New manager want me in the office. I wfh-help!

[Stressedgiraffe]

We've changed management structure so my new manager wants me in the office. Ideally once a week but might settle for every month.
I've been there over 2 years. I wfh permanently but my contract says HQ.
I live 5 hours away always have done. They knew where I lived when I started. I go into the office about every 3/4 months for a few days .
Could I push for a change in location in my contract or do you think I'm screwed?

A lot of younger workers can’t afford the commute or to live by these companies due to the poor wages. At least with hybrid and using technology, we can offer social mobility for those young people to work up in certain sectors. This also levels up the areas they reside in as they’re more likely to be spending money locally and to afford housing. The young people I meet live their lives through technology but maybe that’s my sector.

There’s pros and cons to everything. Gone are the days spending your life commuting and being loyal to a company awards you anything, all we get is a suppressed wage and limited benefits. At least flexibility and WFH will keep a lot of us in post longer and able to pass on information to new joiners. Maybe this is generational I don’t know but I work to live, I don’t live to work.

@oldheadband I help across teams when I can on chat
But if I'm in the office i get interrupted constantly with questions. It's my managers job to answer them, not mine but because I've been there the longest people seem to come to me
We all get min wage so it's not like I'm paid more for knowing stuff, ask a manager, they're there!

But she’s managed to do the job from home for the last 2 years without issue so why should she?

Uh... because her contract says so?! Just because she's been lucky for the past 2 years doesn't mean she's entitled to!

The equivalent 'teacher' example, @surreygirl1987, would be you applying to TEFL to Chinese students online, doing so successfully for 3 years, and then being asked to move to China. I'm sure you'd think that's completely fair? Or applying to work as a teacher in 1 school and then being told actually you have to go and tutor all your students in their homes, individually?

Well yes it would be fair IF THAT'S WHAT MY CONTRACT SAID! 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Unless you are contracted to wfh then you have no choice but to go to the office when they say you need too. They would be fully in their rights to sack you if you refused to do so!

Indeed!!

Except they wouldn’t, and you clearly don’t have a clue.

*“I wfh permanently but my contract says HQ.
I live 5 hours away always have done. They knew where I lived when I started.”

not to be blunt but you also knew where you lived when you applied for the job. If your contract says HQ you could always ask to continue working from home but the contract is not in your favour*

Exactly this. I applied for a job almost 100 miles away. I got it, and signed a contract for my new place of work, which stated the location. You know what I did? Moved house!

Except they wouldn’t, and you clearly don’t have a clue

Really? Can you please explain why her employers cannot expect her back into the office when her contract states that as her place of work? Genuinely curious ad it sounds bonkers to me!

Erm, they absolutely could. You’d be in breech of your terms and conditions.

the OP might be lucky on the definition of ‘occasional’ but still, it’s isn’t a home based role and so they are well within there rights to recall her to the office. Another poster did say she could apply for reasonable adjustments for her carer role but they still might make her go.

Our contracts changed to ‘hybrid’ we rarely go to the office but they wouldn’t change it to home based just in case they wanted us back!

Why would the contract have very little bearing? Genuine question

Yes, same question from me!

If it could be argued that “custom and practice” applied. Which isn’t clear given the comms and the contract contradict one another (in OP’s favour) but also that the business is allowed to want to make changes to working practices, particularly post-Covid.

Its not my call or what I want, it is just what is most likely to happen and is happening, we will all be in the office most of the time before long. People can hope for the best regarding wfh but they should be realistic that it is likely it will end for the majority of us and so plan and adjust your expectations accordingly.

Op perhaps your new manager would like to meet you in person ?

Perhaps some single people in your team are struggling WFH due to the isolation ?

Perhaps there is a company restructure due soon

Your employer could have a million reasons for wanting you to attend the office

It is not the employers issue that you live 5 hours away

It seems you work from home temporarily but are obliged to work from the office.

Many people work this far from home (usualy men) and they have to stay away from home mon-fri.

