Leaving because not allowed to wfh

[bctf123]

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

The job market is very tough out there. I know some excellent people who have been let go over the past few months and at a friend's place of work when one job came up recently they had over 2,000 applicants (it was an interesting-ish job at a well known institution but still!)

And then there were recently over 900 applicants for a £9 an hour job.

metro.co.uk/2020/11/01/almost-1000-people-apply-for-9-per-hour-waiter-job-13516740/

So I would think hard about leaving. I am slightly wondering if they suggested this work situation hoping you would quit. But hard to say.

@ShirleyPhallus

And you would be wrong in that assumption. You are paid to work. If you do something that is not work, at the very least, that is theft of time and money.

This isn’t true for all employers. My company has a “fair use” policy for internet use which lets employees browse the internet from time to time.

Also think you saying that any time you’re not working = theft of time and money. No one can be productive for every minute of every day. What about loo breaks? Are they theft too?

Loo breaks can be seen to be so yes, especially if they are too frequent. I know people who have been pulled up in their supervision meetings about their toilet breaks and employers have a right to question this. How can you say spending 2 hours a day (unless you have a medical condition your employer is aware of) is NOT a theft of time and money?

How can you say spending 2 hours a day (unless you have a medical condition your employer is aware of) is NOT a theft of time and money?

Where did I say that?

@Noideawottodo

This isn’t true for all employers. My company has a “fair use” policy for internet use which lets employees browse the internet from time to time

We have this.

By no stretch of the imagination would hours slagging off your employer qualify as "fair use".

@ShirleyPhallus it was more of a rhetorical question but you’ve obviously missed the point in short, YES loo breaks can be viewed as a theft of time and money, if the employer perceives them to be too frequent.

I'm currently working from home and on the phone all day literally. No tv nothing. I am on mumsnet at moment but If I'm in office I am a lone worker anyways so no diff.

I think now lockdown is back it's a great chance to ask to WFH again and ask why not as it's recommended. If they have a problem with your performance you should be on targets etc

"i think a new job would be a cleaner slate"

So... apply for a new job, then. But be aware that my daughter - who is mid-20s, was a Marketing Executive in management... has been forced to take a waitressing job, having been made redundant (the company she worked for folded, essentially), which 672 other people also applied for. She has one shift guaranteed a week...

... and she's still looking for another job.

In other words, understand that your post comes across as very snowflakey ("waaaah, my boss doesn't think I can do my job properly, so I'll show them by watching TV on their dime!"), that there are people out there who have had little choice other than to take roles below their office-paid employment, and... I don't know... grow up. Your role was junior. I saw "was", because it's a pretty sure fire bet, it won't be "is" by the end of this new lockdown!

As an employer, though, I'd sack you on the spot if you were catching up on Netflix during "office hours" rather than focusing 100% on what I was paying you to do. And I'm pretty lenient.

Honest question - why are you watching tv and also how (e.g on your phone or is it a tv in the office).

Even if you're allowed to use the internet at work I don't think your Company would be happy if they knew you're using it to criticise them.
As you watch tv as well, I'm surprised you have time to fit any work in.

I don't believe any of this.

i think this has often been the case in the past where i would respond to an unprofessional environment by leaving

A potential red flag right there.
In a genuinely unprofessional environment leaving can definitely be the right thing to do, but if you've found yourself doing it "often" it might be worth thinking about what the common denominator really is

You sound like a terrible employee.

Why are you watching TV in the office? Being bored or fed up is not a reason. You're expected to devote work time to work, not "work whilst watching TV".

Have you given any thought as to how this comes across to your employer? They will probably be wondering what you do at home if you think watching TV in the office is acceptable. They might be unsurprised that you're making mistakes if you're not even focusing on your job.

I'd say your internet use has gone beyond "reasonable personal use" too.

I can completely see why they can't trust you.

I do wonder whether you have actually seen many examples of professional working environments if you think this is in any way acceptable.

I think you probably need to re-learn what it means to be a diligent employee. Or accept that you're not, and make way for someone else.

I don’t know why you’re getting such a hard time on here, everyone I’ve ever worked with has taken down time and made the odd small mistake. The people who worked really really hard, no down time to make a drink or chat, tended to be unable to do their job so had to work extra hard to do things others found simple. They made up for it with presenteeism and undermining others.
I think you need to make the best of the current situation whilst looking for something else. Work hard to get a good reference and keep remembering you’ll be out of there soon.

