just been told I have to go back to the office

[Sarah510]

and I don't want to!!!!! Have been wfh since lockdown and I love it. The freedom of it, and just not having to spend 2+hours commuting. I really thought I would be allowed to keep wfh as my job is not customer facing - I can do everything on teams, and a lot of it is with people in the far east so most is virtual anyway. But my team leader is the leader of another team as well, and she said to me today that she has put me on the rota for coming back to the office. I tried to say that I was happy to help out at busy times but that my priority had to be my own job, and that that wasn't people facing, and that it was going to be difficult to have these team meetings in a large office setting. She was unmovable though. I feel it's unfair. I mean, I'm not on that team, I'm a separate team, just me, the TL and a part-time person who is shielding so will not be coming back. I know people will slate me on here, but I really thought that things would change after lockdown. Team Leader is very anti wfh - she had denied requests even before Covid. She seems to be oldfashioned - like she always made a point of checking if I was in at 9am and telling me off if I was 5 mins late kind of thing. Never mind that I've been working weekends, late nights, early mornings since wfh, she just seems to want everyone back in the office under her watchful eye even though everyone is saying productivity is way up since we have been wfh.

Feeling miserable :( I guess I can 'see how it goes' and maybe put in a formal request to wfh. I tried to say to her that it was matter of being flexible but she's just not - she said no.

A lot of people being pretty aggressive about managers on here!

I manage a team and we’re all wfh at the moment. I’m in regular contact with them over Teams but, still, am looking forward to when we go back to the office (probably not for a good long while and certainly it will be a split week rather than full time as it was before) and actually talking to people face to face. My team are looking forward to this as well. Don’t think that makes me a crap manager.

Flexibility is key here - on both sides. There are loads of benefits of wfh and there are benefits of working in an office environment as well for the business and the individual.

Prior to this my Co. were anti working from home. Colleagues based in my office and I had agreement to do one day a week at home as it was vital for car parking issues (remote office no public transport) Anyway, there are some areas that they are trying to get back in but that 's specifically to do with either technology issues for individuals or personal issues for some people meaning they want to come in.

Otherwise they've realised that actually the vast majority of people do work well from home and as you say, productivity seems to mainly be up and lots of people happy to stay at home.

PP mentioned that it wasn't fair if some people got to wfh and others didn't. I think this isn't a fairness issue, it's to do with best fit for the role you do and surely encouraging more occupied desks and public transport is not what we need if it can be helped?

Obviously a different case for those who are unable to work from home and are currently furloughed.

As others have said, go back and put forward a written request to work from home more often.
Ask pertinent questions about how they will facilitate online calls (via teams etc) in a busy open plan office? Provide evidence of your increased productivity if available.
If none of this works, make plans to leave when you can and make sure you tell them why you are leaving when you do.
Many companies have to work in the office, but many don't and are just too backwards to adapt to progress. The future is working from home in many industries, the more of us who vote with our feet, job wise, the more it will hit these companies in their pocket and force them to move with the times.

I'm with you OP - if you don't work with people in the office then why be in the office every day? Is it every day tho? Rota suggests not?
What's the official line for the company in general?
I would deffo be sticking more to working hiurs if you can but presume given the time zones you do have to work outside of 9-5 anyway?
I have always been 'field' based and worked a mix of WFH, travel and office and I have to say it's the best of both worlds.

Ultimately you took an office job with the commute that you have.

It is not impossible to have meetings on Teams in a large office! Its what many do.

If the other team need to be in then i understand why TL is also requesting that you be in the office.

That said, I do think some companies will shoot themselves in the foot if they do not allow some flexibility going forward.

If it’s a rota that is being organised, how many days are you to go in?

An interesting perspective on working from home going forward...

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/07/22/home-working-revolution-will-derail-middle-class-gravy-train/

Put in a formal flexible work request.
I understand you are irritated at going back into the office but if that is the company request, start looking for a new job/ formal work request or suck it up. It doesn’t sound like you have much respect for her, perhaps that’s why she wants to ‘manage’ you?
When I had to return to work, I felt that sicky going back to school feeling but it’s fine. Feels almost like furlough was a dream.

Imagine how your colleagues in the office are feeling having to commute to work each day while you have a leisurely breakfast and enjoy fiddling about at home.

It's a massive bone on contention in my office - I spend 1 1/2 hours commuting and about £15 in fuel a day, 5 days a week and it annoys me that others are "wfh". I'd love to be able to spend that time with my family and save the cash but I can't

Urgh I hate this argument so much. I've had jobs where I can wfh and jobs where I can't. When I can't wfh I don't pettily insist that no one else does because it's "not fair".

I wonder though - are all those early morning, evenings and weekend hours actually extra hours, - or you moving the working "day" to times that suit you? After all, if productivity is "up" then why do you need to work extra hours? Perhaps there are two sides to the story?

I mean, ok. But what are you really expecting from this thread? Ive been working throughout lockdown in very stressful conditions, are you expecting sympathy? Because I have none left I'm afraid!

Yes, you will have to go back to work- everybody will eventually. Many people are facing unemployment now so perhaps try to reframe this as a good thing you have a job rather than as a bad thing that you have to go to work. Glass half full rather than half empty. It could be a lot worse......

@Frazzled13

Imagine how your colleagues in the office are feeling having to commute to work each day while you have a leisurely breakfast and enjoy fiddling about at home.

