How much is a 'reasonable effort' to get to work..

[TheBoyBilly]

...or, to put it plainly, how much effort is needed to convince employers you have done everything possible to get to work.
Tomorrow morning I have to get to London Victoria station from the South Coast for 05.15. Normally, as I don't have a train to get me there before 7am, and because I cannot get a staff carpark pass for Gatwick Airport (I drive the Gatwick Express so can get to London on the 0435 train up) I would drive to an industrial estate in Crawley then use my Brompton for the 15 minute ride to the airport and the train. Tomorrow I can see this being a problem as a) they have not gritted any roads around here and b) there is every chance of trains not running.
How can I keep my bosses of my back, any ideas? I could just stay at home and try to get the first train up from here (if it runs) but Southern (who are in charge of us at Gatwick Express) will probably be less than impressed by that. But I don't really want to run the risk of an accident in the car. Cars were slewing all over the shop in the icy conditions last night.

Bill

 

[beanzontoast]

Not easy is it?

What constitutes a 'reasonable effort'? IMO, it would be you attempting to find viable alternative means of travelling that a) were safe and b) took into account you getting home at the end of the day.

Can you discuss it with them? Are they open to being approached?

 

[ianrauk]

South London has got the brunt of the snow fall.
I can't imagine you getting anywhere tomorrow.
No trains will run on time, if any. Especially into and out of London.
The roads are treacherous. I would be very silly for someone to attempt to drive a distance.

And if your bosses had any sense they will think the same and fully understand.
All they have to do is watch the news. South London has come to a complete standstill. And it's still snowing.

 

[Arch]

...or, to put it plainly, how much effort is needed to convince employers you have done everything possible to get to work.
Tomorrow morning I have to get to London Victoria station from the South Coast for 05.15. Normally, as I don't have a train to get me there before 7am, and because I cannot get a staff carpark pass for Gatwick Airport (I drive the Gatwick Express so can get to London on the 0435 train up) I would drive to an industrial estate in Crawley then use my Brompton for the 15 minute ride to the airport and the train. Tomorrow I can see this being a problem as a) they have not gritted any roads around here and b) there is every chance of trains not running.
How can I keep my bosses of my back, any ideas? I could just stay at home and try to get the first train up from here (if it runs) but Southern (who are in charge of us at Gatwick Express) will probably be less than impressed by that. But I don't really want to run the risk of an accident in the car. Cars were slewing all over the shop in the icy conditions last night.

Bill

I'd suggest ringing your immediate bosses now, and asking them. This shows that you are worrying and caring about it, and bringing up issues before they arise urgently. If it's the sort of relationship you think needs proof, ask for a categorical answer and write it down. Of course it's possible the roads will be safer by tomorrow, although I gather you've had it worse than us.

Although since Gatwick is apparently closed until tomorrow anyway, looks likely that trains going there will be superfluous.

If you need to calculate walking time (assuming you can drive to Crawley), I'm finding that it's taking me half an hour to walk the route I normally ride in 15 mins, and I'd allow an hour to do 3 miles, maybe more if the snow is deep.

 

[gaz]

South London has got the brunt of the snow fall.
I can't imagine you getting anywhere tomorrow.
No trains will run on time, if any. Especially into and out of London.
The roads are treacherous. I would be very silly for someone to attempt to drive a distance.

And if your bosses had any sense they will think the same and fully understand.
All they have to do is watch the news. South London has come to a complete standstill. And it's still snowing.

Indeed. No southern trains running yet by me. No point even going to the train station. Luckily my company is well tuned in and our computer system is based on 'cloud' technology so we can log in from anywhere in the world.

 

[Arch]

Indeed. No southern trains running yet by me. No point even going to the train station. Luckily my company is well tuned in and our computer system is based on 'cloud' technology so we can log in from anywhere in the world.

Ironic. So is the snow!

 

[ianrauk]

Indeed. No southern trains running yet by me. No point even going to the train station. Luckily my company is well tuned in and our computer system is based on 'cloud' technology so we can log in from anywhere in the world.

Yup, logged in from home to my work too.. I an't going nowhere for a while....

