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?

Wouldn't expect them to drop caring responsibilities if that was the case.

It doesn't matter what they do on their NWD - they're not getting paid for it. I have stuff I arrange on my NWDs that are nothing to do with caring responsibilities, it's stuff I do for me. I'm not being paid that day, therefore I don't have to care about my employer.

^^ this exactly. A complete waste of time and money. Pretty much the same goes for appraisals IME.

If they have recently changed their hours and already been asked to attend twice for team events in addition to any project deadlines, this really is setting up a precedent that they need to switch their day to suit the company whenever asked. They will have asked for Tuesdays for a specific reason and attending likely has a knock on effect for whatever they are doing.

I would also be interested to know how flexible the company would be if they wanted to switch their days around to suit them? I had a manager who expected me to rearrange all my plans when they needed someone on my non-working day (at a financial cost to me for childcare) but when the situation was reversed, it was always a flat no and I was told to take annual leave. This was in spite of my request having no negative effect on their staffing. Unsurprisingly, I wasn’t willing to do any more favours after that

They are not being paid to be there. It is not their working day. This is not a case of you being accommodating for them, or so kind with your flexible working policy - they have chosen to take 20% less pay and in return you get 20% fewer hours out of them. You're not being nice and they're not being difficult, you're sticking to the terms of the contract you agreed with them.

I have done all sorts of working arrangements during my career and I have and do work when an emergency comes up outside of my working hours (and these are true emergencies, involving the emergency services - not a failure to meet an internal deadline). But this is absolutely not an emergency and it is the equivalent of asking them to work on a non-urgent piece of work on a Sunday. It's not reasonable.

You need to drop your expectations of this person, she might have some commitment in her day off that she can't change. Other ppl might be more flexible though, she sounds strange though..if her kids are in high school and she can't share more about why it's difficult to attend

Sounds like maybe you are taking it personally when you almost certainly shouldn't. Work means different things to different people, but for most it's just work and nothing more complicated than that.

Glad to see that you say you are listening - more than many managers I have come across have done.

Why are these team building days conveniently being arranged on their day off?

In what way do you believe you have done everything to accommodate them?

You have said that a couple of times, but there are no examples of it on this thread?

Why is she strange for not wanting to work on a day she's not getting paid to?

I can see their point, they’ve RECENTLY agreed to have Tuesdays off and two events have now been put in for Tuesdays. They might think this takes the piss and are laying down their ground rules early on so as not to be walked over. They probably think ‘if they want me to attend that much, plan the bloody thing for one of the other four days in the working week’.

Op they have already said they can be available if necessary for critical work, so they are very much a team player.

The problem is, company meeting/culture days are a load of shite to be frank (I say that as an ex HR bod). The only people who enjoy them really are the ones who like having a bit of a jolly away from the grindstone.

If your company thinks 1 day of a company meeting with a few egg butties will help development, understanding, team morale and culture then that's a worry.

Assuming there's nothing in the contract re: additional hours being mandatory then yabvu and you must not allow this to affect your perception about their work ethic. It is not their problem the company couldn't choose 1 of the other 208 days of the year that are available.

I think that unless you offer to pay that member of staff to come in for training then it's a hard no to swapping days around. The project delivery is a different story as this was agreed in advance. I work part time and have never attended a training day in the whole time I have been employed there because they consistently organise it on my non working day. If they said they would pay me to come in then I would consider it.

You shouldn't expect them to come in on their day off at all - it doesn't matter if they have caring responsibilities or are sat in bed eating Pringles.

As for "doing everything to accommodate them " - you're their boss, isn't that kind of your job? 🙄

She's strange in that she doesn't share why..if she's saying a flat no without an excuse, it's weird because she works with them 4days a week and she should've built a rapport with others. If it's a no saying she's struggling with school drop offs or whatever, it's reasonable

I think the OP believes that the company has done them some kind of favour by allowing them to reduce their hours. She's somehow overlooked the fact that this person is probably still doing a full time job but taking home 20pc less pay. OP also needs to brush up on her employment law around fair treatment of part- time workers before she lands herself in hot water for focusing her efforts on only the development of full-time workers in her team. 🙄

I do four days and Wednesday is my non working day. I have switched days for something super important, but generally since I dropped 20% of my salary I want the day off!

Before approving this, we agreed they would work on Tuesdays as and when required for project delivery so not 100% set in stone. how much notice did you agree you'd give them? Tbh I think that's a ridiculous response to a flexible working request.

Because it is none of their business why she has taken Tuesdays as her day off. Why should she have to explain to anyone. Why don't people work on Saturday or Sunday - because it is a non working day.

Do you really think team events are that valuable? From experience they are dull, or cringe, or just pointless. Save your money, go out for a group meal instead.

Oh that's made me angry. They could be doing ANYTHING with their non working day. They don't get paid for that day.

Having children in secondary school doesn’t mean you don’t need to be available, if my work asked me to come in on a day off just now it would be a no.

That’s not me being inflexible it’s because on my days off I have my children, I have things i get done and often I have plans. I stick close to home as I have a child with needs which mean I currently need to be here for meetings etc or if they leave school or have to come home. I have 2 days per week I do this, the other 3 their dad has them and he’s on it for those days so I can concentrate at work.

I think it’s unfair if this person has reduced their hours for whatever reason, and twice non essential things have been scheduled then you are expecting them to come in. They’ve reduced the hours for a reason, this may not be a good reason in your eyes but if you pulled this with me I’d be annoyed. You could ask if going forward they are still going to be unable to attend things on a Tuesday and then you know, anything on a Tuesday is no go. If they attend similar events their other days of work then that should be sufficient. Also team building events don’t suit everyone, I would really struggle with some of these events. There are 4 other days they can attend another event, how much team building do you need?.

No she's not. she isn't paid for that day.

I work 4 days. I took a drop in salary when i reduced my days. If I am required to work my day off, I get paid double time.
I would not be attending such a ‘team event’ and I wouldn’t provide any reason, other than ‘I don’t work that day’. This doesn’t mean that I don’t value my team mates or work.

OP if I'm reading this right, when these sessions were booked they were just put into diaries without a conversation - or did you have a direct discussion with her about it, explaining that the timing was unavoidable and asking if there was any way she could attend?