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.

there must be some tasks which fall to those in the office, in ehich cade it is unfair if everyone isn’t contributing,

Not in every office. For us, no-one has phones any more, it's all done via Teams so your phone is wherever you are. We've lived without access to post for over a year, and what there is is dealt with by Reception who are there regardless and have been throughout the pandemic with the exception of the harshest lockdowns. We aren't customer facing, so there doesn't need to be anyone in the office at all. Of course, this isn't the same for every office but there are some teams for whom not being in the office hasn't caused any logistical or practical issues.

If people choose to be there, or it works better for them that's great but there seems to be an element of finding problems in order to demand that everyone is back in the office. I get that it must be hard if you prefer a busy environment and everyone else around you doesn't, but that doesn't make it right for everyone else to suffer so you're happy. Pre-pandemic, I don't remember much sympathy for those who struggled with office environments...

@bonfireheart

We've dealt with huge projects whilst WFH and there's been no difference to service. The way our team is set up not anyone can train new starters so wouldn't fall to them at all. I really think some of them are martyrs, like they want to moan about their commute, moan about their meetings, moan about their emails...and now if they can moan about going to the office it makes it sound like they're going through hardship for the good of the team, when they really don't have to!

The minute people go into the office that will change. They will get more face time with managers, they will be training new starters, and eventually don’t be surprised if your huge projects become theirs or they become responsible for presenting them to senior execs.