to stop extra flexibility after my manager imposed office hours?

[LouuLou]

I work in a small office team of five people. I’m the only full-time member of staff, everyone else is part time. We had a new manager start last year and honestly, up until now, things have been really good. We get on well, I like his management style and he has always said he cared more about people getting the work done than clock-watching.

I work very hard. I consistently hit targets, usually go beyond what is expected, and I won an achievement award last month. I also work very flexibly. I regularly start work at 7am, answer emails early, and will often still be available after 6pm. I usually work through lunch too. That flexibility has suited both the organisation and me because it means things get done quickly and I can also fit other parts of life around work. It is one of the things I am regularly complimented on - how quick I get tasks done.

Out of nowhere, he has now announced that I have to be physically in the office 9–5 three days a week. No actual problem has been identified, no concerns raised about my performance, no suggestion that work isn’t getting done. The explanation was basically that he “wants to try something different”.

Fine. He is the manager and he is entitled to set office hours if he wants to. I’m not arguing with that part.

But my feeling is that if he now wants strict contracted hours and presenteeism, then that is exactly what he will get. I no longer see the point in starting at 7am, replying to messages before work, being available into the evening or working through lunch. I’m planning to work my contracted hours, take a proper hour lunch break and log off at the end of the day.

I know this will reduce the amount I actually get done overall. But another part of me thinks flexibility works both ways. If management removes trust and autonomy, they can’t really expect staff to continue giving unpaid goodwill on top.

Blimey. I wish I’d had a job where I’d done most of my work by lunchtime. How do you fill your time when at home?

It is not like this everyday!

Because I am working partly with international organisations there is always a time lag. I also brought in a different system this year. I usually have a lot of reports to write which takes quite a while to collate all the information. I have done the collating every month for the past year so I already have everything together which is much more streamlined and has freed up a lot of time.

Same happened to us a few weeks ago. I no longer work extra hours since it's been taken up by commuting. They get 8-4 or 9-5 from me, and that's it. On the days I still work from home, I do work longer hours - I start earlier and quite often even finish later.

Why do you work longer hours when at home?

I will be WFH tomorrow and will not do anything outside of 9-5 now I have to be in the office 3 days. It is costing more in the car park too!

Have you told them this? I mean the idea of streamlining is to free up time to do other work, not drink tea?

No because I have done a lot of work in my own time which I am not doing anymore.

Honestly as someone else said - malicious compliance. My working set up is very similar to yours. I can choose whether to be in the office or wfh depending on business needs and is usually start 8am, work through lunch and can finish early or finish late depending on what going on. When things are busy I’ll work longer, when things are quiet I’ll stop at 4pm. Works well for the business as I’m easy going and I flex to business needs. If I was told I needed to be in 9-5 in the office I’d be looking for another job. Wouldn’t appeal to me. Job flexibility is one of the top things I look for. I can’t be bothered with presenteeism at my age. I would tell my manger that is what I was doing though so they know their actions have consequences

Absolutely. Don't let him have his cake and eat it.

We have too much work to be able to get it done in 40 hours a week. I do it to make my life easier. I usually work couple of hours every Sunday morning too, so that I'm ahead of the game. In reality I do it so that I don't get stressed. And I like my work, but I liked it even better when I was able to WFH whenever I wanted.

I think what you're suggesting is fair enough. He wants to experiment with a traditional working pattern, so let him see what that results in. And I don't mean that in a defiant, tit for tat way either, genuinely let him see if a non flexible work model increases or reduces productivity.
Make sure you do work your full hours so he has nothing to complain about and let him see the outcome.

It is showing already even though it was only implemented yesterday. He could start work with a clearish day as I would deal with the international calls and emails and now they are being left until after 9 which is usually too late for certain projects.

I just took it easy in the office today.

I know what you mean because I have done this too but its not fair when you are being asked to be in the office so much as well.

That is why I have not objected or said anything. I agreed straightaway and it is being implemented. He has noticed I will not start anything until 9. I will just let him see for himself and whether he wants to review it in time.

I will do my full hours and will make sure all tasks are completed on time, usually before deadlines!

If you are twiddling your thumbs, make sure you keep something to look busy in case he decides to work in the office with you.

It might be that they are monitoring you.

It doesn't for me. I use Gmail. I just sent one of my email addresses a scheduled email that said "Hi, it's 18.27", scheduled for 18.30. The time stamp is 18.30.

I'd take a stab at OP doing the work she picked up from taking the early morning calls. As she didn't take them, they've landed on the bosses plate because he's either taken those calls, or had to catch up on them once he starts in the morning.

Plus not every day the work is 9am - 5pm. OP has said that they deal with people in different time zones, so that impacts on the hours worked.

When things appear bang on 5pm that are urgent and have to be dealt with then and there I'll sometimes be there until 6pm. We also have days we are on Duty so have to be in, everything we need opened up on the laptop, everything that's locked away overnight brought out, tea/coffee made ready for the lines to open at 9am, so try to get in for 8am. Some days we get very few calls or emails, others we get loads. In return I work flexi hours so get in late on the days when my back or the traffic are bad.

He has a separate office to me. I scheduled the emails today to be spread out so it looked like I was getting on with tasks all day instead of getting them done in two hours and then drinking tea.

I have no problem with being monitored. I have good output.

@LouuLou take note

What is the issue with scheduling emails?

If you use Outlook and send an email at 6am to arrive at 9am, then in my experience it will appear in the recipients inbox at 9am but still say it was sent at 6am. Another poster has kindly confirmed this doesnt happen for gmail. Maybe send a test one to yourself first. Otherwise just keep everything in draft and hit send at 9am

I have had a look as I have a couple of mailboxes. The scheduled email gets sent at 9am but in my sent box it says the original time of 7.23am. This is not visible to the recipient only myself as the sender,

This isn’t correct, it shows the time that it was sent (the scheduled time)

What is the point of doing this though?

The OP said she flies through her work and then sits drinking tea and clock watching until 5pm.

Just go for coffee until 9am then answer and reply to emails during working 9-5 hours. Surely that would make time pass faster?

I like to get stuff done and out of the way.

I do my own stuff so it is not just clock watching!

Why don’t you do your personal stuff before you start work instead of doing work related stuff and just do your paid work during working hours?

Otherwise ask for more work if you are able to get through it so quickly. It is probably blatantly obvious to management that you don’t have enough work to do, which is very likely the reason you are being supervised inhouse.