Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
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:
Rollercoaster1920 · 27/09/2021 16:18

You could make him home based, so up to him if he pays for the workspace out of his salary. But beware the company will be on the hook for expenses to the office if you ever invite him in.

BeenAsFarAsMercyAndGrand · 27/09/2021 16:19

I'd refuse. The business makes a suitable workspace available to him and all other employees, which is the office. If he chooses to work elsewhere, that's for his convenience, not a business need.

If you say yes, what's to stop all employees requesting the same?

CharityDingle · 27/09/2021 16:21

@pumpkinsp1ce

Thanks *@PearLime* - that's a good suggestion re the 1 instead of 2 days in the office, I will suggest that in lieu as I don't see that 4 days wfh would be an issue - though if his home environment is unsuitable for working it's a moot point I guess. Suspect the home environment will become less "unsuitable" if the alternative is a 5 day a week commute though.
That would be up to him to request, as a compromise, in my opinion. You really don't have to offer that. Obviously that's up to you, but I don't think you have to be the one trying to solve this for him, or offering compromises.

Chances are he is leaving anyway, given that he is moving away and creating a three hour commute for himself, by choice.

TractorAndHeadphones · 27/09/2021 16:24

@sirfredfredgeorge

An example of a good negotiation for this man would be to ask whether, after the end of his probation, he could drop from two days working in the office to one day, due to a relocation. He could suggest a review after 3 months to see how it's going for both sides

But that gets him nowhere towards what he wants, so it's a pointless negotiation, he doesn't want to work from home more, the home is not a viable place. I am quite sure they don't expect the negotiation to work, but going for something they don't want doesn't make honest negotiation.

If he's easy to replace, it's probably easy for him to get a new job too.

Don't think you understand how negotiation works. You can't ask for something without offering something of equal value. PP was just giving an example of what a sensible request looks like.
10yearwarranty · 27/09/2021 16:25

I think I would contact ACAS for advice rather than get random ideas from a forum.

rwalker · 27/09/2021 16:26

There nothing wrong with the guy asking . I would say no what he's saving on commute may pay for his office space if he want to finance it himself .

Jux · 27/09/2021 16:26

"Well, it was a nice try....." is about the total of the reply required. Perhaps with a wry smile. Perhaps not.

SpiderinaWingMirror · 27/09/2021 16:27

God, I've gone wrong somewhere in my life. Never occured to me to relocate to a completely different area and ask the business to open an office for me.

PearLime · 27/09/2021 16:27

@sirfredfredgeorge

An example of a good negotiation for this man would be to ask whether, after the end of his probation, he could drop from two days working in the office to one day, due to a relocation. He could suggest a review after 3 months to see how it's going for both sides

But that gets him nowhere towards what he wants, so it's a pointless negotiation, he doesn't want to work from home more, the home is not a viable place. I am quite sure they don't expect the negotiation to work, but going for something they don't want doesn't make honest negotiation.

If he's easy to replace, it's probably easy for him to get a new job too.

It was an example of something that a manager may agree to. I wasn't saying that he should ask for that. It's an example of a reasonable request and a good negotiation.

He has negotiated poorly because his request is so far out of the realms of possibility that there is no way a manager would say "yes".

Negotiating in this manner will only damages his position, because frankly he looks like he has no idea what he is doing, and isn't thinking about the needs of the company at all.

Part of negotiation is making a business case for why the adjustment should be made. So he should say why the proposed change would be an advantage to him and the company.

You can't just go around asking for expensive and inconvenient things without thinking about why a business would fund that. That's not the way to being successful.

CharityDingle · 27/09/2021 16:27

@Jux

"Well, it was a nice try....." is about the total of the reply required. Perhaps with a wry smile. Perhaps not.
Grin exactly!
PearLime · 27/09/2021 16:31

@pumpkinsp1ce

Thanks *@PearLime* - that's a good suggestion re the 1 instead of 2 days in the office, I will suggest that in lieu as I don't see that 4 days wfh would be an issue - though if his home environment is unsuitable for working it's a moot point I guess. Suspect the home environment will become less "unsuitable" if the alternative is a 5 day a week commute though.
You can defo offer this in an attempt to retain him and be reasonable.

If anyone higher up than you (you may be the ultimate boss? I don't know) asks about it, you can demonstrate you have been reasonable.

