AIBU to feel uncomfortable with corrective feedback in a hybrid role?

[Flowerlotuss]

Looking for outside perspective on a workplace situation.
I work in a hybrid role and mostly WFH, with occasional office days. A line manager I don’t report to daily has a very corrective communication style when it comes to small process issues (e.g. WFH/office flexibility, timing, etc.).
Recently I went into the office, then left at lunchtime to continue working from home (all office tasks had been completed). I was told I should have asked in advance rather than informed after, and it was raised quite formally. I’ve had similar experiences before where feedback felt quite strong or disproportionate to the issue.
I don’t have an issue with following expectations, but I do find the tone and escalation quite uncomfortable.
Is this a normal hybrid workplace management style, or am I overreacting to tone?

It all depends on whether you were following the correct procedure. If not, regardless of whether it is something you have done in the past or 'everybody does it', then she was quite right to correct you.

If you were, then I would have a really good look through the procedures and then ask her, very politely and with a puzzled expression on your face, for clarification on what the correct procedure is as you haven't been able to find anything. Do NOT, whatever you do, try to correct her, prove she is wrong, smirk or anything like that.

However, be prepared for a procedure to be written which states that formal approval to leave has been given before you can leave.

Well, the thing is they don’t really make things clear on what exact expectations are. They’ve once said that you have to “ inform them before you leave “ even though they’re not even in the office on the same day as you. What I’m struggling to understand is the “informing vs requesting” yet they can leave at the drop of a hat - it’s like it’s they have their own rules and we have our own too. Do we have to ask to continue working from home or inform them we’re about to leave? I feel a bit uncomfortable having to explain my every move when I’m clearly doing my job.

I don't think this is anything to do with hybrid, it's management style - one that you don't like, and I wouldn't either. There are people, though, who would absolutely say it's better to be completely direct like this than to do any softening, so I think it's within the realm of personality difference not them actually being wrong - that's assuming that she's being brusque but not actually rude, belittingly or derogatory.

I don’t think you should answer to anyone but your line manager. Perhaps discuss your concerns with them?

Also, like it or not, your manager can set you rules that their own manager doesn't set for them. That might be very legitimate. I work more flexibly than the most junior member of the team I manage. However she can also just leave at the end of her contractual working hours no matter what's going on, which I can't.

Yes, I understand your point. She’s not being overtly rude - but she’s got this habit (and it’s happened on a few occasions) where once she gets an opportunity to speak to me about something she gets very unnecessarily formal and tries to remind me of organisational policies over the most trivial matters. There’s also been a past occasion where she blatantly spoke to me so condescendingly and rudely that I reported it and she ended up apologising and basically blaming her behaviour on having a hard time. She makes me very uncomfortable.

Well, she job shared with my line manager that I report to and they’re very “buddy buddy” so I don’t expect it to be any different with him.

Is it maybe in case there's a fire alarm? If you've gone home without informing anyone in the middle of the day and therefore not at the muster point you could be marked as missing.

Well, I can understand that, but surely they’d see that I’m online and know that I’m okay. If I just left the office and didn’t return online for the rest of the day then that would be different. I come in, do my work, might leave midday or so, and then I’m usually back online within. 30 mins to an hour.

I’m not surprised a manager is challenging you. You’ve said yourself that she’s having to remind you to follow policies. Whether you think they’re trivial isn’t the point. You’re not following them and it’s her job to ensure you do.
You’re also commuting in working time. Is that actually permitted? Does your contract allow you to work flexibly and are you making up the commuting time by staying later at home? Otherwise you’re not working your contracted hours.
Not signing out or telling people you’ve left is a health and safety risk. If no one knows you’re not in the building and there’s a fire, then you could put firefighters at risk but looking for you if you’re not there.
The only attitude issue here is yours. I wouldn’t be surprised if you end up in disciplinary proceedings if you continue ignoring policies. It’s not always someone else’s fault, this is on you.

She doesn’t remind me to follow policies. I don’t even interact with her on a regular basis. I merely raised this point to mention that whenever we do interact, it’s so trivial and doesn’t really have anything to do with my actual work. I haven’t had any senior management ever remind me to follow policies and I haven’t had disciplinary proceedings either. Please don’t misinterpret my post as me ignoring company policies and wanting to do whatever I want.

