Change in Working from Home procedure

[HappyKite2067]

I have a fairly flexible job, I’m expected to be on site for certain meetings and activities but for the past 2 years, outside of this I could work from home. We are now being encouraged to be onsite more and although we don’t have a WFH policy, the procedure has changed. We now can only WFH limited days and we have to seek permission to do so. It feels like my job, which was previously very flexible and suited me, has turned into quite a micro managed job. Am I being unreasonable to think this is something to be bothered about, and raise with HR? Or are most work places now starting to push staff back into the office?

Exactly. They're the ones constantly chatting, having tea/smoking breaks, wandering round pretending to be busy etc.

I'm glad my company is embracing working from home. They've had way less sickness, saved on gas+electric and office space costs and productivity is up.

It's a no brainer.

Well like I said certainly in my working environment it would be flagged up if you wasn't online being productive.

We have windows in the office too that people will often glance out at to look at the weather and fretting in winter when the snow starts falling. Or wondering if they need to be worried about getting wet because they didn't bring a coat or umbrella.

Nothing wrong with watching TV on your scheduled break at home just like there is nothing wrong with watching or looking at your phone on your break at work.

The way our systems are set up, if you are 15 minutes late back from lunch, whether you are at home or in the office our line managers would know and they would deal with it accordingly.

Also different temptations working in the office, plenty of smokers who like to congregate or checking out the latest buffet someone has brought in and general chit chat.

So distractions can be both in office and at home and if someone isn't pulling their weight then again that's for the line manager to deal with.

I once called a member of my team during the working day (I was her manager) who proudly told me that she loved wfh and I’d caught her in the middle of decorating her hallway!

Wow, that is taking the piss a bit too much!

Well like I said certainly in my working environment it would be flagged up if you wasn't online being productive

It very much depends on the job. If your output can easily be quantified, then indeed, it's easy to check employees are productive. In roles where productivity is not so easily quantifiable, it's not.

It sounds like you are being totally reasonable about using your breaks to do quick tasks. The problem is those who take 'breaks' every half hours, and/or breaks that last 30 minutes or more. Sadly, that's the reality for a growing number of employees, hence the move back to offices.

Hi op,

Unfortunately, they have not changed things perse, they have made it more difficult to have it and they have put a limit.

They would have likely run this through HR so except if your contract explicitly says that you work from home. You have to comply to what they implement…or find something else elsewhere. There are loads of work from home jobs…but the market is tough at the moment depending of fields and salary lower than 2years ago also depending of your situation.

Good luck 🌺

Nothing you can do then, except look for a new job if you don’t like it

Unpopular opinion but we actually enjoyed working from home over Covid and when schools went back. Time was more balanced, we were less stressed as a family and we were more productive work wise at home. Now I’m back in the office, DH’s team voted to remain WFH. I’m back to being stressed, micro managed with crappy office politics and run ragged. It makes a huge difference to your mental state and I think it should be more welcomed. It’s all about money and micromanaging peoples lives. WFH offers a wide range of benefits which I don’t think anyone realised until we had to live it. Companies need to get with it, time and balance is so important to everyone.

I doubt you can challenge it. Many companies are changing to more office based, i can see why, hybrid causes me no end of problems and definite benefits to working in the office.

Apologies if this has already been mentioned…
you have a statutory right to ask for flexible working which includes WHERE you work.
https://www.gov.uk/flexible-working
you don't have to give a reason why and your employer is legally obligated to properly consider it.
Good luck and hope things work out for you.

I am curious as to what problems hybrid working causes and what are the definite benefits to working in the office?

Hybrid has been hugely successful within my employment and I can't see any benefit to working in the office vs. remote working.

These threads always seem to attract posters whose job can't be done from home and are seething with resentment/jealousy towards those who can WFH. I'm not sure why they visit these threads since they have no skin in the game and nothing helpful to add. They must spot "WFH" in a thread title pounce on it. There's usually at least one that pipes up with "I worked all the way through the lockdowns" as if people who WFH didn't.

I agree. And such posters tend to forget most of us do hybrid, so we’re still in the office a few days per week, and therefore still collaborating and mixing with our colleagues. I realise some people rarely go in, but if that works for them, I can see no problem.

If you choose a career as a giraffe keeper or a steeple-jack, it’s unlikely you’ll be offered hybrid or remote working.

id ask for a pay rise for the increased travel costs and be purposely under performing in office to proof a point.

the c-brigade are just making a power move, i wish more people were in a union so we had a way to push back.

and the hybrid causing issues brigade. my systems work better at home than in the office as the bandwidths is not there and almost all our systems are internet based. the busted probably never cleaned air con is also causing chest and eye problems for everyone, but all we hear is we are moving into a new building next year 🙄

I rest my case.

