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No, risk is gone. Let’s get back to life
To be fair, there is no decision you make in life that is risk free or has 0 risk. Everything we do has a risk; however risk is also personal. Some people’s threshold for risk tolerance are higher than others as well.
For example, I don’t believe COVID poses a risk to my family as our immune system has been good thus far. We have been in close contact with a COVID positive person for a week, and the entire time my family and I tested negative for COVID.
As an aside, I do take my due diligence seriously and respect other’s choices for their own health. When my daughter gets sick, I make sure she isn’t contagious before taking her to school.
The return to office movement is led mainly by "leaders" who see a threat to their petty power games and can't get over their inertia despite what they likely preach to clients about future trends. Pay attention, OP, and make careful decisions about the quality of leadership you want to work for. You have one life.
It's telling when people will carefully carve out exceptions to minimize the danger covid poses, like leaving out unvaccinated, immunocompromized, elerly or overweight individuals from their calculations. As if a vaccinated person can't transmit to these groups, or those lives are worth less than minor inconvenience or discomfort for those of us who are young and healthy.
World War II lasted six years; it was won the backs of young men, some barely twenty. I wonder what those today whose argument amounts to "It's been two years and I won't be directly affected" would have made of that threat. Short-termism is the real endemic.
💯
A lot of “leaders” made careers blabbing in conference rooms and sitting in private office ivory towers.
So KPMG is calling all folks 4 days a week to office but PwC is fully remote. I bet lot of KPMG people would be thinking of leaving
Yup. KPMG is going to have a massive exodus looking for firms that are fully remote or hybrid but you get to choose your days.
I have no sympathy for the sah people. I've been working with the public since day 1 of the pandemic. Put on your big boy pants and go back to work. Wear a mask and social distance if you're afraid.
I'm tired of hearing about all of this. Cases are going down and they're lifting mask mandates, but you want to sit at home cause your afraid? GTFOH.
By that logic most of the consultant traveled before covid and that is what you signed up for. It's ok if you don't want to go to office, just say that. But using COVID as a crutch just makes one look like trying to take advantage. Majority of folks have started stepping out of the house, so let's not even go into risk comparison between being in office vs other places.
Its going to be fully remote or hybrid working from now on else sayonara! I am not going back to office 4 days a week ever - pandemic/endemic/apocalypse.
Rising Star
Dangerous, no. Stupid, yes. I hope the firms have learned over the last 2 years that work flexibility is extremely important and that everything can be done just as efficiently (and arguably much more more efficiently) working from home.
Only scanned the comments, but it’s clear lots of people don’t want to have to deal with other people.
Many of you are missing how much richer actually in-person contact is. All people subconsciously gather an incredible amount of information from non-verbal cues that mostly don’t work over video conference.
Don’t get me wrong, we were together much more than made sense pre-pandemic. And IT bits can largely be done from home if all parties are amenable. But real business discussions are best in person and that isn’t changing. The metaverse will push more online, but we’re not going to a totally remote existence unless medically forced (and this ain’t it). If nothing else, life is better with other people.
Do you really, honestly think that 'nonverbal cues you can gather in person but not over video chat' are more valuable than than the boost in productivity and mental wellbeing that come from not having to waste tens of hours every week going to and from an office?
Maybe, MAYBE, that holds true if your job is sales or something similar, but for the vast majority of us it's irrelevant.
This is no longer about COVID. This is about not wanting to go back to the office because there is no value in doing so. The Pandemic taught us that. We've been gone too long. There's no reason to go back.
Feeling really glad my KPMG interview didn't work out rn
Go see a therapist. Long term scare of covid by all available data after vaccination is not dangerous and here to stay. Your mental health is a bigger risk now than covid.
At this point people would have more success arguing the cost savings (no office lease, less overhead) and efficiencies of working from home as a reason to not return to the office rather than attempting to frame it as a covid issue. I get it. I have no interest in commuting or having to wear business casual clothes / a suit every day. I like rolling out of bed and taking my AM calls while I make coffee in my kitchen. But society is moving on. There is no greater risk in people returning to the office than there is with going to the grocery store, doctors office, or any other social setting that involves leaving your house and being around other people.
Our entire culture worldwide has learned over the last 2 years how to work from home. This is never happened in the history of industry. You can't use isolated examples of IBMers having to go back to the office citing lack productivity. This is a global phenomenon now. We've all had an incredible crash course in how to do it and do it well. Now that it's up and running, there's absolutely no reason to change it back to the old system, which was far less enjoyable for the majority of people. You can't get this toothpaste back in the tube. Sorry.
Risk to what? If you’re afraid to go to work, please tell that you’re still sheltered at home, don’t go to restaurants, grocery store or god forbid, go on vacation.
Enthusiast
But this thread is about companies pressuring people to return... It's one thing to reopen for those comfortable going back but a different story to be pressuring people to return who are caregivers of people who cannot yet get vaccinated. I am also in this boat and we do not go anywhere indoors except daycare and I grocery shop late night every other week.
Imagine a world where you have to go into the office of your employer 🤯
Thank Christ we don't have to anymore.
We’re entering the endemic stage this is what happens. My office is already back so get ready.
As a person who extremely prefers work from home than work in the office, I think going into the office at least once a week is a good balance. I’ve tried doing this and it definitely boosts morale just being around coworkers instead of working alone all the time. Now if someone were to tell me to go in twice a week, that would be a hard pass for me
It’s not mandatory at all right now, but they are definitely trying to push for people to come into the office at least once a week for more in person team interactions.
There is such minimal risk from COVID. This is a terrible excuse to be anti-RTO.
The better rationale is work life balance and minimal gains of productivity from being in the office.
At this stage now there would probably be diminished productivity with a return to the office.
Yikes. Crossing KPMG off the list of companies I’d work for in the future…
Lol have fun with your unlimited PTO…
Also for perspective- we are quite spoiled really. People in Ukraine would likely be envious of the chance to go to an office every day and face the low risk of contracting Covid (which is likely not a big risk as relative to an invasion). I’ve been a staunch supporter of being cautious. February 24 changed my pov on the risk. That’s just me - and by choice I’d rather continue to wfh - but it’s all relative. We are incredibly privileged ♥️ 🇺🇦 ♥️
To the person who laughed - I’m not sure where you live but encourage you to put yourselves in the shoes of people who are waking up in a war zone and crave the normality of going into an office. I wasn’t trying to be funny 🤷♂️
With the risk so low for vaccinationed people now it's a personal choice. Nobody is forcing anyone to do anything they don't want to. Here in NYC our firm allows anyone to submit for full time WFH and many have with no pushback.
Lol
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Risk is part of life. We all must accept that in our short 80 or so years on earth, and we do all the time by, for instance, eating sushi, skiing or driving on the freeway. Don’t diminish living a full life because fear is controlling you.
Lol. Not sure where OP is coming from. Leadership has had a consistent message for 2 years that no one has to come back that doesn’t feel comfortable with very limited exceptions. Has nothing to do with firm culture. OP is inferring something that’s not there
Completely agree