Forum: workplace.stackexchange.com
Tags: <work-environment><manager><india><telecommute><covid-19>
Title: How can we handle work-from-home requests from trainees/freshers in this coronavirus pandemic?
Question: Background:   All the proper preventive measurements are being taken in the building  All senior members are reporting to the office, and talk is going on to allow work from home (WFH) for all   So should I be making a mistake by allowing WFH/ rejecting WFH?  I have already informed this to higher management and no response has been given yet.  Location:  Hyderabad, India

Answers:
sents: text: You should allow it, and I have two reasons.
text: For one, you risk that somebody will get infected, and the whole company is shut down, without having time to set up WFH.And as a second reason, with trainees/freshers, there is very little reason to keep them in your workplace, they don't cost as much, they are not central to your operation.
text: You are just keeping them around so they can act as potential spreaders.
answer_details: author: workplace.stackexchange.com/users/115225/WorkingHard_Guy
score: 40
sents: text: I have already informed this to higher management and no response has been given yet Ask them again, they have the authority to implement work from home.
text: You obviously don't.
text: There's more to it than just a decision, there's a lot of logistics and security that need to be taken into account.
text: So they may be looking at all the peripherals.
text: This can take time.
answer_details: author: workplace.stackexchange.com/users/40669/Kilisi
score: 32
sents: text: It depends.
text: Are the trainees able to do their training from home?
text: Do they have the tools they need?
text: Can that still get whatever help or instruction they'd be getting from more experienced workers if they were in the office?
text: If working from home does slow down the training can the company / department / team they work for afford it.
text: Same goes for the freshers.
text: Can they still do all their work from home?
text: Their pace will probably slow down, can the relevant parties afford that?
text: If they need to work with somebody else on a task are they still able to do so?
text: If the answer to all these questions is yes
text: then you absolutely should let them work from home.
text: If the answer is no to any or all of these questions then you need to analyze the risk vs the reward to determine your decision.
answer_details: author: workplace.stackexchange.com/users/2009/Working Title
score: 7
sents: text: The way I see it you have two options: Dig your head in the sand and wait until your country goes
text: intolockdown (it will come) Try to get this sorted before that happens If you dig your head into the sand and just wait for it to happen
text: you'll be totally unprepared for it and will find it really hard to actually work.
text: If you get all this sorted (remote working I mean) then you'll at least be able to do something.
text: It's not clear in your message if you are in a position to make this call
text: but I would suggest even for yourself checking out
text: how hard it is to work from home as if you leave it too late
text: you might find there's nothing you can do.
answer_details: author: workplace.stackexchange.com/users/111781/Dave3of5
score: 6
sents: text: The way I view it is simple.
text: If you don't trust someone to work from home, how do you trust them to work in an office ?
text: Yes there are distractions at home, but there are in the office too.
text: I'm personally more productive when at home as people can't drop my desk for little favours with MS Excel.
text: Also this situation is very different to the norm, so allow it, it won't last forever.
answer_details: author: workplace.stackexchange.com/users/95465/PeterH
score: 3

Summary of the answers:
This is a different situation to the norm and will not last forever.
The exact response to this situation will depend on numerous factors, but, given the exceptional nature of present circumstances, most people would say that you should allow home working.