New manager want me in the office. I wfh-help!

That’s a big reason why companies want people back in, because those water cooler youngsters need the older more experienced colleagues around to learn from, like you had

Op why did you only give scarce detail?

Everyone asking the same questions...

Same here - they gave me the standard contract to sign, but I was hired on a wfh basis. This is what the job advert said and what was communicated in the interview. I'm based in Birmingham and my company is in London.

They haven't asked me to come to the office/work hybrid, thank God.

If they do, I will have to resign - there's no way I could do that commute, especially having small children.

Many companies (including civil service) are pushing towards more office bases as they are realising that it’s more beneficial on the whole (clearly not every role but on the whole). As others have said question is did you apply for a role that was advertised as being 5hrs away and didn’t apply for a home working contract? Assume so, and that will mean they won’t pay your travel and hotel. I would ask about a reasonable adjustment based on your husbands condition (assuming you help care for him) and take it from there. People do need to be careful taking jobs with bases so far from home. I wouldn’t dream of applying for a job 5hrs away from my home.

Something similar happened to me … I took a 100% wfh job but contract said office based. My immediate Line manager lived 90 mins from the office and didn’t ever want to come to the office. But then we got a new head of department - he was a two hour drive away but also wanted us in on the first 8 working days of each month. I attempted to organise this within my team for month one, with several exceptions everyone grudgingly agreed to do between four and eight days. The HoD then decided he had a medical appointment on day 3 and bailed on us… which I thought was pretty hilarious.

Subsequently HoD decided it wasn’t worth enforcing as about 75% of the department said the only reason they put up with the job and salary was the advantage of wfh as it fits so well eg walk the dog at lunch or do school run (dropping off at 8.45am and home by 9am to start work is a really nice advantage).

My employer hires in more remote locations, paying below market-rate salaries - which works really well for a cheap, motivated, fully remote team with lots of working mums who would simply have quit if manager made a big fuss about return to office. The spectre of everyone quitting en masse scared the new HoD so we were permitted to continue wfh and it wasn’t mentioned again!

Similar happened to me. Was recruited during COVID. Everyone worked from home. I discussed how I wanted to work from home beyond COVID and it was agreed. When I got the contract it didn't say anything about working from home. I questioned it and manager said that this was the standard contract, so she couldn't get it written into the contract but confirmed that we agreed which days I was going to work from home and it's never been an issue. However, she is just about to change jobs, so I'm hoping whoever is coming in next will honour the agreement, too. I still have the email confirmation but who knows. Meant to add that everyone else is now back in the office. If I had to be fully in the office now too, I'm not sure how to make it work but I would also struggle to find a job with the current set up.

I'm an EA (ex legal sec) who has WFH/hybrid since Covid. Worked for a couple of private companies and now government (all temp, all contracts) who mostly were/are fine with hybrid. I now really want a hybrid role - just because at my age (52), commuting takes its toll, plus it's more expensive, I do have health conditions too.

My 2 best friends, one has been recovering from a stroke for the past 5 years, she's also a carer for her DM who she lives with. She mostly WFH but goes into the office when she has to, she's also worked weekends (not in her contract) and early mornings/evenings), other one WFH a lot but goes into the office when she has to but has to do payroll which means confidentiality so WFH.

I'm similar to you though, I need/want full concentration. When I'm in the office a lot of younger people love the water cooler culture and chat/joke a lot. I've been there/done that, done the socialising after work, it's just not relevant to me now. I get more work done from home than in an office. The last global place where I worked, they had 2 days in the office, 3 at home, but were trying the 'free fruit/snacks/expensive coffee machine/office days out/sports days' presumably to tempt people back in.

My advice is to request to change your contract to WFH. They can insist you come to the office if your contract states you are based at that location and they would not have to pay for you to attend.

Just be aware in case the change in location has an impact on your pay range.

If she'd agreed it with her manager when taking the job that it was fully remote, you wouldn't expect to be 'tricked' into signing a contract that stated otherwise. It's on the company, not her, if they weren't clear about her working conditions.

Speak directly to line manager/HR/whoever hired you about this first, see where that goes, then speak to a union. It would also make an interesting story for any HR based publication.

YABU. If your contract says you are based at Xx office, of course you have to go there.

