To resign because my job suddenly requires me in 3 days a week?

[Earlyflash]

We got told on Friday that we would be required to do a minimum of three days a week in the office from monday.

I’m new at the company (4 months) and this was never mentioned in the recruitment phase. That said I didn’t push them for a written answer.

Given we’ve spent the last two years working 100% at home, this seems like a massive overreach, and I’m intending to tell them to do one.

It’s going to have such an impact on me, my partner, and my children (from previous relationship).

I already have interviews for fully remote roles.

So, AIBU for reacting to such a request?

As someone who is now retired i cant understand why anyone likes working from home id have hated it,i live alone and would have missed the camardarie of work,i still do retired..Also what teamwork erc can you get if you dont know your colleagues,ive still got good friends from my workdays who working from home i wouldnt know,

Ive also noticed that some people i know working from home have become more reclusive and less social,i dont think it good for the human condition people need people.i imagine for anyone who lives in a snall flat as i do or shared accommodation wouldnt find it so great i wouldnt ,no spare room for an office youd feel never away from work I cant imagine why people imagine employers would keep allowing it

This ^

Was your job advertised as being remote or did the ad say after restrictions you'd need to be in the office? If you only want remote then move on but check it won't change at interview

@JFM27 - I totally agree with your post. I am unemployed at present, and am more than happy pottering around my flat - with frequent walks so I can actually see other people - but when I have a job I want to go to a place and work with others. I would hate to work from home. The best part of working is interacting with colleagues and I agree that you can't build teamwork when you rarely see each other in person. Also, my home is my sanctuary and I don't want it to become my workplace - I need them to be separate. WFH sounds like some kind of hell to me.

I ticked that you were being unreasonable. But what I really meant was that your employers were not being unreasonable. You, of course, are perfectly entitled to ply your skills with whichever employment suits your circumstances. But surely no one thought employers were going to permanently play the covid game plan. In fact any employer that went from five days in the office to zero days and is now looking at going to three sounds like a pretty decent firm, keen on providing a good, caring, middle ground.

I interact with my colleagues everyday .. in fact I see a lot of them, a lot more, than when we are in the office. We have offices all over the Uk, and I am based in the NW, the move to teams has meant I’ve got to know my geographically diverse colleagues much much better.
When I close the door, the work day is over .. never been a problem

Further to my previous post - I've just remembered something. I attended a funeral yesterday for one of my first bosses. There were two women sitting behind me who had worked for him earlier than I had and they were talking about the things that had happened during that time. They would have been in their late 60s/early 70s I would imagine and still have vivid recollections of their time in the office and the fun they had. What sort of memories are people going to have from WFH?

You are not unreasonable to resign. They are not unreasonable to expect you in the office

YANBU however the job wasn’t advertised as remote working so to expect forever working home is plain silly.

Many are interested in hybrid working so will apply for the role. You can find another. Hold no grudges every company is trying to do their best.

I’ve worked three days in office for last 10 years suits some people absolutely fine. And I’ve got school going children. Never an issue. So that definitely can’t be your reason.

@PizzaCrust

I am sick to death of reading threads like these. I just find it so mindblowingly naive how many people who applied for roles during the pandemic which weren’t exclusively advertised as WFH roles and are now shocked they have to actually go to their place of work, to work. Complaining about 3 days a week as well, it’s not even a full week.

It just reeks of utter entitlement, to be honest. Flexitime is great when a workplace can offer it, but your family life should not depend on a WFH role unless you specifically work in a WFH job which will remain WFH. You should not be looking after children while being paid to work. Maybe on very occasional circumstances where a child is sick, for example. But not every single working day!

It also reminds me of the people who moved miles away from work and are now upset they have a ridiculously long commute. I swear people are just utterly dim at times.

I remember a news story about people utterly shocked at price of dog walkers to walk their lockdown dogs now they had to go back to the office! I mean what??!! I do find it astonishing the kind of decisions people have made based on a temporary change of circumstances.

@Aprilx

Most office based job advertisements that I have seen in the last two years, have indicated that the role will be WFH temporarily or initially. I suspect this did too, even if you missed it. The employer is entitled to want people back in the office, if it doesn’t suit you then yes leave. Just be sure that these other roles are permanent wfh if that is what you want.

Just this, I expect many Employers will be keen to offer flexibility but will expect some time in the office. Lots of evidence appearing around the adverse impact on productivity, personal development and collaboration on fully remote/wfh model. So if you move to another job, purely down to being wfh, is worth considering how the job was performed pre COVID and therefore whether wfh could be reduced.

