Turn down job offer that requires 4 days a week.in office?

[Greenbootgrass]

Hi All

Offered a new role at a different company, salary increase and better pension however....

I currently wfh 2 days a week, new job only allows 1 day a week wfh

Am I mad to say no to this?

Really enjoy my 2 days a week at home, comfy clothes, no commute ( hour each way) and doing errands etc at lunchtime.

I'm really surprised you've progressed all the way to job offer without being told these terms. If it wasn't going to work for you, why bother interviewing in the first place? I'm interviewing for a new role and the recruiters and HR reps are talking about hybrid expectations straight away, if not in the JD itself.

There are lots of people who claim WFH is terrible etc etc, but there are plenty of organisations that have done the maths and concluded a remote or hybrid workforce is beneficial. As a job seeker I am looking for a high level of trust that I'll do what I've committed to doing, regardless of where I work.

Personally can't see the issue, I hate working at home but it's something that matters to you negotiate then walk away if they say no

I wouldn't work those hours anyway, in the office or at home so it would be a no from me.

I'm surprised so few replies are considering the pension improvement angle given that the OP isn't too far away from retirement.

It’s 1 additional day in the office for the OP, not 2.

No she doesn’t, she does 3 - read the OP and the updates.

You need to weigh it up carefully then of pension is better. So it’s more than 10% extra really. Your own company could say anytime they want people in more as many companies are moving away from home working now. We are changing from 2 days in the office to 3 in May. People not happy and have every excuse under the sun why they can’t do 3 days

I wouldn't do it. I had a job where I worked from home nearly all the time and then moved to an office based role. The one advantage was that I did so much walking to and from railway stations that I lost weight and started running faster!

But it was miserable - you've mentioned standing room only on the tube, I didn't have to use the tube but the overground trains were unreliable and it was annoying.

It's also expensive. Maybe if you continue to save the train fare for that extra day you could save it each week in a long term savings account? For example, I pay about £35 a day to get into work, so that would mount up over 47 weeks.

I've just done this (although on secondment so can go back if it doesn't work out) and I'm loving it! I wfh one day a week and commuting by train the other four.
I was really tired at first but I'm back in routine now and loving being around people, getting dressed up nicely and just everything that being in work brings. I used to do three days in the office so it's only an increase of one but for me it's a been a brilliant change and no increase in pay as secondment was the same pay grade

The OP has said she is 5 - 7 years from retirement so I’m guessing she is in her mid 50s to early 60s. I am quite a bit younger but I would find an hour long commute standing on the Tube really hard.

The better pension is perhaps more interesting than the pay rise but it sounds as though the OP hasn’t got very long to really benefit from the higher contributions.

I suppose my main question is whether the OP wants to move on to another role / get promoted within the new company before she retires. Or whether she is happy doing her current role until then. From the way she has written her post, I suspect it’s the second.

I’m a five days in the office person. Very old fashioned employer who expects us all in all of the time. I’m happy though as my commute is a 12 min cycle ride and I have great colleagues. We have lost staff who wanted hybrid working and I don’t think it will be long before company policy will need to change.

Only you can decide. Technically I am supposed to work in the office two days a week but I do about four days now because meetings are increasingly in person and making connections is a big part of my job. I hear this a lot from friends and colleagues.

in my work place different job roles demand different working patterns and you can be needed in an in person meeting at short notice - therefore it is easier to be in the office. But you will know best what works for you, and what lifestyle and work style is best for you and your career.

I do enjoy my one day at home - it feels like a treat and I get a different type of work done - power through more emails and write reports etc.

When I run the numbers for myself, as a higher rate taxpayer, of a 9,000 pay rise I would lose:

40% tax
12% NI
£50/month commuting costs
£50/month breakfast club (we use asc if we are WFH but don't need breakfast club)

Leaves me around £300 better off a month which, to me, wouldn't be worth the quality of life impact. Especially as I haven't tried to factor in some of the more nebulous costs of more office time like more officewear, odd coffee bought for a team member etc.

But of course everyone weighs up these things differently - at this point in my life I am time poor so I value extra time highly

You're not mad to say no. It's about weighing up what's important to you, and also the numbers. Two more hours a day commuting is two hours that aren't at your disposal, notwithstanding I know some people use commuting time for admin etc. In this case, it'd be a 10% pay rise to cover 4 extra hours a week. If you're full time, they're probably essentially paying you at the same rate you are now.

Personally I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. I think roles like that are really only for people who very much want to be in the office most of the time, and are willing to put up with more commuting to achieve it. That isn't you.

Thanks everyone, it's really helpful to see other people's perspectives

There is no negotiation on the new job 4 days in the office. Interesting that some.of you think this could rise to 5 days at some point! I have declined 2 approaches from companies wanting 5 days a week in the office in the last 6.months

Sensibly I should take the new role , more money better pension for 5 years but I have commitments at home which means 3 days a week in office only really helps ! So I'm thinking of declining when I speak to the recruitment company this afternoon

Plus money spent on work clothes, and lunches.
I wouldn't OP. Your time is valuable.
If you turn it down please tell them why you did.

Have you had a go at negotiating?

You have nothing to lose so I would give it a try

Honestly doesn't sound that sensible to me. There's a fundamental mismatch between how they feel about staff being in the office and how you feel about it.

The fact that you were told it was fewer office days than it actually is would worry me as well. It could be the recruiter's fault rather than the employer perhaps, but it's still a potential red flag. One does hear sometimes of organisations recruiting on false pretences when they know they aren't offering a sufficiently attractive package to get the in person staff they want.

I don't think the fact that many people are working from home is the reason the country is in a mess...!

Have you ever worked from home?

Yes, it's so dreadful that people in the UK in 2024 think in terms of the labour market here and now, rather than in completely different times and places.

And like it or not, many of us are right. Your evident resentment is funny, and not just in this thread either, but of no importance beyond that.

The pension contribution is worth considering though, is the % it based on your entire salary or “qualifying earnings”? (which is less generous). If you are huge rate taxpayer then it’s worth a lot more too. I’d calculate how much more gross you’d have to earn to make same level of pension contribution as your true pay increase is that plus 10%

It might be worth it

Can you negotiate? Different things suit different people, go for what you want. There are a lot of options.

I was working fully from home in my last job. I worked from home five days a week. I started to not like it and i wanted a job in the office. I missed the social side of the job.

I'm now in a new job that is five days week in the office. There are no work from home days at all. I'm really enjoying it. Our office is lovely.

Go for what makes you happy. Can you negotiate?

I think it would be devisive within the company to allow one colleague but not others to work from home for more than one day a week. That’s what has happened where I work and it causes resentment.

Good luck OP. If you do decline, please be transparent with the recruiter—that despite the 10% salary increase and increase in pension, 4 days in the office is a deal breaker for their preferred candidate. The company needs to be aware of this.

The other thing to remember is that you can negotiate on other things too - e.g.

compressed hours
more annual leave
more money

If they really want you, there will be room to manoeuvre