To ask if you (also) just ignore your "required" days in the office?

[Everythingisnumbersnow]

I am supposed to do two days. But the office is a minging hotdesk box full of coughing weirdos and the toilets are smeared with shit by 910am.

I can't do my job well in the office so I just don't go. I do manage people and they seem to appreciate the flexibility (half go into the office sometimes, half never do, we perform well).

Anyway it's been a real eye opener for the power of low key just defying silly rules.

Anyone else?

(If they cracked down I'd go elsewhere)

And btw op sounds goddamn awful, the exact stereotype of lazy public sector civil servant that we expect. Senior mgr? Good god

( and yes I’m aware there are some very hard working ones too before anyone says)

I work 3 days in the office and I can confirm that our office toilets are equally as bad. There are 2 cubicles in the ladies and most days it's a case of trying to decide which cubicle is the least 'decorated' of the 2. Ironically though there isn't this issue in the men's toilets.

Thankfully none of the offices I have ever worked in my 30+ year career have toilets like the OP describes.The only ones that come close are a recent visit to a hole in the ground one at an Italian ski resort that I hastily backed out of. Either OP is exceptionally unlucky, civil servants have disgusting personal habits, or she is embellishing the truth to make it oh so much more amusing.

DH is required to go in 3 days a week. He doesn't want to, so he makes a special point of cooking fish in the communal kitchens at lunchtime , which is good from my pov as it means he isn't doing it at home.

I think it's good to have a bit of flexibility. My team are in mixed locations and are only required to be in the office one day a month for an in person team meeting. However when I recently recruited I deliberately screened out people who lived far away and in the interview said that there was an expectation of being in the office 1-2 days per week. The newish start has said she really enjoys her office days and tries to arrange face to face meetings when she is in.

The reality is that everyone has different personal circumstances, but unless your contract specifically says WFH only, it's not unreasonable for employers to actually want to occasionally put a face to a pay check.

I work much longer than my hours and I'm responsible for a much bigger caseload than any of my peers. I work hard and effectively and I support my team... And I also prioritise my own well-being. It's not lazy to refuse presenteeism.

In the office I'd spend half my time looking for rooms for confidential conversations and the other half with noise cancelling headphones on trying to crunch complicated numbers.

@Everythingisnumbersnow

Are you SCS? How many people do you manage?

if you are completely self taught and have never learnt from your seniors maybe you should consider private sector? Sounds like you aren’t challenged in your role and you hate your colleagues. Earning potential is much greater in the private sector.

As they say, 'self praise is no recommendation'.

Working from home gives people, especially parents, much more flexibility. If people are running errands, doing school runs during the day but catching up on stuff later in the evening, that sounds fine.

However, as I have previously mentioned, I assume that you have a good working from home set up, e.g. a private room with a desk, work laptop, strong wifi, ability to afford to keep the heating on all day.

Some office workers don't have these advantages and struggled during lockdowns. Hybrid working with some staff in the office and some at home can be difficult for confidential meetings, 1:1s where junior staff are in a shared office and can't book meeting rooms.

You talk about being a better manager than other people, but your posts are very about the advantages for you and nothing about how well it works for your staff.

They don't pay me for charity. I am entitled to assert boundaries.

No but the top box in my annual appraisal every year isn't self praise.

My staff don't own my physical presence. I'm always available for a chat (more so than I could be in the office).

Not really outside London - I earn more than I'm likely to in the private sector and I don't have to be nice to clients.

I am entitled to assert boundaries.

Let me amend that for you "I am SELF entitled to assert boundaries."

I cross posted with your excellent post @Allergictoironing
I was going to make the same point about how on earth people managed when working your contracted hours at the workplace was the norm.

And so is your Employer. If their expectations are different to yours and the flexibility you require doesn't comprise part of your contract of employment, the Employer holds the trump card.

Our company is entirely WFH which is wonderful. I also hate presenteeism and think companies paying for an office which is expensive and rarely used is stupid.

however….in your situation I’d stick you on a disciplinary and if you don’t change, fire you. employees get enormously upset by perceived unfairness and your actions are undoubtedly annoying others who don’t see why you can just ignore whatever rules you see fit to ignore.

also if you are SCS you probably operate with a lot more autonomy than other folks in your workplace.

but also you have a responsibility to your team. If the working conditions really are that awful, why haven’t you don’t something about it?

@Allergictoironing makes lots of valid, interesting points (you don’t have to agree)

and your main takeaway is that she thinks people should be obedient??!

I get the impression OP that you aren’t interested in engaging with anyone with a different view, so why post? is this what you are like in the workplace?

and as much as I hate to say it, but ‘obedience’ ( aka following rules) can absolutely be desirable in many roles. Tax accountant is one. Armed services another. In fact, many where a team of people have to complete the same complex task.

i know TikTok would disagree

What you describe, your office, sounds horrible. I think in general the way forward is to think about office environment more. Not about abolishig offices alltogether.
Dont get me wrong, I dont like a lot of things about offices. Only manage because I have an office shared with one colleague who is there two times a week. But I need the interaction face to face with people, both workwise and social/MH wise.

Would you allow all your staff to permanently work from home, providing them with the equipment they needed to do so?

I assume that they must also hate the shitty toilets? As a senior manager, even one who is never on the premises, surely you are responsible for your team's wellbeing which would include making sure that the toilets are regularly inspected and cleaned?

This. Not everyone has the set up to work from home full time. I presume the likes of OP who want offices closed would be happy for DH to overhear my side every meeting I'm in as I work from the living room?

To be fair if I worked for OP I'd be happy she wasn't in the office with her negative attitude.

Mine is 1 day a month but I don't usually go in
Doesn't require networking, we don't have team meetings and my job is very much it can be done on my own

If no one’s noticed then I’d say crack on.

that is fair enough, but in this case, the post is meant to be hybrid, that is the arrangement, two days a week, not 5, just 2, in an office, but apparently people cough and disturbs the op, as well as have a poo in the morning, which the op never does

I think switch to a job where people know how to use a loo properly and there are more cleaners.

I hybrid work but mostly I choose to work in the office so Im usually there 4 out of 5 days. Our loos are fine. No issues whatsoever. Maybe its cos we have separate ladies and gents loos? I dont know.

But not boundaries that conflict with your working contract.

I've no idea how you're effectively managing your team when you are role modelling behaviour of 'rules don't apply to us'.

It is incredibly immature and shouts out that you've still got lots to learn.

Diva behaviour gets you so far, but only when it benefits the business. This behaviour is undermining.

shit happens

Are you a CS or do you work at an ALB? The minimum is 40% for delegates grades and 60% for SCS and Fast Streamers. Unless you’ve an exemption due to health or other valid reason, 0% is grounds for disciplinary.