Work announced a move from 2 days to 4 days

[Everanewbie]

Hi all. I'm looking for some suggestions of what avenues I might have.

I started a job just over a year ago. It is company that I worked for some time ago, but had to leave due to personal circumstances, which was with regret. I was thrilled to be offered the job. I applied and received the offer where I was told at both I was obligated to be in the office twice a week.

I left a job that was entirely remote (well, with the exception of trips in to London maybe once a month) to take up this role, accepting two days in person because I was excited by the role. Pay incidentally, is much the same, above the average, but only HRT if a decent bonus is paid. I now pay to park in a city centre twice a week and drive maybe 10 miles or so to get there.

I have child that is full time in nursery and my husband works long days. He is the main breadwinner in a job that is very well paid, think 6 figures, but only just. This means that I do the majority of nursery drop offs and pickups, however, he helps where his hours allow. We also have a dog. He is great at home on his own, but I only resort to that one day a week as a try to work my other day when my husband is off or on a shorter day.

So now, out of the blue, my firm have announced they expect people in the office 4 days per week. This will not work for me. Days will be too long, I'll be £60pw on parking, plus I will need to employ a dog walker 4 days a week. The salary no longer looks decent when you consider this.

I've heard about flexible working requests, and heard that these are considered on a case-by-case basis, but does any HR-y posters have any thoughts on the merits?

Would you be weighing up other options? Speaking to my manager, or holding my cards close to my chest?

I really don't want to leave this job, but I don't have the energy to be a mum and husband to do this, and the salary will no longer be competitive.

The OP hasn't said she's looking after her children whilst working. She's said WFH enabled her to do drop off and pick ups.

As someone that works in HR "playing the health card" is not going to work here and is actually really bloody offensive to people with actual health conditions. For one thing to accommodate reasonable adjustments OP would need to have an assessment with an Occupational Health Nurse and/or Access to Work.

@Everanewbie if your location is the office in your contract then your employer is entitled to request you in the office as many days as they wish. In reality, most organisations don't want to completely alienate all of their employees. I agree with others, don't mention your dog.... that's your problem to sort out. In your situation I would present the offer in writing that stipulated two days a week and submit a flexible working request saying you accepted the role because of the two days a week in the office. They could still say no, in which case you may need to vote with your feet but perhaps consider a compromise and offer to be in the office three days per week.

I think it puts you in a really difficult position and I don’t envy you. Yes, your employer has the right to change the goalposts - nobody is saying they don’t. But you wouldn’t have accepted the job on these terms.

And actually, I know a lot of people who WFH in order to work around school runs (with employer’s knowledge and permission). Our school has very limited wraparound care (by which I include after school club and childminders) so without that or family support, you’re going to struggle.

It's annoying for you. So check your contract. But honestly who would be an employer having to deal with requests from folk to work from home because they've got a dog.

What is the penalty for not doing it?

Op can I ask what will holding your cards close as you say achieve? How will this help in anyway ? You need to ask the question in order to move forward surely?

No don't play the health card unless you have a chronic condition / disability - it just makes it harder for those of us who do.

OP - a couple of other suggestions that people haven't said (it's good to consider everything) - could you drop your hours so your extra in-person days are shorter to allow you to still do the nursery drop-off / pick-ups? Or if you don't want to reduce your hours, work slightly longer on your existing office / home days to make up those hours?

Thanks for your post. A dog walker would be, what £15 per day? Add that to my £11 parking, whatever the petrol is, and I'm working the first hour or more to cover my costs. I would never have left my previous role for that set up. I realise other people pay for their costs, but hey, some people get final salary pensions, company cars, private medical insurance and so on. You deal with your conditions and most would be annoyed if any of those things were taken away on a whim.

The flexible working may be an option for my husband, however, I'm not sure if you've worked in the NHS, but a year 1 consultant doesn't really get to throw their weight around like that. Besides, the goalposts were fixed for him, its my company that are shifting things.

My employer (large professional services firm in London) has required us to be in 3 days a week since the pandemic, but they do entertain flexible working requests.

I know someone who works 4 days a week and does 2 days in the office, 2 from home, and someone else who does mornings in the office then travels to and works from home so she is there when her teen gets home from school.

Reasons they are sympathetic to for flexible working requests are childcare/caring responsibilities, or health related issues (which may or may not it stray into reasonable adjustments for disability). I doubt the dog thing would be considered but that said we are doing that stupid bring your dog to work thing so who knows. (sorry, am not a dog-lover).

Reasons they are not sympathetic to:

• the fact you may have a long and/or expensive and/or inconvenient commute (unless this feeds into the caring responsibilities point).
• any suggestion that you work just as well or better at home.

I don’t know if other employers take the same approach or not.

I would ask for a permanent flexible working arrangement in the first instance. There should be guidance online about how to frame this. I would refer to the fact that you joined on the understanding you could work 2 days a week but try not to sound whiny about it (not saying you would, just saying it’s possible).

