Return to Site

After lots of pushing back, it finally seems like my office is officially moving from "require work-from-home" to "encourage work-from-home" on July 12th.  So returning to work on site is entirely voluntary.  However, there are some caveats - only 50% building occupancy will be allowed (which is just over 100 people, but 60-70 people are physical location dependent so that doesn't leave much capacity for the rest of us) and, perhaps most significantly, all the COVID safety protocols will remain in place.  That means we need to have our health and temperature screened every morning, we need to practice physical distancing (which is a problem when you work in an open-plan office) and you have to wear masks.  I think that is the deal breaker for me - I don't have an office so I would have to wear a mask all day in my cube, and that's something I'm just not prepared to do.  So as much as I hate working-from-home, I'm not prepared to go back to the office just yet under these conditions.  And from speaking to a few other people, it seems like most of my colleagues won't either.  What is surprising is absolutely no mention of whether you need to be vaccinated or not.  I wonder if there is some sort of legal reason for not allowing to make that a condition of returning to the office.  Because I think it should be.  Some other long-term positions that my company has started introducing as a result of the last 13 months: expanded work-from-home flexibility (up to 3 days a week), expanded access to remote roles, eliminating core hours (which wasn't really something I adhered to anyway) and part-time options.  I suspect in my position that I could become a remote employee should I choose to - though they stress this is the exception rather than the norm.  But it's an interesting option to consider if/when I ever consider moving home.

On a separate note, I was offered the chance to become a people manager this week and have a direct report.  Someone is leaving our group, and they want to convert a contractor to a full-time employee to fill in the gap - actually someone who I had previously interviewed and recommended (they went for someone else) and my manager suggested this person could report to me.  But I needed to make a decision on the spot, so I turned it down.  I don't need the stress and hassle of a direct report - particularly as I think I'm going to become busy soon as the study I work on starts enrolling subjects.  I did ask my manager whether this reflects badly on me, she said no but I still sensed some disappointment from her that I wasn't interested in this opportunity.  I also know this dents any potential future promotion possibilities.  It means that less qualified people will get promoted ahead of me, which is frustrating but I have to accept - I don't want or need the extra responsibility that comes with a promotion, and I'm happy with where I am right now.  For better or for worse.  That won't stop me complaining about it though!