WFH at risk

[workagain]

We've been told that we can choose how often we're in the office going forward. For my work-life balance, I've told work that I would be happy to go into the office when needed (couple of days per month) but normally want to WFH. This was (verbally) agreed with my manager.

It's worth mentioning that I have worked from home since joining the company due to covid and other issues (no room in the offices). I couldn't show a new person where the tea/coffee or the toilets are because I don't know.

I spend most of my working day on calls with people all over the country, so it's (in my opinion) a bit pointless to be travelling into the office just to do this.

A new person is joining soon. I've worked with them before. They like to talk a lot and have told the boss that they want to be back in the office asap. I've just been told (unofficially) that they will expect me to be in the office when the new person is "because they're new".

I'm a bit cross about this because:

• I'm CEV and don't want to go into the office
• I've never worked in the office, so don't have a desk and all my interactions with colleagues over teams/zoom & this way or working works well for me
• I find being in an office very distracting and I know my productivity will drop, especially with new person wanting to chat (all the time, in my experience)
• my work just doesn't require me to be there as a general rule and it would make life difficult for school pick up if I was having to commute every day

Do I have a leg to stand on here if I say I don't want to go back into the office so often?

Are you going to be working directly with this person? Depending how closely you'll be working together I think it'd be reasonable to say you'll be there for their first week (if working closely and you'll need to teach them things) or just for first day (if you won't be working directly together but will be part of the same team and so need a working relationship), but I can't see why it would be a long-term change to the deal you've already worked out with your boss. They won't be new forever, after all!

If the official policy is that you can choose when to go in, I’d be annoyed at then being forced in full time. However, for new people joining, I think it’s reasonable if what they’re asking is that you go in a little bit more for while, while this new person is still learning the ropes.
But if the official policy is go in when you like, I’d probably want a time frame for how long this is expected of you. It is annoying when individual managers go against the main policy, because it leaves you not knowing where you stand.

@Hardbackwriter

Are you going to be working directly with this person? Depending how closely you'll be working together I think it'd be reasonable to say you'll be there for their first week (if working closely and you'll need to teach them things) or just for first day (if you won't be working directly together but will be part of the same team and so need a working relationship), but I can't see why it would be a long-term change to the deal you've already worked out with your boss. They won't be new forever, after all!

They will be in my team, but have plenty of experience so won't need to learn from me. They should be able to work away from me (I've been working from home for 2-3 years now).

I just feel a bit aggrieved that their want to work in the office is potentially being prioritised over my need (CEV, preferences due to work-life balance and ease of working) to WFH.

Thing is, it’s not just about you, you’re part of a team and if your boss thinks it will benefit the team for you to be in a bit more then I think you might need to suck it up temporarily

Are you saying then that you're not willing to go in at all? Not even once? But you said I've told work that I would be happy to go into the office when needed (couple of days per month) but normally want to WFH.. Your boss is saying that he sees this as one of the times you're needed in the office, to welcome a new colleague. If your health means you can never go to the office then that's one thing but doesn't seem to be what you've conveyed to your employer so far. And the other two things (work-life balance, preferred working style) are wants not needs for you just as much as they are for your new colleague.

I don't mind going in from time to time, but I don't want to have to go in whenever the new colleague is, just because they prefer to be in.

They're contradicting themselves:

"We've been told that we can choose how often we're in the office going forward."

"I've just been told (unofficially) that they will expect me to be in the office when the new person is "because they're new".

Both these statements can be correct at one and the same time. Ask them to clarify their policy because it sounds like they're making it up as they go along.

Sorry, should say both these statements CAN'T be correct

Can't you just say you're happy to go in a lot for the first couple of weeks to help them integrate and will then revert back to your normal pattern?

I can't be there for New Bod's orientation- partly because I'm CEV but mainly because I'm not familiar enough with the building to do it.
Also, it will dramatically affect my productivity as my efficiency WFH is far better.

Totally agree with you OP, so pointless when going to the office won’t make a difference and helps to stop spreading covid, why don’t management understand or make allowances for the CEV?

@workagain

I don't mind going in from time to time, but I don't want to have to go in whenever the new colleague is, just because they prefer to be in.

Are you sure that that's what your boss is suggesting - that the new person will get to choose when they go in but you will always have to just follow them in whenever they choose to be in the office? Because I agree that that's not reasonable if so, to a degree that makes it quite a weird request.

Maybe you need to tell your boss all this
Focus on the ‘ I don’t know where anything is’ and you’re ‘concerned with your own productivity’ angle
If you say ‘but you said xxxx ‘ and ‘ I need wfh because xxx’ they may be less willing to see your point

I wouldn’t be hugely impressed with someone not working in a workplace because their productivity would drop tbh

Are you sure they aren’t just saying you need to go in once or twice to meet and greet the new team member?

That’s what happened when I started a new job recently - everyone had been (mostly) wfh, they came in to say hi when I joined, and then we all carried on working (mostly) from home.

Thanks all - I agree that I need to clarify exactly what they're suggesting. I don't mind going in 1-2 days initially but it's anything more than that I'm not happy with.

To the person who questioned me saying my productivity would drop if I went into the office - I'm not the only one who's said this. I can get done a lot of work from home, often going from one (teams) meeting to another, there's no one to disturb me when I'm trying to write reports, it's just an easier environmental work in. Being in the office, there's lots of interaction with others (which is fine, but doesn't help my productivity) and distractions.

Like others have said, it depends what they mean and if it's just to help the new person get settled.

In my job we've been told pretty much the same as you, apart from scheduled team days (once a month) we can choose how much we go into the office. However they have asked that people are willing to go in when new people join the team as part of their induction. I'm happy to do this, however I'm quite new to the team and wouldn't have been bothered about going in and would hate to think that other people had to go in for me! I moved from a different team where I had to train my replacement before I left. My replacement hated home working and didn't like that I only agreed to come in for part of the week while training him and the rest was online. But my manager felt it was important for him to get used to it, as at the time we weren't sure how long home working would last for.