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

The OP is going to the office once a week. So having the opportunity to meet colleagues, help keep Pret a Manger in business, add to road congestion or busy public transport.

I'd understand some of the comments if the OP never went into the office.

I think the OP means that her mental health would suffer by getting showered, dressed, travelling to work and leaving the cosy set up she's got with her and her DH keeping each other company at home.

I don't know of any who would either.

But there's this bizarre idea that flexible working and WFH means you just arse about doing what you want and don't put it down as hours worked and not worked if you have a GP appointment.

It's the exact same way that it works in offices. Except you're at home and not in the office

And if you were in the office you possibly would need more time out due to travel distance and take more time out just in case due to not having the convenience of being at home.

So, a poster upthread used the example of working in the office and the employer expecting everyone to schedule medical or dental appointments at the start or finish of the day so to not impact on the business.

Peak times for trying to get appointments.

Someone working from an office which is an hours commute from their home but their GP is 5 minutes from their home needs to take out at least 90mins/2 hrs for such an appointment.

Whereas someone WFH could be there and back to work in half an hour or less. Especially when they can arrange the appointment at non-peak times.

All these odd half hours etc have to be worked back. I don't know why people think that these are free hours. I WFH. My boss if flexible. So long as I make the time back he's more than happy for me to have a doctors or dentist etc appointment in work time. Thankfully I have a decent boss & employer. As a result if I have work that needs finishing and my working day has ended I'll quite happily take another 10/15/20 ish minutes of my OWN time to finish it. If I was in the office with no flexibility there's not a chance in hell I'd be giving them my free time. I'd be out that door in a flash whether my work was finished or not.

It’s not law so you don’t have to, it can be a break as in looking away from the screen/making notes by hand etc
We get the standard legal breaks so 20 mins over 6hrs I think it is but longer if it’s a 9hr day as we get 25 mins lunch and a tea break of 15 mins

Not to mention sitting in an empty room for 8 hours with no interaction effects my mental wellbeing

Really??? What's WFH then? It sounds a bit snowflake-y.

And if there's a business need, there's a business need.

You're supposed to take a five minute break from your screen every hour so I always assume that's what people are referring to. Instead of hanging about the office chatting or topping up water etc, just putting a washing on or whatever. I remember taking to my boss a couple of summers ago about how I took a regular five minutes in the garden and pulled up some weeds, no problems.

spending a working day dusting and clearing a room when you've been requested to come in is ridiculous. let alone eating into her actual work time

of they wanted her and had plans for her to come in, should there not be a plan to have somewhere for her to go?

why are they working backwards

@Needtosoundoffandbreathe

"We are only wanted in the workplaces because there is less being spent on public transport, in coffee shops/food vans, on all the things we are blamed for eating. We also then spend less on grooming/clothes etc."

Well yeah. All of the things you mention (and much, much more) that actually contribute to the economy in a multitude of ways such as paying taxes, renting premises, paying for maintenance and basically keeping our cities alive. To say nothing of the fact that they are providing jobs for people - jobs that can't be done sitting on their arses at home. You seem quite happy (even sneery) about throwing them under the bus.

this.

Great answer

Speak to ACAS, as you may have a leg to stand on that you’ve been doing it long enough and they have to consider the request/can’t deny the request if you’ve been doing it successfully this far.

I mean saying something is effecting your mental health when in fact you just don't want to do it.

It makes a mockery out of those who actually are suffering with it.

Edit - sorry I quoted wrong post. Not sure how that happened.

Everyone else who posts about WFH seems to be under the impression you can just get up and do some laundry or pop out to the shop or go to an appointment. Although my job is probably the most micro managed of all jobs!

'my recent supervision manager said he wants me in 4 days a week "business need" and that there will be a room available to share with a couple of other staff.'

So you won't be on your own? And even if you were in your own office, as you have been previously, there will be others around in the workplace if everyone is being brought back 4 days.

Yes need a proper desk and work space that meets DSE. We even have this when working from home. Plus I wouldn't be moving and handing if not trained or using cleaning equipment not my job not trained. But I am as awkward as the day is long if someone winds me up😊

I think working back the hours is pretty standard. My employer is incredibly flexible, the most flexible I've ever known, but nobody would just take time for an appointment out of their working days and not work the time back.

What do you mean by "pulling the mental health card?".

I’d love do know what happens to all these kids that wfh staff have just “nipped out for” when they get home.

and no, I’m not jealous because I worked from home for 20 years and in the end, hated it.

Which tells you all you need to know OP.
Presumably, your employer has an office cleaner in the evenings, so just ask your manager if they can ensure the room they've designated to you be cleaned. If they don't contract a cleaner then all your colleagues are working in equally "dusty" conditions - or they're cleaning their own desks - in which case you need to do the same.
It's absolutely clear from your posts that you just don't want to go back into the office the extra day and you are clutching at straws to try to avoid this. You can't unless you find another job which gives you the contractual entitlement to WFH 3 days pw.

My mental health would be significantly impacted by having to go into the office 5 days a week and that's pretty much inescapable. Prior to covid, which was when we started hybrid working, I was struggling to balance school runs and childcare and other commitments with work and a not insignificant commute, while dealing with anxiety. In that sense, covid was an absolute lifesaver for me. The time pressure was off. I was able to increase my hours, my finances, my wellbeing, improve my work-life balance, and recover pretty well. All that would be gone. Luckily my employer can distinguish human beings from the machines they use.

Um i don’t get to do any of that and i WFH FT
if i need to get an appointment i have to get it approved and can only take 1hr max, otherwise i have to work the hours back or take annual leave
not every WFH job is flexible

@Lavendar01 "Managers reasons to bring me in is because the performance of staff is dropping and he thinks it's because more "presence" is needed from myself"

how can he blame you for staff performance for people who aren't line managed by you?!

yes but if your workstation isn't DSE compliant - and that will be instantly recognisable if there is no actual desk set up, and the room is a dusty storage room - then OP has no need to work.

She could stand around supervising others getting it into shape, or join in or do it herself, but during that time she won't be working. Far far better that her employer says: here's your workstation, all set up. See you Monday through Thursday.

That is all. If they are insisting she be present, they must provide the place to work.

Please don't pull the mental health card when, as you admit, you just don't want to work in the office. I get it, I do 3 days in office and 2 at home. I'd hate it if that was increased too, but citing mental health as a reason is not ok.

In fact, I wouldn't mention your partner at all as a defence in this. If I was your boss I'd probably consider your husband being a distraction and a reason for the failing output.