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?

I work for a v small charitable organisation. When I started post-covid I worked 2 days in/3 at home. I was part time and my then-manager was happy w this as she wanted me to work every day rather than consolidate my hours. I did some other unrelated bits of work as well.
Then a new manager came in, immediately wanted to change my working pattern, wouldn’t compromise - had literally been there 2 months so not even passed her probation period. In the end we came to an agreement which I wasn’t completely happy with, but she wanted me in every day and that was never happen 18 hours a week.

i got some legal advice at the time and they said I could fight it as it’d been my normal working pattern for 3 years, but could end up being constructively dismissed if it come to it.

i gave it a year but im leaving soon for a fully remote role - i have health issues now as well!

I think the current political atmosphere is giving certain people the go ahead to do things the way they want them whether or not that's for the greater good or not. I suspect our company very much wanted to get rid of DEI programmes and have people come into the offices more - we own the buildings so they need used. Some floors were rented out but now it'll just be our own people.
The men at the top don't get it as they see giving people one flex/WFH day as going above and beyond compared to the old days, but our Talent Mge people have said it will be difficult to recruit certain demographics now.
I spoke to another sr person last night who said he knows it's to try to 'weed out' staff who aren't 'committed' enough to save the company on $$$ with the next restructure that's due.

It was reasonably commonplace for people to have at least one day from home pre-covid, particularly in more senior roles. Covid pushed wfh to much greater extremes (full time or 2/3/4 days wfh and at more junior levels) but it certainly didn't popularise the concept.

Yeah I know someone who works for CB in Canary Wharf and they are hard nosed with virtually no flexibility at all for personal circumstances but the salary is good so…

Not read any other comments, so sorry if this has already been said. Under the Equality Act 2010, you should 100% be offered reasonable adjustment as your child's sole carer. You do not need to have an official diagnosis to be considered disabled, your daughter can self identify as having ADHD, which is classified as a disability under the 2010 act. Please quote this to HR/your boss. I can imagine how stressed this is making you feel, I hope they are willing to meet your reasonable adjustment request. If they're not, talk to an employment lawyer.

It is very different, they work harder, longer and with fewer holidays. That’s why they have a higher standard of living. Here we place a greater priority on quality of life.

I would look elsewhere, closer to home. It sucks because you love the job and I assume it pays well if you’re happy to commute, but it’s just incompatible with your family life right now. I wouldn’t even bother with the exemption really because even without this change, things sound a little difficult to manage.

It does feel like a Trump agenda. Reform have the same opinions of the hybrid / wfh culture. It seems so short sighted. Life is tough, women especially have a lot of juggling to do and you'd think wfh saves companies money in heating and all sorts. I suspect some of the insistence in coming back to the office is about their investments in buildings as well as coffee and lunch venues! I'm certainly not lazy at home, I do much more work than in the office. My colleagues too, chatting is paid for in the office which is lovely but not very productive if it's not work related!

I used to do a long commute, only 3 days a week, but when I paused and added the hours up it made me want to cry, for you, roughly at 4 days:
4 hours a day
16 hours a week
64 hours a month
768 hours a year
Just sat on a train. I totally understand it if the industry requires meetings, idea generating, group working, seeing customers in person etc. Most places just do this because either they're trying to weed people out without paying redundancy, they're monitoring work/presenteeism, or they don't understand the pressure it puts on family lives. Look elsewhere. It sounds like your teenager needs some support, and will appreciate your presence more than your boss will.

I have an AuDHD young teen myself and you 100% need to get away from any American firm. Totally different culture and work ethic.

I work 75% of my time from home and may apply for 100% at some point soon. I think you need to consider being closer to home and finding a job with proper flexibility.

The commute is crazy anyway, even 3 days a week. I worked away over summer but would come back for weekends and that was about 4 hours each time on the train which almost killed me but it was short term so I dealt with it. Cannot imagine doing this 3-4 days a week. You need a new job.

This is really terrible advice and I can assure you will not fly with Citibank or the likes who have proper employment lawyers themselves and know what they do and don’t have to accommodate (and as an aside, also shows everything that’s wrong with the UK currently and people’s entitled attitudes). Her daughter seems pretty capable of managing a couple of hours on her own several days a week already, potential ADHD notwithstanding. OP not suggesting you’re being entitled, you’ve well articulated the trade offs but all you can do is apply for jobs at other banks eg UK banks that mostly as of now still allow 2 days WFH. Applying for an FWA will just piss off management and limit your career potential as there are hundreds of other employees in your same or similar situation ie long commute, childcare issues etc so your best option is to apply for other jobs at non US banks and hope they don’t also end WFH in 12 months time...

What does your contract state?

Talk to ACAS or your union, and join one. You took the job on the basis of 3 days and have been working, presumably successfully, that way for some time. It is worth pushing back, but be aware you may need to find something else.

Sorry, I'll admit in advance that I'm committing the cardinal sin of replying without reading the whole thread.

Most FS companies have done or are in the process of doing the same thing, so unless your job is transferable to another market, you're stuck (and if the role is transferable, the money won't be!). Could you try for a formal flexible working request, citing all the factors you've mentioned here?

Sorry if this has been suggested already!

I think it's inevitable I'm afraid - working from home works for the workers but not the employers. I hope they make an exemption for you at least for a few years because your situation sounds stressful but in general it's the way it's going for all of us and not without good reason.

I think in this situation you have to decide how much work away from home you are willing to do and draw a line if that is exceeded. I have a similar length commute, and negotiated to do one day a week in the office. In my mind I know if they forced me to do 2 days, I would. But if it was 3 or more I would hand in my notice and find something else, even if worse paid. At that point, the set up simply ceases to make sense for me.

This.

Awful as it sounds, I would lean heavily into your child's ASD and request flexible working with less days in the office. I think just having a family isn't seen as enough any more...but health and medical still has clout.

This is why the law about employee rights going through work should address situations like this. Things such as:

• If you wfh a number of days a week for say 18 months, then it becomes part of your contract of employment.
• Companies having to spell out in offer letters and contracts for all new staff if there is any wfh and how much.
• Companies not allowed to indicate wfh in adverts unless a minimum level (say two days a week), which has to be adhered to.

At least then if they want to change things, the offer of redundancy and a pay-off has to be there.

@Abby23 I don’t want to sound precious because most people did 5 days in the office before Covid.

It does sound precious. Given the abuse and harm I have suffered in previous jobs, I am in disbelief that there are people who get upset over something as minor as having to work in an office as opposed to working at home.

My company has done this as well. After 5 years of mandating wfh, and telling us it was absolutely fine with loads of gushing praise about how well we managed, apparently now we have to go in 4 days a week.We have a few weeks yet before it’s in place but I feel like I’ll be looking for another job!
Edited to make this make sense , sorry

Many jobs were advertised as hybrid or working from home, a different thing to the change to home working bright about by COVID. Our company advertise permanent working from home with one day a month in the office for team meetings .

So a lot of us have worked from home for 5 and a half years now. It’s not a minor change to be told to get back in the office. I am sorry you have had a difficult time and I hope things improve for you.

Something wider afoot. Company i work at has this week mandated In office days minimum- underpinned with disciplinary action. It's not coincidence that many companies are now pushing people back to offices despite it being contrary to Work life balance and Net zero.