So say you joined on this understanding and on that basis you can make your childcare responsibilities work. But that you understand the business landscape has changed and that companies are increasingly understanding the benefits of in-office working. Unfortunately this doesn’t work for you but if you are happy to explore ways in which you can increase collaboration with colleagues even if you continue to WFH as you are now. And try to come up with some suggestions.

You can ask for flexible working, but when your DH is earning over 100k arguing about 2 days extra parking and a dog walker won’t look good. You’d need to focus on difficulty in collecting your child, if there is one. Problem with hybrid is it can always change and many moving back to 60-80% attendance

Good advice.

I completely understand OP.

I live 2 hours each way from my current company and when I was interviewed I was told my team worked remotely (this was post-Covid) and that I would only need to come in the office for quarterly staff meetings and the odd event. This is the main reason why I took the job (for the flexibility as I have a long term health condition) and the pay is not great.

6 months later, once I had passed my probation, I was told by my manager to come in once a month to 'show my face' then a couple of weeks later she said I should be in once a week. My contract stated hybrid working.

I absolutely refused to come in once a week because 4 hours just to 'show my face' when you have disability is ludicrous and would make zero financial sense as the one and only perk of my job was the initial flexible working.

I would make a request to HR to keep your current arrangement and if they refuse I would consider finding a different job.

Tell them you accepted the role based on a 2 day office attendance and that you are unable to agree with the sudden change to your usual work pattern.

Frankly if your husband as a well paid job I would leave if they refuse your request and find something closer to home/more flexible.

They're not changing the terms of the OP's contract but they are moving the goalposts, albeit informally.

OP, I'd draft a flexible working request focusing on business needs. Say what you've said here: the people you/your work could benefit from collaborating with won't actually be there.

But the Ts and Cs of your contract didn't have the WFH in it.....

Hi OP,

I work in a HR role for a large company and was involved in setting our hybrid policy and what would be considered a valid exception.

In the FAQ’s circulated it was made very clear that childcare and pet related issues were not valid reasons for being granted an exception to the policy. However, with the former, if a temporary period of time was needed to make new arrangements then this would be granted- so I think the above suggestion to request a temporary exception is your best bet, but I’d be surprised if it was granted for longer than 3 months.

It is frustrating, I’m hybrid and would be annoyed too - but it’s always the risk and your employer pay your salary at the end of the day so can essentially do what they want unless legally dodgy!

I wish you well.

@Swapozorro @noctilucentcloud thanks for your posts. I do have a mild health condition that I could lean on, but I have never done that and never will. Exaggerating a health issue for personal benefit is a pretty crappy thing to do.

And thanks @noctilucentcloud for your ideas. That may be a point to talk about.

DH was a GP when DT’s were at nursery but still did nursery and school drop offs. Many others in the NHS will be working under a flexible working request.

I get why you are annoyed about this OP - I think it’s something people need to be really wary of and if it’s an integral part of why you would accept a job it needs to be contractual- I can’t tell you the number of people who moved to 2 and 3 hours away for cheaper housing and a different lifestyle around pandemic time and now find they are expected in to the office 3 and 4 times a week rather than the permanent wfh they thought would stay - but nothing contractual!! It’s an expensive lesson unless you can walk into something more local paying similar

I myself found out many years ago when 7 months pregnant that the whole department was moving from Bankside London to Woking ( and we lived in north London) - so basically I had to go back to Woking for 8 weeks ( with a 13 week old - those were the days of very short maternity leave) whilst hunting for a new job back in London -

There's your answer. You have been naive in thinking the two days in would last forever. 4 days in is still hybrid. Check the exact wording of the offer, etc.

Thank you so much for this. Excellent suggestions.

Good, objective advice here. https://www.acas.org.uk/flexible-working

It’s getting more difficult with wfh in many places now I think…my place is pushing for more days in the office.

I’m a temp so am leaving soon as I’ve covered sickness leave but I’d not like the new regime…

No one is happy to move to 4 days at my place but bosses said leave if you don’t like it…

He's an hour away and a first year consultant at a hospital that is an hour commute away. He generally does a 2-3 of the 10 nursery drop offs/ pick ups per week, sometimes more if clinics end early. As upsetting as it might be, this will end up with me retaining the status quo, or me looking elsewhere. Luckily, my skills are reasonably in demand, and I will certainly want arrangements in a contract.

As you have an email stating that your job would be hybrid with 2 days in the office only and you accepted on those conditions, I believe that does form part of your contract. (Even with actual contract stating office is main working place). To make any changes to your contract the company would have to negotiate with you.
If they would compromise would you maybe do 3 days in the office.
Could you ask what has changed for them to change WFH/office based arrangements.
If, as you say colleagues you need to liaise with aren't even in the office, what is the business need/reason for you being in the office.

Very tricky, but ultimately your contract is what stands. Why didn’t you ask for the WFH aspect to be included in your contract before you signed it? I have someone in my team who lives 2 hours away and hates coming into the office because of the commute. It’s as if he didn’t know where the office was when he took the job… I think there’s going to be an increasing trend towards more days in the office as people realise WFH allows for a lot of skiving!