My employer lied about flexible working - I want to leave.

[ConfusieSusie]

I joined a new organisation late last year, they offered me (along with the rest of the company) a Hybrid working arrangement whereby we would attend the office 3 days a week and WFH the other two days. We also had flexibility to WFH in instances where any of our children were sent home from school or nursery due to displaying any symptoms (this is an illness policy within school & childcare services across the board where I live).

What has actually transpired, is that we are required to be in the office every day, and MAY be able to WFH if it is absolutely necessary. However, if we take flexibility in a given week, we have to "make up for it" the next week by showing up every day. I am commuting 90 minutes each way and explained at the outset that flexibility was enormously important to me because of this, and would be one of the most influential factors in my decision to take any job offer. I feel completely duped, the majority of people doing my job in other companies are either on a Hybrid model or fully remote.

AIBU to hand in my notice? I have never left a job after only a few months but I feel very strongly about this.

[quote lameasahorse]@OnceAgainWithFeeling nobody would dispute that getting staff together sometimes helps, assume this is what you mean by anchor days, we call them team building days. Not the same though as believing that getting lots of people back in the office is automatically a good thing.[/quote]
I didn’t actually comment on whether it was good for output. Just that conversations about removing LW for those not working in London (due to the risk of Equal Pay claims) meant the office had lots of people attending. There is no policy requiring it (yet) and people seem to be enjoying being there.

I’m not sure why you’re making so many assumptions about what I’m saying.

[quote ConfusieSusie]@ArmWrestlingWithChasNDave I don't work in an area of HR that deals with Employee Relations or policy. I work on the recruitment team. Im also not asking anyone for permission to do anything, I'm asking if it unreasonable to resign on the basis of what I have laid out in my post. But thank you for your comment , I guess?[/quote]
You actually work in recruitment?
And you trusted what they said during the interview
And never engaged in writing re what had been assured to you

[quote lameasahorse]@OnceAgainWithFeeling the management at your company sounds atrocious. How can a major project run for 6 months with many tasks not being done and this only just being noticed?[/quote]
To be fair, the HR doesn’t sound especially strong either

There have been quite a few threads over the last few weeks with regards to not having wfh or hybrid arrangements written into contracts.

For everyone in this position, if it's important to you get it in writing.

[quote lameasahorse]@OnceAgainWithFeeling the management at your company sounds atrocious. How can a major project run for 6 months with many tasks not being done and this only just being noticed?[/quote]
I’m wondering the same. Have only been there a few months and am astonished at some of the horrendous management practices. It’s a very old organisation operating across England and I think there has been a lack of consistency in leadership and approach that have led to it.

Quit. They need to learn not to be lying bastards.

Job-changing isn't seen as the negative it once was. In software people move as frequently as every 6 months, 12 months, by 2 years people are basically considered flight risks. I left a role after 6 months because it was shit, and no one's ever even asked. You take what you need from the role and you go.

It'll probably never be mentioned again.

To be fair, the HR doesn’t sound especially strong either

Whole other issue. Precious HRD was lazy and outsourced much of the high value HR operations elsewhere leaving basically an admin function which isn’t capable of everything needed to move the function into the 21st century.

It’s not a coincidence that 7/12 of the HR leadership team have been in post less than 6 months. Have been brought in with the remit to sort it out. We’re getting things moving now, but it’s been a challenge to say the least.

I started a new role last year and after around 6 weeks it became clear that the role was not what was advertised at interview.

I am now in a new role that is flexible, 100% remote (stated in contract) and it works perfect around my my baby. I am so much happier than the toxic environment I was in last year.

Life is too short to be unhappy.

Surely the hybrid work protocol is outlined in your contract or you have some other communication outlining the expectations of office attendance.
I would contact H.R with any evidence you have of the WFH model you thought you were signing up to and ask that it is implemented.

@OnceAgainWithFeeling

To be fair, the HR doesn’t sound especially strong either

Whole other issue. Precious HRD was lazy and outsourced much of the high value HR operations elsewhere leaving basically an admin function which isn’t capable of everything needed to move the function into the 21st century.

It’s not a coincidence that 7/12 of the HR leadership team have been in post less than 6 months. Have been brought in with the remit to sort it out. We’re getting things moving now, but it’s been a challenge to say the least.

I meant in relation to OP works in HR in recruitment and she failed to get anything in writing but went on what was “promised” during the interview

Even where flexible working isnt written into company policy, it can be put into individual contracts, easily.

I negotiated a day wfh 5 years ago on return from maternity leave, initially the company tried to "keep it flexible and leave it out of the contract". I refused and got it in the contract. If it's not in your contract it's worth squat.

