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.

I’d find that odd for my colleague to be reading a book for several hours of the day as they say they’ve finished their work. Surely you have other things you can do? Or is your job just reactive?

Sometimes I will stay in the office and have a leisurely lunch there like I did yesterday.

The work is project based. Some months are very busy and some are very quiet. It all balances out so it is not expected to fill a quiet day to the max. I have also set up systems so some work can be done very quickly. I do report writing all year round so now the reports are easy to throw together whereas they would take up huge swathes of time.

I am already doing prep for work in November so I am well ahead. Work is project based so there are often gaps. Plenty of time to read a book or two!

Are you covering school runs every day?

Meaning you potentially arent available for a 9am call, or a 3pm call?

Personally as a manager id rather you worked 9-5 like the rest of the team.

Out of hours 'issues' and problems dont actually happen nearly as frequently as the 'i work flexibly' brigade like to claim and its actually more of an issue that you cant ever get hold of them for 40 minutes at 9 and 3 every single because they are on the school run.

Then needless to say they are markedly less responsive between 3 and 5 because they are caring for young kids. Its not actually useful to anyone than an email at 7pm might get picked up when you need them at 3.20pm.

She does do 9-5. Manager is……..having to suck it up.

I do not do school runs everyday. How can I when I am working from the office 3 days a week? We never have 9am or 3pm calls but I am available if calls at those times take place.

Before the new regime I was responding in the evening and early morning due to international calls so it was more useful at 7pm rather than 3.20pm.

I do usually at least read all OP's posts but there's so many on this thread. I just want to know ... what did your boss say when you talked to him about how his new regime would affect your output @LouuLou? Presumably he decided that not having you working at the early/late hours that suited you wouldn't be a problem? Do you think he's realising he was wrong?

I must say you seem to be enjoying your mini power trip quite a lot.

Id be a bit worried about my job if i was sat reading a book for any length of time in the office.

I find it odd that your job is so frequently so busy at 7am in the morning and at 6pm at night but then you can sit reading a book in the afternoon?!

Surely if you have nothing to do you email your manager and say you have capacity for work?

You seem to think everyone thinks you are amazing, i suspect that's what they say to your face and behind your back others have been grumbling to your manager about how much time you have spare for reading, popping and doing a quick shop etc.....

Tbh the OP sounds quite arrogant and I wonder if she might find herself quietly managed out over the next 12 months. Nobody is irreplaceable

I didn't say anything about my output. I am letting him see for himself.

In terms of whether he is realising he is wrong, he certainly seems to be complaining about the out of hours calls and emails.

How is it a power trip? He is the manager. I am just sticking to my hours - unless that is called a power trip?

My job is secure. Maybe you can't understand jobs where there is not constant work all the time.

I do not email my manager because the work ebbs and flows at certain times of the year.

Not sure the others are grumbling behind my back about me reading, popping to the shop when they do not witness any of it, but OK.....

😂

Is it just time differences in different countries in general that you do not understand? Because the op has MANY times stated she has international calls to make and take along with emails and with many time differences in the world it is clear why 7am and 6am would be busier than 3pm when people internationally are sleeping.

I’ve given up on expecting people to read the OPs posts at all tbh. It seems to happen on most threads like this. When I can, I politely let them know what the latest update is, but mostly I just mutter at them and go to get a cup of tea.

Thank you for explaining.

It makes all the difference when people read, doesn't it?!

People just keep saying the same thing right?

They can narrow down my posts to make it easier but no.

I don't know whether OP is arrogantly replaceable or whatever. I don't know what OP's job actually entails.

But I do know that there are loads of different ways of working, which it seems many posters on this thread can't seem to fathom.

I have done single-site jobs with fixed hours and fairly constant busy-ness throughout the year, where everything we needed to do and consider was just there and then. I have done jobs which are hybrid with core hours + flexi, with super-busy times where we're churning through dozens of pieces of work per day and quieter times when we only receive a handful of pieces per week, but entirely within one time zone. I have done fully project-based jobs where the hours are merely a theoretical pipe dream, because sometimes you have to put in the extra effort at strange times when your collaborators in Japan or Australia need you to do the next step, some times everything is happening at once and all the data needs to be processed NOW, some times you are literally twiddling thumbs because the projects are in the hands of Team Canada for the next two weeks...

I meant why do you stay in the office? You make it sound like you aren’t supposed to leave if your manager isn’t there, so I was wondering if that was the case and whether they were unlawfully requiring you to act as cover during your lunch break?

I only stay if I want to. I leave when he is there so I am not available to answer his queries over lunch as I used to.

You get it. Thank you!

My job is secure and like that
if there is nothing to do, I can’t create something to do as my job is reactive
it is a bit like say my job is to answer the phone. If it doesn’t ring, I can’t magic up work
my manager says I’m paid to sit there and react, not to be working constantly

It is similar to any time anyone has a work query its 'can you ask your line manager'. I am not sure what a line manager is nor what it would entail but in MY line of work it is me, my colleagues who are all the same level and the owner. No line manager although that just makes me think of factory work anyway rather than anything else but some people just do not understand that different jobs have different ways around things. Not all office jobs are 9-5 monday to friday.

Maybe some people are jealous?

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