VPN not working WFH

[wordsareveryunnecessary]

Been asked to take annual leave today as the VPN is not working. This isn't my fault and I don't think I should be forced to take an annual leave day that I don't want.
Would love to know if this is enforceable ?

Almost certainly enforceable.

Hmmm it doesn't sound right but I'm not well versed in employment rules. Worth a call to ACAS to advise.

Do they have an office you can go in and work at?

I think the legal standpoint is yes, but they have to give you two days notice for every day they force.

Unless your employment contract says you have to take annual leave (AL) when asked, which I would have thought is extremely unlikely.

As you were "asked" to take AL, then I can't see any problem in saying no.

Most people jumped at the chance to WFH, even if their contracts never mentioned WFT, with little consideration from either side of the implications.

This also raises the question what happens if your broadband goes down and are unable to work, do you have to take AL till it's fixed?

I expect all sorts of interesting clauses to be added to employment contracts in the future.

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

Do they have an office you can go in and work at?

Office is closed. No one allowed in at the moment

It’s the equivalent of turning up to the office to find that the network is down, and I’d be surprised if you could be forced to take a day of annual leave in that case.

Can you spend your day doing some training - improve your Office skills or something similar?

I am sure they have to give notice to you if they force you to take annual leave. I wouldn't be very happy about it if I had got up to work and then couldn't, I would have had a lie in if I had annual leave!

The servers went down at work once we were given a choice, helping admin to sort files or taking a gang day a/l as we’d spent half a day already sitting waiting to come back online. I think it shouldn’t be mandatory.

@wordsareveryunnecessary
Can i clarify....when you say the VPN is down, you do mean your companies network, thus you are unable to access their servers?
You dont mean that your internet is down and you cant connect to their VPN do you?

If their VPN is down, this is not your fault and unless there is something in your contract that states they can request you take annual leave at that short notice they cant force you.
If its actually a case that your internet is down and you cant connect to their VPN then i would say they can request this. Its a different between making yourself available for work (their VPN down) and being unable to work (your internet down).

I assume, if its their VPN, that you are not alone and many other colleagues are being asked the same thing.....can you speak to them and see what they have been told?!

Where does the issue lie, your side or their side? What efforts have you made to sort it out? Have these been documented?

Any work that can be done off VPN - we can access Microsoft teams for eg just on WiFi or even on iPad

If it’s through no fault of your own I think it’s exceptionally bad form to force you to use a days annual leave