The UK has too much of an overworking culture where we think it makes us look good if we work beyond the hours we’re paid for.
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Look a twitter…theyve given their employees the opportunity to work from home forever based in a study that saw productivity increase and an improvement of mental health. I’m hoping this covid 19 will force old school companies to look at embracing flexible working…my company certainley has, already been told that when normality resumes they only expect us in the office 30% of the time
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I’m considering getting a dog so I’ve got the excuse to not go back to the office full time…!
Mine’s been pretty good in fairness. And while some managers have done the whole “well, if you’re not commuting you can work that extra time at the start and end of the day!” thing, other managers have publicly shouted them down.
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It probably does in a lot of cases though.
Fortunately not quite as bad as the work culture in the US.
Many Japanese workers though - particularly single male office drones - aren’t dissimilar. Work late, couple of beers, home to bed, up early. But I think other parts of their culture make up for it, unlike the US.
True comparison to Japan simply isn’t fair though - so much of their culture (especially customer service) is so vastly different - Americans think they have it nailed, but are nowhere near in comparison.
Long hours are detrimental to productivity (in western countries at least, but I haven’t seen much from further afield), but the hard capitalists won the war in many people’s minds decades ago (not prodding for a political ideology debate). Next couple generations of C-level executives might begin to swing it though.
(makes me laugh: imagine Pam from EasyJet bowing in apology to Karen from Stoke for a minute delay in boarding)
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The idea of working from home will after all this will be a cost cutting measure for many purely office based businesses. To have people work from home using a raft of technology will save £££££s in office rent. They may and try and dress it up with phrase like “work life balance”, but the bottom line will be the dominant factor.
One of our sons’ mates has been working from home since early March and now all in his firm are. His firm is has uprated and is paying the internet costs and suppled printers, multiple screens (if they have the space), a desk and decent office chair to all in his office. Apparently they’ve binned all but a couple of offices, currently they’re using Zoom for meetings, but after this is over the expectation will be a monthly gathering at a hotel. He and his wife have a 2 year old, so the idea of ‘walking’ a few feet to work, rather than long daily commutes and getting to see his son, has made this a no brainer. It’s also saving him a small fortune in coffee after work beers.
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Trials aside, I’m loving the more remote approach to court work.
Yesterday for instance, I was actually supposed to be in court, in person, about an hour’s drive away. (Hour and a half in normal morning traffic.) However, I didn’t know and assumed it was via Skype.
That would normally have been a 90 minute drive, arriving around 9-half 9, for a 10:15 listing. In fact, the hearing wasn’t until about 12, so I would have been waiting around in fancy dress for over two hours. The hearing then took less than 5 minutes… Then 90 minutes home.
Instead I did it via phone, working on other cases while I waited.
From an expense point of view, as well as an environmental one. This has to be the way to go.
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I watched last week, via Skype link, as a member of the public, a libel settlement case. I was expecting a good amount of to-ing & fro-ing, but the defence read out a statement, & the judge agreed to take it off record as requested. Big out of court settlement.
Now, I was free for time to go to London & would have wanted to go. Bl**dy lucky I didn’t as it was 5 mins in all!
The problem with 5 minute hearings is that’s when people criticise the pay.
X Pounds for 5 minutes!
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But they forget all the prep work, waiting around unable to do other work and the fact that your expenses are the same for a five minute hearing as for an all day hearing. And also, that five minute hearing probably means you can’t take on another hearing for the day
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Mate, like Teflon, don’t let the truth get in the way of a good moan! 
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A few years ago, at a union representation tribunal, there was a QC, who had a very impressive record according to the write-up for his chambers.
Prep work - at lunchtime, the chairperson gave us a transcript of a recent High Court case, exactly the same principles of our case. The judge binned 3 out of the 4 legal points from the outset. Case lost.
Guess what, it was the same QC - very lazy prep work, he had tried to use the same legal arguments. The tribunal found in our favour. Company also took this to court. Case lost.
All professions have lazy people
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The genius at the anti-lockdown protest today who’s placard managed to have:
Anti 5G
Anti Vax
Imprison Bill Gates
Believe David Icke
The bloke might as well have been wearing a tin foil hat!
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I’m waiting for half the Met to be off ill in a couple of weeks off the back of what I’ve seen in the various videos…
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Bunch of morons…theyll be first to the media when they are in bed on oxygen…
Saw one yesterday about a 5G protesting Looney gone straight to the daily fail around now believing about Covid 19
I liked a line in an interview with Romesh Ranganathan in the DT yesterday, where children and grandchildren will be told stories of what people did in the lockdown. Not there will be much to tell as most people I’ve spoken to are; if they have to work from home/go to work on a rota and doing the jobs normally reserved for the weekend, bank holidays and may be a few days holiday here and there. Other than that just enjoying not having the hassle of life in general. I’m seeing this as semi-retirement try out, bit of work, pottering around, although we’d be able visit people and go out and do things in normal times and not stuck at home as sod all’s open.
Mind you this assumes of course this is the only one lockdown, which I doubt.
https://twitter.com/ComdtAC/status/1264099917754241025?s=19
Pretty sure ACC got here first… over 20 years ago 
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When is her replacement being announced.
The bubbly in the fridge wont drink itself…
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“First on-line”…
Does that imply that there is an offline one??
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