TopBlogger · 27/09/2021 16:37

Lord grant me the confidence of a mediocre white man
@IMOGEN

Wow, way to go making this a race issue

Must check my settings as I for the life of me couldn't see the OP giving the guy's colour Hmm

MilduraS · 27/09/2021 16:40

Seems like a very cheeky request to me. I dread to think how expensive it would be if all of your employees found their own "co-working" space that isn't your office.

I'd desperately like to move to a cheaper area of the country but it wouldn't occur to me to expect my current employers to fund my own office.

Xenia · 27/09/2021 16:42

Unless his skills are as rare as gold dust just say no. He probably plans to leave anyway as he moved so far away. if he has a history of suing employers who don't give him a job or refuse requests like this you may want to take some legal advice first.

rwalker · 27/09/2021 16:42

@IM0GEN
Lord grant me the confidence of a mediocre white man.

Struggling to see the need for this

SofiaMichelle · 27/09/2021 16:42

Wow! the cheeky fucker.

He's got more front than Blackpool.

I'd get shot of him while you can. People who pull stunts like this, and have the brass neck to try to make it your problem, are a one way ticket to future pain.

Without exception, in 20+ years of managing staff at all levels, every single one who's been a CF has caused more problems later when it's harder to get rid.

A junior who's just passed their probation period would be on a very sticky wicket with me for even suggesting moving 3 hours away from their regular place of work, let alone taking the piss with demands for covering workspace costs.

This isn't some highly in demand professional you're dealing with where you could be waiting months, or more, for a replacement.

From bitter experience, give them the boot while you can, before things get worse.

2bazookas · 27/09/2021 16:44

I wouldn't pay for that.
He needs to factor in room for his work space when they choose a place to live. Naturally he pays for the place he lives out of the salary he earns.

SofiaMichelle · 27/09/2021 16:46

@10yearwarranty

I think I would contact ACAS for advice rather than get random ideas from a forum.
I'm really not sure it needs ACAS to deal with this CF.
KatherineJaneway · 27/09/2021 16:48

He can live wherever he chooses but that makes no difference to you. You should not pay for his 'working from home' setup, if he has not secured a place with somewhere he can work from when working from home, it is his lookout. The office is always there and assumingly where he is contracted to?

FWBNC · 27/09/2021 16:49

I presume there is space in your office for him to work 5 days pw (as pre Covid, that was your norm) I would tell him he has two choices - he comes into the office or HE finds a suitable space to work from at his own cost. Or actually the 3rd option being, he hands in his notice. FMD the bloody cheek of it!

PearLime · 27/09/2021 16:55

@Xenia

Unless his skills are as rare as gold dust just say no. He probably plans to leave anyway as he moved so far away. if he has a history of suing employers who don't give him a job or refuse requests like this you may want to take some legal advice first.
He hasn't been there long enough to have full employment rights. Full employment rights only start after you have been employed for 2 full years!!! (You can thank the tories for that.)

The only way he could really sue is if the company has discriminated against him because of a protected characteristic (race, disability etc). Which isn't the case here.

As to the person who said contact ACAS - there is absolutely no need Hmm

Hummingbird427 · 27/09/2021 16:56

*People who pull stunts like this, and have the brass neck to try to make it your problem, are a one way ticket to future pain.

Without exception, in 20+ years of managing staff at all levels, every single one who's been a CF has caused more problems later when it's harder to get rid.

A junior who's just passed their probation period would be on a very sticky wicket with me for even suggesting moving 3 hours away from their regular place of work, let alone taking the piss with demands for covering workspace costs.*

100% this.

The fact that he's misjudged the situation so badly and thought a request like this was reasonable, would make me want to further scrutinise his professionalism/expectations of the workplace.

It's a huge red flag from an employee, i totally agree.

MadeOfStarStuff · 27/09/2021 17:01

He can work in the office you provide or he can make his own arrangements at his own expense

If it was a very niche role he might have leverage but by the sounds of it he’d be easy enough to replace

Jaxhog · 27/09/2021 17:02

Absolutely not. If he has chosen to move somewhere where he can't work from home, then it really is his problem. It's no different to someone increasing his commute by moving away. You wouldn't pay their additional commuting costs, would you?

Having said that, he is trying to change the nature of his contract. Unless he is essential to your company, in which case you may want to make an exception. But he doesn't sound essential to me!

Jaxhog · 27/09/2021 17:03

BTW, how does he expect to work in the office for 2 days? It'll be an overnight hotel room next!