To start counting my commuting time into my weekly hours at work?

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

Hear me out before you vote I know on paper it's probably YABU but I have my reasons.

My department has been 100% home based since 20 March 2020 due to covid. As of April this year, my employer has formally introduced a "work when, where and how you like" policy. Basically, as long as you do your work, great. Directors are leaving it to Department Managers to work out how that looks/works for their individual teams.

My work and that of everyone on my team, can and is being done 100% remotely. Any face to face / office based working is done on a want rather than need basis.

I currently split my 37.5 hours as:- Mon-Fri I work 8.15-2.45, then I do the school run. I then have 5 hours still to do, and I do these split across Mon-Fri any days/times after the school run that works for me and my family. I take into account all meetings and have never declined one due to the way I work my hours. My manager is completely happy with how I work.

If and when I choose to go into the office I count my commute within that. So I still work on the hours above. Obviously if anything pressing is needed, I dont think "well I have done my 37.5 so I'm not doing any more" I just work til the task is done.

Management are now introducing a fortnightly face to face meeting (still tbc due to outbreaks).

AIBU to keep counting my commuting time as work? Especially on days where I am asked to travel into the office at a random time (say 11am) for 1.5hrs?

@vivainsomnia

Why are you asking here rather than your manager? Surely only they can tell you if it's reasonable or not.

Frankly, I'm amazed that you are able to deliver as much and good quality work as you did before when 5 hours of your 37.5 is done whilst caring for your child, there and then, and you count commuting in it all, but if your manager think you are delivering what is expected for your grade and FT position, then that's al that matters.

yes well done op! it's amazing what working mums achieve isn't it, I bet it's not easy, I certainly didn't find it easy during lockdown but have just landed a promotion whilst juggling 3 kids being at home after school .go us.
I think if you feel you work your hours, work them and see how this goes without being too obvious about it iykwim

@vivainsomnia

Oh and let's hope they don't decide that WFH is not an option any longer because people have been taking the mickey and everyone has to go back to the office working 8 to 4pm and staff with kids have to find childcare again.

Your argument over a couple of hours every other week will be the less of your problem then.

Meh. Then I go back to the office full time. It's what I signed up for when I took the job.

But that is not what the employer wants to happen.

Has tour company actually described their policy as “work when, where and how you like" ??
If so, I would say it is reasonable to count your commuting time as work time provided that you are indeed actually working.

I used to work on my laptop during my 1 hour train journey (off my own back / trying to keep on top of things). However I would often find that my wifi signal would drop and I would temporarily lose access to my documents so, being honest, I was very unproductive during that time and so would not have been able to count that as my hours.

I think if you can genuinely be productive and if your company policy says work when, where, how you like, then you can count that time.

Unless your home is now classed as your official and contracted permanent place of work then commuting into the office is not part of work time. Your taking the piss

@cinammonbuns

Ok so now this is the case of the OP where most people say they are BU but they will just continue to justify themselves. What exactly was the point of this post then? You clearly are still going to do it so what we say doesn’t matter.

Its sparked an interesting debate. I'm enjoying reading everyone's responses. I think due to the way of working changing, (especially for those who can and whose employers want them homes based as much as possible) conversations like this will become more common.

I think this would be an excellent idea... assuming you want to be told that wfh is no longer acceptable.

see how this goes without being too obvious about it iykwim
To obvious? How about just being totally honest with your manager? Surely if you think you are doing nothing wrong at all, you have nothing to hide.

So why not being obvious about the situation?

YABU, and nothing you've said here suggests otherwise, tbh.

If you have a meeting in the middle of the day, just spend the day at work, go to the meeting and come home for pick-up - just as you'd have done pre-COVID.

Travelling from home to your place of work isn't a chargeable cost.

Oh, also just to add, perhaps also check to company’s IT policy re connecting to your work network on a personal device/ non-secure WiFi, using memory sticks, etc. It might include something in there which would prevent you from working during your commute.

We used to include our travelling time to and from offices that weren’t ours even when we were drinking cans of M+S gin and tonic on the train back with laptops shut. It wasn’t like we were on those trains for the good of our health.

Frankly, I'm amazed that you are able to deliver as much and good quality work as you did before when 5 hours of your 37.5 is done whilst caring for your child, there and then, and you count commuting in it all, but if your manager think you are delivering what is expected for your grade and FT position, then that's al that matters

My children are in Y5 and Y6. They need minimal childcare, and my husband is home around 45mins after the school run. I am more than capable of completing any work needed whilst they are home after school.

So OP, why haven't you just asked your manager?

Even asking for this would leave a very big red flag against your name. Seriously it’s not worth being flagged as ‘that person’.

i would.

I used to work for one of the banks training sectors, i worked 10-4 5 days a week contracted hours.. occasionally i had to commute out to one of the banks to handle some in-house training.. i wasn't expected to calculate how long i'd spent driving, and then do 'overtime' to make those hours back.

If they're calling you into the office during work hours, then the commute time counts towards your contracted hours.

@MadeOfStarStuff

Nothing you’ve said justifies why your employer should pay you for your commute.

You’re choosing to work from the office. You presumably worked from the office pre covid so it was part of the conditions of the job,

YABMASSIVELYU

This. You said you choose to go into the office, so this isn’t time out of your working day that you have to spend travelling.

Commuting time to and from work i.e. before and after your working day isn’t counted as working time unless your contract says so.

My company is moving people to WFH contracts. When that happens any travel to the office will be claimable on expenses and in working time. It really depends what your contract says.

@UserAtRandom

Your work needs to clarify whether travel time counts as work time or not. Normally travel to your normal workplace doesn't count as work time. So, unless you've explicitly agree that travel time counts as working time (or you're genuinely working on the train, for example), I think you're BU.

So you agree that travel to the office is not the usual place of work and therefore counts?

I work til the work gets done. Some weeks that's working an additional 5/6 hours on top of FT. Some weeks it's just at or slightly below 37.5.

Then why count hours at all? Why not just say "I'll do all the work that's given to me regardless of how long it takes".

@vivainsomnia

So OP, why haven't you just asked your manager?

My manager is very much upholding the "work where, when and how you want". She, frankly, just wants the work done.

Starting to understand why my OHs company is reluctant to go down the flexible approach when this is what people do in response.

I did an office meeting a couple of weeks ago in the middle of the day and it was an utter pain in the arse.
I think on these days you need to just go to the office for the full day then there’s no issue. It was a lot of wasted time and I did feel a bit resentful as I worked my lunch to make up commuting time. I think it would have been a puss take to class it as working time.

@JediGnot that completely depends on her contract.

YABU
Travel/Communing time to your workplace is not included with your working hours unless you have a prior agreement with management.

@Excilente They are not calling her in, OP said “if and when I choose to go in”.

@CrimsonImp

Starting to understand why my OHs company is reluctant to go down the flexible approach when this is what people do in response.

What? Complete all their tasks as required? Attend all meetings as required? Undertake all training as required?

But God forbid they spend 36.5 hours at their desk and 1 hour commuting and count that as a full weeks work naughty employee.