You made errors with your work and you watch TV when you're supposed to be working.
Now you want to flounce out because you can't have your own way.
I would be having your P45 ready and waiting.

How old are you op?

one mistake is not unproving yourself

But you yourself have said you have made "mistakes", not just one...:

as soon as i had made a few errors in my work,

the errors were minor and ona piece of work which my supervisor should have done but offloaded to me.

tbh i used to make the same mistakes in the office before lockdown. wfh didnt make things worse

also, they may have you in the office due to your attitude and not just mistakes at work, like:

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

my response is childish

yes my attitude is not good.

im not saying my behaviour is great

my productivity and attitude are not perfect but it is due to this stubbornness.

If you can see that you're not exactly being a model employee, surely you can see how very bad it looks to your employer? I'm really surprised you still have a job to be honest. You have spent nearly a whole workday badmouthing your work employer, that's not what "being allowed to use the internet at work" entitles you to do!

Ridiculous responses on here - someone’s going to come along and accuse you of stealing in a minute - for getting paid whilst watching TV!

So if you hire a painter at £100/day for a job that’ll take 2 days you’d be happy to have him invoice you £200 for a half-finished job because he spent hours a day watching Phil and Holly?

Suuuure.

Op, you could resign if you wanted to, but be prepared that it will be tough to find another job currently. Your employer would likely replace you very easily as well in the current climate.

It sounds like you are angry at your employer and want to spite them, but do try to think rationally about this situation. If you increased your productivity at work, be watching less TV, you might be trusted eventually to WFH again.

@Audreyseyebrows

How old are you op?

Just a guess, but I’d say 12 or 13 😂

Leave then. There's plenty of people that are looking for work that will soon take your place, and not many jobs to go to.

That'll teach your boss a lesson....

Incidentally, you sound like a friend of mine who I met when we worked together.

Someone was always out to get her. Someone was always jealous of her, or bullying her. Someone was always treating her differently.

Truth is, she was treated the same as everyone else. She just spent her time whinging and being obstreperous for no reason.
Anyone who tried to manage her performance issue was labeled a bully.

She’s remained in junior roles, and seems to be job hunting constantly.

@VodselForDinner

Incidentally, you sound like a friend of mine who I met when we worked together.

Someone was always out to get her. Someone was always jealous of her, or bullying her. Someone was always treating her differently.

Truth is, she was treated the same as everyone else. She just spent her time whinging and being obstreperous for no reason.
Anyone who tried to manage her performance issue was labeled a bully.

She’s remained in junior roles, and seems to be job hunting constantly.

She may be related to my brother in law. Nobody, in 30 years, has recognised his capabilities, intelligence, and unique qualities. He's had dozens of employers, and they are all the same. He's wrong. They spotted his unique qualities.

tbh I have a friend who sounds very similar as your BIL Moondust. I think she never really learned how to work. When i and our other friends had saturday jobs her parents said she needed to concentrate on her studies. So when she graduated from university she had no workig experience and genuinely did not udnerstand HOW to work. She was too good for junior roles. She lost her first job in a week because she was asked to get a file and she told them she was a graduate not a lackey. In the first year of post university she had 5 jobs. We are all 48-ish now and she simply cannot hold down a job. But it is always someone elses fault and people have it in for her. Truth is she does not understand what work means, what working in an office environment means and what it means to be managed. It is sad, but it is never actually her fault, or course.

@SpookyRhubarbYoghurt

tbh I have a friend who sounds very similar as your BIL Moondust. I think she never really learned how to work. When i and our other friends had saturday jobs her parents said she needed to concentrate on her studies. So when she graduated from university she had no workig experience and genuinely did not udnerstand HOW to work. She was too good for junior roles. She lost her first job in a week because she was asked to get a file and she told them she was a graduate not a lackey. In the first year of post university she had 5 jobs. We are all 48-ish now and she simply cannot hold down a job. But it is always someone elses fault and people have it in for her. Truth is she does not understand what work means, what working in an office environment means and what it means to be managed. It is sad, but it is never actually her fault, or course.

Oh my god, sounds exactly like my friend.

She never had a summer job or a job in university. She took a gap year after her degree to go traveling, then went straight back to do her Masters so was 25 getting her first job. Felt graduate positions were above her because of her age and education, but didn’t actually have any practical experience so couldn’t do work independently.

I think she just never learned to work.

Felt graduate positions were below^ her.