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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:
Derbee · 02/11/2020 11:43

I’d be managing you out if you worked for me. Your attitude is appalling and you are very immature. I wouldn’t quit a job in this climate, but I’m pretty sure you’re on your way out

RaspberryCoulis · 02/11/2020 11:45

my supervisor and i have aa bad relatioinship. she likes to micro manage me

Funny that. If I had an employee who was regularly making mistakes and skiving off when "working from home" i'd be micro managing them too.

You are doing yourself no favours here OP, you are making yourself sound like a workshy nightmare.

Moondust001 · 02/11/2020 11:47

@bctf123

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

If you were working in this way in my team, we would not be discussing why you can't work from home. We would be discussing the date of your disciplinary hearing. And if you threatened to leave, I'd ask for it in writing. You are easy to replace.
Original poster
bctf123 · 02/11/2020 11:47

im not saying my behaviour is great but thanks for reading it carefully.

  1. the manager is too good at detail for me to argue anything about wfh.
  2. the errors are not too major and thus too easily forgotten and a non-issue for me to bring up again. i am often blamed for other peoples mistakes. by the time theyve realised and clarified i have already been shouted and reprimanded and the topic has moved on

my response to everything is that i agree, because i have been shouted at before. i have doormat zoned myself

they have threatened to hr me before, but never gone through as i take a lot of my supervisors workload and a lot of initiative.
a lot of more competent people could take my job but theres not a lot of hard workers.
my post comes across as if i do no work but obviously i would have been sacked if that was the case. its just my productivity has gone down recently and in my extra curricular work

OP posts:
Original poster
bctf123 · 02/11/2020 11:51

as you can see from my post i wasnt skiving at home...hence my anger as this was demonstrable.

my reduced productivity is in the office

OP posts:
Original poster
bctf123 · 02/11/2020 11:54

they have asked me to stay.

i may be easy to replace...with someone who only does the bare minimum and refuses to take their supervisors workload, compared to me who has always gone over and above till now?

OP posts:
JohnMcCainsDeathStare · 02/11/2020 11:55

Uh... has it not occurred to any of you that perhaps the management sucks? However, OP, how aware is management of your situation and how proactive have you been in asking for assistance? If so, is there a paper trail?

Management is like air. When its good you don't really notice it but everything works better - when it bad or non-existent, you're in trouble.

Moondust001 · 02/11/2020 11:55

as you can see from my post i wasnt skiving at home

Actually, no we can't see that. Not one of my staff have the time to watch TV whilst working. And watching TV whilst working might have explained the mistakes - if it weren't for the fact that you don't seem to improve any in the office, by your own admission.

I think there is something very important about work that you need to understand. It isn't up to you to decide whether your mistakes are minor or not. You shouldn't make mistakes. Full stop

By the way. just looking at your posts and the times you have posted. It's Monday. Are you having a day off work, or are you posting from the office? Because I can see that dismissal looming more if you are caught doing that!

Moondust001 · 02/11/2020 11:56

Uh... has it not occurred to any of you that perhaps the management sucks?

Uh - yes. But the OP does a very convincing rebuttal of that theory!

RaspberryCoulis · 02/11/2020 11:58

Uh... has it not occurred to any of you that perhaps the management sucks?

Entirely possible, but the OP is hardly showering herself in glory either and two wrongs don't make a right.

burritofan · 02/11/2020 12:05

tbh i used to make the same mistakes in the office before lockdown. wfh didnt make things worse
This isn’t a great argument to let you WFH, tbh. “I’m terrible no matter where I work so why bother!”

How old are you, OP? Is this your first job? In the current job market I would be working my bum off to impress, excel and keep my job, rather than slacking off or walking out without another role to go to.

Original poster
bctf123 · 02/11/2020 12:08

in which case, why would you accept part of my story and not the rest...odd!

OP posts:
TooManyDogsandChildren · 02/11/2020 12:09

I think it sounds as if you don't really enjoy working for your current employer OP. That's fine I'm sure we have all had jobs where we are not a good fit.

