Like some others, I'd ask for an extra option in between 1 and 2. I don't feel myself to be in the category of the completely blasé doorknob lickers but I'm certainly not "careful" by what I think most of you would define as the term. "Careful up to the point of breaking" maybe?
I've been working in the office since my second jab back in june since WfH doesn't agree with me at all it seems. I'm claustrophobic and can't keep a mask on for more than 45-60mins without panicking, so it's doable for public transport, shops, etc. but not something I can wear in the office. Regular crushes on the victoria line, occasional cases linked to people in the office. My partner's working as a TA in a school, wore a mask all day starting in december due to heavy staff and pupil infections (many of the kids can't wear masks for special needs reasons, many of the teachers don't care). We've both been hurting quite badly from the pandemic for varying different reasons, but we both have the (probably wrong, certainly dangerous, but nonetheless enticing) gutfeel that if we were going to get it, we'd have got it by now. Every test negative so far.
As such, we still go out to the pub once a week or so (usually for the quiz) and have been to several restaurants (wearing masks until we get to the table even though it's largely pointless theatre) over the last six months or so, and I've been to two work events with attendances over 100.
This is a thing I've never understood the whole time - they always said look out for temperature, cough, aches with COVID, but only about 30% report cough and I think maybe a bit more ache and temperature.... but IIRC about 70% of sufferers report fatigue. So why has that never been reported anywhere as the top indicator of COVID?! For me, often the difference between a normal cold and a really bad virus is that kind of 'viral tiredness' you get with the latter (which is quite distinctive from normal levels of being run-down or underslept).
It's an argumentative point perhaps, but I think it's something people can't reliably self-diagnose. We've had the same spiel with ME and post-viral fatigue - they certainly seem to exist, but how does one differentiate them medically from someone thoroughly knackered from too much work/not enough sleep...?
I once thought I suffered from fatigue. Then I caught glandular fever, was hospitalised for a week and took another nine months to recover, and finally figured out what "real" fatigue might actually feel like. Spoiler: it completely fucking sucks and made me feel like a completely useless lump of flesh. But I think, like perhaps the lesser version of "flu is just a bad cold!", until you've experienced it you might not be able to understand it.
I still think it's way,
waaaaaay too early to state that "omicron is milder" with any degree of certainty, or doesn't have any other similar long-term health effects and I find the current
government CRG stance on this to be fucking stupid/terrifying. But I'm cautious by nature and don't mind maying tax to support people less fortunate than me so my stance is effectively meaningless.
Oh and on the subject of day-to-day activity, still WFH, but I don't have a choice because everyone else is and there is no "office" any more.
I hate WFH. I deliberately picked my current job because it involved hanging around with other people (before the pandemic anyway) - I'd had quite enough of WFH being freelance and it was very bad for me. Recruiters were spamming me with stuff using WFH as a bonus and were gobsmacked when I said I actively didn't want any WFH jobs.
Now of course that's turned on its head, the only time I went into the office for was the interview before I started, and I'm in the position of having to try to predict whether this job is ever going to go office/people-based again, or whether I should just quit.
Very sorry to hear this Fridge
I did the exact same thing with my (started pre-pandemic) current job - two others listed working from home options as a bonus; I ended the interviews when I found out it was a mandatory thing, heavily linked to Hot Desk Hell. My current employer was likewise gobsmacked when I said
not WfH was a positive for me (since so many other applicants listed "no-WfH" as a massive negative). Have always thought it was a sensible thing for companies to offer for flexibility's sake (esp. for people with kids) but shouldn't ever have to be a one-size-fits-all thing.
It's more something for another thread, but I think quitting would be bold (if you enjoy the work at least, which I think you did from previous). I don't have any experiences over it myself but not sure if you've tried things like cow-orking spaces or not yet but think it's worth trying at least for the change of scenery. I've got a friend in a similar situation who wants to go back to the office but can't and I find it mildly terrifying that "WfH is so popular, why would anyone dislike it?!" has become such a dominant position that I think legitimate, and really quite serious, mental health issues are being completely ignored by far too many companies.
Incidentally, good to see you posting again, was worried we'd lost you for a bit
I don't know it feels suddenly like quite a lot of people who are vaxxed and have been very careful for a long have got to a point of going 'You know what, I might as well let myself do a bit more'.
FWIW I think me and my partner reached that not long after we got our second jabs. I realise that many are likely holding on to return to what we might laughingly call "normality" but I really do feel I
need the changes of scenery and a little random social contact to stop myself going completely round the bend - both in work and social life. It's got to the state that I can't even do online shopping any more because I associate it so much with the pandemic.
