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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask what your employers are doing regarding wfh?

133 replies

Starwarslover · 05/03/2023 21:23

I’ve recently started a new job which officially has no set days required in the office, although I keep hearing things that imply they want people in more. It doesn’t bother me as I’m in 60% anyway but it made me wonder if most employers are like this now, not wanting to put in minimum days but actively pushing for more than people are choosing to do.

YABU - employers are being honest and open and putting in set days

YANBU - they are saying they officially don’t mind when really they do

OP posts:
Awkwardusername · 05/03/2023 23:00

We’re “encouraged” into the office twice a week, but that includes going on visits out of work (eg. External meetings or events). Essentially “in the office” just means not in your own home all day.

We organise our own diaries so we can pick and choose days, and it’s very flexible (so for example if I was “in office” three times one week, I’d just go once the next week).

My manager did tell me to WFH more though as I’m pregnant; when I mentioned the twice a week situation he told me it was “for people who take the piss, not you!” 😂

Raspberrywi · 05/03/2023 23:19

Employer is flexible but most people tend to come into the office, I prefer going in and its great being able to support junior members of staff properly.

BeanCounterBabe · 05/03/2023 23:23

We are in the office 5 days a week because our manager insists on it, despite hybrid working policy that our public sector organisation will not enforce on our behalf. I’ve just been offered a new job hybrid working with max two days a week in the office. Perfect for me.

Crinkle77 · 05/03/2023 23:27

I work in a university and the official line is that everyone is back in the office. In reality though directorate are happy for departments to do their own thing. In our dept. officially it's 5 days a month wfh if you're full time. However our team can wfh 2 days a week as we offer 1-1 face to face and online study support and there isn't the space in the building for everyone to be in full-time and deliver all the support. I am aware that it can be taken away at any time but they'd have to find space from somewhere but God knows where.

SweetSenorita · 05/03/2023 23:31

Nobody has a fucking clue. People appear and disappear randomly 😳

I work all my hours in the office. Working from home is a crushingly depressing experience 😪

EatingWormsMichael · 05/03/2023 23:33

2 days in the office, not set days. I hate going in and find it impossible to focus due to constant interuptions. My dream job would be wfh 100%.

SweetSakura · 05/03/2023 23:37

1 day minimum in the office. I tend to do 2-3 days in the office as think something is lost by being fully remote
But policy states that office is our place of work and if there are performance concerns we could be required to be in every day

We've just gone through a fairly big round of redundancies (although didn't affect my team) and I notice the office got a lot busier once they were announced. I think people realise visibility can affect careers

daisypond · 05/03/2023 23:41

Your poll is irrelevant to those in my company. WFH is compulsory, and all offices have been closed permanently.

pavillion1 · 06/03/2023 02:36

my Dh goes in around every 7-8 weeks. pisses me right off .

Marchitectmummy · 06/03/2023 03:10

We tried to get staff back in the office however the push back was oretty strong and some of our key members of the team left as a result. Now we let employees choose and it varies massively. Some come in once a month some choose a few times a week. Everyone is happy and productive and the rate we were loosing staff has reduced.

Employees choice is the way forward for us.

FuckoffeeBeforeCoffee · 07/03/2023 06:57

Currently, I rarely go into the office and I go to site once a fortnight. If I do go to the office, it's for a specific reason and I leave straight after - I never stay all day.

I hope it doesn't change. I hate working in the office.

BooksAndHooks · 07/03/2023 06:59

DH doesn’t have any set days. They only go in when a face to face meeting is necessary. They actually repurposed two floors of their London offices so there is only a small office space now. It is definitely only when you need to book the office space and not expected in otherwise.

HurdyGurdy19 · 07/03/2023 07:02

We have to be in the office a minimum of one day a month.

Cosmos123 · 07/03/2023 07:12

Comefromaway · 05/03/2023 21:32

We have all been full time in the office since October 2020 with the ability to work from home if you have a childcare etc emergency.

What do you do?

Onemorewaferthinmint · 07/03/2023 07:26

Complete flexibility. Helps that we are a sub office. People in the main office seem to go in twice a week. With our office nobody seems to care…

OddBoots · 07/03/2023 07:30

We went back in after Covid at 40%, this changed 18months or so ago to 60% and a few months ago became 80% - no idea if it will become 100% but our contracts allow for that to happen.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 07/03/2023 07:34

Wfh/office is set at department level so those who cannot do their jobs at home are office based full time. Those who can wfh for some or all do wfh for some or all.

My team all have different offices as their base so we wouldn't even benefit from all going into our offices on the same day etc. I'm 100% home based apart from any requests for jn person meetings/training. Works out I go in once a month on average.

But my team don't even have core hours. We are told we can work when we want (as long as we hit output), where we want (as long as its in the uk) and what times we want (as long as we don't expect a reply if we email outside typical office hours).

LadyHarmby · 07/03/2023 07:35

Surprises me how many employers ‘encourage’ people to come in or ‘suggest’ a number of days but don’t enforce it. If you really want people in, tell them they have to come in. At least everyone knows where they stand!

HaggisFace · 07/03/2023 07:36

Our ideal is 2 but flexible. Last week I wasn't in at all due to strikes and a furniture delivery.

Next week I may not be in depending on snow. My boss doesn't care though as he knows I do my job well wherever I'm working. I guess it depends on the pressures from above whether that will change.

MidlifeWhatNow · 07/03/2023 07:36

There are bits of my job that have to be done in-person, so I go in for them. Everything else, I wfh. This means that some weeks I could be in 1-3 times, some weeks not at all. There 's absolutely no expectation that you're in when you don't have to be; no one cares as long as the work is done.

tbh the IT set-up in the office is shit anyway, ancient PCs without webcams for online meetings, printers that don't work, hotdesking etc. Everyone has a better and more efficient set-up at home these days!

Zanatdy · 07/03/2023 07:37

We have 40% of contracted hours (so no shorter office days to try and get out of doing 2 full days) per week. Most people manage this fine but others have every excuse in the book to do less or none. It’s becoming a bit of a joke in many ways and some people are just ruining it for others. I mean they are paid to do what their employer wants not what they fancy. Covid has caused long term problems with wfh and I wouldn’t be surprised if the flexibility is taken away due to the p takers

GrasstrackGirl · 07/03/2023 07:41

I'm in the NHS and I'm in the office full time, my husband works for a Local Authority and he goes in once a month or less.

ToDoListAddict · 07/03/2023 07:41

When I started my role, I was in everyday for training but the rest of the team barely came in once a week. Once I was trained I'd go in once/twice a week which suited me.
Then corporate did a big push for everyone to return to the office 4 days a week (ironically filming the big announcements in their home offices 🤣)
We don't have enough desks in our department so are doing 3 days a week.
Not looking forward to 4 days in office tbh as really prefer WFH

Beezknees · 07/03/2023 07:42

Ours want us in 2 days a week minimum, we can choose which days. I actually dislike wfh so I go in 3 days. I'd go in every day but I have a teenager so I like to be around sometimes at home.

Ginmonkeyagain · 07/03/2023 07:47

We have to "aim" for at least 60% of our time in the office, but it is left up to us and our manager how that works. I do set days as it works for me but there is no compulsion.

If you want to WFH more than that you have to apply for a formal agreement, just as you would have done pre covid.

There are some who clearly do no do the 60% in the office and have not agreed to vary their contract formally. That is not looked on well by management and I can sense there are moves to deal with that.