James Warrington
TORY TELEGRAPH REPORTS GLEEFULLY
Fri, 22 December 2023
Working from home with dog
A staff revolt is looming at The Guardian over the newspaper’s return to the office amid concerns the new policy will give some workers less time to spend with their pets.
Bosses have told staff they must come into the office for a minimum of three days a week from January after many failed to return following the pandemic.
But the mandate has been met with anger by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), which has asked members for their views on the issue.
In a survey distributed earlier this month, Guardian staff were asked how much they agreed with various statements about the impact of returning to the office.
These ranged from concerns about the financial impact of commuting, to issues around work-life balance and distractions in the office.
Employees were also asked for their views on how returning to work would impact their personal carbon footprint, while another survey statement read: “I will have less time to care for and be with my pet(s).”
The NUJ is said to be angry about the working policy and feels staff were not consulted on the changes.
But others hit out at the union, arguing that journalists who were going into work were being let down by their office-shy colleagues.
One source said: “It’s ridiculous that people aren’t showing their faces and we have this big, empty office with rows and rows of empty desks. It makes people’s lives a lot harder.”
“And it’s absolutely ridiculous for people to even bring up the idea that their pets are going to be the ones that suffer. It just needs a little bit of professionalism.”
The NUJ declined to comment.
While the newspaper has asked staff to come in three days a week since the beginning of the year, many have failed to do so. From January, it will become mandatory.
However, The Guardian has been plunged into in-fighting over the policy, with some employees resisting a return.
Changes to the facilities in the newspaper’s King’s Cross headquarters have also sparked controversy.
In November, the NUJ called an “urgent meeting” after bosses said hot food would no longer be served in the canteen.
The backlash forced The Guardian to rethink the plans, but staff remain angry that they will no longer be able to access free barista-made coffee.
A Guardian spokesman said: “We always welcome feedback from our staff on our policies, and look forward to hearing the results of the recent survey.”
Fri, 22 December 2023
Working from home with dog
A staff revolt is looming at The Guardian over the newspaper’s return to the office amid concerns the new policy will give some workers less time to spend with their pets.
Bosses have told staff they must come into the office for a minimum of three days a week from January after many failed to return following the pandemic.
But the mandate has been met with anger by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), which has asked members for their views on the issue.
In a survey distributed earlier this month, Guardian staff were asked how much they agreed with various statements about the impact of returning to the office.
These ranged from concerns about the financial impact of commuting, to issues around work-life balance and distractions in the office.
Employees were also asked for their views on how returning to work would impact their personal carbon footprint, while another survey statement read: “I will have less time to care for and be with my pet(s).”
The NUJ is said to be angry about the working policy and feels staff were not consulted on the changes.
But others hit out at the union, arguing that journalists who were going into work were being let down by their office-shy colleagues.
One source said: “It’s ridiculous that people aren’t showing their faces and we have this big, empty office with rows and rows of empty desks. It makes people’s lives a lot harder.”
“And it’s absolutely ridiculous for people to even bring up the idea that their pets are going to be the ones that suffer. It just needs a little bit of professionalism.”
The NUJ declined to comment.
While the newspaper has asked staff to come in three days a week since the beginning of the year, many have failed to do so. From January, it will become mandatory.
However, The Guardian has been plunged into in-fighting over the policy, with some employees resisting a return.
Changes to the facilities in the newspaper’s King’s Cross headquarters have also sparked controversy.
In November, the NUJ called an “urgent meeting” after bosses said hot food would no longer be served in the canteen.
The backlash forced The Guardian to rethink the plans, but staff remain angry that they will no longer be able to access free barista-made coffee.
A Guardian spokesman said: “We always welcome feedback from our staff on our policies, and look forward to hearing the results of the recent survey.”
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