To not want to walk for an hour?

[Summering23]

This is a question regarding travel to work during public transport strikes. One of my in office days fell on a tube strike day but my boss insisted that I still go in via bus.
As expected I couldn’t get on a bus for ages due to overcrowding and then the actual bus itself took three times longer than it should have. This meant I was over an hour late in.

I wasn’t in trouble but a comment was made that I should’ve just walked. The walk would have been around an hour according to Google and I don’t know the route at all. Plus to be perfectly honest I’m not up for an hour long walk after getting kids up and fed, walking to the station and a train commute.

AIBU?

An hours walk is exercise, no need for the gym that day. Headphones in, podcast on.. sounds great. I’d be doing this every day.

Bit thoughtless to not be prepared for it, in my view, and a bit passive to just sit there waiting.

I also can’t imagine being daunted by an hour-long walk (health/mobility issues aside, obviously). I’d far prefer that to waiting around knowing all the buses will be packed. You do have Google maps, right?

I’d have looked up the bus route and walked to the next stop, hopefully catching one along the way but getting closer to work on my own steam if not.

I don’t think your boss was slamming you, probably just confused as to why you didn’t do anything to help yourself in the situation.

Generally I enjoy walking, but I wouldn't want to walk an hour to work. I'd be carrying my handbag with my lunch in, my laptop, and while I don't wear heels to work, I don't wear trainers either and I'm not sure my work shoes would be comfortable enough for a long walk.

I’m with you.
shitty of your boss. I’d be reminding them next strike day that as they worked from home when their transport was striking, you’ll do the same. Alls fair!

I walked to work after my train journey. The buses were rammed - I didn’t see any protestors- just lots of people walking. It wasn’t a big deal tbh.

Can you start 30 mins or an hour later and lose that bit of pay? That way you can walk if he insists on you being in.
I negotiated a 9:30 start with my job when I started so I never have to drive. Used to leave for the school run at 8:30. I wear trainers. Being paid for 30 mins less saves the expense of the car and keeps me healthy. It also means when the weather is shit, snowy or there's transport problems, I still smugly turn up.

Oh, my laptop is annoying though. I hybrid work and it is heavy walking with it on office days.

I would walk to work regularly if it was through central London for an hour. Excellent way to build in exercise.

hahaha
i take it you offered wraparound care to parents on strike days, to make sure they could get to work on time regardless of when childcare opened?

It's your responsibility to get yourself to work. If you have to walk you have to walk. It's only an hour and you can find the route on Google maps. YABU to moan about it.
Many people walk to work in all weathers. It's a one off and then you can resume sitting down all day every day at your laptop in the comfort of your own home 🙄

I would seriously question myself if I thought walking for an hour was in any way a problem. When I'm walking to work I wear trainers and change when I get there.

OP what other exercise do you do to keep yourself fit?

No, some people would love it, some people would tolerate it, some people would hate it but manage and some people would avoid it at all costs. It's ridiculous really to make a sweeping statement.
OP yanbu to not want to do it. I'm in the "hate but would do it" category (with my music on.
Ultimately though, how you get to work is up to you and not open to public vote...as long as you get there on time next time.

Why didn't your boss change your days so strike days were wfh?

To answer your question no i would not fancy walking an hour to work n back. You mention a commute aswell as the walk, nah wouldn't happen.

My boss was happy for me to take off days during the strike to avoid the hour bus journey there and then work them back.

To walk would be three hours there according to google maps!

Im now cleared for wfh on strike days so it's not problem.

Perhaps i am lazy i don't walk back from the station it's a nearly 40 min walk ALL uphill!

Who made the comment? If someone other than your boss then ignore it.

I hadn't registered that it was an hour's walk on top of a 45 min train ride.

I think if your boss insisted that you come in despite the strike, using the bus, and you came in on the bus, then your boss can hardly complain that you were late. The buses were rammed. It probably didn't take much longer than walking, and it was raining.

If it was your boss who made the comment I'd suggest that next time there's a strike you wfh (and come into the office on a different day) to minimise wasted time on a longer journey. You don't need to get into walking v bussing.

Nah, I’m with you OP, especially as you say you can easily WFH.

Someone suggested I walk to Canary Wharf, about 1hr 15mins. Not a chance. I can happily WFH (indeed I often do), and I’m not fannying round the unknown streets of the docklands, most likely in the rain, waving my Google Maps round, trying to get into the office late, because the nursery still opens at the same time so I can’t simply ‘leave earlier’, when I can do my job at home, and more of it too with no commute.

For those suggesting you could not get paid for that hour, a lot of people in London will be salaried employees - the amount of admin to run a reduced paycycle for one hour for person for one month is very rarely worth the saving to the business.

An hour walk really isn't that far. Three miles so very easy to do.

Is it an hour door to door? That's possible occasionally with the right shoes etc but laptops and chargers are heavier than you think. But an hour's walk after a train commute is a big no. Essentially, 3.5 hours total commuting time. Not reasonable especially for a job that can be done from home.

Wether I was up for this would depend entirely on what shoes I was wearing at the time! My feet blister sooo easily.

No way would I walk an hour to get to work after I've got the kids ready in the morning. I just don't have that kind of energy anymore, I'm not unfit, it's my age

Megletthesecond, put laptop in a backpack and see it as weights to keep you fit

Honestly somw if these posts are ridiculous. Who would want to walk 3-4 miles( and presumably back) through crowded streets especially after everything else you have to do in the morning. As for the poster who appreared to happily walk for three hours to get to work I just don't believe it

You didn't want to do it which is fair enough, but seeing as your boss wants you in, you're going to have to put up with it. It doesn't matter if she worked from home, she's your boss and she says you have to be there.

I regularly walk to and from work for a bit more than an hour but with certain conditions. For a start, it's a lovely walk through Central London with or without thousands of protesters (really?) waylaying me.

I won't do it in bad weather but cold or a bit of light rain is fine. A heatwave is manageable too. In fact, it's better than being on the tube as long as you wear sunscreen and go a bit slower.

I wear trainer-type shoes and keep them on all day because they go with my outfit. You do plan your clothes for work a bit, don't you? If I want to wear heels I carry them in a shoulder bag. Shoes, like laptops, are not heavy.

If I'm running late in the morning or tired in the evening or have plans I get the tube instead.

I do it because I want to. You don't. But a one-off like a tube strike is not unreasonable. You didn't even get told off for being late.

If you have no mobility issues then for one day yes, it’s just laziness. And no, walking through London even in a strike day isn’t that bad, it’s hardly the last days of Rome.

Maybe you could WFH instead, but that’s a different issue. If you can then why cone in even on the non strike days?

Ive walked through London on strike days. Its just what we do

You sound a bit lazy

Your excuses are lame: protests/didn't know way (even tho you have google maps)

Get a dead leg?

I absolutely would have walked the 3 miles and not even bothered trying to catch the bus. I walked that distance to school as a child if the bus didn't turn up.
On a recent city break we walked 9 miles just sight seeing without even batting an eyelid.