Work announced a move from 2 days to 4 days

Try looking up some employment tribunal cases for indirect sex discrimination. If it's a policy / practice they've introduced without considering or impact assessing the outcomes and without consultation then it could be (indirect) sex discrimination.

Unfortunately the great wfh experiment covid gave us has ended and the results are in, and most places realise it doesn't work so well.

And yet many companies managed it well before covid, working across timezones and countries. It's not automatically unworkable.

And there's no guarantee that people will learn from their peers, even when you're together in the workplace. Being physically in the same place doesn't always make everyone a team player. <smiles sweetly at colleague>

Flexible working isn't just about WFH days. It can be about different start and finish times and things like that, too. Are there any other creative ways round it you can suggest to them?

There's a massive difference working from home most days when everyone else is, and doing it as an outlier. You'll likely be seen as not quite one of the team. Don't be surprised if the exciting work and promo opportunities go to others now.

Unfortunately the great wfh experiment covid gave us has ended and the results are in, and most places realise it doesn't work so well.

This kind of thing comes up every time the working from home situation comes up. It's not helpful. Nobody is saying that they should work from home so they can also provide childcare for preschool children. They are saying that nursery runs are easier when you're not commuting. It's not hard.

I think your offer letter explaining the hybrid working pattern puts you in a very strong position. Your contract says that the normal place of work is the office, but in line with the offer letter, it’s reasonable to interpret that as meaning on your office based days the normal workplace is the address of the office and on the other days you’re free to wfh.

If I were you I would tactically approach this gently with an in person meeting and explain to HR (if you have one) that you accepted this job on the basis of the description in the offer letter. Ask them whether you are able (in their opinion) to rely on that or whether you should put in a flexible working request. In your flexible working request (if you have to do one) I would phrase it so you acknowledge the position that your job was always a hybrid one so you’d like it to remain that way.

Best of luck, this back to the office nonsense will set parents back another decade - the juggle is hard enough as it is without factoring in unnecessary commuting etc.

OP could you look at alternatives such as reducing your hours so you go in 4 days (WFH 1) but you leave in time to fetch your child and walk the dog? Or condense 5 days in 4? Even if they want everyone in the office 4 days there should be a few workarounds.

I think the issue is that you’ve only been there a year.

Would it work better for you if they paid a touch more? To at least cover commuting costs and dog walker (agree with PP re not mentioning the dog though!).

Your DC won’t be in nursery forever, it’ll be a couple more years before FT school - and then you’d have to sort something for the holidays and inset days etc anyway. You don’t want to give up a job you want for the sake of a couple of years of logistical problems.

As ever with an employee-employer relationship, it’s a negotiation and I would approach any discussion with this attitude. If it’s not because they won’t negotiate, at least you know where you stand. That’s not nothing, makes decision-making easier.

Anyone finding OP unreasonable has been truly hoodwinked by capitalism. If someone is meeting their targets and performing well at home, there is no need to be office based full time if you can do your job at home. A couple of days to spend time with your team, sure, but there is no real justification for dragging people in otherwise. It's like employers don't want people to have more work life balance. In reality I get through far more work at home even with a ten minute break to put some laundry on, than I do in the office, where I waste ages talking and getting asked about cases I'm not involved in!

OP has this job because she can fit it around childcare. Comparing her to people who have none-office based jobs isn't relevant, because OP didn't choose one of those jobs. She applied for a job where they offered two days and hybrid working. She wouldn't have taken it otherwise.

I realise that but they are not going to say “We are doing it on a whim” are they? The OP may not agree with the reason, but there will be one.

Have you tried ACAS?

I think you will need to cut your losses and look for another job OP. I doubt you’ll be the only one leaving over this. I couldn’t work for such an inflexible employer that don’t trust their staff.

Not bullshit at all.

Many companies are finding that new staff, especially entry level, are finding it very hard to get up to speed because all their more senior colleagues are working remotely. You may not benefit from being in the office but they may benefit from having you in the office.

'Play the health card' that is totally wrong.

Disabled and chronically ill people have to fight for adjustments. It gets more difficult for people with genuine illness or disabilities have to contend with others claim non existant health issues.

Poor annual results led to a drive on culture. Collaboration

Yes, I expected it would be linked to results, but if they perceive these were affected by WFH why did you say the collaboration thing was "bullshitty"?

I totally get your difficulties with this, but it sounds a pretty legitimate business reason to me

Not sure why people are talking ACAS.

OP has been there for 1 year. Even if the contract said 4 days WFH she's on a hiding to nothing.

The contract could say her place of work is Timbuktu but if she’s been working in an office in Birmingham 2 days a week and the other 3 days at home then the contract is for the office 2 days a week and home 3 days a week. Contracts, including employment contracts, are not only the document called ‘contract’.

May be a good idea to look on threads for advice for parents who both go out to work.

My DH wfh and I was full time with 45 minute drive each day. He also had to do trips away and couldn't look after DC when wfh of course.

Unfortunately the only option was nursery and the breakfast and after school clubs. It wasn't ideal at all so I changed my job and hours so I could help with school drop offs. Less income but was the best thing for us. Xx

Urgh, I hate things like this - just creating problems for the sake of it. I hope you and your colleagues do vote with your feet - next time you know to get something in your contract. And that any who remain, take the companies new policy around flexible working on board, when they are considering whether they are too ill to go to work / have been asked to rearrange their holiday so they can be in the office for something they "need" to be at.

Equally grating, the attitude from fellow workers, of "my job is difficult and I have to commute for hours at a time and have no work/life balance, so I want everyone else to have as hard a time of it as possible too". Rather than pushing for their own jobs to be less shit 🙄

I think if you have an email with a job offer stating you were expected to work 2 days per week in the office you can attempt to argue they are changing the terms of your employment. I wouldn't put in a flexible working request, unlike everyone else has recommended, as to do so indicates you are agreeing that to work 2 days a week at home is a change to your existing terms.

I would first go down the line of arguing that your terms already include that, and they cannot change them without your consent (which you do not give).

If this fails (which it might, but I think it's worth a shot) then I would look at a flexible working request.

Generally speaking though, I think it's best to ensure these things are set in stone in a contract. We all know how often WFH is abused and employers across the board are keen to see an end to it. Be armed and ready with compromises to improve culture - can you be free for a fixed weekly meeting with relevant team members in person once a week during your 2 days in? Are you willing to do alternate weeks of 2/4 days in the office? Could you work in office for 2 full days and 2 half days with afternoons at home? Would you be willing to do 3 days every week? Have solutions ready.

It doesn’t have to be written in your contract for it to be a term of your employment

This could be true.

But it's not clear and we can't say without seeing the contract.

If the contract is clear that her place of work is the office, and if it includes (as mine does) a stipulation like 'duties as mandated by the [name of person in charge' or along those lines, then it is clear contractually that her position of work is in the office.

From a reasonableness point of view, which organisations should care about, it is of course reasonable that OP would have expected the hybrid working conditions that were set out in the initial discussions and offers would be held to.