My manager is making me come in the office 4days a week

[Lavendar01]

Since beginning of my role (which was coming out of covid), I've been hybrid working 3days in the office and 2days wfh. I had my own office but had to give it up for other staff that were in full time. Manger agreed for me to wfh and come in once a week - worked perfect!

In my recent supervision manager said he wants me in 4days a week "business need" and that there will be a room available to share with a couple of other staff. I've gone in and that room isn't set up, currently its dusty with extra office furniture/ equipment, basically being used storage room for now. I made a point to my manager and said could I continue wfh until the room is sorted, he refused and said to set up in that room somewhere in the corner for now.

AIBU here thinking I am within my right to refuse to be there until I have a proper work station set up, as required for my role? Not to mention sitting in an empty room for 8 hours with no interaction effects my mental wellbeing

We are only wanted in the workplaces because there is less being spent on public transport, in coffee shops/food vans, on all the things we are blamed for eating.

Well, that and all the research showing that people are much less productive at home.

I believe that initial studies showed that people were slightly more productive when wfh over lockdown but it's now completely reversed.

I would really resent having to work in an office just so my 'presence is felt'. If there is no need for you to collaborate with other people, it's ridiculous - if their productivity is low, the knowledge that you're sitting in a cupboard will do little and you are right, it's their managers' jobs to deal with it.

I'd look for another job if it were possible, negotiating a hybrid working pattern that works for you but if that's not doable, at least working for a company that values you as a human. What's the job market like in your sector/specialism?

I own my own business, by the way, and employ people. This isn't an entitled wfh-er speaking. It's someone that recognises bullshit management.

@Ponoka7 - if you have a personal pension then you are one of the people who's investments rely on people being back in the office. Commercial property investments are a big part of many pension portfolios and if this sector goes under a lot of people will suffer - not just "those at the top"

If you're already going into the office 3 days per week, will it make much difference to your employer if you go in for an extra day? I really don't agree with presenteeism either, and am grateful that my employer (public sector) is heavily union-ised and they fight this sort of nonsense. But as other posters have said, your employer does hold all the cards, and I'm wondering if there's any room for negotiation? Or agree to come in 4 days, make no fuss, but in practice only do 3 days if you think you can get away with it?

It's unrealistic to suggest you would never interact with other people when you are in the office: quite apart from seeing people when you go to the kitchen or bathroom, you must have interactions with your boss, meetings etc. You can't expect the firm to set things up so that you can chat to your husband when you want to. Anyway it sounds as if they plan to put other people in the room with you shortly.

So similar to my situation. No protected characteristics. We’ve challenged it and manager is supportive. HR still considering the challenge but in the meantime they have agreed flexibility for a couple of people who live a long distance away - they are allowed to go back to the once a month, but not those of us who live closer. As geographical distance from the office was never a stipulation of working from home this seems unreasonable to me and muddies the waters further.

An employee shouldn't be made to clear or dust a storage area just to be able to come into the office more often. That is on the management to ensure there are enough desks and suitable chairs available. Otherwise, any injuries occurred from moving furniture and sitting on unsuitable chairs etc. can be claimed against the company.
I work from home with a reasonable adjustment to do so, and if you're already set up at home with the proper equipment, I can see the OP's resentment here.

You honestly don't see that all those odd half-hours and hours off to keep an eye on the boiler engineer, go to the dentist or health centre, pick up the children from school quickly add up to a couple of days off work over a month? You don't understand that in order to employ you and pay you, a business has to make enough money to do so.

I was last office-based in 2008. Back then I was expected to organise routine dental and health appointments for first or last thing each day and take no more than 30 minutes off for them (and make it up over lunch) or to take a morning or afternoon's leave.

Bear in mind this may not be your manager's decision but come from higher up. He may (or may not) agree with it.
As for preparing your own workspace, my background in academia and small companies means I'm very used to dusting a desk, even moving desks and chairs around, as there is no one else to do such things!

Your contract should have a normal place of work, or base, or address.

Personally, I’d work to rule whilst looking for another job.
The days of treating your employees like shit & them accepting it have long passed.