The abrupt recall would be an issue in our house. DH has been working from home for two years now and if he was suddenly yanked back into the office with no notice it would cause significant problems initially, as we are now set up for him to nip round to school to drop off/collect 11year old DD who then amuses herself until I get home. Not to mention not having doggy day care in place as we haven’t needed it for two years. I can understand why some people are struggling.

If you’re not happy move on, OP.

Given the covid situation it might have been prudent to ask the question before accepting the position.

Ie is the WFH a permanent situation or only during covid

@PizzaCrust

I am sick to death of reading threads like these. I just find it so mindblowingly naive how many people who applied for roles during the pandemic which weren’t exclusively advertised as WFH roles and are now shocked they have to actually go to their place of work, to work. Complaining about 3 days a week as well, it’s not even a full week.

It just reeks of utter entitlement, to be honest. Flexitime is great when a workplace can offer it, but your family life should not depend on a WFH role unless you specifically work in a WFH job which will remain WFH. You should not be looking after children while being paid to work. Maybe on very occasional circumstances where a child is sick, for example. But not every single working day!

It also reminds me of the people who moved miles away from work and are now upset they have a ridiculously long commute. I swear people are just utterly dim at times.

same , there have been so many now , and its all the same thing , outrage because they are required to actually get their arses out of the door a few times a week .

and its always always the same excuses , its going to impact on my children , my family life which for the life of me im not seeing as didnt they have childcare when they did have to go out ,
and of course they dont want to do their commute which again i cant understand , i have never ever taken or applied for a job which would take me over an hour to get to ,so i cant understand why people do and then moan about it
and the old im so much more productive at home than i ever was in the office , yes course you are mate , inbetween doing housework and looking after your kids lol that always makes me laugh when i read that old chestnut

its been a nice cushy run for a lot of office workers and any suggestion its coming to an end has them up in arms
for all this talk of hybrid working is here to stay , no one knows how its going to pan out in the next few years as it all gradually goes back pre covid . lots of companies might decide it doesnt work , no one really knows , but of course office workers like to prophesize its here forever more because they would like it to be

@musicviking1

As much as I would love to work from home, I have seen real decline in customer service so think it is time people went back to the office.

Most people don't work in customer service though...

I interact with my colleagues everyday

It's just not the same, can't you see that? At any workplace I've been in I have been able to interact with my colleagues all day, every day, and we do more than just work. There are all the fun, silly, little things people do together, which you simply can't do if you aren't there at the time. The dressing up for various occasions (you can do that at home, but it wouldn't really be much fun would it), the special morning teas we had when people celebrate birthdays, decorating their desks for significant birthdays, impromptu lunches out etc.

Sitting at home talking to people via a screen sounds very dull to me in comparison.

People wishing COVID to be gone won't make it true. There will be another surge and more variants.

I think the exact opposite - Covid is on the way out.

It's like Daily Fail bingo on here today

If it'd not in your contract they're certainly well within their rights. You can obviously decide to go somewhere that will give you that. I'm also tempted tbh as my job is now also back in same pattern. Not sure why I should feel grateful for 2 days WFH at this point.

YANBU to want another job, YABU if you think this WFH was always going to be permanent.
Half my team are causing huge issues about not wanting to come into the office now (they work better together), here are their reasons.
Will have to get proper childcare (just like they did pre-covid)
The dog will wreck the place (dog got in lockdown)
Will have to get dressed
Will need to renew car insurance
The list goes on.
It’s ridiculous.

Given the covid situation it might have been prudent to ask the question before accepting the position.

She did prudently ask and they said just one day a week in the office, but they didn't put it in writing.

Will have to get dressed

Srsly?

@SquirrelG

I interact with my colleagues everyday

It's just not the same, can't you see that? At any workplace I've been in I have been able to interact with my colleagues all day, every day, and we do more than just work. There are all the fun, silly, little things people do together, which you simply can't do if you aren't there at the time. The dressing up for various occasions (you can do that at home, but it wouldn't really be much fun would it), the special morning teas we had when people celebrate birthdays, decorating their desks for significant birthdays, impromptu lunches out etc.

Sitting at home talking to people via a screen sounds very dull to me in comparison.

Are you David Brent?

Really? 3 days in work? Sorry I'm old school and worked 40 hours in a hospital mixed shifts. Covid rules have been there for a reason and now are relaxed of course people need to be in work not sitting at home one eye on the TV or whatever. I pity the poor employers not being able to watch the people they are paying.

@TheKeatingFive

Will have to get dressed

Srsly?

Yep, one of them rolls out of bed at 08.50 and sits on her sofa in the dark in her dressing gown with her laptop.