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AIBU?

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Original poster

My manager is making me come in the office 4days a week

312 replies

Lavendar01 · 23/04/2025 07:43

Since beginning of my role (which was coming out of covid), I've been hybrid working 3days in the office and 2days wfh. I had my own office but had to give it up for other staff that were in full time. Manger agreed for me to wfh and come in once a week - worked perfect!

In my recent supervision manager said he wants me in 4days a week "business need" and that there will be a room available to share with a couple of other staff. I've gone in and that room isn't set up, currently its dusty with extra office furniture/ equipment, basically being used storage room for now. I made a point to my manager and said could I continue wfh until the room is sorted, he refused and said to set up in that room somewhere in the corner for now.

AIBU here thinking I am within my right to refuse to be there until I have a proper work station set up, as required for my role? Not to mention sitting in an empty room for 8 hours with no interaction effects my mental wellbeing

OP posts:
WitchesCauldron · 24/04/2025 13:13

JHound · 23/04/2025 17:14

Ding ding ding JACKPOT!

The politics of bitterness and envy.

Show quote history

Not at all- it's more about those who enjoy those privileges are aware that not everyone is that lucky.

Nothing to do with envy.

aylis · 24/04/2025 12:03

LastRoIo · 24/04/2025 11:33

People during lockdown: "Being in the house all day is sooo bad for my mental health. It's a human rights infringement."

People now: "Having to come to work is sooo unfair. I want to be in the house all day".

😂

It's almost like people have different circumstances and would like balance in their life.

ArtTheClownIsNotAMime · 24/04/2025 11:40

LastRoIo · 24/04/2025 11:33

People during lockdown: "Being in the house all day is sooo bad for my mental health. It's a human rights infringement."

People now: "Having to come to work is sooo unfair. I want to be in the house all day".

😂

What a stupid post for so many reasons

LastRoIo · 24/04/2025 11:33

People during lockdown: "Being in the house all day is sooo bad for my mental health. It's a human rights infringement."

People now: "Having to come to work is sooo unfair. I want to be in the house all day".

😂

CannotWaitForSummervibes · 24/04/2025 10:18

Sorry op, you sound a bit entitled. Your mental health suffers if you work alone- That’s a rubbish excuse not to go into the office and you know it. You just don’t want to go in. If you can’t bear being in a room on your own for a few hours till it’s breaktime, ask to sit somewhere else, or keep the door open, or work on being able to be on your own for a few hours. Surely you’re not chatting or interacting with your husband every hour at home? If you are you can’t be very productive for work.
The office space not being ready is a different matter, but you need to show some can do mentality and ask for a temporary different spot at work. Sounds like that would be win win anyway if you truely suffer from being on your own in a room for a few hours.

Merkins · 24/04/2025 10:15

Unbeleevable · 23/04/2025 07:52

Personally I’d buy a couple of plants, take in a duster and just get on with it. Job hunt if you like.

I would also make sure all my dental appointments, medical appointments etc land on the extra day I’m in the office. And say to boss “I will need to leave at x because I have a dental checkup/smear test/contraceptive review at 2pm sorry only appointment I could get.”

That will help remind manager there’s a big advantage of wfh for employee flexibility and employee productivity.

I don’t think being purposefully difficult will help much. If my boss suddenly decided that I had to come into the office 4 days a week then I’d be worried that they had issues with my performance.

NorthernGirlie · 24/04/2025 10:10

Was it just me that read the thread title with a filthy mind?

Op I get why you'd want to stay wfh, I wish I could and I'm jealous of those who can but I do think if you've been doing it successfully then you should be allowed to continue

OhCalmTheFuckDownMargaret · 24/04/2025 10:03

So the real reason you want to work from home is because your husband does?

Goldyyup · 24/04/2025 09:21

Badbadbunny · 23/04/2025 10:16

Nail on the head. My son's firm have started twice daily Teams meetings usually at 9.15 and 3.15 which are compulsory unless you've booked time off holidays, sick or study leave or formal flexitime. Basically for "touching base" between the line managers and their staff and for everyone to give brief updates to their team as to what they're working on, progress, timescales to finish tasks, etc. He says it's actually very helpful as they all have to speak so it's "gel-ling" the team and giving them an opportunity to ask for/offer help if a team member is getting behind. The meetings typically last 15 minutes or less, as they're all in very small teams, so it doesn't really take any time out of the working day.

But, realistically, it was introduced as a modern version of a school "registration" to ensure the workers are actually on their laptops at those times and not on the school run, or started late, finished early.

Some days, the managers randomly change the times of the morning or afternoon Teams meeting, ostensibly because they have other "meetings", but they all know it's to stop people taking the piss at other times too! Some days the morning one is put back to 11am, and the afternoon one brought forward to 2pm or put back to 4.30 pm, all at short notice!

Sad that it's come to that, but too many staff take the piss. Give an inch and they take a mile. Their WFH policy is very clear that they're expected to be "working" during their normal/agreed working hours, so they're fully entitled to randomly hold meetings as the staff should be at their laptops working anyway, as I say, unless they've formally booked off the time.

Apparently there was lots of miffed WFH staff when the daily meetings were first announced!!

Edited
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This sounds so archaic trying to catch people out.

It wouldn't make any difference to me anyway. I am running my business mostly so it is easy to jump on for even a short notice meeting.

