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?

I don't know why you are copping a hiding @traintocatch. Part of managing people and teams is give and take. You now know to not give leeway to this particular person when they want to swap their days. Flexibility goes both ways and people can't expect flexibility if they aren't prepared to be flexible themselves.

Please do tell us what you do for a job? I imagine a positive, go getter like you has had unlimited success

I say this on so many of these threads - how do people get to managerial levels without having the first clue about employment law?

The agreement is that the employee will be available to meet a project deadline if required.

There is no agreement obliging them to attend corporate team building borefests that just piss everyone off except, of course, the brownnosers who will giggle like schoolgirls when the 'faciltator' repeats the same lame joke they use at all these nonsense events. If employees need this nonsense to learn about the company culture the management have already failed.

It will depend on the contract - if it has been amended to make Tuesday a non-working day then this will not be the case. Many employers also prefer not to resort to this approach without a high bar - this event feels like a bad one to test good faith with. A company that supposedly prides itself on providing good work/life balance that then starts to formally discipline staff for not attending optional events is shooting itself in the foot if it wants to maintain its reputation as an employer of choice. There is also a risk of being seen to be treating part time employees unfairly if the event could have been organised on a normal working day.

Back tf off this person YABVVU!!! Power trip much!! FYI people have a life that they care about more than their work & rightly bloody so.

Oh well, I guess that it is her right to not work in her day off, but it seems to me that if she is free and doesn't have other previous commitments for the day, a bit of flexibility would go a long way.

At the end of the day, if she becomes too rigid she is ruining your good will to be flexible as well, as you can say not to holiday requests or day swaps that clash with those of other employees.

I wouldn't mind covering for an employee if two are off on the same day, but I wouldn't cover for one who is too rigid if they asked for a swap or day off when someone else is off. At the end of the day, covering for them is not my job either.

OP my DH is dealing with this from his boss. It is draining. We can’t plan our home lives. Our kids are at secondary too - they need picked up and dropped off. He needs time out from work for his mental health but he seems on be on call for a job that shouldn’t require it. None of this needs to be explained to his boss. He’s a pretty flexible guy, travelling 4 hours to meetings and 4 hours back in one day monthly just to “show face” but he’s practically been bullied into feeling he has to because it “doesn’t look good” otherwise.
more like it doesn’t look good for his manager?

you WILL lose this employee if you keep at it , and I genuinely don’t think your reasoning washes

No, she's just disappointed in us.

Exactly!
Why is understanding of company culture etc more important than their own commitments?

😂

Another possibility is that their work load is a lot to manage in the four days, and that’s why they don’t want to “lose a day” on a training/team day that probably isn’t really going to benefit them. There’s an awful lot of pointless training days and meetings that could be emails these days!

I think it also depends on why they are off. If I book time off it's usually for a good reason.

Actually I have had lots of success which is why I know people like OP and you with this attitude are usually disliked by your colleagues (and everyone else). It’s the same traits, power hungry, very entitled (even though you’re probably rubbish at your job) and spend your life trying to hide it so no-one notices so you use nonsense corporate speak and act like inconsiderate robots with zero compassion or understanding about personal challenges and personal choices. Like others have mentioned, I am too very lucky to work in an open minded, friendly and understanding environment. Please do tell us all what you do so we can avoid it (you)!

She hasn't 'booked time off'. She works 4 days a week. And only gets paid for working 4 days a week. Tuesday is a non-work day for her UNLESS there is (presumably time-sensitive) 'project delivery' work that must be done on a Tuesday. That's the agreement.

Her reasons for deciding to work 4 days instead of 5 are utterly irrelevant. She may have childcare issues, or be a carer, or maybe she wants to go birdwatching, or have a saxophone lesson, or lie in bed scratching her arse and watching Escape To The Country. It doesn't matter.

By the OP's own admission, this 'team event' doesn't meet the criteria agreed for her to swap her days and come in on her usual NWD.

I used to avoid them every time ten hours on the train, long day I just said no because I had so much work to do anyway. I was already part time, team events couched in this way I just rolled my eyes and turned it down. I didn't want TOIL either.

So do that… but did any of the people who did attend give up their day off to
do so?
You know in future to be flexible with this employee! Like you say people have to be flexible if they expect flexibility.
maybe a discussion for the next 1:1 they have with you… after all 2 months notice is more than adequate !

@traintocatch that was meant to say LESS flexible

I personally ,from my own experience think that this team building is rubbish !! All ok if everyone agrees with the captain!! Treat employees with respect ,that is how you get the best out of everyone.

Agree. TOIL is the biggest pisstake ever:

Boss: Please work Saturday (when everyone else is enjoying leisure time!).
Employee: Will I be paid?
Boss: No, but you can have Monday off for leisure time (when everyone else is at work!).

Erm... 🙄

Wow, massive projection going on there

For some people work doesn't take a priority in their lives. They don't need to go the extra mile they just need to show up, do the work and go home
Your business might be important to you but it isn't to the employee.

They’d not fare well in my line of work if they did the bare minimum

Have you asked if they could attend one of them? I think two is unreasonable if fairly close together

Yabu, I don't think people like you should be managers tbh. I don't see why employees need to go 'go the extra mile' to 'prove they're worth it'. You're a classic toxic manager.