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?

to go and pick up the kids in the middle of her working hours

She’s not though. 🤷‍♀️

You’re obviously a very rigid manager @vivainsomnia and so you just don’t get this at all.

memberofthewedding

Dh used to regularly travel. If he had 2 days off before a trip and a half day to pack he wouldn’t have been in the office long enough to pick up the next assignment.

If you think reasonable
Put to your employer

If you don’t, it’s becuae you know you’re not being reasonable

Simple as that

@memberofthewedding

I disagree that travelling time which is outside the norm is never "work" time. When I was an academic I regularly had to travel to Europe and several times to the USA.

For European flights I automatically took the following day off and a half day up front for "packing and preparation". For intercontinental flights I took longer - usually 2 full days. It was custom and practice.

Wow. I used to fly to The Netherlands quite a lot. We either did a day trip from local airport on a small charter plane, or I worked almost a whole day then drove to Heathrow for evening flight, worked 1/2/3 days abroad then few home after a full day, in at work next day. I did a few whole week USA trips, and travelled at the weekend in my own time.

Academics obviously have/had it easy .

@Sometimesfraught82

Flipping heck

Check out posting history over last year.

Is your employer also cool with mumsnet usage during your set hours?!

Ouch.

No of course it’s not ok - you aren’t working when commuting

Do you work on your commute? (I used to)

If yes, YANBU

If no, then YABVU & a bit of a CF

For European flights I automatically took the following day off and a half day up front for "packing and preparation". For intercontinental flights I took longer - usually 2 full days. It was custom and practice.

As someone who used to travel a lot for work that is cushy as fuck.

I was frequently writing reports in departure lounges and on planes.

This is one of the things that I think we should take into account as part of the whole flexible working / hybrid working approach. What quality of work are you getting done as part of your commute?

For example, if you are sitting on a train, with a table in front of you, with your laptop connected to power and good WiFi / mobile signal then I absolutely think that could count as working time.

If you are driving, or squashed on a tube or bus, then it would not be reasonable to claim that as working time.

Increasingly, successful organisations manage ti objectives rather than simply counting working hours. If you are getting your work done, good on you.

Be gentle in yourself too.

I've never known a full time job where people actually count their hours. Surely you just get the job done. This dilemma wouldn't even cross my mind..

@SingingInTheShithouse

Do you work on your commute? (I used to)

If yes, YANBU

If no, then YABVU & a bit of a CF

I’m guessing this would have been clarified if the case. The absence of which suggests… nope!

I love these kinds of threads
Really tickle me!

@memberofthewedding that is a completely different situation. Obviously going to Europe or America is not your normally working location so you will be compensated for travel there. No one is talking about business trips here.

but going from doing your contractual hours in the office to basically taking most of the day off

How am I taking most of the day off?

Unless you're working on the train and only count that element, you cannot possibly claim travel time as work time. But you already knew that.
Cheeky fuckery surely, but worse than that, it's the selfish self interest that will ruin WFH opportunities for others.

@Excilente

my god, how is the OP 'taking the piss' by asking if she ought to include that commute to a meeting at work once a fortnight into her working hours?

Because that meeting takes place in her official place of work. She's contracted to be there anyway.

So I work in consulting where there is a lot of travel above a normal commute. We don’t work set hours per week but nevertheless, how it works in concept is that any hours above your normal commute would be part of your working hours. So if you had to go into office, out to see a client, then back into office, then home, the return trip to see the client is work hours.

But to just count your normal commute as working hours is not reasonable, although I appreciate it’s frustrating you’ll lose some free time compared to being 100% working at home, I’d be grateful you’ve got the flexibility you have, to be honest. I’d suggest you look for a 100% work from home role if you really can’t face the commute occasionally.

This is probably an issue lots of employers will have to deal with shortly though as they deal with flexible working being more common, people will get more resentful of being asked to commute into the office and work their normal hours on top.

sometimes does thinking about work or a work related issue during your commute count ?

@HeronLanyon

sometimes does thinking about work or a work related issue during your commute count ?

talking about it on MN seems to count too!

Working from home is a skivers charter. Not for everyone of course.

Everyone telling you OP that you are being unreasonable.

Don't mention it to your manager or they will write it in policy that you can't count commuatable hours.

If you're doing your job and your managers happy keep quiet.

But no you can't justify it

If you are working properly during the commute yes it’s work time . If you work less then allocate accordingly if you can’t work due other annoying passengers then no.

Oh FGS. The number of people who think they shouldn’t be in the office anymore, or in OP’s case, paid for commuting, because it worked during covid is absurd. It makes so no sense and certainly isn’t good from an employee development perspective. If you want to wfh, then change jobs.

@HeronLanyon

sometimes does thinking about work or a work related issue during your commute count ?

Or how best to phrase your mumsnet posts?!