to expect employee to be flexible and attend team event on a day they are usually off?

[traintocatch]

We have an employee who recently reduced hours and chose to have a whole day off during the week -Tuesdays (working week is Mon-Fri). Before approving this, we agreed they would work on Tuesdays as and when required for project delivery so not 100% set in stone. Since they started this pattern we happened to organise team events with external facilitators and 2 of these events were held on Tuesdays. Whilst not critical that they attend, it would be important for their development, their understanding of company culture as well as team morale and really showing that are willing to integrate. We cannot always choose days to suit them. They declined to attend on both occasions and wondered what would be reasonable to expect? I know I would attend and take the day off another time that week?

But you say swapping the days is not an issue for you. What if it is for this employee? Where is the bar set for coming in when at the start of the arrangement it was only for project delivery and now it’s a team day?

It’s not set in stone, therefore you can absolutely ask them to attend, and if they refuse then it can be flagged up as a performance issue. The only way you would not be able to enforce it is if it was written into their contract.

They agreed they would come in when it was required for project delivery, not every time you thought it would be nice if they came in.

I don't think the fact that childcare isn't an issue should affect things. They have presumably made plans for what to do with their day off, and why should they have to give those up? You wouldn't expect other people to come in on random Saturdays.

Do you offer them time in lieu? That might make a difference, but not if the change of day means they miss out on something they are doing with their day off. Some people might just be getting a bit of me-time, but others might be attending a course or fitness session, helping a friend/elderly relative, volunteering somewhere, looking after the dog on the one day their partner is in the office, or any number of things which might not be re-arrangeable. It's also not your business to know what they are doing, so they shouldn't feel pressured to give a reason for saying no.

why when the agreement only covers project delivery?

Also, you’re better off asking this kind of th8ng at Ask A Manager, not Mumsnet.

yup what is it with childcare that trumps everything?

The amount of utter bollocks on this thread is amazing

Bollocks.

I have a week day off, and I occasionally work if there is something I’d rather not miss for my development, but my boss would never ask me to do it

Jinx 😂

Maybe speak to HR before you get into legal trouble?

''@SanctusInDistress
It’s not set in stone, therefore you can absolutely ask them to attend, and if they refuse then it can be flagged up as a performance issue. The only way you would not be able to enforce it is if it was written into their contract.''

FFS...

Then you would end up with a grievance from the employee because the manager queried her childcare arrangements and treated her less favourably as a part time worker and parent by trying to mess around with agreed work patterns and force her to go to a non essential meeting...

"we agreed they would work on Tuesdays as and when required for project delivery"
"not critical that they attend"
You have answered your own question.

Part of my job is to work with company culture. I’ve probably been the originator of events like this, which can be dreadful if they feel pointless, tokenistic or inauthentic. What really tells in company culture is how managers think, feel and behave. There’s nothing worse for people than to be told what their culture supposedly is when they know the reality is different.

Imagine this poor woman reworking her life arrangements to come to work to be told how her employer prioritises work/life balance.

The comments from OP (and some posters) are really worrying. It's turning into bullying and discrimination.

This makes me so sad that managers think this way. I'm astounded by this to be honest.

OP needs to have a think about their management style and review the company culture

Haha! When I had a full day off in the week, my son wasn’t booked into nursery so I couldn’t possibly just ‘swap my days around’ to come to something I didn’t give a shit about.

YABU. It's their day off. You can ask them to come in, offer some sort of incentive, but you can't compel them to. And please don't use the odious phrase 'extra mile' as a persuasive technique.
Also, childcare is irrelevant. I have no children or significant responsibilities outside work. I still wouldn't feel obliged to come into work on a day off.

Because if skills development are linked to project delivery, then it has everything to do with it.

the employee by refusing to attend may actually be shooting themselves in the foot on several fronts. But that’s a whole other story.

the OP is perfectly within her remit to ask person to come in, and to rescind the flexibility agreement full stop if the employer refuses to do so. The main point is that Tuesdays off IS NOT WRITTEN INTO A LEGALY BINDING CONTRACT, which many of you seem to not realise.

This has zero to do with their job. It's not a training for their position, it's a team building event to boost team morale, integrate etc, in other words, the most classical corporate bullshit there is.
They show how they value their job by doing it well. They show how they value the company by staying employed by the company and doing the tasks their position requires for the company. Anything else is bollocks. Companies don't value people, they value positions.

That's presumably for necessary business though and not bollocksy team development and company culture nonsense

See you at the tribunal…👋🏼

They "recently" restructured their working week to have Tuesday at home and twice since then you have arranged training days for Tuesdays.

How many Tuesdays have they had off untroubled by such requests? I would expect such "exceptional circumstances" to arise less than 5% of weeks but unless you are misusing the word "recently" it could be 25% or more.

Agreeing that they would work on Tuesdays when required for project delivery is very different because it will be very rare and probably within their control, avoidable if they get the work done well within deadlines.

I think yabu. One training day falling on a tuesday could be an unavoidable scenario due to the vagaries of diaries. Two looks like deliberately trying to make life difficult for the part time employee.

What's the 'spirit of what was agreed'? The contract apparently stated project delivery reasons. Team building is not that.

"when someone goes that extra mile, whilst you do everything to accommodate their needs, it shows that they are worth it. IF they don't meet you in the middle you know to focus on the people who do and help them grow."

Christ!! So your view is someone deciding to not come in on their agreed day off, for something not critical, is not worth it?

I would start looking for jobs if you were my manager!

They are