Why is new boss being such a knob?

[Buggeroffboss]

Our old boss took ill suddenly in December last year and died shortly after. They been the boss for 20+ years, so appreciate we were all very used to them.

Following their illness I became interim boss. In April I was offered the role permanently but declined as it would mean returning to full time work. I'm bitterly regretting not taking it due to new boss!

We're a remote team, have been since many years before COVID. New boss clearly hates remote working. We do have an office, but it seats 10 people and us open to the whole business (approx 300 people) not just our department (40 people). New boss wants everyone in the office 2 days a week. HR have told him to go whistle - we are all on remote contracts and live across the whole of the UK, including channel Islands and 2 in France!

New boss is now insisting we schedule any "coffee breaks" (you know, where you brew up between meetings) and that under no circumstances are we to appear on screen with tea/ coffee if it isn't adjacent to our scheduled break. In addition he's put an embargo on lunch time errands, such as laundry, popping to the post office or collecting the car from the garage. All time is to be accounted for.

As you can imagine, morale has gone down the pan. We're a high performing department, there is 0 issues with productivity. Our work is largely invisible most of the time, lots of thinking time and idea generation which makes monitoring our day to day workloads difficult, but we always exceed our targets at quarter and year ends - so people are clearly working. In the 6 weeks he's been in there's been a noticeable change in how people are working, fewer people on early or late, most just working to their hours.

AIBU to think he's being a bit of a dick and just needs to chill the fuck out?

No. That would be reasonable, even if it hasn't been the working environment previously. He's saying things like "a long line at the post office is no excuse to late from your lunch break, go to the post office on the weekend" and such things - and not on response to someone being late from lunch. Not that "late from lunch" even exists at our work place.

From a culture and policy perspective, we don't have start and finish times. We have a salary based on a working week of X hours (I'm part time, 30 hours), we have core hours of 10-12 and the after sales service desk has to be manned by X members of staff between 9-5. Other than that, it's arrived when you want, leave when you want, lunch when you want, around any meetings you have. In his second week, I was taking a long lunch for one reason or another and he wanted me to book half a days leave, which I refused. I didn't point blank refuse, but explained that we have a flexible working environment and I'd scheduled my day to accommodate it, not moved any meetings etc. his only response was "but what if I need you". Our work isn't so urgent that he'd be unable to work, nor am I so integral that he couldn't ask someone else.

I tend to work 7.30-3.30/4 but occasionally move it around to attend later meetings etc and he asked if I had it in writing and when I said no, he said I needed to work 9-5 then, when I realised he was actually serious, I informed him he'd need to put it in writing as a contractual change.

So I've butted heads with him a few times, which I didn't want to do. I've tried being nice and supportive. But he's very much "I'm the boss and you do what I say".

I might speak to the higher ups. I just don't want to come across as bitter because I didn't take the job!

a long line at the post office is no excuse to late from your lunch break, go to the post office on the weekend" a

well, yes I kind of agree

I wouldn't put it past him!

I wouldn't disagree, IF we had set lunch times. But the reality of my contract is that if I wanted to get my hair cut and coloured at lunch time, I could.

Not sure how he can stop you doing any of the things he’s claiming to stop… how would he even know what you were doing during your lunch break?

Your new boss could very well be breaching the Equality Act 2010....just saying. Women are more likely to have multiple family responsibilities they need to juggle during their breaks, and may need more toilet breaks for obvious reasons (btw so may the disabled; another protected characteristic).

Just wanted to point this out; as your employers are letting your new manager behave like this (and yes they are letting him do it) it could lead to a whole world of trouble right back at them. They really are being stupid not putting a stop to it right now.

Jesus. Hopefully he will still be in his probation period. Trying to force you to work in ways that are against your contract eg 9-5 instead of flexible around core hours shows a complete lack of comprehension about the work place and his role in it. You could seriously haul him across the coals for this. Document everything and get your colleagues to do the same. Pass it to HR and hopefully he’d be gone soon enough

I have a feeling he's not going to be there long. He's seems used to a much more structured working day, rather than the flexible arrangement you seem to have. You're all productive and working well by the sounds of it. Nothing worse than someone trying to micro manage a team that doesn't need managing in the first place!

What do you mean?

But you have to log them… yes?

