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.

[Astrabees]

I'm sure that tow of my team who are working from home at present would say much the same as you. The reality for us though is that I have not been able to work from home at all as I have had to do all the bits of the team work that cannot be done from home - and there is also huge resentment from the two other members of the team who have been coming in and working from our very large office which has plenty of space for social distancing. I'm not going to push them too hard until we see the situation with the children going back to school in September but ultimately if they won't come in there will be capability issues.

[essexmum777]

As our company has measured increased productivity with everyone WFH they are going to be flexible and may not not even re-open the offices in September.

[blue25]

I get it. I’m loving wfh and am so grateful to be continuing this way for at least some of the week.

[peanutsandpinenuts]

Unfortunately for some their company culture is going to be fairly traditional and there will be managers who want you to go back to the office. Without knowing the intricacies of your organisation, where you are based, what the nature of your role is, the broader team you work in and your manager its hard to say if the move back to the office is reasonable or not.

But it's not unreasonable, having had a taste of WFH full time, to not want to commute again. The perfect' job is something of a myth but if the ability to WFH is a priority for you start looking for a role that is remote working only. But keep in mind that you may have to compromise on another aspect of the role.

And in the mean time have a frank conversation with your manager in your next one to one (or in a private meeting) and be really reasonable, flexible, and put forward the case for more remote working in your current role. Crucially try and see things from their perspective as well. Don't be an employee who is coming to a manager with problems they need to 'fix for you' (I'm not saying you're doing this but it's annoying for managers when employees do this). Show how it can be better for the business as a whole if you are WFH.

[Feminist10101]

There are tax implications for permanent working from home, as well as wellbeing ones. Your employer is perfectly entitled to expect you to attend the workplace. Shielding is ending and there needs to be a change of approach.

[Magenta83]

I am also not looking forward to going back in the office. I enjoy working from home so much more. Without commuting I see my family more and am less stressed and I am still completing all more work efficiently. I think it really depends if all work can be done from home just as effectively. I know our IT system is struggling and some colleagues find it easier to meet face to face. I would suggest that 2-3 days working from home and the rest o the week in the office would be a good compromise. That is what I am hoping for from my company.

[roarfeckingroarr]

And to echo other posters, just because some people can't WFH it doesn't mean that nobody should. If productivity is the same or increased, why on earth drive people back into offices - costing them time, money, well-being - just because some people are jealous?

[ButterMeCrumpets]

I am hoping WFH happens more (I did a few days before covid).

But I wouldn't be complaining if they said get back to the office simply because I am very grateful to still be employed.

If I was you I would go back to the office. See if you can agree more flexibility for WFH and if not consider whether it is wise to move jobs in this current climate.

[mondayfeels]

YANBU! I was hoping my company would also realise that we aren't all a bunch of toddlers and can work perfectly well from home after doing it for months in lockdown, but apparently not. I find I'm much more productive from home and have a better work/life balance, so personally I feel like it's a shame. But that's what we get for working for old-fashion-minded companies I suppose!

[Feminist10101]

I’ve been in the office 2-3 days a week throughout Covid, as have 95% of my team. My team’s wellbeing has been secured only through that, and the team working benefits have been off the scale.

I’m now dealing with the (predominantly negative) mental health impact of all the staff sent to WFH in March with no “days in”, and managers who have delayed vital work to enable it now needing staff back on site to do it. It’s a massive challlenge.

[CuriousaboutSamphire]

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. FFS! WHy? Just why?

OK, OP is BU as she is on a rota to return, not being asked to go back in full time, but why such absolute negativity?

If everyone was open for change and accepted that some jobs lend themseves to wfh than others then none of this pissy bollocks would need to upset anyone.

[pilates]

I think a lot of people are the same as you. You are making savings with travel expenses and you don’t want to have to start paying out again. I think you need to be looking at this differently and think that you have been quite lucky. You haven’t lost your job, you’ve not been working on the front line and you haven’t been furloughed.

[Sarah510]

I mean the other thing is is that I really don't want to get Covid!!! I'm the oldest in the office, all the others are in their 30s or 20s, and being over 50 I am more at risk right?