@Temptingspread Why are you so bothered about what other people do? Jealous?

Most people I know who wfh have Teams or similar so there's no way you can get away with being away from your desk for large amounts of time. You show as offline within minutes. My team is completely remote and productivity has increased since 2019. When all staff worked at the office there was too much chatting, wandering off to the canteen etc. Also pick ups and drop offs are allowed for those with kids. Shock , horror.

Honestly it's mad what people think
I work in a call centre and people seem to think we answer the calls manually and I'm away having a nap letting it ring
If I collapsed at home my manager would notice within 10 mins let alone go for a nap

Welcome to big school!

Your laundry, housework, deliveries and snoozing will have to wait. The old WFH gravy train couldnt last forever

^

Love this.

I did 22 years of big school... As I'm sure did many people on this thread. Learnt a lot. Especially that we've had enough of the 1% and their presenteeism, arse on seats for no good reason bollocks.

Then the delight of WFH was born. It can and will last.

I ain't going back.

I imagine there are different temptations and distractions when wfh though. Taking a turn round the garden, looking out of the window wondering what next door is having delivered, having yet another coffee, Quick Look at Mumsnet, having the telly on while you eat your lunch and maybe having 45 mins instead of 30 - all things you couldn’t do in an office where other people can see you.

^

Yup. It's great. Better than chatting with Tina from Accounts over a soggy egg sandwich at lunchtime

the office and home is the same for me with level of productivity I like a mix - I chat in the kitchen with people for ages at work and we all popping in and out to get teas and coffees - I go on lunches with a group sometimes! Pop out to gym classes,

we bail out after lunch for drinks on Fridays sometimes too!!

at home I do a bit of laundry and stuff in between work and sometimes a gym class or get a start in dinner !!

you can’t be fully productive the full 8 hours - whether it’s office or home there’s an amount of time you are not fully working for most people id think

No-one is entitled to work from home unless its in your contract/or policy at work. This will now be on my interview questions for new jobs.

However if your staff are just as productive with flexible working then why imply that they are lazy to make them come in more than they need to? Also hybrid working is now becoming an essential skill, and is more inclusive for people with impariments that prevent them from commuting.

Our FW policy has stated since the pandemic was over that we can work from outside the office on 2 days a week as long as it isn't detrimental to the business. Anything outside of that should be agreed in writing with HR. I also would be concerned if people were WFH and trying to do full time childcare as an option rather than taking leave. We have a couple of people who have their childcare requirements written into their contract.

The issue we have is that we have terrible managers who avoid confrontation, there is all sorts of piss taking going on at all levels that makes everyone look bad. My colleague works 4 days a week from home, and today when she was supposed to be in the office she messaged and said she overslept and is still in her PJs when she is supposed to be training someone.

Staff not wanting to come in for their 40% (should be 60% but we are limited on space). Staff not liking the day they’ve been given on the rota (rota is essential as we have too few desks). Staff not adding themselves onto the rota for extra days to make up their attendance, so when staff are on AL desks are sitting empty, despite some staff being on much less than 40%.

Influx of applications for reasonable adjustments, for all kinds of reasons, or reasons you can’t come in on a Friday which you would struggle to challenge (and you know must be untrue as you can see their flexi sheet and they never take more than 30 mins lunch on friday so would struggle to do said activity and travel there in this time.

Those are just a few things, there is much more. When seniors ever do any kind of engagement with staff, meeting chat gets taken over with office attendance. 40% in the office in my opinion is a good work life balance, and if your employer tells you to come in, surely you just do it? People are taking the P, and for managers, it becomes a nightmare to manage, when they’ve got their day job to do too. Life was far easier when everyone came in 5 days per week. We can’t return to that, as we have too little office space.

Benefits - increased colloboration. Things are sorted much easier in the office, you learn things by listening to conversations. I see that happening every day that i’m in the office (60% for me, as i like to practice what i preach). For new staff its about learning from your colleagues. I guess it depends what kind of work you do, we work in an ever changing environment and being in the office assists with keeping up. I don’t know how people expect our young people to learn their way in the corporate world when the old timers just want to work from home and cannot see any benefit to being in the office. Yet they never think of others, new starters, those not as knowledgable. That’s how things work in the corporate world, if everyone is at home so much of that learning, and connections you build from chats in the corridor is lost.