AIBU about return to the office

[bonfireheart]

We are all currently working from home and it's been going well. We have been told by management that going forward we will be working more flexibly. We have limited desk space in the office. They are advocating a mixture of home and office working, but really leaving it up to individual teams on how they manage that- however management are very clear that they are not setting "minimum days in the office."

The options for each day are:

1. If there is a business need to be in the office that day, you can go to the office.
2. If there is no business need to be in that day but you want to go to the office of your own free choice, you can go to the office.
3. You have no business need to go in, you can work from home.

4 You have no business need to go to the office, you prefer to work from home that day, you can work from home.

The issue is people who like the second option- they have no need to go to office but like the routine of the office etc. Fine. I have no issue with them going to office for however many days if they want to. The issue is that they want to go to the office but are kicking up a fuss that if they (about 3 or 4 members of the team) go to the office nearly every day, its not fair and that the others should be made to go in too! They are being so vocal "well it's not fair that it should be the same people in the office". But you WANT to be in the office. I don't. I don't understand why I should have to go in to appease you. We have no contact with the public, there is nothing I can't do from home. If I want to come into office once a fortnight that should be fine. They are advocating some kind of rota and minimum cover. My commute is long, I can't work in our noisy open plan office...
Not sure I have explained this well because I don't get the logic at all. I am worried that these few who are so vocal are going to get their way.

YABU - I should be made to go in office eventhough I don't want to.
YABNU - I should be able to work from home if I want.

Also people talking about training new starters well that is a business need ith a benefit to being in the office and should be clearly allocated across staff ie on Wednesday Joan will show them how to use x system so please be in the office. If office workers are picking up the brunt then the mabagers should fix this.

This is my point though...YOU have a place to work and work well from home but not everyone is in the same position. Those who are working from kitchen tables, which then have to be cleared every evening to eat at (like me), those who house share and perhaps don't even have that, those who live alone and whose mental health might be struggling as a result of isolation over the past year. I know people who all of the above applies to and I wish others would have a little empathy for those in a different position to themselves. Surely compromise is the best way

But in the OP's situation nothing is stopping those people from going in. They should be able to go in, undoubtedly, but they don't have a right to insist that everyone else follows them if there is no identified business need.

I agree it's generally the performative 'busybusybusy' workers who seem to be kicking up the biggest fuss about needing everyone back in. My workplace is currently canvassing us all about arrangements after the summer and without exception it's the workload martyrs, the 'oh look at me I'm so incredibly busy and exhausted' bores who are making the most noise. The rest of us are just cracking on, happy to head in when there's a reason to but otherwise just doing our jobs without making a performance out of it.

Noone should dictate how others are planning their new flexible working pattern but I would be miffed it the leadership team wouldn't be visible in the office. It doesn't have to be every day but a physical presence should be there.

Our branch manager (50 people organisation) already told us that even with flexible working - which he will most likely do as well - he expect that everyone is in the office at least once/twice a week, especially each team has to have one day where the whole team is in. He also expects the team leaders to set an example and return with a spilit more in favour for the office than wfh.

Junior or middle roles do need the team leader in office. We had it for several months that one team leader had to work mostly from home due to illness and while the team itself managed the work, the team wasn't managed, training wasn't given, no moving around work to cross-train, the team leader was hard to get hold off etc. Everyone understood the reason but it wasn't good for development and spirit.

Ha! We have the same debate at work. Basically the ones who want to go back to the office also want the rest of the team there «or there is no point». But they can’t really say why. We don’t do brainstorming sessions or anything like this. The only thing they can say is that they miss the office vibe.
I’m firmly in the WFH camp, and to be blunt I really don’t want to do 1:30 daily commute (and pay for the privilege) just because Tom or Susan feel lonely and want to hang out at the coffee machine.

Special efforts should be made for new joiners though, so they can have a handover in person and also meet the whole team.

In the long term people who like being in the office will also resent having to call people who are wfh instead of f2f mtg

Not everything and everyone works well with WFH. Face it some people need to be managed. Others will work well at home but shouldn't be there 24/7 for their own mental health. And some people are sharing with lots of family or friends in close proximity and can't WFH.

We are fortunate (so far) that we've been asked whether we want to WFH or not or do a combi. And supposedly work will be sorting out desks to allow us to do our choice. I expect that in the fullness of time all of us will be expected to be in the office at least a couple of days a week.

Frankly I miss the interaction and can't wait to get back at least a couple of days a week. I'm fortunate that I have a special set up which means I know I'll have a desk just for me no matter what.

It seems to come down to a fundamental mismatch in how people view their workplace. Some people consider it an important part of their social life - they want to hang out with colleagues, have an 'office vibe', go for lunch together etc. It often has little to do with the best way to run the business.

And that's fine - there's nothing wrong with liking your colleagues and wanting to spend time with them! But to guilt trip other people into going in because you can't cope without water-cooler chat about last night's telly is ridiculous. At the end of the day, I go to work to work, not to indulge someone else's need for human contact.

For anyone thinking about working arrangements post-pandemic, I strongly recommend giving this article a read.

on.ft.com/3b5lplP

@smudgebutt I realise my post looks like a slightly snide response to yours - it's not, our posts crossed

What is the reason these people give for wanting others to come to the office even if they don’t need to?

Is it just that they like having company?
Is it that there are certain office based tasks which they worry will all fall on them?
Is it that they think they will be given more work because they are in the office more?

If they haven’t given any reasons then I really can’t see their argument succeeding. They can’t say “it’s not fair”.... nobody is making them come in extra.