Thanks for all the advice. I think I'll leave it to let the dust settle as some posters have said, and then put in a formal request to wfh part-time going forward - which will be a massive bonus as when I took the job I knew I would be commuting 5-days a week.

As for people saying the extra hours are just 'flexible working' - I think one of the main differences is that when you are in the office, particularly when you have a 'clock-watching manager', I would very much knock off at 5pm on the dot, and make sure I took my breaks, and if the work wasn't finished then it wasn't my responsibility (I didn't start out like this, but gradually came to realise that for this team leader being "present" was more important to her than deadlines), so I stopped putting in any extra hours, whereas at home, I guess partly because of lockdown as well, I've taken a lot of pride in my work and getting it finished, and polished, and going the 'extra mile', even to prove that wfh is actually a 'good thing'.

Also, I have a friend who has Covid, and his wife has it now too, and they have been very very ill. 6 weeks in hospital, and still not better. He narrowed it down that the only way he could have caught it is from a 5 min conversation, in the office, with a colleague who also had it. So there is danger in working 8 hours a day with colleagues. And she said we don't have to wear masks in the office, only when walking around. Oh and the canteen wont be opening, and nor will the kitchen be open... So I guess - take a flask???!!!!

[minnieok]

Being in an office has other less tangible benefits, team building, cross department relationships etc. Not everyone wfh is that conscientious (a survey said on average we work one hour a day less). I do like wfh, I am today but I've been in 2-3 days a month from March as I need to use software on the server - a four hour round trip (I stay near the office though to save time, keyworker status). Be happy you have a job and you didn't have to use public transport at the height of the pandemic!

[HunterHearstHelmsley]

How many days are they expecting you in with the rota?

I imagine its a situation similar to my local office. Everyone can work from home. Unfortunately, there need to be at least seven people in the office on any given day as certain tasks need to be completed. There is now a rolling rota so everyone does their turn in the office, rather than it just being the same seven every day.

[ohthegoats]

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

There's your issue. You're 5 minutes late. She doesn't trust you.

[ohthegoats]

I mean the other thing is is that I really don't want to get Covid!!! I'm the oldest in the office, all the others are in their 30s or 20s, and being over 50 I am more at risk right?

There are loads of us in that boat. No one is getting sympathy for that on here I'm afraid.

[Sarah510]

well that's incredibly small minded of her IMO but agree to disagree!!!!

[Marpan]

Well when you applied for the job it probably wasn’t a wfh job.
It’s time to return to work.

[Sheknowsaboutme]

@Tekaloid ive read the OP and can’t for the life of me find the bit where she says she’s having leisurely breakfast 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Timeforanotherusername]

Op why have you just started another post?

[Feminist10101]

He narrowed it down that the only way he could have caught it is from a 5 min conversation, in the office, with a colleague who also had it.

Absolute bollocks. They must have been within inches of one another for that to be a possibility.

So there is danger in working 8 hours a day with colleagues. And she said we don't have to wear masks in the office, only when walking around.

Not one of my team has caught Covid or been unwell at all, despite being on a clinical site with patients and attending work for up to 12 hours a day 2-3 days a week for 18 weeks. That’s thanks to effective cleaning schedules, limiting staff numbers and stringent social distancing.

Oh and the canteen wont be opening, and nor will the kitchen be open... So I guess - take a flask???!!!!

How positively unacceptable.

[boys3]

It's only hard to manage a remote team if you're a crap team leader

@4amWitchingHour

This. With bells on.

Route cause of UK's ongoing productivity problems - most managers (at whatever level of management) not having the first idea as to how to people manage, nor equally embrace and deliver change.

And as subsequent posts will no doubt demonstrate largely being in denial about this.

[yelyah22]

I'm pushing really hard for my team to be able to wfh whenever they want. Due to various things, it makes no difference to the business office space-wise whether they're in or not, so their desks are there if they want to be in, but their roles are completely web-based and they've both flourished during lockdown.

One wants to wfh permanently and the other would like to do a couple of days a week at least. I personally wfh half the time anyway so I've been a good case study for the benefits, but my partners are reluctant to extend the same to my team. I'm going to keep pushing - I can't ever see myself getting a fully-office based role ever again, and preferably 3/4 days a week at home.

[roarfeckingroarr]

I agree OP. She is small minded.