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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:
peoplewatching · 27/09/2021 17:05

I see big issues with this, not just his demands, but it's not exactly fair for other staff who may also prefer to work from a swanky office. These new Hybrid rules need to be fair for all employees.

Droite · 27/09/2021 17:06

I don't know why you'd even waste time considering this request. He should have worked out the problem before he even considered moving, and if he knew that WFH wasn't going to be possible then he should have known that the choice was between doing that journey 5 days a week or looking for another job. The notion that new employers should fund his love life is absolutely ludicrous.

CaptaNoctem · 27/09/2021 17:08

He really is entitled isn't he!

Sadly I think this sort of attitude will become more and more common as the current generation who have been totally indulged by their parents move into the workplace and expect that the employer will agree to their every wish just as their parents did.

Hard no from me.

VickyEadieofThigh · 27/09/2021 17:09

I've heard some things in my time, but this?

Apart from the obvious 'why should his employer pay for his decision to move 3 hours away from work?' thing - you know that you cannot agree to this because it sets a precedent.

His conditions of service agree to let him WFH part of the week - they do not agree to fund him working in an alternative office because it suits him better.

WeAllHaveWings · 27/09/2021 17:13

You shouldnt be making this up on the spot, you need HR to write up a solid WFH policy written into contracts so everyone knows where they stand.

Ours (pre covid) said we were primarily office based and office space was provided for us, but we could WFH occasionally at our own choice. If we choose to spend some days WFH we would need to provide our own office space which was DSE complaint. We need to be available for working in the office whenever the business required for f2f meetings/workshops (i.e. don't move further than you are willing to commute, sell the car, give up childcare). You cannot WFH and provide caring responsibilities at the same time. There are also rules around joining public networks or using privacy screens in public.

The only people who had office equipment/space paid for were those who serviced areas without local offices and it was written into their contracts they were home based.

I would consider what you want and if necessary tell your junior he is office based with WFH as an option/choice and clearly define what the expectations are.

thecatsthecats · 27/09/2021 17:14

Playing devil's advocate, I am applying for remote only positions, and about 20% of the roles offer a "work from anywhere" budget - however, these are exclusively wfh positions.

This guy would be a no from me, however you might want to consider a wfh package for the future to keep you competitive as an employer.

I did a voluntary consultancy exercise with an office space provider, and said the thing that would suit me most as an employer was a package of desk space spread out nationwide, a fixed office address, and occasional meeting rooms.

gogohm · 27/09/2021 17:15

Just say no, there is office space for him at your premises 5 days a week if he wants it but you are flexible if he wishes to wfh 3 days per week.

MadMadMadamMim · 27/09/2021 17:15

I'd have raised an eyebrow when he announced he was moving three hours away from the office and asked Are you resigning, then? It's a very long way from your work.

It's a bizarre thing to do when you are expected to come into the office a couple of days a week. I'd have greeted the request to pay for him to have a co-working space in the town he was moving to with a Don't be utterly ridiculous.

He's got a lot to learn as a junior worker just coming to the end of his probation period. And yes, I agree with pp who suggest he sounds like a future pain in the ass.

londonrach · 27/09/2021 17:18

Doubt any employer pay for this...he needs to come into the office if he can't work at home. CF?

BoredZelda · 27/09/2021 17:19

We aren't a big business and we pay our employees decently due to the city where we are based

No, you pay the competitive rate for the job because if you didn’t nobody would work for you. Where you are based is only a small part of what makes the rate competitive unless you live in a city which doesn’t have any way for people to commute from cheaper areas. This sounds a bit like one of those “people working from home should expect a pay cut if they aren’t travelling to cities.

As for the request, it surprises me that you run a successful business but are confused about whether you have to agree to it.

Cloudbaser · 27/09/2021 17:22

I suspect heating my house for me to WFH (when dds are at school and DH is out at work) will be really expensive this winter.

I know maybe I'll ask my employer to rent me a warm office space instead so I don't have to pay to heat my house or pay to commute to my office. That is basically what he is asking and what is to stop everyone else asking too if you say yes. It's crazy when you see it written down.

NiniTheMouse · 27/09/2021 17:23

There is a wider point that WFH works is you've got the space and quiet: there are phases in life, and income levels, that don't really allow that.

