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?

I would be interested to see how long people remained in employment if they took this stance, and unless your contract says wfh the unions can do nothing.

We are currently in an employers market . Feel free to work to rule but be aware there are many people looking for jobs happy to come into the office and work for less than someone who has been there a number of years.

We're really not. There are both skills and labour shortages in the UK.

The fact is, it varies hugely. Some people are sufficiently desirable and in short supply that they can enforce things their employer doesn't want. Other people have less autonomy. It depends.

The problem with any discussion of remote working is that too many people can't resist wildly generalising.

Indeed. What I do is a bit niche so I wouldn’t expect to have to take a full time in office role.

I’m going through similar at moment OP. We’ve gone from 1 day in the office to 2 and now they want 3 from next month with no exceptions (unless medically approved) and their only reasoning is pretty much ‘because we say so’.

Our HOD presented an entire document of full stats showing productivity actually went up when we were WFH which the board refused to even read and just replied that this is the policy and it must be adhered to.

I think the tide is turning and as it gains critical mass, employers won't fear bringing people back into the office more for fear of losing staff to competitors as everyone else will be doing it too.

I hate being in the office full time, 3 days is my limit, and I had thought that post pandemic, hybrid working was here to stay.

@Zanatdy The company I work for generally have enough space for a high office attendance. It is expected for each employee to attend the office 2 days per week, anyone not adhering to this will be expected to make the office hours up.

Although a few would prefer to fully work from home, myself included, we just get on with what is expected from us. I see it as a privilege being able to do any hours WFH as do the others.

My company made it very clear that the privilege will be taken away from anyone not complying to the rules and everyone seems to respect that.

There are plenty advantages that WFH has brought to companies, certainly ours. Sickness has definitely reduced, where someone might not be up to coming into the office they may well feel well enough to log on at home.

I understand your point regarding new starters, however we have a great teams set up with each team part of a group chat. Any queries anyone has can pop it in the chat and someone always responds pretty much instantly.

On the occasion we have new starters, the training is always completed in the office with the trainer. Once they are fully up to speed then WFH can commence and we have regular video meetings with any new team members so there is the familiarity there if you are in the office at the same time.

We obviously work in different environments, it works for us, its being managed really well and efficiently, staff are respectful of the rules and repsonse is quick for any queries over teams chat.

Lol so if sarcastically intended or not, what SM portrays is true then? Of course, having time at home means u get to do much more stuff, some of it pleasurable, and work a bit inbetween orgasms and housework?

I understand but non office workers also have the same circumstances and no choice. My commutes are often long depending on where I have to go and I don't get petrol money, have to pay for childcare so overall my earnings for the day are sometimes lower than minimum wage.

Of course but during covid times it was so difficult to be able to have a phone call answered and this continues. So much being on hold, no matter 8am, 11am, 3pm. We've got used to not having a call answered during our lunch break, which is the only time we can do it due to office hours.

Do you work for the same place I do 😂?

I worked in one department from starting where WFH was allowed 2/3 days a week for a full day and could be used however you needed to. Nothing was ever said about it being anything else and everyone did it.

I moved departments to a very similar role where it was the same - I scheduled in WFH days twice a week, which would be in my diary so anyone could see and activity could be monitored by seeing you online / your notes on the system checked. Never took the p but it was always easier to have client phone calls/write up notes or reports or pop between visits to them from home. Anywhere I went was diarised with access given to my manager.
It seemed pointless to travel to work for just admin I could do at home and I have ADHD so find it hard to concentrate sometimes!

Out of nowhere they recently told us we couldn’t have sole WFH days anymore and we’d need to be in the office more as ‘people’ were monitoring things. WFH days weren’t acceptable unless permission sought. Made me feel quite mistrusted and has made me reconsider the job as I could plan WFH days around childcare drop offs/collections (much nearer my home than work) whereas now it hits my flexi so I have to work later other days.

I’ve been told the solution to my concentration/ADHD is to go and work in a separate room with no one else in, by myself but still at work, rather than just saying I can have WFH time 🙈

I understand but non office workers also have the same circumstances and no choice

That's unfortunately true. Let's hope those jobs can survive.

My employer has been very keen to encourage working from home, to the point I had to fight a little to avoid it (doesn't suit me, personally).

Your best bet would be to approach this formally. Indicate that you wish to maintain WFH for admin days, that they won't be fixed as you are very flexible with their requirements but on days when there are no meetings etc you would like to work from home. Evidence that you have done this and that it has made no impact to your role. What's the worst they can do? And I suspect your line manager doesn't want the weekly admin!

