To be reluctant to pay travel costs again

[Subaru4336]

Pre-pandemic I used to have a 4+hr commute, and worked in the office 3 days/week, leaving home ~5am and returning home after 7pm. Because I was travelling 3 days a week, an annual season ticket was the cheapest option.

Fast forward to now, and my company are wanting to mandate a minimum of 1 day/week in the office. This would represent a cost of ~£300/mth, which I obviously haven't been paying for the last 2.5yrs.

If I were to go to the office, I would still spend a significant time on Teams calls, as my team are spread across various locations (and have different offices as their local hubs).

We've had below inflation payrises for at least the last 10 years, and so I'm feeling somewhat resentful that my household budget has to take a £300/mth hit, on top of all the other rising costs, just to sit somewhere different on Teams, and be 'present' in the office.

Am I being unreasonable?!

Yanbu and I’ve told my employer that I feel the same way. Over the past few years we’ve demonstrated that working from home is just as productive and as you say it’s pointless to go in when you just sit on teams calls anyway, that would be exactly the same at home but for free!

YANBU but what’s the alternative here? Would you look for another job because of it?

i dont think employers yet have a grasp on how much WFH has affected productivity and think it’s reasonable to ask employees to come back in to the office

I mean you chose to work somewhere 2 hours away. You were happy when it was 3 days before, they are only asking for 1 now so YABU in that regard.

If you prefer full time remote work then look for that.

YANBU. I go in every now and then to show face, but I'm much more productive from home, and usually end up leaving at lunch time when I do go in, because I can't concentrate as well as I can at home!

YANBU

Write an email outlining what you have said here about the pointlessness of it. Don't bring the cost into it as that's not their problem. Lack of productivity on those days is.

what will they say is the advantage of you going in, in person?

im guessing your contract states the office as your place of employment. If it does, I don't think you have a leg to stand on refusing, but you can resign over it.

Have you started looking for another job?

Yanbu If your employer won't flex, time to find a job closer to home..

You have not moved. They have not moved. They are not demanding you are back in full time - you will still have FOUR DAYS A WEEK at home. You chose - pre-pandemic - to take a job which required a lengthy commute.

Yes it's hard to start spending money you haven't had to spend for 2 and a bit years but come on. One day a week is so far from unreasonable.

80% of the time working at home isn't flexible?

do you still have to get a season ticket for 1 day per week? can you flex your hours and get a cheaper (post 9am) ticket on the days they want you in?

Are there specific events that you need to be in for? It is silly to go into the office just to sit on one2one zoom calls, but if there are group in-person meetings / conferences / workshops, then it is better to be there in person. Especially if 90% of the attendees are in-person, then the zoom attendees always get left out. So the office is being reasonable in asking you to be in for that type of event.

1 day a week really isn’t a big ask.

Time to look for something fully remote if even 1 day face to face is unacceptable to you.

Yabu you took a job a long way away, not their fault. One day a week in the office seems very fair. Some of us have been back in over a year full time!

4 days a week at home is almost as flexible as it gets…

Completely understand how you feel and your point of view. Put in a flexible working request?

Offer to go in once per month and be prepared to negotiate to twice a month?

Talk to your employer. Is it better and cheaper to do something such as one week in four in the office?

I would say WFH 4 out of 5 days is flexible

I think yabu

Why would you need a season ticket for 4 days per month?

What would you be doing if the pandemic never happened?

1 day per week. Come on.

Well obviously you'd prefer not to pay high travel costs, but I still think you are being a bit unreasonable overall. I think there are benefits to being together in the office and it is not unreasonable to expect you to be there at least one day a week. This was presumably the expectation when you took the job and neither this nor the location has changed. It's up to you whether it is worthwhile or if you should change jobs or home location.

On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with exploring alternatives with your employer. Depending on how much they value you versus how important it is to them that people spend time in the office (and there is a fairness/consistency/precedent issue with other employees) they may offer something different.

If the pandemic had never happened, the OP would be paying her £300 to get into work as per usual and thinking nothing of it. This £300 is extra money she has had - a bonus.

You're not being unreasonable to push for not doing it, but ultimately you might have to accept it. Maybe try to negotiate down to twice a month, and talk to your line manager and colleagues and see how much support you can get to push it further.

This is really about who's got the power to win the argument, rather than who is being unreasonable. I don't think £300 transport costs per month are too horrific considering you live so far from your workplace. Presumably it's still a lot less than the season ticket was?

I think one day a week in the office is a reasonable expectation from employers, and is a flexible approach.

If people start pushing back too hard against the idea of returning to the office AT ALL, ever, then it could end up making HR teams across the country start enforcing a return to the office, possibly on less generous "wfh 4 days a week" terms. I think I'd take the hit with this one if it was me, and go into the office one day a week, while looking for a closer job.

In what sense is it fair if OP is just doing virtual meetings all day anyway which would be exactly the same in any location? It’s presenteeism pure and simple. If you can work from home your employer needs to join the 21st century!

She would not need a season ticket. £300 is likely the cost of buying day tickets on the 5 days a month she would be travelling. I live only 25 minutes away from London and the peak day ticket is £60

YABU you’re lucky you aren’t commuting 3 days a week.

if you’re not happy with the pay/benefits/work pattern, leave. It’s not rocket science.

It's annoying Op but it's totally reasonable from your employer's point of view.

YABU

its not your employers fault you chose to live so far away. It’s very reasonable for them to compromise on 1 day a week in the office and 4 days at home. And you were previously happy to do the commute 3 days a week.

if you don’t like it, then look for a job that’s fully remote or that’s closer to home.