Moving before asking is a poor way of sequencing things, and something to watch for in his work planning if he stays with the firm. He may think it gives him the upper hand, but the reality is it won't help and the pressure will cause bad feelings, and give less time to find something everyone is happy with.

Does the firm do WFH allowances of any sort? Counting any such money against coworking costs seems reasonable as he won't need a desk / monitor / chair at home. Reducing his pay so it becomes cost neutral to the firm would be reasonable. But even then the firm should choose the space, not him.

But if you've got space in the main office, if people with similar circumstances locally come in 5 days a week or more importantly don't get coworking paid for as an option then neither should he.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 27/09/2021 17:23

I was expecting to see that the office had closed for good and he was being expected to work from home with unsuitable living arrangements. If that had been the case then I would have been sympathetic to his request. This is his choice though and he's taking the piss!

BoredZelda · 27/09/2021 17:24

It's a bizarre thing to do when you are expected to come into the office a couple of days a week.

I worked for an employer who maintained that by working in the regional office, covered by a certain manager, they were quite within their rights to expect us to work at any of the other regional offices and it wasn’t a change to our terms and conditions. One member of staff was being asked to work in an office 4 hours away which was within our region. Unions and lawyers got involved and they were indeed within their rights to do so. It works both ways. If an employee is happy to do a 3 hour commute and still do the job, that is their choice. You couldn’t fire them for it unless they were unable to do the job.

WhereYouLeftIt · 27/09/2021 17:26

He still needs to come in to the office weekly - and he's moving THREE HOURS away? To accommodation that has "no space" for him to WFH?

If he wants to work in a co-working space rather than his new and unsuitable home - why is that anything to do with his employer? He wants it, he pays for it. Otherwise, he has his no-space-home or his three-hours-away-office.

Frankly, he doesn't sound like a great employee to me. Chooses to bring problems rather than solutions. Doesn't seem to be able to anticipate inevitable consequences. Overestimates his importance to the organisation (he's still on probation!).

lockdownmadnessdotcom · 27/09/2021 17:28

Not RTFT and am a big fan of WFH but this is one bog CFer. If you couldn't offer office space (some employers have closed their offices) it would be reasonable to pay for a co-working desk.

But not in this case where an office exists and he is choosing to move away from it. He can pay for his office space, he'll save on commuting costs.

sueelleker · 27/09/2021 17:30

What a cheek-next thing will be that he wants you to pay his transport costs to come in to work too!

lockdownmadnessdotcom · 27/09/2021 17:30

Although not so much if he still needs to be in the office at least weekly. A 3 hour commute once a week is do-able I suppose. I wouldn't want to do it though. With the way our trains are, a 3 hour commute can quickly turn into a 5 hour one!

I also meant BIG CFer, not a bog one Grin

Puzzledandpissedoff · 27/09/2021 17:30

It's so out of order that I almost hope you're pulling our legs, but in case you're not I'd mentally wave this one goodbye. He's clearly not committed anyway (2 hour commute for a junior position? Do me a favour ...) so a refusal to pay should do it

What you don't want is for him still to be there past the 2 year mark, and for him to use it to start really throwing his weight around accordingly

1FootInTheRave · 27/09/2021 17:32

He is cheeky as fuck!

Bet he'll be a nightmare down the line. This type usually are.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 27/09/2021 17:34

Bet he'll be a nightmare down the line. This type usually are

Quite - and that's why I suggested refusing now, before this gets any worse

And sorry, I misread and see he's talking about doing a three hour commute - as if!!

Bagamoyo1 · 27/09/2021 17:39

I would run a mile from this. If this is how he is when he's finishing his probationary period, it'll get 10 times worse once he's got a contract and more rights.

His proposed arrangement won't work - the distance is too great, and he doesn't have a suitable space for WFH - so my guess is that pretty soon he'll want out. Which will involve your company in a mountain of crap and lost income.

Mrstamborineman · 27/09/2021 17:46

Oh he’s a chancer. The no chance variety it seems.
I’d suggest office base if wfh is not tenable, up to him. Ridiculous to think just after his probation for a junior role he would wangle office costs.

starfishmummy · 27/09/2021 17:51

His choice to move. He needs to either manage the working from his new home (as other people do) or commute to the office.

If you agree to this for him, others may ask you to pay for them to have a workspace as well. Don set a precedent

starfishmummy · 27/09/2021 17:51

Don't.

I have no idea who Don is!!