Boss Asked Employees To Come In To The Office

amother

Fri, May 01 2020, 1:20 pm

My boss asked all employees who are feeling okay to begin working from the office next week. Parents of children should please make arrangements to come in. If they can't come in or commit to working their full hours they should discuss it with him.

Thoughts, please.

amother

Cobalt

Fri, May 01 2020, 1:22 pm

Are you asking whether it's allowed or whether it's safe?
If you live somewhere where offices are allowed to be open again then he's within his rights to ask you to come in.

amother

Fri, May 01 2020, 1:26 pm

There are many employees in the office. It's in NY. It's an open space office. There is some space between employees seats, but you are back to back with another person. People are not careful. I had a single coworker with COVID symptoms tell me that she wants to come into the office because she is tired from working from home. "I'll wear a mask" is what she rationalized.

singleagain

Fri, May 01 2020, 1:28 pm

Is it difficult to get your work at home? Because if it's one of those jobs where you kind of have to be on site I totally understand why it's easier to be on site however if it's easy enough to do from home and it's going to cause difficulties with childcare and stuff for sure talk to your boss

amother

Fri, May 01 2020, 1:29 pm

How is anyone possibly working full hours with a house full of kids home? (I'm doing what I can and nothing urgent is falling through.)

How is anyone getting someone to watch their children when you're supposed to be social distancing?

amother

Mint

Fri, May 01 2020, 1:29 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Your employer is required to provide you with a safe workspace.

Did your boss explain what he will have put in place?

amother

Fri, May 01 2020, 1:30 pm

Every other person I know working in this field is doing this work from home. Including hundreds of non-Jewish offices in this field. The work can be done from home long term.

amother

Yellow

Fri, May 01 2020, 1:32 pm

amother [ Mint ] wrote:

Your employer is required to provide you with a safe workspace.

Did your boss explain what he will have put in place?

Not really true.

amother

Silver

Fri, May 01 2020, 1:36 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Call 311, the mayors office and the governors office and report it unless your employer has a permit to reopen (which some businesses have gotten).

amother

Mint

Fri, May 01 2020, 1:39 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Every other person I know working in this field is doing this work from home. Including hundreds of non-Jewish offices in this field. The work can be done from home long term.

Your boss has a right to decide that he wants his employees to work at the office and not from home (so long as its legal - no comment there).

Talk to him about your concerns.

zaq

Fri, May 01 2020, 1:46 pm

amother [ Yellow ] wrote:

Not really true.

not really true that an employer is obligated to provide workers with a safe place to work? 100% true. OSHA general duty clause, paragraph 5(a)(1):

“Each employer shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees.” COVID19 has been established as a known and recognized hazard that is likely to cause death or serious physical harm.

A worker has the right to refuse work that s/he believes to present a hazard, and to file a compliant with OSHA about the hazard. OSHA advises first trying to get the employer to correct the problem, and filing a complaint if the employer refuses.

Whether and how OSHA will enforce distancing and other workplace precautions in the covid era, I couldn't say, but the employer absolutely and incontrovertibly is required to protect workers. That many employers fail to do so doesn't change that responsibility.

amother

Fri, May 01 2020, 2:05 pm

amother [ Mint ] wrote:

Okay. So what is your question?

I've been working from home from the beginning. Just wanted to hear what pp thought about coming in when no one is able to get childcare where I live. The bosses know this.

There is also no way of social distancing in an office where pp just don't believe in social distancing.

amother

Mint

Fri, May 01 2020, 2:14 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

If you are unable to get childcare - then you can't go in.

Your boss is trying to run a business.

If you are a valuable employee - he will work this out with you.

amother

Bisque

Fri, May 01 2020, 2:38 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

If they can't come in or commit to working their full hours they should discuss it with him.

Thoughts, please.

This doesn’t sound like a “heimishe” office so I’m assuming you’re one of relatively few employees with significant childcare issues. Talk to him, when he said the above he was referring to YOU, an assumption obviously but you likely have the most kids of anyone in the office.

amother

Fri, May 01 2020, 2:41 pm

amother [ Bisque ] wrote:

This is most definitely a heimishe office. The non-Jewish offices in this field are ALL working remotely. 2/3 of the employees are mothers of children, quite a few of them with more children than me.