Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion

[Supine]

I get paid extra to commute. I'm not management but I have a specialisation. If they want to utilize it they stump up money for my travel and hotel. It works for both parties.

WFH is a bit different though. In pharma it's looking like WFH will be around for the foreseeable future - where it can be done. I'm managing 2 days at home and 3 in the office which seems like a good balance.

 

[Ms Ordinary]

That really is taking the piss. Suggest a pay increase for use of own water and electricity.

I did...

 

[scifisam]

I get paid extra to commute. I'm not management but I have a specialisation. If they want to utilize it they stump up money for my travel and hotel. It works for both parties.

WFH is a bit different though. In pharma it's looking like WFH will be around for the foreseeable future - where it can be done. I'm managing 2 days at home and 3 in the office which seems like a good balance.

That's not commuting. Commuting is going from your home to your regular office. What you're talking about is going from your home to a different place of work, and it's fairly common to be paid extra for that. Self-employed workers can also claim travel costs for that sort of journey, but not for their regular commute if they have an office outside of their home.

Self-employed workers can also claim costs for having an office at home because if you're doing it long-term it does have costs in terms of extra space, insurance and equipment.

 

[teuchter]

That's not commuting. Commuting is going from your home to your regular office. What you're talking about is going from your home to a different place of work, and it's fairly common to be paid extra for that.

But we may be moving towards a situation where there's not such a clear distinction. At least for office type jobs.

 

[scifisam]

But we may be moving towards a situation where there's not such a clear distinction. At least for office type jobs.

Yes, but currently we're not.

There will need to be some restructuring but paying people less for working at home is not the way to go.

 

[teuchter]

Yes, but currently we're not.

There will need to be some restructuring but paying people less for working at home is not the way to go.

It's inevitable that wages will be affected in some way, in the longer term. If you're a company based in the south of england that realises most of your employees don't need to physically be there, then why pay extra for people who live nearby in places with high housing costs when you can employ people in other parts of the UK who'll work for less?

 

[scifisam]

It's inevitable that wages will be affected in some way, in the longer term. If you're a company based in the south of england that realises most of your employees don't need to physically be there, then why pay extra for people who live nearby in places with high housing costs when you can employ people in other parts of the UK who'll work for less?

Isn't that pretty much the opposite of paying people less for working from home?

 

[xenon]

charge the company for leasing your Wi-Fi, office equipment, water, electricity.

.


Unsurprisingly, someone at my work has already floated the idea that eventually, people who WFH could be paid less, as they no longer have to shell out for travel costs / higher cost of accommodation near work.

The response to my reply of "you fucking what now?!?!" was, "bottom line though, it'll be worth it to someone"

 

[Ms Ordinary]

I am actually back in the office
Hence catching up with the gossip...

 

[wemakeyousoundb]

I am actually back in the office
Hence catching up with the gossip...

using the office wifi for personal use?
it WILL be deducted from your wages!

 

[teuchter]

Isn't that pretty much the opposite of paying people less for working from home?

I don't think so no. I can see that it might increase some people's earning potential, if they live in parts of the UK with low living costs and few local jobs, but then it will decrease other people's earning potential, if they live in the more expensive parts of the country, because they will be competing with people from all over.

 

[William of Walworth]

One decent perk where I am is subsidised work buses
(A huge proportion of us, unlike me, live out of town).

These buses cost £2= a week -- you have to book space on them in these corona-times, but I'm currently saving on my normal £4:70 a day day ticket on the town buses.

(Work buses set off far too early in the monring though )

 

[maomao]

I don't think so no. I can see that it might increase some people's earning potential, if they live in parts of the UK with low living costs and few local jobs, but then it will decrease other people's earning potential, if they live in the more expensive parts of the country, because they will be competing with people from all over.

That's not earning potential though. That's income left after living costs which is different. People who live in bedsits don't have more earning potential than people with massive mortgages.

 

[Artaxerxes]

Recession time!

Bet it's all Labours fault, always is according to those competent boys in blue who do such a good job with our economy.

 

[frogwoman]

Are we now only reporting deaths figures once a week?

 

[BlanketAddict]

My work asked today who was 'willing' to have a flu jab.
What with voluntary redundancies already in action and involunteries hinted at, the question felt loaded, like a refusal would have your card marked.

 

[cupid_stunt]

My work asked today who was 'willing' to have a flu jab.
What with voluntary redundancies already in action and involunteries hinted at, the question felt loaded, like a refusal would have your card marked.

What's wrong with having a flu jab?

 

[BlanketAddict]

What's wrong with having a flu jab?

Nothing, as far as I know.

 

[PD58]

So 5000 did not die of Covid...

Covid death recount reduces UK deaths by 5,000

 

[cupid_stunt]

So 5000 did not die of Covid...

Covid death recount reduces UK deaths by 5,000

Well, this brings England inline with the other 3 nations of the UK, which is sort of OK.

But, let's not forgot that these figures only count deaths of people that were actually tested & shown as positive, the far higher figure from the ONS includes all deaths where Covid is mentioned on the death certificate.

 

[zahir]

So 5000 did not die of Covid...

Covid death recount reduces UK deaths by 5,000

As if you stop having Covid after 28 days. There’s an idea floating round in the background that it’s a bit like having a cold and maybe lasts for a couple of weeks, but where does this idea come from?

 

[frogwoman]

I would hope it was 'stopped automatically being classed as covid after 28 days' rather than 'definitely wasn't covid after that time' ! Surely it would be on a case by case basis? That's ridiculous otherwise.

 

[frogwoman]

Someone who stays in intensive care with Covid-19 for five weeks and dies would not be counted as a coronavirus death, for example.

Wtf? This can't be right.

 

[Sue]

Wtf? This can't be right.

The numbers were counted differently in Scotland/Wales so if you had a positive test then died 29 days later, it wouldn't be classed as a Covid death. They were discussing this -- and lots of other interesting stuff -- on More of Less on Radio 4 this morning. (Repeated at 9 tonight or available on BBC Radio 4 - More or Less, Hawaiian Pizza, Obesity and a Second Wave?).

 

[frogwoman]

Surely it should be that it is not automatically counted, not that it is never counted

 

[frogwoman]

Spain did a similar recount iirc.

 

[Sue]

Surely it should be that it is not automatically counted, not that it is never counted

They do have other stats (there's a lag) which provide more accurate numbers. (Also discussed in that programme.)

 

[frogwoman]

They do have other stats (there's a lag) which provide more accurate numbers. (Also discussed in that programme.)

Are these the ONS stats or something else?

 

[littlebabyjesus]

As if you stop having Covid after 28 days. There’s an idea floating round in the background that it’s a bit like having a cold and maybe lasts for a couple of weeks, but where does this idea come from?

It's not that, though. Tbh this clears up something that's been bothering me for a while - the way UK deaths, and specifically England's, have not been falling as quickly as those of other places, and the way the vast majority of daily covid deaths are now outside hospital, when it used to be the other way around. tbf the BBC article explains this pretty well (for once) - the provisional headline figure will use this 28-day heuristic, but covid deaths after that time will be added later.

 

[Sue]

Are these the ONS stats or something else?

Can't remember. But instead of 0 deaths in Scotland in the last five weeks, for example, these figures showed 34 in the four weeks they had numbers for.