Work announced a move from 2 days to 4 days

Surgeons and anaesthetists have clinic days, surgery days (which tend to start early I admit) and admin days, I’ve never met a consultant level dr that didn’t have some flexibility done days. Can’t your dh do drop off on non patient contact days?

I have my WFH enshrined in my contract. Glad I did because our place has gone back to 4 days.

In terms of a flexible working request, I would make one. Remember location is just one aspect. You could start earlier and have DH drop off at nursery and then pick up. I know it doesn't solve the problem of the additional parking costs which would have pissed me off.

I love that some people think because you are moaning about nursery costs you don't have your child in childcare. Erm NO. There are some jobs where a full day in nursery doesn't cover the hours demands. Not everyone works 37 hours a week FFS.

This is a great opportunity for your husband to do his half of the parenting and stop making you compromise your career to support his.

why do you put up with that incidentally? If you divorce in the future he’ll have been feathering his own nest at your expense

As your employer I’d ask why I had to be more flexible to support your husband and why his work weren’t picking up any of the slack

But the cost is your responsibility. Surely when you take on a job you consider commute and costs.

they’re doing this because people are less efficient when they are working from home. Everyone I know is either going gym, cooking, cleaning, walking dog, picking up kids in emergency. It’s normal for companies to stop doing this and I dont fault them because people are taking the piss

OP - could you drop a day? If you're only working 4 days, they might agree to you going in 2 or 3 days. And your 2 year old wouldn't be in full time childcare.

I get that. There are reasons people don't put things in writing though and that's because they know the company won't want to commit to it on a permanent basis

As someone now 3.5 hours into my commute home (for the second time this week) due to delays, I beg to differ that this is all ‘par for the course’. Many of us cannot afford to do more than two days in the office because of the costs involved. My travel costs more than my mortgage as it is. Wages haven’t increased at the same rate as train fares/parking charges. If employers want people back in the office full
time they need to be prepared to lose people and go back to a much smaller recruitment pool.

i don’t believe OP is asking for any favours, she’s saying the proposed changes simply won’t work for her and she’ll have to leave.

I’d speak to ACAS and take it from there.

Has your employer carried out a consultation across the workforce to understand the various impacts of upping the office based days?

My company also done this. We are working from home during COVID full time for a year, then we came back to the office 2 days a week, then in January last year the announcement was made that we would be going to 3 days a week Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from the September.
The push back was immense, however they stood firm and we know soon enough 4 days in the office will become the norm.

Several of my colleagues requested "flexible working" myself included due to childcare, not all were granted (I was one of the lucky ones, due to being at the company total of 9 years now)

If say speak with HR, put your request in writing and be prepared to meet them half way, could you do Flexi hours? That was another option that was offered to me but it wouldn't work.
The role was offered as 2 days in office but they are in the right to move the role to office based (4 days or full time) whatever suits them/needs of company.
We had a few resignations after the announcement, that may also be the option you have.
Good luck

Our office did this. From 1 to 2 days and then 4. There was a process to request reduced days. Almost everyone got denied. Only those with long term health issues were given a pass . Even then it’s reviewed every year

@Everanewbie "The actual contract has the office down as the normal place of work. Here is where I have perhaps been naive. However, the role was advertised as being hybrid, and my offer email explained the hybrid 2 days in pattern."

This is the most important statement to focus on - ignore the dogs, childcare and travel, which as far as your employer is concerned are of no interest to them.

The offer email forms part of your contract of employment - and from what you've said, you would not have accepted the job if it entailed more than 2 days a week in the office. If the job offer email set out in a clear and definite way that you would be working a maximum of 2 days a week in the office and you accepted the job based on this information, and if you fulfilled any conditions of employment stated in the job offer (e.g. proof of qualifications, or satisfactory references), or the job offer was unconditional, it can be argued that the offer email is in essence the contract that you agreed to, regardless of any subsequent contract that you were presented with.

This should be your starting point when discussing the proposed change with your manager.

The second card that you have is that presumably the company is satisfied with your work, and that you are accomplishing everything that you have been asked to do. Ask your employer to explain how working in the office will improve your performance?

Thirdly, recruiting staff takes time and costs management time and money. The time and money spent on recruiting you only a year ago will be lost if you resign - and of course it will take more time and money to recruit your replacement. If you are senior enough, or important enough to the business, they presumably won't want to lose you.

What's frustrating is you'll likely be less productive going into the office more, considering the commute and stress and time that is often wasted in office niceties and socializing.

