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 think the recruiter is taking the piss. They know many people struggle to turn a job down- it feels counterintuitive to most people. Well done- I’m sure you’ll be happier in the long term

That worked well!

Come on then - where do you work?

@NC03

ScierraDoll
You like working from home because you can slob around, do other things and generally not work as hard as you would if you were in an office with other colleagues.
I'm sorry but WFH is lazy, lazy, lazy which is why so many public sector workers want to do it

"Are you mad? I am so monitored I can't make a brew without someone knowing about it
My screen is recorded, my phone is recorded, every time I go on lunch or break it is timed
I can't even put a wash on because someone would hear it
Getting sick of people saying WFH is lazy"

I think all these posters must clearly have never worked from home otherwise they would know about the technology of Teams and other monitoring software.
I think it's envy to be honest.

"I spoke to the recruiter and explained that this was a big factor for me and I wish I had known earlier in the process

Recruiter said they want candidates to fall in love with the company before they get told about the 4 days ...or words to that effect"

What a waste of people's time! Pleased you turned it down OP - looks like you had a lucky escape!

You are probably right to be cautious of the 4 days increasing to 5, based on this:
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/mar/08/boots-orders-support-staff-back-into-office-five-days-a-week-from-september

There is concern that other companies will follow suit...

Sounds like my public sector job. They actually get more out me now than they did in the office…

Sounds like Big Brother. I know several people who wfh and go out to get their nails done when it’s quiet!

The pension increase will come in handy...

It depends if the salary increase more than covers the extra day commute and lunch etc. For me to go back to office based 4 days every week would need a significant salary increase and be a job I really wanted to do. Just honestly WFH is better for my mental and physical health (back and hip problems so find moving around different chairs at home helps!)

Almost a form of deception by the recruiter. Too small an amount to seek a claim for your time and costs.

The Labour party have suggested a law giving people the right to ask to work from home, presumably in certain jobs. Perhaps they would be better in having one so that was you advertise is what is offered and your contract is, no room for deception or changing things once you have joined.

YANBU. It'd have to be an absolutely amazing job to get me back in the office!

Hard pass! You would have to double my salary for me to even consider it.

The thing is, a lot of companies want staff in for a lot of reasons.
You said when you're in the office 8.30 to 6.30 you don't take a lunch break, but eatlier said you like wfh as you get stuff done at lunchtime.

The implication is that you don't do as much when wfh.... that's what a lot of managers think.

I often didn't take a lunch break in the office and now run errands or do housework.

But I also stop working later now, as I live closer to my childcare than I did at the office. At the office I had to watch the clock for train times and had to leave 20minutes earlier than I really did because the later train got me home too late to pick the kids up.

Now I get to take the kids to after school activities once a week, which I couldn't do before. And I make up the time once they're in bed- because I'm then not clock watching I end up working more hours than I actually needed to make up.

I do wear PJs some days, but that means I get started immediately after the kids leave for school, rather than getting dressed and made up first. I'm always dressed and made up when having meetings with c suit.

I no longer spend time at colleagues desks chatting with a brew and looking at pictures of their holidays or kids wedding- they put may be one or 2 on the social slack channel.

Because I now work permanently from home, head office no longer expects us to travel to them for meetings and holds them all virtually, freeing up several hours of travel time (that was paid and I didn't need to make up).

I've benefitted massively from WFH - my home/ work balance is so much better, my mental health is better, my physical health is better and I'm far less exhausted from the constant overstimulation of the office and commute.

But work has also massively benefitted - I work more hours per week on average. I'm more productive in the hours I do do because I'm less exhausted and not thinking about other stuff. I've no travel time between sites, no checking if a meeting room is free, no moving between meeting rooms, meeting happen back to back and get started on time and immediately.

Yeah I'm sure some people take the piss, but they're the same people who took the piss in the office, always in last minute, first to.leave, longer lunch breaks and constant chats round the kettle.

Oh, and now I have our messaging service and emails on my phone. So today whilst walking the dog, on my non-working day, I answered several messages and emails.

Not for a 10% increase, not worth it.

I was in a similar boat. I was 3 days in the office and interviewed for a new job. New job was at a company which would have looked amazing on my cv - salary would have been a 35% increase but it was 4 days in the office mandatory. I turned it down. The money would have been nice but by the time tax and travel costs are accounted for, its not going to change my life and i find 3 days bad enough with young children and trying to juggle pick ups etc.

For all those turning down jobs based on working days in the office, what would you do if your current job also mandated the same?
Many London companies have been mandating 4-5 days in the office for a year now and it’s now spreading across the south east. I know everyone says their company values them and wouldn’t do the same. Having seen this change across many companies over the past year, I wouldn’t be so sure.

How much do you need the money Vs the work/life balance? Not the same, but my job is ft WFH & I was encouraged to take a new contract that increased my hours .. only by 5 a week. It seem like a tiny increase for a decent return, so I agreed. I have regretted it ever since. I never have a second to get anything done & find that I’m now losing time with family to catch up x

Well I have a WFH contract so it'd be really hard for them to enforce!

exactly. this is my experience too I have stayed alot longer with my current company where before civid would have moved companies

It's a remote contract, the nearest office is 150 miles away with like 0.3 desks per person and they'd have to pay my travel expenses. So probably laugh.

it would be like my friends husbands company. mandated 4 days back in the office within 3 months they have lost 30 percent of their staff. and this company is 80 percent men. my friends husband is now drowning in work -working crazy hours and at weekends which is impacting my friends weekend looking after kids etc. its all falling to her. he us also looking now as they cant replace who they have lost. its fairly specific skills and alot that left where there for years. where I work we have three competitors asweel as Microsoft and Google all within the one industrial estate. if they made us back to the office we just have to go across the road to companies that allow work from home

If it's a pension scheme where you can put it unlimited contributions and they match them -would need to weigh up short term pain to build up a decent pension pot .
Otherwise my takeaway , rule applies .
Never change job if it only results in enough of an uplift to cover a takeaway and a bottle of wine once a week (wherever you may live -costs vary )It's better to stay where you are if you are generally happy