What is the wording of your contract? Because this would make managing a nightmare… sometimes an employee taking a 3 hour lunch, sometimes a quick hour.

Comment about loo breaks could bring him into conflict with your existing Menopause Policy and next year, to your Menopause Action Plan, as you have mentioned already how many people are employed you will definitely be having one of those for 2027.

You definitely need to speak to his manager and ask, once you have spoken, if you need to follow it up with HR. Has anyone given notice since he started and if so, would they be willing to say that his regime was the cause?

No. It's definitely a team wide thing.

I'd ask what his procedure is for 'feminine needs' that might crop up.

Should you schedule number 2s versus number 1s etc?

Is Decaff procedure different from Caff etc etc?

At the end of the day, Knobs gotta Knob...

Then as the most senior person in this department aside from him… I’d be actively progressing this with HR. You say he’s actually documented these demands… if they are as bad as you say… you don’t need to do any more procrastinating.

No. Or at least we didn't/ no by policy.

I do put my lunch break in my calendar, including where I'm taking an early/ late or long lunch.

Depends on the company, and it sounds like OP’s is flexible. This would be a complete non issue at my company, provided you didn’t miss a meeting. It just wouldn’t come up at all (unless maybe you were someone who wasn’t doing their work generally. But even then, it would all be more output focused, rather than “but where were you for this minute of the day”)

You could try raising this as a training need? If he hasn’t had the company culture/policies explained to him by his higher ups/HR then they need to rectify this.

I see your point about not wanting to look as if you are bitter - I would collate evidence from others who are unhappy and present a united front.

Do it soon while he is still on probation.

But if your contract would allow you to have a cut and colour in your lunch break… so >2 hours, how is that written in to your contract?

“lunch break lengths are entirely at your own discretion” ?

That doesn't sound legal to me, based on ICO guidance

Data protection law does not prevent you from monitoring workers, but you must do so in a way which is compliant with data protection requirements. Article 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998 concerns the right to respect for a private and family life. This is increasingly important due to the rise of homeworking. Workers’ expectation of privacy are likely to be significantly greater at home than in the workplace and the risks of capturing information about your workers’ family and private lives (if you monitor them when they are working from home) are higher.

If you carry out monitoring in a way which is unfair, this will impact on their rights and freedoms under data protection law. It will also negatively affect the trust between you and your workers, as well as potentially affecting their mental wellbeing. Just because a form of monitoring is available, does not mean it is the best way to achieve your aims. You must be clear about your purpose and select the least intrusive means to achieve it.

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/employment/monitoring-workers/data-protection-and-monitoring-workers/#dp2

OP, this is of no practical use but he reminds me very much of Mackenzie Crook's character from Small Prophets. Conjuring up his image might at least make you smile, if you've seen it.

This sounds awful. How does he get any work done whilst monitoring you all? Perhaps if you all complained about different elements of this, a pattern would emerge and maybe some common sense would prevail.

Is your team as great as you think. What is all the 'thinking time' in your work and 'hidden' contributions.
Sometimes a culture develops that isn't as productive as you think if you are part of it. He might have a remit to change the culture.

If he'd said that to me I'd laugh and say right...then make a formal complaint to HR that he's endangered my health in this hot weather by denying me drinks

"The employee is required to work diligently and faithfully and devoted his/her full time and attention the duties of his/ her role during his/her working hours"

"Core hours are set as 10-12 daily, unless department operational requirements are different as set out in X" (x doesn't apply to my job role/ operational department).

"The employee will from time to time be expected to work outside of the core hours. Where reasonably practicable, advanced notice will of this will be provided"

"It may on occasion be necessary for the employee to work in excess of 48 hours in a seven day period"

It then goes on to talk about company policies as found on the intranet and no policy will contravene working time legislation.

So basically, my contract doesn't stipulate breaks, it covered by policy. I can't give you the policy wording right now as I'm not logged in. But will look when I'm at work.

Having managed the team what I can say is it really isn't difficult to manage - it's really easy to tell who is doing a good job and who is taking the piss and the length of their lunch break isn't it!

Humm, hes not going to stick around for long.
He's obviously from a business where working 9-5 with a set 30 minute lunch break is the norm. His expectation of 2 days in the office when you only have 10 desks shows he has no clue!
Hopefully everyone on the team pushes back, or raises the issues to HR and he'll come into the 21st century.