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?

YABU. Their day off is a Tuesday. If you want to force people to work their days off then put it in their contracts. But by your attitude I imagine you’re a junior manager with no control over such things.

"we offer everything around work-life balance. "
@traintocatch
What do you offer please? What does that entail exactly?

Giving away time or energy from your one and only life for free to a company that, if push came to shove would make you redundant tomorrow, is not something to be proud of.

I know you’re frustrated, but you still organised these events on their non-working day. If you really wanted them there it should have been another day of the week.

Why was it arranged for a day they are off?

It is perfectly reasonable for an employee to 'not want to' work on their non working day.

@traintocatch
I think you're getting an unfair hard time of it here! You sound like a decent employer & if the part time arrangement was made with the need for flexibility to be built in, then this is one of those times when it's reasonable to expect some! It's 2 occasions, with plenty of notice, with an alternative day off agreed. I don't see the issue.

If you haven't already, you might want to look into the wording of any contractual agreement that you have, to ensure that this is explicit for any future occasions.

I work 4 days per week (my contract states 4/5 days - no specifically named day) with the agreement that I swap my 'usual' day off, if & when needed, around the business. Works fine. Mutual respect & understanding on both sides. It can be done.

Because it was partially arranged before this person chose to take Tuesdays off. Tuesdays are a terrible day to have off, the peak of the working week, and honestly unless this person is very senior (which we don't know) I wouldn't be rearranging a meeting that suited the majority of attendees for the sake of the one who can't. It's a numbers game.
As for most of you who wouldn't give your employer one inch of flexibility - no wonder our productivity is in the doldrums.

I reduced my hours so that I had a day off during the week. That is the day I use for all my appointments, it is when I arrange to do things so that I can have the weekend off to do things with my family. Perhaps it is the same for your employee?

Clutches chest........no.....how will I bear it?

But thus is not about productivity its sboutvwasting time wanking about

The point I was making is that Tuesday is not necessarily a totally random day to choose not to work. It could be for all kinds of reasons. And the previous posters assertion that it must be for something important as otherwise why choose Tuesday was silly.

I work part time and sometimes have to swap my days for events but tbh it's only for major events I would do this.

Team events are a waste of time so you would always be U to expect people to show up.

That's those people. The employee knows it is not "critical" as you say to attend these events. You think it's important for the team etc. Maybe the employee doesn't feel that need. Maybe they are quite happy with the work they do and their contribution to the team. Not everyone feels the need to participate in all these events and if, as you say, it is not actually a requirement for their role and they are a good worker then I think you just need to accept that while you have some employees who will go that extra you have others who will do their work and be happy with that. They may not be looking to progress themselves in your company at the moment. It may not be a priority for them at the moment. They might be very happy to have a role where they do their hours and then go home.
Down the line their personal circumstances might change and they might be in a better position. Childcare is not the only issue people have outside of their work life.

"I guess I was disappointed when I knew I did everything to accommodate them..."

Well you didn't do everything to accommodate them if you arranged an event on a day you know they are not available to work.

Doing their job well on their contracted days to work should be all you should be able to ask of them. Flexible working where possible is not some favour you're doing for them it's a legal requirement.

What's better for morale is being able to stick to your working hours and not being made to feel like you won't progress because you take your days off. It's a particularly british/American form of presentism. Looking like you're doing things when your work should just speak for itself.

Exactly what I was going to say. They're a load of wank and give nothing of value to employees, it's all about management's egos.

I’m public sector but in those circumstances I would swap my day off for at least one of those events. I loathe ‘team days’ with a passion but a little give and take goes a long way.

If they can have a different day off instead, and assuming this is not a regular request, I agree they should make the effort. Their line manager should have a word.

Saying what you would do is not the same as saying what someone else should do. When i worked, I would work part time and move my hours according to what the job needed wherever I could but that was MY choice. I would never have penalised or thought badly of a team member (I was a manager and clinician) who didn't do the same for whatever reason.

why?

Well, if they want to ever be promoted in the future, or negotiate a pay rise, then it helps to show you're engaged with your job and a team player. As an employer, given two people who work part-time, one who refuses to ever attend a team event if it falls on a non-working day, and one who is more flexible, then I know who would get that promotion.

You say they stopped working Tuesdays "recently", but you've already booked two events on their non-working day in that time? I'm not surprised the employee isn't willing to be accommodating of that.

If I say "I'm not working Tuesday, but I'll come in occasionally when required" that doesn't mean I'll come in because non-essential things have been booked on that day. It means I'll come in if we're behind on a deadline and need all hands on deck. I would expect that to be maybe every couple of months at most.

If she takes another day off later that week to cover for being in on Tuesday, she's behind in her actual work, surely? Rather than working four days on her actual work, she'll have done three and one for this team building stuff.

Oh, the old "team player" line. Usually means "employee pretends to be someone they're not for the sake of management whims" ime. Also falls in the "work to live, not live to work" field.

That assumes there are promotions. I've seen enough people bend over backwards and get nothing for it.

I'm excellent at what I'm paid to do, but I do exactly what I'm paid to do. The perk of being a professional.

When I was having construction work done, I didn't agree a contract for 85% of what I needed then take the piss out of the builders with guff like "be flexible" and "go the extra mile" in a cheap attempt to manipulate them to finish the job unpaid.