I started working from home in March 2021, before places started to shut down. I just didn't dare use public transportation any more. This man's fears are (and were) perfectly reasonable, and I hope he wins his case. His employer is going to have a hard time if they let three other engineers work from home, while forcing him to come in (unless there's valid reason he was needed on site). Most companies, mine included, were very tolerant of older workers' fears, and requests to WFH.

It's hard to remember how frightened we older folks were, before the vaccines, but I spent most of the next two years at home. Fully vaccinated now, but still wear an N95 on busses and aircraft, and avoid concentrations of people in enclosed spaces. Wouldn't think of going to the grocery store without a mask on.

I had a colleague who work from home from the middle of February 2020 for health reasons and still hasn't returned to the office.

We boxed-up all the contents of his desk and put it in storage. There's every change he's written some AI type script to do his job and he's now in the Bahamas. If that's the case I say fair play fella.

One company was asking workers to show up to stand up with a current issue of a local newspaper (so difficult to get to Bahamas on time) and then they had to get their laptop and point camera to the power sockets in their room and then take a peek through the window.

Also look up, down, left, right while holding a print out of someone's face next to theirs.

It's impossible to fake that with the current AI.

I would say I'm surprised, but I have fairly low expectations on how low some companies will go.

I think I'd have a tough time doing most of those even here at home. My power sockets are under desks and generally covered. The nearest shop to me is three miles away and would require ten or twenty minutes of driving to get hold of a current newspaper, and would defeat most of the point of working from home. Lastly, I have a stubborn streak in me a mile wide and I hate being made to waste time just to satisfy someone's dictatorial streak.

Fortunately, the last couple of companies I've worked for have had a general policy of "If the work's getting done, we don't care where you do it from" (with a few sensible caveats, of course).

I heard it was not every stand up. They got notified just before COB day before and as far as I know it happened only once and there was a push back.

I think that happened once company found one employee was working from Tenerife and they had a strict work only from the UK policy.

but still wear an N95

Oh that triggers some nostalgia. Remember spending evenings trying to learn Symbian. Such a nice system, shame it has failed.

The CEO prayer email! Wow. just wow.

We make movie distribution software and we were a "vital industry (technical and research)" according to our state regulations and allowed to stay open.

My shop issued me with a letter confirming my essential status, just in case I was ever stopped whilst travelling to the office. I don't know how official it was but I only ever produced it once, during my annual pay review in 2021.

basically the guy was fired for refusing to come to work to "pray away the Asia", by various religious groups.

This should be millions of dollars as an example to other scum companies/religious nutballs who are willing to risk employee health for their own goals.

I'm torn on this one. It's easy with hindsight to say that of course covid was a serious risk to certain groups and so forcing those people to come into an office was unreasonable. We also now know that remote working can work extremely well in certain industries. Back in March 2020 though it still wasn't clear that covid was a risk to any but the most elderly and vulnerable. Remote working en masse was also completely untested. Given all that I think the company's decision to sack the guy in early 2020 has to be considered based on what we knew at the time. Could the employer have been more considerate of his wishes - almost certainly; was not doing so illegal - maybe not. If the employer allowed others in the same position to WFH then denying this guy was wrong but we don't know if the requests were identical and the employer had already allowed him to WFH for the previous two weeks.

All of the nonsense around religious-themed emails is just that. It's not an employer's place to send such messages but it clearly didn't bother the complainant that much until he came to be sacked.

I think that last comment is a dangerous precedent. We all know that it takes a lot of activation energy to raise these issues, since there is so much risk of personal loss. While I probably would have quit after seeing that kind of thing (and let HR know why), I also understand why somebody would just grin and bear it. But if he has already paid the cost of being fired, might as well hold the company to account.

The employer is placing unreasonable burdens on the employee, without any evidence of necessity. (That's the thumbs down).

Your last sentence is supposition on your part. You have no idea how he felt about it at the time, and so what ?

His immediate reaction is immaterial. The far more important question is what it says about his employer's decision making. Sometimes you do need two points to draw a conclusion.

There are times when I hate working for an anonymous corp, but I have to admit their COVID response and shift to WFH was well ahead of the curve.

We still haven't returned to the office full time, nor are we likely to do so. The only people losing out really are new starters to the business who have a much harder time of getting involved and so we do need to find some sort of balance on that front. That and the oil companies losing out on their £100/week as commuting has dropped off.

Nasty disease.

I have had it, basically did not know as 4x jabbed.

But the changes to it got through and I am now suffering, not with covid, but the after effects.

No idea when I can return to work full time WFH.

Managed 3 hours today though!

I'm also struggling having had Covid over Christmas and New Year, a rare evening out found us beside a woman who coughed all the way through the orchestral performance we had been out to see left me infected. My wife caught it too but she had a milder experience this time after a very bad infection last year. I'm self employed so don't take sick leave unless its necessary, Whilst I'm now Covid clear I'm struggling to even walk the dogs on top of work. I've been prescribed steroids for a different ailment and the days I take them the Covid effects seem lower and I'm actually getting a few minor jobs done on my cars. I'm a petrol head and had bought various bits for Christmas which needed fitting, they would usually be on the car by New Year but I have just not had the energy do anything until last week. I'm also 4X jabbed by the way, I hate to think how ill I would have been without the vaccine, I did have one long scary night where I struggled to get enough air through my lungs.

I joined my current role about two years before covid hit. One of the key appeals to me was the vibrant culture of the business - pretty much everyone was friendly and had time for each other, the managers were on a level with and worked hand-in-glove with those they managed, and there was a decent level of sociability attached to the workplace.

These days, I feel like a contractor - just sitting at my desk, mindlessly hitting keys, all conversation strictly work-related and to a schedule. The few social events that have taken place since lockdown was lifted have seen almost no attendance by those who started with the company during covid, and it it feels like an almost weeky occurence that another longer-established team member leaves.

That amazing culture that made me feel that my company was great to work for - gone. Such a shame.

In my socialist hellhole, the Law says that a [1]wage slave is right to refuse to work in a dangerous situation . It even says the company is responsible for the workers' health.

[1] https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1136?lang=en