I could easily do chores and other tasks in and around the meetings. I would go out and do the shopping after the first morning meeting and then back for the second meeting.

Welshmonster · 24/04/2025 09:06

it is not your job to clean rooms and make them safe. You should not be moving furniture as under H&S rules you need to have training to do so. Know that sounds ridiculous but if you got injured moving a desk then they are leaving themselves open to a claim.

as for the days in office then it needs to be what’s on your contract but maybe put a cardboard cutout of yourself in the office and see if anyone comments on it. If nobody said anything then nobody went in your office that day!

schtompy · 24/04/2025 08:26

Keirawr · 23/04/2025 22:05

Here we go.

‘Coming to work will affect my mental health’.

The gravy train is well on its way. OP, you sound like a nightmare at work.

Entitled mental health brigade. Off to space with Katy Perry

Needtosoundoffandbreathe · 24/04/2025 06:51

We have hybrid working. It was brought in after the pandemic as we'd proved the business kept running with everyone at home. It is very clear in the remote working policy that it's not a right to wfh for evermore. Some people choose to be in the office every day and haven't requested wfh. There's someone on my team who was verbally told they could work from home all the time despite what the contract, etc state. They are now having to be in the office more as they just weren't visible and had no working relationships with anyone but their line manager (the one who lied to them about wfh all the time and who has now left the business).

@ginasevern you tagged me in your post upthread, but it wasn't me who made those comments, it was a pp who either tagged or quoted me.

Mondayblues2 · 24/04/2025 06:47

Beautifulweeds · 23/04/2025 23:50

Of course it must be, so if you were required to go into the office every day you would be upset. Do you feel entitled to these privileges though, because you have them, or would you accept having to actually go to a workplace is acceptable 🤔?

Yawn, another ‘check your privilege’ post …..

GinLover198 · 24/04/2025 05:59

We hot desk at my work. Following Covid this was to be avoided therefore I was left without a desk, so I would sit wherever there was a space which quite often meant working with my laptop on my knee. It’s only in the last 18months (as we’ve changed work spaces) that I’ve now got my own desk which I still technically hot desk. WFH wasn’t / isn’t an option for my line of work. When we moved workspaces we cleared & cleaned the new space - no one did this for us.

Beautifulweeds · 23/04/2025 23:50

Of course it must be, so if you were required to go into the office every day you would be upset. Do you feel entitled to these privileges though, because you have them, or would you accept having to actually go to a workplace is acceptable 🤔?

Dillshair · 23/04/2025 23:46

It must be upsetting if it's not your choice. But I guess you have to comply, unless your contract says otherwise. Random reasons for not complying won't help you long term. We get called back in where I am if they think you're not working.

Beautifulweeds · 23/04/2025 23:42

This will of course be responded to by those who wfh and squirm at having to go into an office compared to those who don't have a choice and work in the real world of face to face public.

Yes, I am one of those who has to get up, travel, deal with young people all day then get home tired to do the best for my own family.

So, sorry to say, complaining about having your own office space, which is the same as wfh I assume, isn't really a big deal...at all?

Beautifulweeds · 23/04/2025 23:36

It's the same as wfh though if alone in a space, sounds like bliss actually!

You can make it your own personal working area. Xx

THEDEACON · 23/04/2025 23:30

7our arguement doesnt srack up

paulyispoorly · 23/04/2025 23:19

How awful an employer expecting someone they are paying to turn up at their place of work! The very audacity!

hcee19 · 23/04/2025 22:48

Isn't it just so annoying when you are asked to do your job in the office....For goodness sake, just go to work and stop bleating
..lt's what your manager requires, if you don't like it, go elsewhere. Stop trying to find ways to do what you want, atleast you will have one day out of five to do what you like...

Mondayblues2 · 23/04/2025 22:13

My day-job has about 200 people in the same position. Now, we only get to interact with each other by email or video calls. We used to moan like hell about having to get to work before 8am to get a car park space. But most of us miss that now. Being in the office meant human contact and a social life as well. Little things like having tea breaks or lunch together, in hindsight that meant a lot.

But rather than being either completely WFH or completely office-based, most of us are hybrid and therefore get the best of both worlds? A few days of human contact and struggling to park, a few days of teams calls and no commute. Surely we’ve found the sweet-spot there?

Keirawr · 23/04/2025 22:05

Here we go.

‘Coming to work will affect my mental health’.

The gravy train is well on its way. OP, you sound like a nightmare at work.

Luigiy · 23/04/2025 21:57

MoominMai · 23/04/2025 16:58

100% in a nutshell. I think the thread should just end with your comment! 😅

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hear hear @aylis is spot on 😂

Luigiy · 23/04/2025 21:53

Mondayblues2 · 23/04/2025 11:43

OP, check your privilege. Nurses, doctors, paramedics, police, firefighters - all these and many more have to go into many ‘workplaces’ in less than ideal conditions. And so many do exceptional service (hats off to all of you!).

For heaven's sake @PlumRaspberryJam we all know that some jobs can't be done at home, and are carried out in challenging environments. But this isn't the case for the OP

And to add to that, I know many people in these professionals who preferred it when more people worked at home because it left public transport less crowded and the streets less busy for them to travel to their place of work.

Thankfully Not everyone is so petty that they want others out working in the office just because their role isn’t suitable for WFH