And this is the issue. Yes it allowed people to apply for jobs they previously wouldn’t have. On the flip side it enabled firms to recruit the best people, not limited to their geographical location or willingness to relocate.

Theres always going to be people in the workforce who think work is the be all and end all. For most it’s something that pays the bills, hopefully a few luxuries and if you’re really lucky some job satisfaction. Covid caused a lot of people to reassess these priorities. The “cost of living crisis” attempted to push people back into the mentality of a job over life again. But for most that horse has bolted esp I. Professional services.

Most people being told to commute 5 hours are just going to look round for something more suitable. It’s likely it’s going to be the employer who loses out most here.

You’re in the exact same position as me. I was hired remotely years ago due to my specialism being hard to source and oddly enough, it was fine before this year when suddenly it’s bums on seats presenteeism and buying expensive coffees again to placate often micro managers or a C suite who love throwing their weight around to an audience. If performance is stellar, I don’t get it. Before anyone says ‘oh but young people, water cooler chat etc’ it won’t work on me. Young people are exceptionally tech savvy, I’ve trained them. Water cooler chat is atrocious to a lot of us who just want to get on with our work due to it needing full concentration. And as for ‘someone will hire from another country’, they were doing that before and a lot of jobs are coming back to the U.K. due to how rubbish outsourcing was.

For those saying about contracts, a lot of us have standard contracts with company smarter working policies that seem to suddenly have gone AWOL since the anti wfh media focus. So it’s not as simple as ‘why did you take the job’. A lot of specialisms such as tech hire from across the U.K. due to not having the finances for high wages nor the mass amounts of specialists.

Unfortunately, I’m looking for a new role and suggest you do the same. It sucks but Managers who thrive on presenteeism and the social aspect of ‘water cooler’ chats won’t be placated with attendance once a week. It starts that way and before you know it, you’ll be passed over for the staff who are there every day. I say this from experience.

I don’t understand it but it’s where we are. Best of luck on your job hunt as much as it sucks.

Not if you live 5 hours away it isn't

Surely you don't sign a contract to say you'll work in an office five hours away then?!

@WhatNoUsername but it’s not the employers problem that the OP lives 5 hours away ? Everyone must surely expect to have to go into the office sometimes even if it’s a long way away… That’s the choice you make when you take the job isnt it?

2 years ago everyone was still being told to work from home. It was completely normal and expected to not go into the office. OP probably didn't even sign a contract (I don't think I've ever actually signed one) and was just offered the job on a home working basis. It's incredibly normal.

Guidance from just over two years ago

Surely the fact you live 5 hours away is a “you” problem not a “them” problem. I presume they didn’t come and recruit you - you actually applied for a position knowing where the office was.

I got caught up in the post COVID in person push also. I've WFH 4 days a week or the last ten years. Last September they said everyone had to be back in the office 3 days a week including those whose work arrangements predated COVID.

I pushed back and was granted an exception on the basis that there was no business impact given I have been working that way for a decade.

Best of luck it does seem very unfair especially given the commute.

Your contract is office based so you should be available to go in as often as they like.

Yeah this.

How did you come to take an HQ based job 5 hours away from home? Did you negotiate WFH, if so are the negotiations documented?

What was agreed when you started working - what do you have in writing? Presumably you didn't sign a contract that said HQ and then just not turn up, so some agreement has been made even if it's not in your contract.

I can understand a new manager wanting people in the office while she gets to know them, so maybe you could agree a working pattern for six months and then back to quarterly?

Not if you live 5 hours away it isn't!!

OP - speak to ACAS. As others have says there may be a custom and practice argument. Either way I would be pushing back and just keep saying that it's too far for you to come into the office.

It sounds like to never actually had a wfh role if your contract says place of work is the office?

Why though? As OP says its a global company and the team is worldwide. What is the point of travelling to an office when her team isn't there?and she has been successfully working from home for two years anyway and they employed her knowing she loved 5 hours away and wanted to be based at home.
OP I would ask why they want to change now. I know your contract says HQ but as you have been working from home since you started could you argue customs and practice?
If they don't agree I would start looking for another job

If it's a problem, why did you sign a contract that says you're based at HQ?
That's really basic stuff, and if you signed anyway I can't see how you have a leg to stand on.