It’s less the move to office working, and more the fact that a suitable desk hasn’t been provided that would send me in that direction. It’s an ill thought through plan - a knee jerk reaction almost.

Show a bit of a can do attitude OP!!

i don’t think this is great approach.

Working to rule for OP seems to be coming in three days a week?

Also presumably she wants a good reference. Why trash your professional reputation when looking for a new job?

I agree that is the working arrangements don’t suit then look elsewhere - but people talk and reputations can be lost so quickly. Is this a close knit industry OP? Do you work in a specialist role?

It sounds like they aren't going to change what they want and you'll be unhappy if you stay.
In this situation I look for a new job rather than fighting it. I'd go along with what they want for now, whilst looking for a new fully remote role or a better hybrid set up. Handing the notice in can be so satisfying.

Well said. I’m thankful I only go into the office one a month. I could stretch to once a week but no more than that based on the fact I don’t drive and I’m sick to the back of teeth of expensive and unreliable trains! My team is all over the Uk so I don’t work with or recognise most in my local office anyway.

I am so also way healthier now I’m not tempted by the various coffee shops etc I pass by on my way to work. Make my own coffee for a lot cheaper using my filter coffee and milk foamer and it tastes pretty good. Don’t miss buying overpriced Starbucks to warm myself up when I hear a train has been cancelled again and I’m freezing out in the cold or train.

Been working from home since 7am today and currently on a coffee break. Also managed to get some exercise in before I started. It’s definitely better for me.

Of course WFH works for you - you can do chores, pop out, don’t need to dress up, no supervision..

If you don’t want to be in the office 4 days per week, find a new job! It isn’t an unreasonable request to move you back in.

Also, why can’t you just set up the office to your liking yourself?

The usual race to the bottom in some of these replies...

• The OP should not have to clear/clean up a room so she can have a space to work. It is the employer's responsibility to give you an appropriate workstation and to do a DSE assessment.

• OP, email your manager and copy HR and make it clear you need the space to be cleared and made safe before you can work there.

• In term of days in the office you could try to make an official flexible working request asking to keep your 2 days working from but it might be difficult unless you have a disability/health condition that can be used to justify this reasonable adjustments.

• Ultimately you might want to look at finding a new job that offers more wfh opportunities.

As usual I am surprised by how many people are so negative about WFH and as usual I assume it is people who resent not having the opportunity to WFH themselves or crap managers who want everyone on site for an ego boost...

Please don’t play the mental
health card… 🥱

This. @Lavendar01 call ACAS and explain in detail the working/office conditions and they can advice if the work are meeting their health and safety requirements.

I got a former employer into hot water, as we had moved to a new location and they tried to get the younger and/or junior members of staff such as me to clear conference /private working rooms which involved hauling boxes and moving furniture. That as not our job at all, we had desk jobs in a creative agency.

It was a clear health and safety risk as they well knew but banked on the junior staff not speaking up.

In terms of having to work in the office more unfortunately there’s probably nothing you can do about that (once they sort the office space out for you ) except find a new role.

Time to start looking around.
Are you easily replaced by this employer?

Set the office up to how you want it instead of complaining

I can’t believe people are saying OP should sort out the room. That’s not her job and she shouldn’t be taking time away from her actual tasks to do it. It’s someone else’s job and they need to do it so she can come in.

Has the manager explained what the business need is which means you need to start coming in more?

where have you been working on the 3 days a week you have been going into the office? can't you just continue working there?

I hate that we are forced to come back into office to worse conditions than before covid. We used to have 2 person offices with electric desks, 2 screens and all that jazz. Now we are hotdesking (pre-booking online) in 35 person open office without screens. So I'm just sitting there with my laptop with tons of other people having their own meetings and phonecalls. They still havent installed wifi so also need to share the internet from phone. Whereas I could be home alone in my private office with a good chair, desks and 2 screens.

I'm looking for jobs so would love there to be a definition of "hybrid" cause some employers really love to claim they are hybrid when it really is not. I'm sorry, but being allowed to wfh once a month or if there is some force majoure does not make it hybrid.