@TheKeatingFive

There have been quite a few threads over the last few weeks with regards to not having wfh or hybrid arrangements written into contracts.

For everyone in this position, if it's important to you get it in writing.

I honestly can't believe the OP is saying how 100% very important the flexibility is, and yet she started the job without having signed a contract stating it. That's bizarre

OP, as others have said you can leave a job for any reason if it doesn't suit you.

Surely the hybrid work protocol is outlined in your contract or you have some other communication outlining the expectations of office attendance.

It appears not

I think a lot of companies that promised the Earth in terms of WFH and flexibility during the pandemic and are now backtracking massively will see lots of staff leave for jobs that ACTUALLY do offer WFH.

DH was told that after the pandemic he wouldn't have to go back to working in the office full time - that it would be one or two days at most. Well, now they're at 'three days in the office' and there are rumbling about needing to be in the other two days, too. It's absolutely not necessary for his job - he managed it all remotely through most of Covid.

So, if they do decide it's back in the office full time he'll be looking for another job.

His theory is that higher-up management basically have to neglect their families to get where they are work-wise. So, when they were at home with partners and children they'd neglected for years it was horrible for them and now they're desperate to go back to the office every day.

I honestly can't believe the OP is saying how 100% very important the flexibility is, and yet she started the job without having signed a contract stating it. That's bizarre

Many people have been weirdly naive about all this

Hi there op. I work consulting and advising companies on hybrid. They’ve broken their contract with you so I’d call it a day. Tbh loss of companies are totally messing this up which is a shame because it’s not that hard- I worked for several firms who were hybrid or entirely remote for several years prior to pandemic. It just be v embarrassing being in Hr there too. Life is too short.

At the risk of repeating this for the 1000th time, nowhere was including Hybrid working in their company policy or including it in any contracts, any request to do so would've been denied. My husband works in Tech, he is fully remote, his company don't even have an office, and even they haven't written remote working into their policy.

@Northbynorthbreast that's interesting to hear. Even worse, my company took surveys on what employees wanted at the start of this year before rolling out the return to office plan, vast majority responded that they wanted a Hybrid model. Results were acknowledged, then a complete 180 was done. Many many people very angry

At the risk of repeating this for the 1000th time, nowhere was including Hybrid working in their company policy or including it in any contracts, any request to do so would've been denied.

I'm not sure where you're getting this from. I know several people whose contracts were updated during the period.

And without that, it should always have been seen as a temporary pandemic measure. If they were serious about it as a policy, they would have committed to it in writing.

@ConfusieSusie

At the risk of repeating this for the 1000th time, nowhere was including Hybrid working in their company policy or including it in any contracts, any request to do so would've been denied. My husband works in Tech, he is fully remote, his company don't even have an office, and even they haven't written remote working into their policy.

Yes but surely surely in negotiations you had an email or similar that confirmed what they were saying?

I think a lot of companies that promised the Earth in terms of WFH and flexibility during the pandemic and are now backtracking massively will see lots of staff leave for jobs that ACTUALLY do offer WFH.

Agreed. It's becoming part of the expectation now for roles that can be done remotely and staff who have skills that make it at all difficult to recruit. People are going to vote with their feet.

I would absolutely see this as a resigning matter. You were explicit during the interview process that flexibility was of high importance to you. You were told 3 days per week in the office and that they were flexible with childcare in crises. None of that has transpired and has massively impacted on your life.

I would resign, and tell them why.

Not sure why everyone is having a go at OP - saying she needs to get in writing - she's probably more aware than most about what should be written in a contract.

The company I work at has a 'policy' of hybrid working where 'appropriate' ( a lot of roles within the organisation have to be on site). but even then it's up to the 'manager's discretion.' So outwardly they can say they are flexible in employers. I work 1 day a week in the office at the moment. Other office based teams have been told to come in 2 or 3 times a week - it completely depends on how the Director of that division feels about how often their team should be in the office.

but there is very much a culture amongst some of being late for online meetings because they went for a run or were outside mowing the lawn and lost track of time. Or they were unwell but didn’t think they needed to let anyone know anymore

Sadly parameters and support weren’t put in place at the beginning by the outgoing HRD and so many managers are struggling to get the staff back into good habits, at home or at work. It’s frustrating because I genuinely hoped the pandemic would bring positive lasting change around flexible working

I hear you. Insane levels of entitlement in the team I inherited. Two +45 minute school runs and no childcare from 3.30 to 5.15 so basically nothing productive after 2.30, toddlers running around playing in the house interrupting meetings, dogs barking. I support flexibility but for fucks sake!