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?

It’s like asking someone to work at the weekend. Don’t do it.

Suspect the OP may be either very young (and hasn't experienced just how often life throws us curveballs), very inexperienced, stuck in 1993, has a not so secret dislike of this individual and wants rid of them, or is American.

Newsflash: employers in most of the UK don't own their staff, especially on days off that they've negotiated. It's none of your business what they do on their day off. Though with an attitude like yours I rather hope they're working towards finding another job.

When I say American, by the way, I mean works for an American employer with American business expectations, not the nationality as such.

As Tuesday is their day off they might have other committee or really they can do as they please on their day off.

I’m senior. High pressure role. I work flexibly and am very grateful that I can do so. I also bend over backwards to juggle my caring responsibilities (not always kids, mine include parent undergoing cancer treatment) with work commitments if I’m asked to.

My manager would never dream of wasting that mutual goodwill and trust on asking me to attend team events. Critical client facing meetings yes. Personal development? Absolutely not.

Also if you’re try to develop a team and build morale, being seen hauling people in on their day off may not have the effect you’re looking for.

"Before approving this, we agreed they would work on Tuesdays as and when required for project delivery so not 100% set in stone"

As this is not for project delivery then you're taking the piss

If this person only works 4 days a week, wouldn't you want them to be doing their job on those 4 days? If they come in for the team building day then take a different day off, you'll only be getting 3 days worth of work from them and absolutely wasting the other day.

Sounds like you are being awkward. Doubtless when they took this day off they had plans for the day whether they be yoga, lunch out or whatever. Work is just that a job. The company will not collapse without their presence on Tuesdays. You sound peevish that they have a day off. They are not paid to be in on this day and you have no right to judge them for not being available.

And? They may have other matters to attend to on that day.

I cut my hours to a 4 dy week so that I could have time to be with my disabled husband and to deal with other things. Your employee now has a routine where Tuesday is their day off. End of.

I have reduced hours and a great deal of control over my schedule. In exchange, I occasionally have to deal with a request to work on a day or more often a time I don’t normally work. It is annoying, but I do it because it is important to me that I show I can be available if it matters to the company or to my team. I want to keep my very favorable situation so it’s worth the occasional annoyance.

If it’s not in the contract you have no legal leg to stand on and if I was your employee I would be feeling pretty builllied/ pressured if this is something you have said to her, especially if she’s not being paid to come in. You need to be very careful legally but also staff wellbeing wise. Also she might just be happy with her job and not want to develop. It’s your fault for delivering training etc on that day- be more organised and do it on a different day, it’s on you not her the current failure.

How about that she's not supposed to be at work, it's her nwd and she's not paid to be there. 3 great reasons.

"I guess I was disappointed when I did everything I could to accommodate them"

Flexible working is a legal right, OP. Yeah you don't have to grant it but in 2024 you're telling me you did them a favour, letting them have an unpaid day off?

Yeah alright.

Then arrange the team building over the weekend.

So that everyone has to come in on their non-working days.

I think you'll soon see the difference between willingness to be flexible for business critical issues and team building courses.

I really hope the OP is just very young and inexperienced, and therefore will become better at management with a little experience and thought.

Because she sounds like every godawful low-level manager I had in the 90s who confused “working under him/her” with “owing him/her fealty as my liege lord.”

Agreeing to a 20% cut in hours and pay isn’t doing some heroic thing to accommodate your employee. You haven’t granted a mighty boon, OP.

Your staff owe you their efforts during their contracted hours and absolutely nothing more. Have a word with yourself.

@traintocatch seems to be one of those little corporate hamsters who are so stuck in the wheel that they can't see corporate BS for what it is.
Work is work. It earns your money so you can actually live - that's outside the doors of the company.
This really got me:

"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."

Important for what? Career development? Let's assume they are employing the person because they're good at their job. As they are working, they get more experience. So here we go, they are developing.
Understanding of company culture? What's this corporate BS? Let's assume the employee had an introduction to the company, understands their mission statement, works hard to earn money for themselves and at the same for the company. That's the only culture that should be important.
Team morale? "Employee, it's your free day and you're going to be sitting somewhere, pretending to be very cheerful, understanding and happy."
Willing to integrate into what? Companies don't care about their employees beyond the numbers they bring. The higher up you're on the corporate ladder, the more people are just numbers on the excel sheet for you. One day they tell you you're so important, next day they're letting you go or tell you your position and department that were so essential to the company yesterday are still important but they are moving to a cheaper country.

God, I hate corporate bullshit. I had decades of it and OP's post - I'm not sure if I feel rage or sorry for her if she really believes in that crap she's talking about.

I'm going to go against the grain here and say i think they are being a bit unreasonable. You say they agreed when they asked to reduce their hours that they may have to swap days occasionally? If that's definitely the case then they should be making more of an effort to come in, especially as they had 2 months notice.

I work 3 days per week but sometimes have to swap my days. It's not an issue for me to do so, so I do it. Flexibility works both ways.

This sounds as if you are going to bully this employee by giving them less favourable treatment simply because they are sticking to the agreement that they work outside their hours only for time-critical project delivery. That would be both wrong and spiteful.

Turn your ire instead to the person who has fucked up by booking these sorts of things twice running on a day when not everyone is available. Get them better briefed (or even remedially trained) and this won't recur.

If it is you that fucked up by repeatedly booking things outside some of your teams work times, then own your own bloody mistake. And cut out the snide criticism of an employee who has done nothing whatsoever wrong.

If the first event was organised before they started flexible working, then the best thing to do was use it as an example of the type of reason you would like them to change their day.

It might be helpful to reframe it in your mind as a non paid day rather than a Non working one.

I think its more of an attitude than an experience thing. Note the use of "we" instead of "I" when talking about management of employees. There's a lack of accountability mingled with that corporate jargon.

Hopefully this thread serves as a wake up call.

I want to be kind to the OP. I remember being a team leader - it meant that I was expected to give “difficult” messages to my team (which they hated) and people senior to me would moan. I will say that most managers are managers because they are good at a (possibly niche) part of their job - training for managers always seems to be a rare thing. It is possible that she has not booked these team building events herself but the SLT are aghast that not everyone plans to attend. That is rough.

I also remember being part time. I did move my day when I could if I was asked. However I hated whole day meetings because it meant I had a third less time that week to do my actual job.

And maybe what they do on a Tuesday can’t be done on another day?

I feel strongly about this as my employer tries to pull this shit now and again, I just refuse point blank, and if they want to push it, I’ll see them at the tribunal.

It’s very liberating getting to a certain age and not tolerating this kind of shit

I was going to say Yanbu till I read those dread words "company culture and team morale"

Hate to be the one to break it to you but people go to work to earn money to live, if you like you’re job and your coworkers then that’s a bonus but no one really gives a shit about ‘being with the team’ or company morale.

its frustrating but not everyone is committed to x companies, some just want to clock in when needed and thats that, others will attend every event, training session poss, etc