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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to not pay for his work space?

221 replies

pumpkinsp1ce · 27/09/2021 13:49

NC for this. Bit of background: I line manage an employee who is just finishing his probationary period. He's great, no issues with performance and we are happy to keep him on and he wants to stay. He is a junior team member, works in a non client facing role and since he started with us he has worked from home 3 days with 2 days in the office, which works for him and us, and we're happy for him to continue with that arrangement for the foreseeable future.

However he has just let me know that he is moving a 3 hour journey from the city where we are based, and going forward he wants to request that we pay for a co-working space in his town of residence where he can work for his "home working" days. The place he has found is NOT cheap, though I'm not sure of the going rate for such as everyone here either works from our (perfectly fine) office or from their home. He would still travel into the office for the 2 days a week.

The reason for him "needing" the co-working space is that he is moving in with his partner and child and there is "no space" there for him to work from home.

Not sure what to do in this situation. We have been happy to continue to accommodate hybrid working since COVID where it is the employees' choice, which seems to presume they have the space at home to work from home. We aren't a big business and we pay our employees decently due to the city where we are based, but this co working space is a fairly big overhead when technically he does have an office here should he need it.

AIBU to refuse this request to cover the cost of his "wfh" space? Happy for him to continue to wfh 3 days a week if he has the space and resources to do so, but he's now saying he doesn't! WWYD?

OP posts:
Original poster
pumpkinsp1ce · 27/09/2021 14:57

Not afraid of saying no, I just have never come across this type of request before. We didn't have any homeworking pre COVID except at director level and then only occasionally. We have been accommodating hybrid working as we know it makes us a more attractive employer which for some roles that are harder to fill, is important. But this one has blindsided me as I thought he was happy with the arrangement. Would rather not lose him because he has been working on some key projects that will flow into next year, but he's not irreplaceable. Guess the request blindsided me.

OP posts:
friendlycat · 27/09/2021 14:58

As mentioned above, you already pay for his workspace - your office!

Of course you can’t accommodate this ridiculous request. It would set a precedent whereby others could then request similar opposite their home, just down the road etc etc. Then why would you need an office.

His choice to move and not your problem.

Nancydrawn · 27/09/2021 14:58

If you were insisting on work from home, then it would be incumbent upon you to pay for a space.

As you are doing it as a benefit to him, no, you don't have to provide an additional benefit because of decisions he's made.

He may decide that he can't stay with the company because of this. I suppose you should weigh whether that would be an irretrievable loss. If so, you could compromise by offering him a small supplement towards it or finding another office. But I suspect that like most employees, he's replaceable.

sirfredfredgeorge · 27/09/2021 14:58

This thread is depressing, especially against a background of women possibly being less likely to negotiate in the job market, and possibly more likely to be held back from it.

Employees aren't slaves, they can choose to negotiate or not the conditions of the role - here the employee is almost certainly not worth the extra money, but given he's likely more interested in being with his partner than the job it doesn't hurt him to ask, and it doesn't hurt the company to say no, they're losing him either way.

The employee might've found out that he was worth the extra cash - you never actually know how replaceable you are, perhaps there is a shortage of recruits really.

Nancydrawn · 27/09/2021 15:00

I also don't think it's rude or cheeky of him to ask, and of course he shouldn't be punished in any way for asking. But conversely, he shouldn't punish you in any way for saying no (by dragging his feet, poor performance, etc.).

If he has to weigh his options and leave, that's entirely fair. But he the flip side to asking for something is being gracious when the answer is no.

Ozanj · 27/09/2021 15:02

@pumpkinsp1ce

for the PP who asked, we are a professional services company, sorry I don't want to be more specific as paranoid about this ending up in the DM! Yes, I'm sure it would be fine to work from a coffee shop as his work is not highly confidential and he doesn't have many meetings at his level. Harsh as it sounds he is junior and the skillset is not niche, we could fill his role in our city with relative ease as the job received well over 100 applications originally. Don't want to lose him but it has set me on edge a little.
I work in childcare and do know of several big professional services firms that have offered office space to homeworkers - either through their own offices or by closing them and buying shared office spaces. So this shouldn’t have blindsided you. Honestly, I think you probably need to talk to HR to make sure they haven’t already got a procedure / policy in place.
CuriousaboutSamphire · 27/09/2021 15:04

Why has it depressed you? This ONE instance the employee is being unreasonable because he is asking his employer to accommodate a choice he has made, one that no other employee would benefit from without possibly bankrupting the employer.

It isn't a reasonable request in this sitiation. For others it might be.

OP has said the company is happy to acccommodate much, but not funding satellite offices.

Just as the empoyee is not a slave the employer is not obliged to agree to all requests.

That isn't depressing. It's an exchange that happened because the employee felt he could ask. It has not been dismissed out of hand (OP is here asking for out thoughts), but is not possible in this situation. That's how it is supposed to happen: you feel able to ask, employer considers your request and gives you an answer.

TeapotCollection · 27/09/2021 15:05

I’ve only read the OP, which I literally laughed out loud at

The cheek!

Original poster
pumpkinsp1ce · 27/09/2021 15:05

@Ozanj - Not a "big firm".

OP posts:
TakeMe2Insanity · 27/09/2021 15:07

Err no! WFH or your actual office.