I have done full-time in office, full-time wfh and hybrid and I got the most done FT wfh.

Push back. In my experience (as somebody who has worked for the major insurance brokers in London over the past 20 years) - the "back to the office" culture is not supported by any investment in office space, so you now get 300 people competing for 200 "hot desks". With desk occupancy reviews taking place at 4pm on a Friday before a Bank Holiday weekend to demonstrate there is not a problem. Push back.

I would either accept it or look for another job

Let me spell this out for you.

I have to be working (i.e. online, plugged in, available) from 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday. I work in central London. I actually work about 70 hours a week most weeks, but the bare minimum is those hours. I have to be in London in the office on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays. I can work from home on Mondays and Fridays.

My DS has breakfast club starting at 8am and afterschool club finishing at 6pm. My DD has nursery from 8am to 6pm. I can do drop off and collection on Mondays and Fridays and it doesn't means I'm not "giving work my full attention" because that is outside of my mandated working hours.

On the days in the office, I catch the train at 7.30am and don't get back until gone 8pm. So I can't do pick up or drop off on those days.

If my employer changed my job contract without my consent so I had to be in the office for five days a week, DH would have to do 100% of the pick-ups and drop offs for our DCs. And, if I were a single parent who WFH to accommodate pick ups/drops offs - would you rather I didn't work at all?

This is what it means by it "impacting childcare" - it doesn't at all mean you're not doing your job properly or that your children are with you while you're working. It means that commuting to and from work uses up time - you can't be looking after your children during that time (but you're not working either) - and sometimes nurseries and schools close.

Oh, and I am paying for childcare (and probably paying for other people's with the amount I pay in tax). But maybe I should go back to teaching where the salary means I take out a lot more than I pay in just so you'll be happy that I'm in work in person every day...

I won't even go into how WFH means I can do things like kid's GP appointments in my lunch hour so they don't impact work...

This isn't new information, this debate has been going on for years now. If you don't understand this by now then that's a choice.

Our job adverts say hybrid working, which is currently 60%, but it’s always clear that is not set in any contract and could change. Most companies are falling out of favour with WFH and I can see why. What was normal pre covid is now seemingly impossible, and it is frustrating when everyone wants an adjustment as they have a nursery run to do. Why not just ask to work shorter office days, catch up with hours on your day at home. If your office is that far from home / nursery. I agree it’s also frustrating when the mothers employer has to he the flexible one, as dad couldn’t possibly ask for flexibility as he’s far too important. I’d just look for another role if you’re so against it.

What a nonsensical response. If your employer changed your job from 9am-5pm to 9pm-5am, would you think "ah yeah, that's grand, no nurseries at night but it's my fault for having kids". If your employer moved your office 100 miles away, you'd be fine with that too? It's not your employer's fault your house is where it is...

Where has OP asked her employer to care for her pets? She's just expected her employer to stick their agreement, which is perfectly reasonable.

There's no question that OP is being reasonable - the only question is whether her position is legally enforceable and I think she has a good chance given that the covering email for her contract stated a 2-day in-office working pattern.

You're being rude for no reason. She has childcare her child is in nursery its the drop off & pick up she cant manage because jer husband works shifts. She gave up a fully remote job to work for a company she enjoyed working with previously & 2 days in office was a reasonable sacrifice for that. 4 days in office leaves her struggling to manage & is not what was offered at the time of taking the position. Your opinion on people WFH is irrelevant - OP is asking what she can do about this unexpected predicament she finds herself in. People like you are just weighing in with rudeness for absolutely no reason.

Sounds pretty straightforward, find another role which pays more, works for you and holds your interest.

Putting aside the reasons why it's not workable for you, as far as a pure numbers exercise, if everyone in the company went back to the office, is there enough capacity?

At my old company, they soon realised there were too many people wanting desks, meeting rooms so what started off as a three line whip ended up with people going back to WFH with one day in the office that had to be booked in advance, but sadly some were not able to book.

Yes, they’re all around you in the corporate world. Just apply.

Really sympathise OP. It's not super hopeful to have jealous people weigh in. You took the job expecting to honour what was offered you, and they're the ones who've moved the goalposts.

I am lucky enough to work in a very flexible job and I know I would struggle to get one again. And I'd be devastated if it all changed tomorrow!

I'd still try and get another one though...

I work extremely hard at home but it's just so handy not having to worry about the commute etc. It really does free up a lot of time and makes the job that much more worthwhile.

Does anyone know where I get one of these highly paid jobs where the main issue is doing 2 days in the office vs 4 days?