To think you shouldn't have to work in the office on Christmas Eve?

[oliverwe]

I work in an office environment. Some people work from home fully remotely, most people are in the office 3-4 days a week. My manager has decided that we must come in 5 days a week. That is minus him and other managers of course, who usually go to their country houses for long weekends.

My folk live in Cornwall and I'd like to go and see them for Christmas. It's about 6 hours on the train or driving.

Manager has told me he expects me in the office on Christmas Eve. I can't take annual leave as other people are. AIBU to think I shouldn't need to be in the office? I can and used to work from home so it's just grinch behaviour.

I used to work Christmas Day and NYE/NYD and didn't bat an eyelid over it. Christmas Eve is just another day for many?

Christmas Eve is a normal working day.

Whether you work from home or the office is a different matter. What does your contract say?

He’s an arsehole. Even before COVID I was able to travel for Christmas and work remotely over the Christmas period.

Call in sick instead.

You can’t work from home and drive to Cornwall simultaneously.

Why do you think your employer might be discouraging WFH, other than just grinch behaviour?

I think if you can work remotely then yes, he's a grinch. Flexibility pays dividends.

It’s rubbish but a normal working day for most. Some of my friends are lucky to finish a couple of hours early.

How were you going to "work from home" and drive to Cornwall at the same time? There is a reason boses are cracking down on WFH especially at times when people are maybe not doing the work part of working from home.

He is being mean. NYE should be a half day anyway

If you're home working then you're not driving to Cornwall correct? Unless your commute to the office is exceptionally long I don't really know what difference it makes.

I’d be looking for a new employer. Can’t stand behaviour like that from managers to be honest, if the role can be flexible for working location then why not allow it.

I'd get the train after work on the Monday...

I don't know why it isn't a bank holiday tbh. My favourite employer had it as an extra staff holiday ( we already got far more leave than the minimum too)

If you can work remotely, this is just petty and unreasonable. No way do I expect any of my team in the office on Christmas Eve.

I’ve always worked in the office in Christmas Day. It’s not a special day, but a normal working day.

You say it takes six hours to get to your parents. If you were wfh, were you planning to leave after work (and get there at midnight) or finish early? If finishing early, maybe that’s why they want people in the office…?

I assumed she meant she could travel outside of working hours, then login from Cornwall on Christmas Eve and not have to think about doing it afterwards to be there for Christmas Day.

People will go on and on about how it’s just another working day, but the reality is for many offices there is barely any work to do, and it’s just a massive waste of time to be sitting in an office.

If he’s WFH that day, then he’s being a twat.

Then people will be expecting the 23rd off so they can travel instead?

Ok so you were planning on working from your parents house on Christmas Eve? I can imagine your boss thinking whilst people will be logging on to work not that much work would be getting done. I have no idea how conscientious you are but a lot of people would absolutely take the Mick with this set up.

You choose to take a job which might inconvenience you over xmas, which now looks like it will.

Resign, and find another role that fits into your demands.

He's a Grinch, we are a dispersed team and technically hybrid but almost all of us WFH all the time. Most will travel to family at the weekend before Christmas and will work from their parents homes etc as they often do for a week or two in the summer too. We finish at 12 on Christmas eve anyway so I'll be working in the office in our city for that one and doing some last minute Christmas shopping.

Manager lost my sympathy when asking you to do something he doesn't do. And also as a second home owner.

Look for a new job in the new year if not already, and when you leave, make it very clear why.

It's a working day. full stop.

Pretty sure no one would believe she's sick.

I don’t think you’re being entirely unreasonable, because why are the managers not also in the office?

Christmas Eve is a normal working day. I always work it, and there’s no finishing early either.

Why? It's a normal working day.