Working during coronavirus

[Benguin]

I work at an outdoor pursuits centre primarily for school residential trips. Business has been almost non existent since the start. Just survived a round of redundancies fortunately. Lots of colleagues lost their jobs though sadly. Not worked a day since March. 

[UniFox21]

I work in a university lab. We were shut down and working from home from end of March till start of July. We were dripped back in in "bubbles" before completely full time from September.

Work has doubled as students can't work in pairs anymore. Safety went from the place being slightly interested in July to masks/visors at all times in October unless doing lab work. 

[StanSP]

Been working since it started. Was already WFH so was well used to that. The only thing had to get used to and adjust heavily was not being able to go out and see tenants/go out on in to our patches as we usually would 2-3 days a week. Being confined to home all week was difficult to adjust to.

 

Zoom meeting/quizzes became very boring very quickly .

 

Employers have been very good to be fair. Been very flexible with us and supporting in terms of flexible hours and accommodating for various situations and especially with wellbeing/Mental Health.

 

Been very accommodating with annual leave too. We're allowed to carry over maximum of 20 days per year for the next 2 years. Handy for me given I'm getting married next year so don't have to worry about leave for honeymoon wherever that may be!

 

Office has been restricted to 30 people for the past few months since lockdown for office space was lifted. Vast difference to where there used to be 250+ there in an open plan area. Been back a few times and it's so eerie.

[jonthefox]

Furloughed for five months then back full time since September. Preferred furlough to be honest.

[Kopic]

I work in a supermarket warehouse so been business as usual from day one for me.

[ajthefox]

I work as an Architect and haven't stopped.

 

Worked at home from March to June with inadequate provision in my shared house. Worked at a mates for a couple of months and been back in the office since the start of September.

We had 54 people in March, about half were put on furlough and we lost 28 to redundancy before 2 have come back on short term contracts.

Currently very busy and won't be working from home again unless we are forced to by the Government, as our employer wrote to us all to say our productivity wasn't good enough in lockdown.

[FoxesDeb]

I've been working from home right through, and loving it. I've sold my car as we don't need 2 when I'm at home, and although our office did start to reintroduce people back, this has been put on hold again. I'm really hoping to never have to go back. The other half, however, is being made redundant in about 6 weeks time.

[Mark 'expert' Lawrenson]

Worked all the way through the lockdown, bloody hard graft as well. 4 of my team were furloughed and 2 never came back. 

[Corky]

Carried on as normal, one of four people in the building in my department since early April, the rest working from home. Work slowed down hugely May to July but has been steadily rising again. Buses have been fine until the schools went back, half capacity and single deckers on busy routes have proved nightmarish. 

 

I was keen to work from home but actually getting out and about was a positive during the months of real lockdown, I'm glad more are going back to work and places are less of a ghost town again.

[AllGoneTitsSchlupp]

was furloughed on 1st april, took up a couple of different warehouse jobs to pass the time while on furlough, ended up quitting my main job and decided to go 'travelling' around europe wherever i can get into. currently sat in florence and spending the rest of october in italy, and then coming back to blighty around christmas time, travel restrictions permitting 

[Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot]

I work at a pub so I got furloughed when the initial lockdown happened. My wage was worked out on an average of the 12 weeks preceeding it, which was fine because I was doing upwards of 40 hours a week and with everything being shut down my outgoings, things like nights out etc, meant I had more money really. The problem with this new scheme is my company will be going off the same model, and since we opened up I've not worked anywhere near as many hours. Lucky if I get 32 a week, and it's dropping off more and more with the bad news making more and more people not want to go to the pub. Add to that my missus income has been decimated and two thirds of 30 is a damn sight less than 80% of 40+, it all adds up to a shit Christmas and constant worry about where exactly the money is meant to magically appear from. 

[Nod.E]

Work in digital media planning and buying. Was put on furlough at the beginning of April through to the end of June. Was eventually brought back (WFH) but had very little work in July and handed my notice in at the beginning of August, starting at my new place in September.

 

The previous agency had predominantly leisure and hospitality clients and so media spend all but dried up. However, the way they acted was diabolical. Expecting people to work throughout furlough, sending threatening emails and calls to those that wouldn't comply, putting people on a 'voluntary' 80% pay. There was all sorts of dodgy stuff going on, like sending us letters to sign to agree to furlough that were backdated to before we were actually out on furlough. There are even reports one colleague had their LinkedIn account hacked by the sociopath CEO, from which he messaged ex employees to slag them off!

 

I actually did work while on furlough against my wishes, but even doing bits and bobs wasn't enough. They wanted 110% from me while letting the government pick up the tab and expecting me to accept a pay cut in the process. They also didn't pay me a bonus that was due from Q1. All in all financially while on furlough I was probably still slightly up due to spending next to no money.

 

But that period was all quite hairy and I was lucky enough to get out at the right time. To be fair, I already wanted out before Covid struck, so it has actually ended up working out quite well for me in the end. People that are still there have been told they are at risk of redundancy, which doesn't surprise me. To paint the picture of how dire it is, it was an agency of 30 people pre-covid. There are now just 8 or 9 remaining and they still need to make redundancies. It's quite clear now that their strategy has been constructive dismissal.