I think you should be actively looking for other jobs now, but don't say anything to your current employer until you have the new one in the bag.

Bluemooninmyeyes1 · 02/11/2020 12:09

Your employer is not obliged to allow you to wfh. At our work only the most experienced competent employees can wfh, the rest of the workers are in the office. If you were making mistakes wfh then I can understand why they brought you back into the office. If you’re demotivated now and just sitting around watching tv at work then yes you probably should leave before you get sacked.

Original poster
bctf123 · 02/11/2020 12:13

tbh i have needed very little assistance
re the work i am talking about, i forwarded it to my supervisor but she said she didnt have time and she trusted my judgement. two weeks later she asked why i hadnt run it past her.
she always says i do great work when i ask which is what everyone says. i dont get the issue tbh

OP posts:
RaspberryCoulis · 02/11/2020 12:16

she always says i do great work when i ask

Apart from when you're making mistakes?

VodselForDinner · 02/11/2020 12:16

Are you working today, OP?

mindreaderofdarkthoughts · 02/11/2020 12:18

I think you need to grow up and stop blaming everyone else for your mistakes tbh.

You're watching tv while working - no
You're not completely committed to your work at home
You're blaming your supervisor for your mistakes as they gave you their work, but then you said you used to make the same mistakes before wfh.

Take some god damn responsibility and be bloody grateful you have a job during these times. Stop whining and you can catch up on your Netflix when you come home from the office after working on your mistakes.

so glad you don't work for me.

2bazookas · 02/11/2020 12:19

Your employer already suspects you've been slacking at WFH. . Your history of mistakes which you don't notice, double check or correct suggests poor concentration. Watching TV while working is a distraction you (and they) can't afford.

OP, in the office you are presumably working (and watching TV) on an office computer system where, no doubt, your activities can be monitored remotely by a manager. Which is very likely the reason they moved you back there. Even if they are not monitopring you remotely, the apprentice is right there in the office, sees you watching TV, (and setting a very bad example to them) If that apprentice has half a brain they will be thinking your job could be theirs if you get sacked. One way or another, your employer will know that even after a warning , and being pulled up, you can't be bothered (or trusted) to get on with the job they pay you for.

    There are millions of competent hard workers looking for  new jobs just now. Many of them have a CV  that demonstrates their committed  work ethic, and glowing references to back it up.

Your employer is not going to give you the kind of reference that helps you get another job.

Original poster
bctf123 · 02/11/2020 12:20

yes but this is how it happens. i cant explain it. one minute my mistakes could lead to hr, the next they are saying i shouldnt leave as im doing a great job...confused.com

OP posts:
Audreyseyebrows · 02/11/2020 12:22

You don’t sound very professional. From the snippets of information on here I would agree with your management.
Although I guess it’s whether you want to leave before being sacked?

JoeCalFuckingZaghe · 02/11/2020 12:22

I think for whatever reasons this job isn't a good fit for you. Whether you have a bad attitude or whether management is to blame, you're unhappy, unmotivated and don't care about your work (repeated mistakes).

It's not worth trying to change the WFH sticking point, as another issue will arise after because the fit isn't good.

Thripp · 02/11/2020 12:22

OP, what on Earth does "doormat zoned" mean?

You are coming across as a bit Year 7 ish, with all this business about being afraid that people will shout at you, and going into a sulk because you're not allowed to do what you want.

I think you need to act in a more mature manner. If your supervisor is genuinely giving you cause to think that you are being disadvantaged "because she doesn't like you", then you need to address this via the official channels, providing evidence (events, times, dates).

Otherwise it just sounds as if you're whingeing.

I also think anyone who leaves a job at the moment is bananas.

SleepingStandingUp · 02/11/2020 12:24

So you watch telly at work, you consistently make the same mistakes, and your hobbies are reducing your productivity at home? You sound like a dream employee

PurpleHoodie · 02/11/2020 12:24

Are your WFH job contract and competancies conditional upon your written English communication?

Or is there a practical application to your job?