Hybrid is now 4 days no flexibility

[Abby23]

The US multinational I work for has mandated all UK employees back to the office for at least 4 days a week. It was 3 days before. I’m gutted. I took this job 3 years ago having moved from my previous role that was 2 days hybrid. I’d been there for over 10 years.
My commute is 2 hours into Canary Wharf (ie 4 hours round trip minimum). The cost is another matter but that’s ok. I’m a single parent with a young teenager I have to leave at home at 6am when I leave for work, I’m not back till at least 7 pm. She makes her way to/from school but I feel so guilty. I get home and I’m exhausted. BTW, my teenager is going through an AdHd/autism assessment and does not particularly like school. Her behaviour can best be described as challenging.
Has anyone had to deal with this transition?. If so, did you embrace it?. I have asked my boss if I can apply for an exemption so I continue doing 3 days in the office due to my commute plus family commitments. Still awaiting a response,
I don’t want to sound precious because most people did 5 days in the office before Covid. But, I do feel so deflated and stressed about it as I really love my job. Unfortunately, I’m seriously thinking of looking elsewhere.
I do wonder if some companies do this to reduce staff numbers. We have just concluded a huge restructure..
would be grateful to hear people’ s comments.
thank you

AIBU to feel deflated?

Yes very annoying.

Time to look for a new job if it no longer suits you.

The problem is that some employees ruin a good thing for everyone else by either

• refusing to coming in to the office at all
• refusing to come in to the office the mandated 3 days per week
• lowering their productivity significantly on their days at home

Ideally employers would just sack the above and keep it at 3 days for everyone else.

And yes, they do use the 4 days mandate as a tactic to weed out the non-attenders.

Yes it sounds like they might be wanting to shed employees and this is one way to do it.
I think most employers write into the contact that they can make your role fully office based at any time.
Its your choice whether to look for another job.

Some companies are so short sighted, I think you'll just have to look for something else really.

Yes I think some companies do it to reduce numbers.

Yes I’d look elsewhere. No harm in looking. I moved jobs in a similar situation and now I have a hybrid contract and am paid more - I hadn’t realised what else was out there.
For jobs that can be done with 2-3 days at home and 2-3 days in the office, a lack of flexibility and hybrid working is, in my opinion, a sign of old fashioned management who are also bad managers that need someone in front of them in order to manage them, and a presenteeism culture. So it’s just not somewhere I’d be clamouring to work.

is this a change to your contract? Or was it an agreement for 3 days in the office? Can you put in a flexible working request? It might be you have to look elsewhere, I would assume if they did a recent restructure this is part of a business needs review rather than to reduce headcount further.

I think YABU to mention your commute because it was your choice to take a hybrid job that was so far away from home.

Equally there is no way I’d commute four hours a day so I’d be looking for something else ASAP.

I disagree. Commuting that distance 3x a week is very different to 5. Which is the direction they’re heading in.

OP I would submit a flexible working request formally. Essentially they will need to provide a business reason to deny it. They might still, but if this is an exercise to drop heads, you can at least have supporting evidence already.
I think it’s really disingenuous of employers to use hybrid working / flexible working as a nugget to get people through the door & then changing their minds. Personally, I’d be requesting a pay increase to account for the uplift in travel expenses too.

@JustMyView13 I mean, I I wouldn’t be commuting for four hours a day for any amount of days a week - that’s just insane to me.

She’s also not being asked to go in 5x a week - it’s just one extra day.

My commute is at least 4 hours a day and I do 1/2 days in the office, if they upped it I’d have to leave and find something else. I drive though, I’d find a train commute nicer as less ‘wasted’ hours more time for reading , life admin etc.

Yes it sounds like they might be wanting to shed employees and this is one way to do it.

This is probably true but it's stupid of the employer because they won't be losing their worst employees, they'll probably lose their best ones as those will be the ones who find a better option quickest.

Citi Bank? I’d be tempted to look elsewhere, but… I guess they pay really well.

Citi Bank? I’d be tempted to look elsewhere, but… I guess they pay really well.

I would look for another role closer to home. Those hours are a lot when you’ve a teen with additional needs at home with the potential to be a school refuser. I’d want to make sure I was getting her up and off to school as much as I could.

Four hours commute? Madness. If you want to stay you will probably have to do what management say. Personally I would be looking for another job.

Yes for now it’s 4 days.
But it was 3.
It won’t be long before 4 becomes 5.

Will you find it easy to get another job?

You don’t know that.

But if it does then she can find a new job, which is what I’d be doing anyway as that commute is just ridiculous.

Agree with the suggestion to submit a flexible working request. If they decline a request for 3/2 then you could try to negotiate something like you recognise that there might be ordinary service need for 4 days onsite, however would like to request that in weeks where it’s compatible with service need you can work from home for additional days with agreement. That might at least get you a bit more flex while you consider your options and it is harder to say no to as it already recognises that you’ll meet service need first.

ETA if there aren’t core hours you could also ask for flexibility over start / finish times.

That’s a horrible commute. If your request is refused I’d look elsewhere. It’s a shame, the lazy are spoiling WFH for everyone. I agree they are looking to shed staff.

Just with the challenges you currently face at home, is this work/life balance doable? Is the father involved with care?

I’m not sure I understand. We all knew hybrid working was likely a temporary arrangements. In my eyes you have a few options:

1. do as they ask
2. reduce your working hours to get a better life balance
3. find another job

A job for life is a thing of the past, people move around all the time now. Perhaps it’s time to find a job closer to home.

@warmapplepies which is fair enough. But the jobs market is tough. Hence the formal flex working request is a better initial approach.

Our DS was diagnosed with ADHD in Y10, he struggled massively with school and hardly attended due to MH difficulties in the last couple of years. I work FT but don’t have the commute, I wouldn’t have been able to function with your hours and home support and that’s without being a lone parent.

If work refuse I would be looking for a job closer to home.

Not an uncommon situation
they tried to do similar in our office but then decided to more to a smaller, cheaper office and it was too crowded so they have backed down

unfortunately unless the wfh provision is in your contract (and unless you’re 100% remote, it won’t be) there is nothing you can do other than look for another job. Difficult for the employer to offer you an exemption and not others

the general trend is moving back towards the office unfortunately.

they might be trying to weed people out ahead of restructure- they might also be trying to justify their huge office costs.