Have a look at the Equality Act and see if a request for flexible or hybrid working can be made on any of the grounds maybe?

Employers don’t have to allow employees to wfh but they do have to comply with legislation.

We have seen an increase in employees making formal requests linked to medical conditions or caring responsibilities since the wfh policy became hybrid, 50% and fixed days in office (as we lost some office space to cut costs).

Its resulted in an increased workload for managers to process, fewer people picking up emails outside core contracted hours, a general air of disgruntlement and less collaboration, willing to help out etc. All of which has hit productivity.

And we’re struggling to recruit.

But you know Elon Musk says everyone should be in the office and he’s such a great guy so let’s follow suit.

”I’ve been told the solution to my concentration/ADHD is to go and work in a separate room with no one else in, by myself but still at work, rather than just saying I can have WFH time 🙈”

Sillybear - this is almost word for word the solution presented at Equality/Disability Act training I went to recently, by the trainer (herself someone with a significant disability).

Find a better employer who is less focused on presenteeism would be my advice.

I'm not at all surprised @Decisionsdecisions1! Many has been the employer who had a nasty surprise when they tried to recruit people with shortage skills and an expectation of substantial office time.

This! A lot of us have always had to be at our work place and also are paid min wage so have to pay to commute, take unpaid leave for dr’s appointments etc.
Just because measures are brought in during a global pandemic, doesn’t mean that they have to stay. I agree that it is a privilege to be able to WFH, have flexible working. I do feel for people who took jobs post covid and are now having to go back into the office but for others who were at the office pre covid and accepted the job on those terms, I don’t really have as much sympathy. I noticed a previous post from a teacher, would you all be happy to go back to your children having remote learning, as happened during covid, so that teachers can have more flexibility?
A lot of customer service has been terrible since Covid and WFH.

There are a loooooooot of reasons why customer service has got worse over the last 5 years. People just tend to latch onto remote working because it's the one they're most aware of.

Also, while large scale pandemics do often lead to social change, there was very much a trend towards more remote working anyway, I posted stats upthread from the ONS showing that millions were doing it in 2019. Lockdown accelerated an existing trend, which is another reason why widespread remote working isn't going anywhere.

Your teacher example is a bad one because there are clearly some jobs that need to be done face to face. However, as we're having problems recruiting teachers, I'm happy for them to be paid more and conditions generally improved in order to get the recruits we need. Which includes things they already have a better deal on than my remote working self, like pensions and sick pay. It's a shame that can't be said of most MNers complaining about poor customer service from remote workers. Ask them how much more they're willing to pay to get office based call centre staff and listen to the crickets and/or spluttering.

Can you look for another job? I think it really depends on the industry whether or not people are required to come in. Some companies are pushing to come back and some are staying flexible, it really just depends. If it's the norm in your industry to have more flexibility, look for something new. I know I would never go back to commuting, I don't have kids or a specific reason to have to be at home, but everyone deserves a work life balance so don't think it should just revolve around that.

We have seen an increase in employees making formal requests linked to medical conditions or caring responsibilities since the wfh policy became hybrid, 50% and fixed days in office (as we lost some office space to cut costs).
Its resulted in an increased workload for managers to process, fewer people picking up emails outside core contracted hours, a general air of disgruntlement and less collaboration, willing to help out etc. All of which has hit productivity.
And we’re struggling to recruit.

@Decisionsdecisions1 so with the above in mind, is your employer reconsidering its position?

Indeed! I don't get paid any expenses for my commute or parking. Getting DC up extra early to drop off at breakfast club for 8am isn't pleasant at all.

I'm a teacher and during covid had to do my job remotely, which was actually a break from dealing with the normal behaviour issues and faff that goes with every lesson, but had my own DC doing work and the help needed. We did have a rota to go in to school wearing masks etc to look after key workers' children and then when rules were relaxed we were back as normal but with face shields and masks, lines drawn on carpets to segregate, yeah right oh! Most teenagers were great about it but the usual few used it to taunt and say you can't cross that line and do anything and tan amok. Call SLT and same rebuke, ha you can't touch me.

It wasn't easy being a Mum and teacher at the same time.

Thursday - no they aren’t. It’s a huge org (think 20k+ employees) and not all depts are struggling to recruit to be fair.
They’re absolutely fixated on in office presenteeism - it’s like a mantra all managers are told to repeat.

We’ve had people with the perfect skill set apply and decline when offered the role, due to the hybrid working. It’s literally like ‘here’s what you could have had’.