As soon as winter is upon us, we are all hoping for snow. We love the stuff. But in true British fashion, we whine about it when it arrives.
The snow, around here, isn't massively bad. Maybe an inch of it this morning. So I went to work. Slid about a little bit, but nothing to worry about (until some stupid bint stepped out in front of my car whilst I was already skidding to a stop).
Tomorrow though, well I'm not going to bother. There is no reason for me to go to work - apart from to share the tea making with somebody else. I work in IT - in this day and age there is no need for me to be in work 90% of the time; yet still there is great resistance to working from home. The main argument is communication, people cannot work as well when they cannot get together and chat about things.
I concede this point. Talking face-to-face is a lot easier... But actually, I do very little of that anyway. I spend most my day with my headphones in trying to drown out the noise of people chatting and shouting at each other (good old open plan offices!). Occasionally I get pestered about something, but to be fair, there is no reason an Instant Message or an e-mail wouldn't do - they even get the added bonus of the answer in writing so they can use it for reference next time. All that aside, I'm currently working on my own. So there is absolutely no need for me to be in work.
There is quite a bit of conversation about how people woos off work when the slightest hint of snow comes. Tomorrow, that's going to be me. I'll still work, I can logon remotely and access everything I need from the comfort of my bed/sofa/office. I went out today, I proved that I'm not a girl and I can face driving in snow with my summer only tyres (as everyone else).
It's just not worth the effort though. A 20 minute rush hour journey extending to over an hour, for the sake of sharing the tea making responsibilities? Added on the risk of roads being closed and not being able to get home? Nah, I'll stay here thanks. One laptop, BlackBerry, cuppa and sofa. What more do you need?
We aren't prepared for this weather, as we only get it once a decade tops. Nobody has winter tyres in England, how can you expect cars to work on summer only tyres? It freezes for two weeks a year normally, not worth the expense.
A lot of people have to go to work, those who technically have the ability to work from home should be actively encouraged. It's the responsible thing to do, allowing those who have to, to get through easier.