It seems a bit of an odd set up. Maybe she thinks you’re effectively working a half day, and commuting during office hours too?

It’s micromanagement.

People leave as a result and managers always wonder why.

No, it’s nothing to do with that. I usually take my commuting time as a break and I ensure it’s from 12pm as thahs standard lunch time. We’re also allowed to work flexibly and many staff work in the office and can continue at home if they want to. Basically, if you haven’t got a problem with my actual work, then what’s the actual issue? That’s my main concern.

she’s got this habit (and it’s happened on a few occasions) where once she gets an opportunity to speak to me about something she gets very unnecessarily formal and tries to remind me of organisational policies over the most trivial matters.
You’ve said yourself she has to remind you of following policies, then that she doesn’t? Decide which one it is. Or better still follow policies and she won’t have to remind you of anything.

You keep trivial things. Expecting you to be in the office all day or you office day and at least to let a manager know if you do go home early are not trivial matters.

I don’t think it’s anything to do with Hybrid management as such. She could just be a busy body or you’re not following the workplace policies. Do you tell anyone before your leaving or do you just pack up and go? I work for a flexible company and most people come and go as they please but we also have office staff in roles that need to be on site for the full day. If they left early on an office day they would be pulled up on it.

What are the specific terms of your hybrid arrangement? Are you supposed to be working in the office on the day that you left early?

If you are, you will need to inform your manager if you are leaving early to continue to work from home.

I agree with the poster that management have more flexibility to work from home because they are required to put in the graft well outside of work hours whereas more junior staff are entitled to work 9-5. The quid pro quo is that junior staff have to be actually working (which does not include commute time) during 9-5 whether from home or in the office as required by their contract, with approval from the manager if they wish to vary the arrangement on a case-by-case basis.

If you wish to WFH for half a day and use lunch as commute time, you should agree that arrangement with your line managers in advance.

The problem is with hybrid arrangements is that boundaries become blurred over time to the advantage of the employee to the point where the manager does not know where the employee is. If one person bends the rules, then everyone else starts doing it and before you know it, it is a free for all.

Senior management does not have to remind people to follow policies on hybrid working. That is a red herring. This falls onto the line manager, who is directly affected by their reports' behaviour, whether or not you have direct interaction with the line manager.

The line manager has to ensure all reports are treated consistently.

I can’t stand people like this. Foregrounding trivial office politics and procedures over issues of substance.

It would be acceptable, if irritating, if she were your line manager but she’s not: is she more senior than you? If not can you flag to your line manager that she’s constantly telling you what to do?

I think its reasonable for mananagers to know where staff are during their contracted hours. For all sorts of reasons from H&S, to monitoring hours worked to ensuring there is minimal staff presence in the office.
So getting you to say sonething before you leave is entirely reasonable. I think an 'I'm off home now, if that's OK' hits the sweet spot between request and inform.

I have done what the OP does on occasion. I use my Teams to give my location and state “WFH” or “In office”. Would something like that work for you OP if that’s the manager’s issue.

It would be a very serious mistake to rely on teams status when deciding who is in a building. The fire service will look for confirmation that everyone is out. Teams status is not reliable enough.

say this as someone who is impatient with having to complicate with office procedures. They made me health and safety coordinator so I get it now.

Well, until recently, we used to be able to come into the office on our office day and leave once our duties were complete. Then we’d continue home working. Then they switched things up and told us we needed to all sit together (we don’t even come in on the same days which means there are some colleagues I don’t ever see in person) and inform them when leaving (provided you want to leave before official closing time) if you’re leaving at the normal clock off time then normally you wouldn’t be expected to say anything.
We’ve been told that commuting time should be taken as our break and not working hours, and if it’s not taken as a break then we’ll have to make that time up. I guess my assumption was that once your office duties are complete, you can continue home working. The other line manager happened to be in on that particular occasion when I continued from home and that’s where the issue lies. Other times I’ve gone home to work and no one has said anything.

Teams status is not reliable at all. Sometimes I see people with a green status even though it is late at night and I know they are not working (because they are the 9-5 sort).