNBC, I heard one guy toss out a line saying that only 6% of New York workers have returned full-time to their offices. Office spaces are emptying out in Manhattan as is, but even the companies staying can't get people to show up.

It's a new era. Just keep printing money, and sending it into people's accounts. Then asking for a chunk of it back. And yes- when you tell us to lock down or get another shot, we'll do it. Because sometime between 2019 and today, the Pod People switched the lot of you out. Just let me stay home and play video games and I'll let you have me.

Larry J said...

“ Anyone working on a computer all day has zero reason to ever return to an office setting.”

It depends on the job. I do model based systems engineering. It’s collaborative work. Some of it can be done using Teams meetings but a lot of what I do involves white-boarding systems interactions before putting them into the model, mentoring junior MBSE workers, and discussing the nuances of SysML, OOSEM, and the modeling tool. Those things are best done in person. Fortunately, work is only about 8 minutes from home.

As for the UK, the article reminds me of the old joke about how the British are 30 years behind America and working hard 3 days a week to catch up.

billm99uk said...

No, it's definitely the cheese...

effinayright said...

Wasn't it George Bernard Shaw who described the smile of an English worker as looking like a slice of roquefort cheese?