 

New employers couldn't be better. They've set me up with a fold up table for WFH (handy as I live in a flat). There's the option (absolutely no obligation) to work from the office twice a week, which I have taken and have enjoyed very much. I thought I would enjoy furlough, and to a point I did. But it has been strangely refreshing over the past month to be very busy with work. It helps that the people I'm working with are a breath of fresh air, but just the social interaction is great to have again even if it is just twice a week, and engaging the thinker is healthy practice. It's quite a nice balance at the moment, especially as my job can be done 100% remotely.

 

I also have my own business which has been dormant for the last couple of years but since August I've had a couple of contracts each month through that as well, which has kept my lunch times, evenings and weekends busy. There are a few more bits that may come with that in the coming months as well so I may have some decisions to make.

 

Essentially I've gone from 0 hours per week and 80% pay to 50+ hours per week and 150% pay. I've been fortunate, it could quite easily have worked out much, much worse.

Edited 9 October 2020 by Nod.E

[RonnieTodger]

I do graphic design for a design agency in Leicester and they've have been fantastic. 
 

I was furloughed from March until end of August and gradually phased back in. ive even started working in the office Again, the last couple of weeks.

 

When furlough began, I made use of having the Mac at home and taught myself a lot of video/animation design. Since coming back I’ve been given the chance to do that officially and it’s the most I’ve enjoyed work since I can remember. 

[Costock_Fox]

Worked through all of it and from home since mid march. I work in mortgages so it was really slow case wise over lockdown but since that ended it’s gone ape shit, there aren’t many days I finish without my head spinning nowadays.

 

Great to be busy though.

[Leicester_Loyal]

I work in the public sector and I've probably been one of the luckiest out of all of this Covid bollocks.

 

My job is pretty safe (or so it seems) and the lockdown is the best time for us to do our work, plenty of overtime available (I've done more than 40 overtime shifts since the start of March) and on average I've probably done 50+ hours a week since March, it's hugely helped me build up a massive house deposit.

 

My employer has been good as well, got us masks and other PPE if we want it, but as we work outside it's not really needed to be honest.

 

Genuinely feel for a lot of you lot, keep your heads up and something better will come along

[Durnerz]

Supermarket manager so been plenty of action. Plodding along through it all like everyone else, same nobs to deal with and some new ones too. Thankfully they've stopped raiding the shelves for pasta and bogroll for now. 

[casablancas]

Registered Nurse. Fml

[Unabomber]

I’m a national sales manager in the construction industry. We provide a product to the national and regional house builders. Our factory stopped once the sites closed but I continued working throughout although some days literally I did nothing. It was a very weird time. Now fully operational but made loads of people redundant. My job relies on developers building houses so always abit risky. I feel for those who have had and are in worrying times!

Edited 9 October 2020 by Unabomber

[Unabomber]

2 minutes ago, Unabomber said:

 

Edited 9 October 2020 by Unabomber
Delete

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

55 minutes ago, RonnieTodger said:

I do graphic design for a design agency in Leicester and they've have been fantastic. 
 

I was furloughed from March until end of August and gradually phased back in. ive even started working in the office Again, the last couple of weeks.

 

When furlough began, I made use of having the Mac at home and taught myself a lot of video/animation design. Since coming back I’ve been given the chance to do that officially and it’s the most I’ve enjoyed work since I can remember. 

 

Oh mate I'm in a similar boat, don't think I've ever felt as much satisfaction learning anything than I have getting to grips with After Effects, it's about 70% of my workload these days.

[Stinkenzo]

I spent nearly 9 years in retail before moving to head office at the start of the year thank****. In store I always worked my bollocks off, my standards were stupidly high. Was happy to get out of that into a Mon-Fri desk job, but tbf my workload isn't that high so I feel i've lost a bit of work ethic because of it as now I do what is required of me easily and then multi-task playing Football Manager. Glad i've been able to carry on working however I am screwed when I have to go back to the office. 8.30-5 with an hour lunch has turned into waking up at half 8, starting at 9ish, having an hour or so for lunch and then finishing early.

[UpTheLeagueFox]

I have two strands of work. One has disappeared completely (and unlikely to resume for a long time) and the other has been cut a bit.

Self employment grants have been useful but it's still effectively a plaster over a wound.

Thankfully paid off my mortgage a few years ago and been a sensible saver over the years so have to dip into that which isn't great but I didn't expect the 'rainy days' would actually be a downpour.

Not as fortunate as some but more fortunate than others so not moaning about my lot.

Next few months could be a real test. Just have to crack on with a tighter belt and hope for the best.

[Sly]

My wife and I have both worked from home for the duration. 
 

I’ve only been into my office twice since February. The wife is now going in once or twice a week, however she needs to book a time allocated slot.

[RonnieTodger]

8 hours ago, Miquel The Work Geordie said:

 

Oh mate I'm in a similar boat, don't think I've ever felt as much satisfaction learning anything than I have getting to grips with After Effects, it's about 70% of my workload these days.

Haha exactly the same as me. I’d barely even touched it before March. 

 

For furlough, I’d spend my mornings on Duolingo and After Effects but haven’t been to Germany or Spain since lockdown started so at least one of them has paid off. 

[GlennyFox55]

I’ve been wfh since the 17th March, have to say i much prefer it. No commuting, saving money and i find i get much more work done in a shorter period.

 

I think that if the social aspect of life was ‘normal’ i could quite happily work from home permanently, perhaps with one day a week in the office.

 

Company have been great to be fair, ensured all vulnerable workers and those with vulnerable families were working from home ahead of the government announcement. Since then they’ve kept ahead of the game, ensured we can operate as normal from home etc.