UK Energy Costs

[Cassius_Smoke]

For the record, I hate the job and can't stand many of my colleagues (a few of them are alright).

They changed the office to an open plan type a few years ago and I always said from day one that it would be a massive drawback to me - and it is. I simply cannot concentrate and do my job properly, because all I hear is every single stupid banal conversation within 200 yards. I'm trying to process data that has to be 100% perfect and I can't do it because I'm constantly being interrupted either directly or trying to blank out some loud idiot's conversation 8 desks away. It is my own personal hell.

Open offices need to be banned. I've worked in quite a few and it's all just a massive wall of noise. And either too cold of too hot. And you feel watched all the time.

[fishbowlhead]

If energy prices continue to rise everyone will be working from home, permanently, as you won’t have jobs to go into.

Or you’ll be back to manual typewriters.

[Asura]

Open offices need to be banned.

Honestly if WFH is a thing, I think the opposite - they should probably be more ubiquitous. I mean there's not a lot of point in cubicled office-space if people can also work from home.

[Hirst]

In my experience, the only people who truly seem to thrive in an open plan office are insecure attention-seekers who want to constantly prove they're doing their work well by making as much fuss about it as possible. The way it is sold as "increased collaboration" rarely seems to happen in reality, it's just a combination of people going "look at me, I'm doing work, look at me, listen" and dullards with no life outside the job trying to create a surrogate family by offering terrible opinions all day to an audience who can't just get up and walk away. It is also an absolute gift to nosy people and rumour-spreaders, because they can spend all day watching who speaks to who.

I'm currently doing hybrid working and I'd be surprised if I get even a quarter of the work done in the office that I could do in one day at home. I have to put off most tasks until people have gone home, so I can do it in peace. People would say "but wouldn't you miss the social contact" and the answer is firmly no. I just want to do my work correctly, knock off at closing time and not have a massive tension headache from listening to cretins.

[Neon Ignition]

We have a bit of a mix at our place but the open plan is largely argued for as it's the ones in closed offices who typically do the least work and have the least idea of what is going on and how to deal with things, they're too disengaged from the way the wind is blowing. That being said, you get the opposite too, we've had seniors who seem to use the open plan to address the team in a show of 'acknowledge me as a manager' and as a result are disliked by pretty much all etc.

Typically, for many, I suspect the real preference is simply that of choice. I don't mind working in the office at all every day but there's a big psychological difference in knowing you have the flexibility to do the opposite on any given day if the circumstance calls for it than having no choice at all.

[Asura]

In my experience, the only people who truly seem to thrive in an open plan office are insecure attention-seekers who want to constantly prove they're doing their work well by making as much fuss about it as possible. The way it is sold as "increased collaboration" rarely seems to happen in reality, it's just a combination of people going "look at me, I'm doing work, look at me, listen" and dullards with no life outside the job trying to create a surrogate family by offering terrible opinions all day to an audience who can't just get up and walk away. It is also an absolute gift to nosy people and rumour-spreaders, because they can spend all day watching who speaks to who.

Christ, don't hold back, tell us what you really think [MENTION=7652]Hirst[/MENTION]

[Hirst]

Christ, don't hold back, tell us what you really think [MENTION=7652]Hirst[/MENTION]

I was holding back! I didn't set off the swear filter or anything!

[Cassius_Smoke]

I'm not entirely sure about this story, but if it's true, what the hell is going on?

https://inews.co.uk/news/men-broke-into-my-house-to-install-meter-energy-customers-left-in-tears-over-forced-prepayment-1826879

[Asura]

I'm not entirely sure about this story, but if it's true, what the hell is going on?

https://inews.co.uk/news/men-broke-i...ayment-1826879

It's true, it's been possible for years. It's a form of debt collection. The prepayment meter will charge them an extra % for all energy until the balance is paid off.

[Cassius_Smoke]

It's true, it's been possible for years. It's a form of debt collection. The prepayment meter will charge them an extra % for all energy until the balance is paid off.

Wow, and they can get court orders to break into your house and fit it?!

[Asura]

Wow, and they can get court orders to break into your house and fit it?!

Yep. It's like how debt collectors can get a court order to break into your house and take anything of value to settle a debt. If it's a power company, they can get a court order that lets them do this.

[Cassius_Smoke]

Well these people are going to be super busy come October

[Asura]

Well these people are going to be super busy come October

Yeah; it's going to be an absolute ****show.

[Protocol Penguin]

As the heating cost crisis escalates this winter, I fully expect most of the British public to sit back and “take it” without much of a murmur. The media will push the narrative to use less energy 24/7 and the government will
blame the EU somehow, and the public will accept it all.

[Cassius_Smoke]

As the heating cost crisis escalates this winter, I fully expect most of the British public to sit back and “take it” without much of a murmur. The media will push the narrative to use less energy 24/7 and the government will
blame the EU somehow, and the public will accept it all.

It's happened too fast. If they gradually increased the prices to unparalleled levels over a decade then yeah I think we'd just take it. But it's been a huge drop in living standards in a short time. Plus, as soon as London starts to complain it'll be listened to. If this was only Newcastle or 'the North' not a single **** would be given.