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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Leaving because not allowed to wfh

262 replies

bctf123 · 02/11/2020 09:37

background- i worked really well from home during lockdown and replying to emails immediately, always sat at my desk etc
as soon as i had made a few errors in my work, i was called back in on the pretext of needing an office environment to work well(around September)
i am the only one called in along with a young apprentice who needs to be on site. i am a bit of a pushover and lowest in the office chain and feel ive been singled out despite my contribution and role.
the manager has been really resistant to me wfh, including in the current lockdown and even on a part time basis, which i dont understand and which i dont want to argue as its a bit of a dog eat dog type of environment.

i am now thinking of leaving as i dont feel treated like an adult at all. the way im being treated feels petty and humiliating.
my motivation has fizzled out since being back in the office and i spend a lot of time watching tv instead of being productive.

aibu to want to leave? they have said they want me to stay but it feels like im being pushed by being singled out as if i need supervision

OP posts:
PawPawNoodle · 02/11/2020 09:42

Depends on what the errors are, really.

saoirse31 · 02/11/2020 09:44

I suppose it depends on a few things- how serious the mistakes were-not asking you to say, also do they need someone there and you're most junior, do they need someone there so apprentice is not only person there all the time etc. However I'm not sure as your mgr I'd appreciate your current drop in productivity, watching TV etc. You're not doing yourself any favours by that tbh. Have you a union, hr person or a friendly colleague u could talk to?

emilyfrost · 02/11/2020 09:47

YABU. They don’t have to let you work from home, and you working from home clearly wasn’t working for the business.

ShirleyPhallus · 02/11/2020 09:48

You made mistakes with your work and now sit around watching tv instead of working?

If that’s your attitude then I think you’d be doing them a favour by leaving tbh

LonelyFromCorona · 02/11/2020 09:49

If you can afford to, go for it, let them struggle getting someone in, training them up and working effectively with just an apprentice to ask for help, whilst the rest are all working at home!

Libertylee · 02/11/2020 09:51

You sound like you’d be unproductive, whether at home or in office.

Racoonworld · 02/11/2020 09:51

It sounds like they thought you weren’t working well enough from home. You’re not exactly showing them by watching tv in the office! They have every right to ask you to work in the office if working from home wasn’t working.

GreenClock · 02/11/2020 09:54

What reasons were given? In all UK nations you’re supposed to be wfh if you can. Why exactly did they feel it wasn’t ok for you to continue to wfh?

PoorMansPaulaRadcliffe · 02/11/2020 09:55

Frankly, if you're the type of person who justifies 'paying back' your company for their lack of trust, by watching tv while on the clock, it sounds like they've started to get the measure of you. I'd look for another job because I suspect it shortly won't be a choice.

Original poster
bctf123 · 02/11/2020 09:56

OBVS im working and watching/listening to the tv, not just sitting comfortably. i dont how its that different from others slacking at home

the errors were minor and ona piece of work which my supervisor should have done but offloaded to me. in any case having no people in the office is the same as being at home
i feel there is some favoritism and some distrust and paranoia which is ironic as im working less hard in the office

OP posts:
unfortunateevents · 02/11/2020 09:56

Why are you watching TV in the office - is it because you don't have enough work to do? I think as a manager I would be pretty unimpressed if I came into the office and saw someone watching TV and it would certainly make me wonder what they had been up to when wfh. Also as others have said, the nature of the errors made from home would have a bearing too.

Nottherealslimshady · 02/11/2020 09:57

Doesn't sound like you're a very good employee. When you were working from home your work wasn't up to scratch, so they had to bring you back to the office, that was an inconvenience for them, it was better for them to have you work from home but you couldn't work properly.
Now you watch TV while they're paying you to work. That's disgraceful in my opinion. You work while you're paid to work, you watch TV on your own dime.

Think they'd probably prefer that you left.

unfortunateevents · 02/11/2020 09:59

i dont how its that different from others slacking at home - what others slacking from home?! Apparently you were working very well from home, why not everyone else? You are not coming across very well now.

SpeccyLime · 02/11/2020 09:59

I think it depends on the errors. If they have reason to believe you need supervision it’s not totally unreasonable for them to insist upon it being in the office where it can be managed more effectively.