Shamoo · 27/09/2021 15:07

This sort of thing is the problem with increased flex working. Employees are given a benefit (the right to work from home if they wish to) while also retaining their old rights (the right to work in the office). Instead of seeing this as a benefit, some of them turn around and ask for even more. Now I can work from home if I wish to, I want you to pay for my working space/wifi/gas/electricity/printer/ink and on it goes.

Tell him to take the savings he is making on his daily commute (an extra three days of travelling to the office from his new home) and put it towards the office space!

Whosthebestbabainalltheworld · 27/09/2021 15:09

I manage a reasonably large team and am geared up for this type of CF request as we go back to the offices. Unless you want to set a precedent it’d be a big “not a chance” from me. I actually can’t understand why you’d ask for advice it’s so obvious.

GrandmaSteglitszch · 27/09/2021 15:10

If you pay for this, for him, other employees could ask for similar - who knows what they might come up with.
If your business is happy to give him a raise in pay, then do that.

Either of those things could cause ill-feeling among colleagues, when they hear about it.

TractorAndHeadphones · 27/09/2021 15:11

@sirfredfredgeorge

This thread is depressing, especially against a background of women possibly being less likely to negotiate in the job market, and possibly more likely to be held back from it.

Employees aren't slaves, they can choose to negotiate or not the conditions of the role - here the employee is almost certainly not worth the extra money, but given he's likely more interested in being with his partner than the job it doesn't hurt him to ask, and it doesn't hurt the company to say no, they're losing him either way.

The employee might've found out that he was worth the extra cash - you never actually know how replaceable you are, perhaps there is a shortage of recruits really.

Eh? How did one person's request suddenly become all about women negotiating? The purpose of this thread is to reassure the OP and is the opposite - perfectly satisfying to help her push back against a background of women being socialised to be people pleasers!
GrandmaSteglitszch · 27/09/2021 15:11

Tell him to take the savings he is making on his daily commute (an extra three days of travelling to the office from his new home) and put it towards the office space!

Excellent.

CharityDingle · 27/09/2021 15:11

I work in childcare and do know of several big professional services firms that have offered office space to homeworkers - either through their own offices or by closing them and buying shared office spaces. So this shouldn’t have blindsided you. Honestly, I think you probably need to talk to HR to make sure they haven’t already got a procedure / policy in place.

I know of companies who have done this because it suited them to sell off/ stop renting buildings in expensive city centres, and provide cheaper shared space elsewhere.

That isn't the same as this situation at all.

This is an employee chancing their arm. The employer does not need to accommodate them working from home, they have a desk in the office. They can work at that, if they do not have a space at home.

Kotatsu · 27/09/2021 15:14

There was no harm in trying (although it's all in how he did it of course), but it would be a no from me :)

You have office space available for him, he's not high enough that you'd open a second office for him, so if he wants to work out of the office, it's his problem where that is - I've rented space in other people's offices, my kitchen, living room, bedroom and now office in the house, done coffee shops, libraries, and even my car in a picturesque spot for example - and I'm freelance, so I absolutely choose where I work.

AdmiralCain · 27/09/2021 15:15

He's moved and really didn't consider his employer. He was just hoping you'd go along with whatever he wanted.

ArcheryAnnie · 27/09/2021 15:16

Oh, I think it's fine for employees to ask - though I find it utterly unsurprising that the person to ask in this instance is a young man. I am fed up with working environments full of men who take jobs expect the job to revolve around them, and women who twist themselves into pretzels to remake their lives revolve around the job.

But in general, yeah, it's OK to ask, and it's OK to say no.

Peace43 · 27/09/2021 15:17

I’ve worked from home for 12 years and now manage a big home based team. Some companies pay for home broadband, a desk and chair as well as supplying IT equipment. Some only provide IT equipment. No way would any of the large companies I’ve worked for ever have paid for me to use a pay per view office!!!

The answer is no. If he cannot provide a quiet space suitable to work from home then he needs to work from the office.

Pompom2367 · 27/09/2021 15:17

Absolutely not if he has the space to work from home great If not then he needs to come into the office

Glittertwins · 27/09/2021 15:21

No, he made the choice to move that distance from a perfectly suitable office space. It is up to him to ensure he can work adequately from home otherwise he has to come into the office to meet his employer's requirements. If he can't do that then it is his choice to find more suitable employments

sirfredfredgeorge · 27/09/2021 15:22

Eh? How did one person's request suddenly become all about women negotiating?

It's the many responses here suggesting asking was completely out of order - the "cheeky", "wrong", "a CF", "If he was working for me- he soon wouldn't be..."

There's nothing wrong with asking, those attitudes will discourage others from asking and negotiating their role, that's what depressed me.

Newkitchen123 · 27/09/2021 15:24

No.
He's moving 3 hours away? Is that a round trip or each way? He's going to do that twice a week?

C8H10N4O2 · 27/09/2021 15:24

Not afraid of saying no, I just have never come across this type of request before

I have. I've had people wanting pay rises because they were getting married, people wanting relocation costs because they were moving house (not at our request, they were working out of town and elected to move) and various other personally incurred expenses.

The answer is simply "no" unless as an organisation you have a policy to pay for remote office space in lieu of business premises office space.

During actual lockdown we did take out contracts with agencies for emergency childcare and support additional equipment etc but all aligned with the HMRC rules for reimbursable expenses (which is another factor to consider).