I think as you’ve got the advert and the company pay for you to travel to the office you should be ok. As companies don’t pay for their staff members travel when they come into the office for their 2 days a week. So this should go in your favour and I’d imagine they’d pay for a hotel too if you went once a month and did 2-3 days. If they’ve recruited everyone on a hybrid basis they are going to struggle if staff bring in the unions

Exactly. I’ve seen so many posts on here where mums and dads are saving on childcare and caring for young babies and toddlers at home and working. Totally out of order and actually dangerous to the child but most of all it’s unfair on the employer and it’s things like this that are the reason many companies are now pedalling backwards and realising actually we want our staff back in. I get more done at home, I spent a lot of time on teams calls and it’s hard in the office as a senior leader as many of those calls are things that you can’t talk about in the office. But my employer wants everyone in 2 days a week, soon to be 3. So I’ll do that because I do what I’m asked and my contract doesn’t mention hybrid at all. It’s in the FAQ on hybrid working that it’s a privilege not a right and can change at anytime. Of course now we are getting lots of applications for adjustments etc because people are clearly doing other things when meant to be working. Like caring for elderly relatives. I guess their family see they work at home and think they can do whatever did needed instead of employing someone or whatever people did pre covid.

There's nothing "anti-employee" about stating the fact someone willingly signed up to a contract. She's not being asked to go in 5 days a week so there is still a massive degree of flexibility there.

I've worked from home for about 12 years but the level of entitlement people seem to feel these days is outstanding.

There's dozens of reasons why managers will want staff in the office at times and presenteeism is rarely one of them. People who can't see or understand that are either not managers or bad managers.

Hybrid means both home and office so why would they pay you to go where you're supposed to be and why would they struggle?

They have been paying for OPs travel for the last two years, though. Its in the updates. The fact that the contract says one thing but the job advert and how they've actually wanted the role performed until now differ is rather the point here.

OP must have read her contract. Or did she just sign it blindly? Why didn’t she get it corrected at the time? It’s a bit odd. I can’t believe someone who has an office named in her contract didn’t say “hang on, the job ad said WFH”. I think OP is very lucky to only be expected to go in once a month.

plenty of people decided to unilaterally upsticks and move city/ country during Covid. Without real consent.

i wouldn't sign a contract that named my place of work an office if i was meant to be WFH. Did OP not raise it at the time?

They shouldn’t but they appear to be treating her like someone who works from home full time and pay to go the office. Unless OP is just booking this herself (we can on our system and my manager is never alerted to what trains I book) it appears the company is content with this. So that will go in her favour if they are challenged. They shouldn’t be paying for hotels and trains but if they do then they are accepting her as a home worker. They need to review their contracts etc urgently

Surely regardless of how they have treated her thus far, if the contract states hybrid then it's hybrid and they have every right at any point to request some office working.

There's no 'surely' no. This is why OP needs specialist legal advice pronto. Contracts can be changed by custom and practice, ie how a person has been treated so far. But it's a complex area and nobody in this thread has seen the relevant paperwork.

This! I can't believe anyone would use analogies like the poster has used but not mention that it depends on your contract! Why does the poster think companies issue contracts - for the benefit of their health? No, usually it's because they want to cover as many eventualities as they can - and mostly in their favour! If you only want to WFH, then make sure your contract is watertight to this effect!

@DocOck

'@Startingagainandagain But how the employee gets to the job is not the employers problem. They don't need to care how long it takes you, that's on you when you apply for the job.'

Common sense please...

If someone lives 5 hours away of course any sensible employer will query how they intend to commute to the office when required at the interview stage or discuss whether they are applying because they are planning to relocate if they get the job.

I am a manager and have conducted many interviews and I would make sure that people live a reasonable distance from the office if regular attendance is expected.

You can't hire someone who lives hours away and then act surprised if they struggle when you suddenly change their work pattern to require office attendance. That's just bad management.