To be unhappy with this hybrid work policy?

[HybridWorker]

Office has started enforcing 2 days a week in office. Fine.

The part I'm unhappy about is what happens if a company holiday or sick day, etc falls on on of your usual in-office days. You're supposed to make it up by coming in a different day of the week. They say that's "fair and flexible". The trouble is, my wraparound childcare that enables my commute is definitely not "fair and flexible" in the same way. With my childcare, I'm signed up for Thursdays and Fridays as a permanent arrangement, and that's just the way it is.

I will find a way to work around it. I'm just unhappy that it seems like unneeded stress. I think some other workplaces don't make you make up days off that are out of the office, but I'm not sure.

YABU = That's fair, you should just go into the office a different day and/or my work makes us do this.

YANBU = That's not nice, and/or my work doesn't make us do this.

Our place is dictating in office 2 days per week. I'm only 0.75 FTE (spread over 5 days) so my LM is happy for me to go in 1 day and is very flexible. Would never demand what your employers are talking about

@redskydarknight I think you are over worrying. How many company days and sick days will there be in reality? And on average 3/5 of them will fall on days that you are at home anyway.

I agree. I am completely overworrying.😂 It just bothers me, so I wondered how other companies are doing it.

HMRC?

No, they only started enforcing it a few months ago, and only made this clarification about making up non-working office days a few weeks ago.

Last year, I had permission from my boss to be out for 10 minutes in the afternoon to pick up my son from school on my WFH days, so I picked him up. (We live directly opposite the school, so I really did only need 10 minutes. Yes, I know I was lucky.)

I dropped him off, and still do, on WFH days, as I can do that and still be working by 9. (He is allowed to walk to school by himself, but doesn't want to, so I go with him, since I can.)

Can your son just let himself in if this happens? Sounds super rare and you have a great deal already being allowed to flex your time and still do school pickups. We aren't allowed to be working while caring for our children so my kids have after school club even on the days we are home.

That’s what I do too. I pay for 4 days of wraparound and that allows me to be flexible for the 2 days I need to be in the office. It’s not your employer’s fault that your childcare arrangements are different. You need to make the arrangements work for the job you have. My kids are not wild about wraparound care either (who is?!) but that’s what it takes for me to do my job so I do it.

We’re supposed go in twice a week but the reality is that those with caring responsibilities make it work for them and the rest of us aren’t bothered as we’ve, mostly, all been there. Also, some weeks we go in 3 times and some weeks one. I think hybrid my definition is supposed to be flexible. Generally as long as the work is getting done and no-one taking the piss then no one cares.

I do think my team work better when we get to be physically in the same place though so I can see why companies are making people go back.

As your DS is 11, I would keep quiet about this. If it ever did happen then either have a discrete word with your line manager- I suspect if you go in as required normally they won't make you make up the time, or as your DS is 11 and he should be ok as a one off to be home alone for a couple of hours at that age, and certainly should be ok on a semi regular basis once he is in secondary school.