This is my point though...YOU have a place to work and work well from home but not everyone is in the same position. Those who are working from kitchen tables, which then have to be cleared every evening to eat at (like me), those who house share and perhaps don't even have that, those who live alone and whose mental health might be struggling as a result of isolation over the past year. I know people who all of the above applies to and I wish others would have a little empathy for those in a different position to themselves. Surely compromise is the best way.
The op is saying that the staff who actually want to go in are moaning that if they go in everyone should. Doesn't make sense.
Why should op go in? She's not forcing others to wfh.

on.ft.com/3b5lplP

I think this is totally predictable and the ‘flexible’ model will fall apart soon enough.

However, for the minute, I don’t think the OP should worry about her colleagues. She has the option to work remotely, so should stick to her guns.

Enjoy it while it lasts basically

That FT article is interesting but really only relevant to a certain type of office set-up where everyone is there 9-5 every day. The idea that everyone should be in on set days wouldn't work at all for my job, for example, where even in pre-covid times we're all in and out of the office, on-site and off-site, all on different days. The patterns required for our jobs mean that there's never a day when absolutely everyone in my team, let alone the wider company, is in all day anyway. And how does it work with part-timers, people on compressed hours, term-time contracts etc?

@TheKeatingFive

on.ft.com/3b5lplP

I think this is totally predictable and the ‘flexible’ model will fall apart soon enough.

However, for the minute, I don’t think the OP should worry about her colleagues. She has the option to work remotely, so should stick to her guns.

Enjoy it while it lasts basically

This is the reason people who enjoy the flexible model need to actually be flexible though. If it causes conflict employers will soon insist everyone is back in.

Issue is that my own line manager is weak and hates difficult conversations so will give in to the larger majority

I have a very different take on that. A manger that listens to the team and goes with what the majority of the team think is surely not a good thing and not a sign of weakness. The alternative is a manager that ignores the team and doesn’t listen to feedback. Well I know which I would prefer.

Anyway at the moment I don’t really see the issue, you have the option you prefer.

My view for the team I work in is that we really all do need to be in the office 2 days a week (or maybe alternatively 1 day then 2). There has definitely been an increase in issues and decrease in team cohesiveness etc by WFH.

Beyond that then yes WFH if you want be in the office if you want.

In the team I work in the biggest vocals against the office are the ones with the long commutes and also one of them is a real game player and it's easier for them to do that WFH.

Our work is very independent on each within the team though.

I like WFH but it can be incredibly isolating and feel like I'm not part of a team at all.

I do think the losers in this situation are the people who would prefer to work from home, but whose workspace at home is not good. They could perhaps be helped by the company, e.g. money available up to a specific amount for a desk and proper chair, which at least might give them the option to wfh more comfortably.

Surely if you've saved a year's worth of commuting costs you can buy a desk and chair

@RandomMess - I agree with you re: isolation. There are some days I don't actually talk to anyone, despite email and Teams traffic, and if I'm feeling a bit down for any reason this can be very tough.

We have limited desk space in the office. They are advocating a mixture of home and office working, but really leaving it up to individual teams on how they manage that- however management are very clear that they are not setting "minimum days in the office."

So there’s limited desk space and management are clear there are no minimum days in the office.

So you can’t all come back in every day anyway. But your colleagues want a rota and ‘minimum cover’.

I don’t think that’s massively unreasonable, if the mimimum cover is really that - minimum. So your once every 10 days or a fortnight should be sufficient as a minimum, and then anyone who wants to be in more than that can do so.

Get a Google sign-up rota sheet for the month, everyone signs up for a desk on the days they want, job done as long as the ‘minimum’ is being adhered to?

I think the losers in the WFH scenario are the customers. Customer service is appalling at the moment with almost every company I've had to deal with. People WFH might think that's there's no reduction in efficiency and service but, in my experience and for the majority of people I know, that's just not the case.

It's almost impossible to get hold of people on the phone, when you do get through there's 5 minutes of COVID explanations/excuses, or you can't get through at all. When there's a problem it's brushed off with 'well because of COVID...'. It's extremely irritating.

@NewMatress

Surely if you've saved a year's worth of commuting costs you can buy a desk and chair

Why should you have to when wfh has been imposed on you? One family member may be working and have saved money on commuting while another has lost their job or been on furlough not at their full wage.

I'm fortunate that I redecorated and furnished a small bedroom in 2019 to also use as a hobby room - it has a big desk in it so has become my office. Not everyone has the space or the resources.

I think the losers in the WFH scenario are the customers. Customer service is appalling at the moment with almost every company I've had to deal with

It won’t be long before people start voting with their feet.

‘Because Covid’ won’t be acceptable for much longer and the companies who restore service to pre pandemic levels will be rewarded. That will probably involve a return to the office.

There are members of my team who think their work is as good and they are more productive from home, it's not true. Thankfully I work in an environment where F2F is very necessary and whilst that's been reduced in the last year risk management has suffered. We will be resuming full office working shortly with the option for one day a week WFH if you can organise your diary around that. Problem is the client base at practitioner level are chaotic, so will turn up unannounced in crisis and if people are at home others end up doing that work to the detriment of their own.
I think most jobs would suit a mix, surely to go in once or twice a week wouldn't be so awful? I think there is something more natural about collaboration and creativity when you're in the same place, working in silos is rarely effective.

Interesting - a lot of my job was by phone and email anyway. The people I have less day to day contact with wfh are those I wouldn't necessarily have been working with, just we happen to be based in the same office. I think there is better cross -functional communication now, using Teams and zoom than there was before. I see more of my colleagues in other locations than I did before.