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?

It’s really tricky isn’t it? I’ve been in a bit over the pandemic period but I’m struggling with the idea of a full return. My commute is an hour and a half each way and it’s so much easier to have an extra 3 hours a day! I report direct into the CEO and he’s very inflexible and came in himself everyday all the way through.

Ultimately work are free to ask me to return to full time office but they’ll probably lose me over it.

If they said one day a week at interview then it’s worth asking if that can be stuck to. But YANBU to look for work that better suits your needs

It's not unreasonable to leave a job for any reason, I agree the notice seems short but they're not being unreasonable either overall. Some of the team have left since we have been directed into hybrid working, thankfully none of them are a huge loss to the company!

I think you were very foolish to not consider this before. How many days did they work in the office pre covid, should have been at least considered.

We will be telling our teams they are expected back from March 50/50 and I’m dreading the aftermath, so many entitled people who fail to understand that yes their employer can call the shots. We have been told we are taking a hard line, people need to go back to their previous arrangements but I’ve no doubt I’ll be getting a lot of calls with ‘I can’t come back because of…’ take your pick, I’ve already heard a load of reasons when we were gearing up to return in August but it changed. I can’t understand why people can’t just do what their employer tells them. A 50/50 model is great. They forget about new staff trying to learn the job and all the other things being in the office brings. But ultimately yes we can make it work at home but we can’t as our employer wants us back, and given they pay our wages they call the shots.

There will be another person who’ll be happy to replace OP.

It depends what OP does to be fair. We’re in the process of opening an office in continental Europe just to act as a recruitment hub as it’s so difficult to get good people in the UK. I think there will be a bit of a flexibility arms race (my company is behind on this imo).

Be polite to them, but the great thing about jobs is that you're always free to stop working for them if they become a less than attractive employer. If you can afford it.

The fact that they are insisting on a big change at short notice would be very off-putting for me. My own work could easily be (and has been) done entirely at home for 2 years. My workplace are very gently suggesting they'd like us back in, but to take our time and align with how we feel. It's either considerate or a very canny approach on their side (possibly both)! Either way, it makes me want to stay with them. Sorry your workplace are being peremptory

Op I actually think the “suddenly” bit is key.

My employer is doing a very softly-softly, phased approach to returning to office over the course of about a month, reaching an expected 40% of time in office by late feb. This makes much more sense to allow people to adapt to this change, after almost two years almost exclusively WFH!

Same @Immunetypegoblin

To those posters who wonder what childcare arrangements are in place for wfh and why this can’t continue to support a return to the office:

In my case I wfh 5 mins drive from DC school. I can get them into school and be back at my home desk for 9 without breakfast club. I use after school club three nights a week but the other two I take my lunch break at 3 so I can pick up and they watch an hour of tv whilst I finish off work.

A return to the office for me would mean booking breakfast clubs (no space) or a childminder and I would have to stipulate set days around my childcare.

I know of colleagues who have sold second cars since wfh, moved further away from the office, etc. yes they should have known it may all go back to normal but some notice to sort out some plans would be sensible.

I think it’s fine for the OPs employer to request a return, but more notice would be sensible to sort out logistics.

Half the people clamouring for WFH now will be the ones on threads moaning about their energy bills next winter, can almost guarantee it.

My employer has told staff this week that there’s a phased return from 1st March so people that have childcare or any other kind of arrangements that require putting back in place have time to make those plans. Maybe suggest something like that if it would make things easier.

@Shamoo

Posts like this confuse me. Of course you aren’t being unreasonable to leave a job, for any reason at all, provided you have other options / can still afford to live. That goes without saying.

You are being unreasonable to be surprised or irritated that a work place wants their staff back in the office. You are being even more unreasonable if this was a key point to you and you didn’t get confirmation during the recruitment process.

I agree, you've summed it up well.

You were really very naive not to double check that the role would always be remote at interview stage and to agree such at the time of signing your contract. There are many intangible benefits for an organisation to have staff working together in the office - for collaboration and culture reasons at the least even where there is a high level of trust. It does seem odd that this is the first communication from your workplace. Most were encouraging people to go back last year, before the late work from home requirement.
Anyway, either you have made assumptions or they have lied. Which is it? If you have made assumptions it's time to be professional and polite and make a formal flexible working request, explain why the short notice makes it very difficult for you, and at the same time pursue other opportunities. But this is no time for an entitled hissy fit. If they have lied, and they told you it would be a permanent remote position, then that surely would be a breach of contract and something to be addressed maturely and politely although assertively.

@jammyc yes obviously that's tricky and you have to find new solutions for children but pre covid when we all worked in an office didn't we have to find solutions then?!

YANBU but I would wait until you have another job to go to as you will need references surely?

Well I think the smart thing to have done would have been to assume the temporary WFH measures in place due to the pandemic were not going to last forever and, if you needed to work remotely full time, then get this written in to your contract. But you didn’t and now you are inconveniencing yourself and your employer. Unless you were misled at the recruitment phase then I think YABU for having failed to communicate your needs in the first place.

It’s not really clear what will have a massive impact on your partner and children, going into the office three days a week or being unemployed?

Can you survive financially if you resign? If so then just resign, you can do so for any reason you like, if you cannot survive without another role then get another job before you resign.

YABU.
If it didn’t say in your contract you’re 100% remote then it’s surely obviously that this was temporary at home due to pandemic. 3 days per week is very standard, surprised it’s not full time back in office.

Employees who got rid of their childcare and second cars were naïve at best stupid at worst - they've taken advantage of a situation which we all knew would never be/could never be permanent- saved themselves hundreds if not thousands of pounds and now are complaining about it

Employers have every right to expect employees back in the office

But @JammyC you’ve been incredibly naive!

It was obvious we were never all going to wfh forever!

And if your childcare solution (breakfast club) was oversubscribed then perhaps you should have thought ahead and kept your place. That’s what many of us did.

I think employers are generally taking a hard line especially in corporate sector.

If wfh is so important to you, why didn’t you clarify the situation at the (very recent!) interview, and then ensure it was in your contract before you signed it ?

YANBU to expect to wfh permanently given that your job appears to be suited to remote working, YABU in expecting them to be mind readers.

I enquired about an amazing job this week that I’d love to apply for - it wasn’t specific in the ad, so an informal chat revealed they want someone in at least 2 days a week, hence I won’t be applying.

There are so many jobs out there right now that specify fully wfh, and you will see that they attract the most applicants. Companies will see people voting with their feet. Keep applying and resign when you get what you want

I think a weekends notice is too short. Everyone I know is doing a phased return over a few weeks - if they are going back.

Do what you like but probably best to have a new job confirmed before resigning, isn't it?

No need to be rude to anyone. Terms change. You could try discussing things. But if it wasn't contracted as permanently WFH then you had no reason to believe it was.