 

[Norm]

Ironic. So is the snow!

And Arch gets the medal for today's first "coffee dripping out of nose" moment. Thanks.

Yup, logged in from home to my work too.. I an't going nowhere for a while....

The train from Maidenhead was about 5 minutes late, mostly because the earlier train had been cancelled. But I was happy with that as I was also about 5 minutes late, so the doors closed behind me.

After the crush on the train, I walked across Hyde Park from Paddington to Mayfair, a very pleasant 45 minutes wandering through the snow. I was so warm that I had to remove gloves and hat at one point. mmmm toastie

Of course, 4 of the 6 people I came here to meet with didn't make it, so I could have saved the whole journey and have spent the day sitting in my usual office in Bracknell. Frankly, though, I love visiting London and there's few enough opportunities to walk through virgin snow across Hyde Park. I wouldn't have changed the journey even if I had known the meeting would be cancelled.

 

[TheBoyBilly]

Just gave work a ring, as Arch suggested, and got my line manager (who I get on with). He just said to 'play it by ear' and do what I can to get in safely, which was fine and stopped me fretting a bit. It's the managers above him I worry about but seeing as they have been conspicuous by their absence these last few days (after boasting how they were prepared for the winter) I think they'd have little ground to stand on as to being too hard on me.
I'll get to work, I have no doubt, it's just a matter of when. On Monday evening late-turn I got back to Victoria thinking I was done as I was very late back in to drive my next booked service when I was asked to run the 20.00 down and back instead as 'there was nobody else to do it'. The driver for that train was stuck down the depot after taking empty coaching stock to free-up a platform in Victoria. I agreed to help out and obviously got back late. I asked for a taxi home but was assured there was a least one more Worthing service running. There was, and I got home at 1.30 in the morning (which in the light of some poor folks experience that night is a bit of a result!). I don't mind helping out but there seems to be no give-and-take with Senior Management.

Bill

 

[yello]

When I worked in central London (and walked to work) I was quite frankly amazed at the efforts some people would go to to get to work. Damned if I would be the same. They'd be late in and early away (understandably); to me it made no sense for them to come in at all. That said, it was hardly an essential business. Not like a train driver (tasked with getting others to work etc as well) or nurse, doctor, etc.

I feel some employers are completely unrealistic and expect far too much from their employers.

 

[mark barker]

Luckily my company is well tuned in and our computer system is based on 'cloud' technology so we can log in from anywhere in the world.

Yup, logged in from home to my work too.. I an't going nowhere for a while....

A couple of my friends have said the same this morning... So I'll ask you the same question as I asked them. If you can work from home why do you normally go to an office?

 

[Arch]

A couple of my friends have said the same this morning... So I'll ask you the same question as I asked them. If you can work from home why do you normally go to an office?

I guess not everything can be done from home. I can sit here and write, but I can't stuff envelopes, or do filing, and my boss is the same.

Anyway, back to that writing...

 

[ianrauk]

A couple of my friends have said the same this morning... So I'll ask you the same question as I asked them. If you can work from home why do you normally go to an office?

Because I am one of the directors, I need to be there.. and to be honest I much prefer an office environment rather then a homework one.

 

[gaz]

A couple of my friends have said the same this morning... So I'll ask you the same question as I asked them. If you can work from home why do you normally go to an office?

Meetings and team work. It's harder to talk about what you have to do, or issues you are having if you can't just turn around and ask.

+ too many distractions at home. ooooo look snow!

 

[Norm]

A couple of my friends have said the same this morning... So I'll ask you the same question as I asked them. If you can work from home why do you normally go to an office?

My team each have one day a week working from home.

Also, with regards to "If you can work from home why do you normally go to an office" and along the lines of "they sell condoms in Boots but you can't use them there", I can work and make phone calls and post on CC when sitting on the bog. I don't do that either.

Meetings, speaking to people, the "buzz" of the atmosphere etc, most of the time it is much more efficient and convivial to go to an office, to be part of an organisation rather than just a number cruncher.

And that's from someone whose employer's business is all about virtual offices.