It's a massive bone on contention in my office - I spend 1 1/2 hours commuting and about £15 in fuel a day, 5 days a week and it annoys me that others are "wfh". I'd love to be able to spend that time with my family and save the cash but I can't

Urgh I hate this argument so much. I've had jobs where I can wfh and jobs where I can't. When I can't wfh I don't pettily insist that no one else does because it's "not fair".

To be clear, I'm not saying there aren't benefits to being back in the office, but I think other people whinging about how just because they can't wfh, no one should, should be a reason to have everyone in.

Give notice and tell them why. Life's too short. A friend just got a job permanent WFH for a major employer in the UK. Your company might not be moving with the times, but a lot of others are

I'd love to be able to stay wfh, at least on a part time basis. But in reality, there really wasn't enough work each day to justify a full time wage and there are huge parts of my job that just can't be done from home.

As I'd rather have a job than not - looking for one in the coming months isn't going to be an easy task for anybody - I'm glad that they still need me to be there.

Not looking forward to September at all, though. It's going to be chaotic getting there and there's always going to be the wondering when it's all going to kick off again and we get sent home (I give it a month to six weeks).

If you can do your work at home and work the same hours you would do so in the office I don’t see why not...

Just because others would be jealous is a rediculous argument to pull.!

YABU, plenty unemployed, recently redundant who'll do it.
You stick to your guns OP and refuse, they'll have a replacement by the end of the week.

Yeah I knew some people would be resentful on here, but.... NO-ONE has been in the office since lockdown, we have all been wfh. For me , in my job, it has made zero difference to how I do my job (except obviously benefitted me and I've actually been more productive, using the hours of commuting to do extra work :) Yes it's true I didn't like the commute - does anyone????

Just FYI, I shared an office with 2 other people when I was there, one on my team, and another 'random' person. I hardly ever saw the team leader - she was always busy with her "real" job. Managing me and my colleague is just a small part of her job I'd say about 10-15% if that. Often when my part-time colleague wasn't in, I would see nobody from one end of the day to the other. I was a bit unhappy, yes. I had a phone, but it never EVER rang lol. Like never! So there was no issue of getting hold of me. We did have another 'overseeing manager' but she has just left. Before she left she said that me and my colleague had worked excellently from home, even better than from the office - she noticed all the extra hours we were doing. late into the night before meetings, getting up early etc etc. But the team leader was very quiet... I just had a feeling as soon as she was gone, TL would start to assert herself again. I just "know" that the only reason she is insisting on the rota is because she wants her eye on me, she doesn't trust me, or she doesn't think its "fair" or whatever her reason is. It cant be because I haven't been doing my job well, because that's just not the case. She is just one 'those' people who is a clock watcher. She doesn't see the bigger picture. She turned down requests to wfh even before covid was an issue. She doesn't like it. She cant wait to get back. I think she gets off on the power.

I know, I know, I need to 'rise above it'. I'm just hoping the structure might change now that the 'over manager' has left and maybe they will move things around a bit. They should as it's not right that I should be shoved into her "real" job. She wants to start training me etc. so I can go on the reception desk. Total waste of my expertise, but there you go. I guess there's going to be a lot of disgruntlement if the 'powers that be' want things to go back to "normal". We've shown that wfh is extremely do-able, and they are always going on about 'life work balance'. I think there is going to be a real need for change on their part. I hope anyway.

You’ve got to meet them halfway here and show willing, they are your employer and pay your wages, I’m assuming the job was office based when you accepted it.

I agree with this. But I would say that your job/manager seem to have some problems slightly separate to the WFH issue – clock-watching for you IS pretty petty and doesn't exactly foster a good working atmosphere; and you having to help out at busy times is fine to a point, but obviously you need to do your own job too –or, more to the point, your manager needs to ensure that your job gets done and also that other people can do theirs; other teams needing help beyond the odd occasion is not really sustainable as a general working model.

Maybe talk to her about the timekeeping thing (be careful how you broach it) and have a discussion, very business-focused, about how your work splits between you doing your job and helping out others.

She wants to start training me etc. so I can go on the reception desk. Total waste of my expertise, but there you go.
Well, you can have a business-focused discussion about the best use of you as a resource.

OP accepted the job knowing that it meant she would have to work in the office. She is NBU to wish that she was able to continue to work from home, but is to expect it.

We are expecting all staff back to the office start of September
Hope all will comply ,but if push comes to shove it will be come back or ship out
We need to hit the ground running to try and keep the business going
If I wanted a company with lots of home workers I would start one

I think this drive back into offices is a massive PITA. I'm in a senior corporate role and I imagine we will be asked to return in September. Almost enough to not be averse to a second wave (if not obvious, no I don't mean I don't care if people die)…

I can do my job just as well from home and was already wfh 2-3 days a week pre-COVID. I'm going to bump that up to 4 days per week if we go back.

The thing is, working extra hours doesn't mean you're working well. I'm WFH for the foreseeable future and often work early in the morning or late at night but this is because I have agreed it with my manager and it suits me to be able to do shopping /visiting etc during the working day. I work flexi hours anyway but, when I have to go back to the office, I will be working my hours in normal office opening times.

You applied for an office based job, time to dig your work clothes out and get your arse back in there.

I actually don't think it is the people commenting on this thread who are feeling resentful...have you actually got enough work to do if they are looking at training you to be on reception? I also expect this is the reason your manager wants you back in work.