I’m not sure you’re helping yourself by watching tv - if there are concerns about your work, you’re more likely to be able to wfh in future if you can prove that you’re a capable and committed pair of hands.

That said, if the errors were very minor and the sort of things others make as well without being given extra supervision, your workplace are being unreasonable.

Fightthebear · 02/11/2020 10:00

You spend a lot of time at work watching tv instead of being productive?!

It’s your job to get the work done no matter where you are located, you don’t get to punish them for asking you to work in the office after making mistakes.

You’d be better off leaving.

Original poster
bctf123 · 02/11/2020 10:01

the original reason was that i needed someone to bounce ideas off (despite my supervisor staying at home though she is my first point of contact)
there is a small element of my job that i would better do in the office but this could be done by attending a couple or even one day a week
after that i dont know and i dont want to push the issue as im scared i would be shouted at . ive kind if doormat zoned (similar to friend zoning) myself over the last few years

OP posts:
mummymeister · 02/11/2020 10:04

what leads you to think that all people working from home are slackers? do two wrongs make a right then? sorry but I think your managers were completely justified in bringing you back to work for closer supervision. before you resign bear in mind that there are a lot of people looking for work at the moment and you are very unlikely to just be able to jump into a new job. perhaps you should spend the next couple of months working on your attitude to work. No one owes you a living and if you arent a productive member of staff in this job why do you think this is all going to suddenly change in your next job.

Youandmeareluckytobeus · 02/11/2020 10:05

as soon as i had made a few errors in my work, i was called back in on the pretext of needing an office environment to work well
It may not have been a pretext. You may not be fully aware of your shortcomings. Do you understand the implications of the errors and how they affect the business? Being in the office and getting feedback about your performance could be really helpful.

What you should do is use the opportunity to develop. Show your boss how committed you are to doing a good job, build your resilience. Prove you can do a great job. It's too easy to walk away and you won't learn anything from it.

IcedPurple · 02/11/2020 10:07

Everyone insists they are 'so much more productive' WFH, but employers don't always agree. Ultimately, if they think it's best for the company to have employees in the office, you will have to do so or look for another job.

LucillevsLowkee · 02/11/2020 10:10

I don't know you, I am just reading your posts.

From them, you come across as very junior in the role and very childish. You made a few errors, it's reasonable to get you back in the office, but
you are now sulking and watching tv at home. It really isn't professional.

You need to realise it's work, not school and start being more professional frankly. You slacking doesn't mean other are - that comment means you really don't understand WFH.

I have one advice: do not quit your job until you find another one.
And remember that the new job might not let you work from home anyway.

Livelovebehappy · 02/11/2020 10:13

When we started wfh we had to read a policy that indicated should we start making mistakes, not being productive etc we would be moved back to working in the office. I think it’s probably to help you as much as to protect their business. Do you have an HR team who you could go to for advice?

Donkeeey · 02/11/2020 10:14

OBVS im working and watching/listening to the tv

No wonder they want you back in the office. Unless it's normal practice to watch TV in the office? Confused

If you are WFH then you sit at a desk, or table or wherever and you do exactly what you would do in the office. Which is NOT watching TV!

Original poster
bctf123 · 02/11/2020 10:15

i am junior
yes my response is childish as i feel pushed by the pettiness
i agree its not professional

its not working in the office that is irksome. its being singled out despite others regarding whom complaints have been made carrying on wfh. i feel there is some favoritism
i think a new job would be a cleaner slate

OP posts:
BrightYellowDaffodil · 02/11/2020 10:17

OBVS im working and watching/listening to the tv, not just sitting comfortably.

Maybe this is why you're making mistakes?

i dont how its that different from others slacking at home

Why would you assume that everyone else at home is 'slacking'?

TBH, your attitude sounds problematic. You say you're the most junior and the apprentice needs someone there, so that's the sort of thing that would fall to a more junior member of staff. And now you're being resentful and sulky because you aren't allowed to WFH any more, not just because a presence is needed in the office but because you've been making mistakes and your employer, presumably, feels that you would be better off in a more work-focused environment.

Original poster
bctf123 · 02/11/2020 10:18

i think i could be helped by part time wfh rather than a blanket refusal which is very odd
there is a hr but the team is so small there could be tension easily created.
in fact this how a colleague got sacked...raising her head above the parapet despite not being a favourite in the office

OP posts:
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