Wfh and now asked to go in

[ThePlumVan]

Wfh solidly for 19 months throughout COVID - mine is the only role within my subsidiary company that can be done this way. Everyone else needs to either be onsite permanently or needs to make regular visits to site, but not me.

Head Office is maintaining wfh (wherever possible) in line with government guidance. Anyone that needs to work onsite has to have head of service permission.

Subsidiary Manager has asked me to start going back in for meetings initially and then basically back onsite to work.

All my work has been done without complaint, with all meetings over Zoom. I really don’t want to go back in (many reasons!). Union advice is to continue as I am.
Am I being unreasonable to want to continue wfh ?

Oh dear I committed the cardinal sin of assuming England. Sorry!

We've been trying to run meetings with one (shielded) person remotely and everyone else in and it does make the dynamic difficult. She's back in now. You should be in for those at least, I think.

If your boss isn't following company guidance for the rest then it, take it up with seniors as appropriate, but if they have their reasons for wanting you in you're going to have to go in.

I have started to go back in gradually, two days a week. Our whole team have worked very very well from home. It has caused no issues, since our work is very independent and we are apart from the rest of the org. However it has eroded the sense of team. I have seen the benefit of going in two days a week, though probably, if anything, the work itself has suffered somewhat, as our job is more productive in silence. I would go back in gradually for meetings as your manager suggests and then approach your manager with a formal request for flexible home working ongoing, perhaps coming in when there is a business need and a minimum of X days a month. This is not black and white, and I think there is an opportunity for a little renegotiation. However I wouldn't do it under the guise of govt guidance as that will change.

Going in for at least meetings seems reasonable. Hybrid meetings (some people in person, some on Teams) are a fucking nightmare. You could make a case to go in say 2 days a week and do the rest wfh if you can demonstrate it’s been working as well as you say.

Theres a few routes. You can officially challenge it. Put in a proper flexible working request.

Firstly I would speak to your manager. While your role can be done from home, find out their reasons for wanting you back full time, eventually.

I am a bug fan of hybrid/wfh. It worked extremely well for my teams and us continuing. I never had one base before so worked at home or different offices.

But true WFH isn't something that exists in many roles. Most is actually hybrid with you expected to either go to head office every do often or attend meetings in person.

Meetings on zoom may work for you and not others.

I don't think asking you to be in for certain meetings is a big ask really.

Though I am not sure whether your issues is the current guidance or that you don't want to return at all.

Your union is your friend here just have a meeting with them and ask their advice I feel the same as you I don’t want to do a 3 hr commute daily anymore good luck !

I have been WFH for the past 18 months and we have now moved to hybrid working. I thought the transition back to work would be a tough one but in all honesty it's actually been really refreshing having a sense of normality back.

For anyone saying people WFH have had it cushy for the last 18 months, have you actually tried WFH while homeschooling primary aged children, believe me, it's a far cry from cushy!

@Parsley1234

Your union is your friend here just have a meeting with them and ask their advice I feel the same as you I don’t want to do a 3 hr commute daily anymore good luck !

It’s your choice to live where you do. Your employers don’t have to mitigate unit resulting long commute!

Theres a few routes. You can officially challenge it. Put in a proper flexible working request.

Wouldn’t work in my organisation.

Firstly I would speak to your manager. While your role can be done from home, find out their reasons for wanting you back full time, eventually.

Absolutely agree with this.

I am a bug fan of hybrid/wfh. It worked extremely well for my teams and us continuing. I never had one base before so worked at home or different offices.

But true WFH isn't something that exists in many roles. Most is actually hybrid with you expected to either go to head office every do often or attend meetings in person.

Meetings on zoom may work for you and not others.

I don't think asking you to be in for certain meetings is a big ask really.

I feel the same. Have been hybrid working since March 2020 along with almost the whole team. The team morale has never been so strong.

Though I am not sure whether your issues is the current guidance or that you don't want to return at all.

Indeed.

@KungFuPrincess

These are my new favourite MN threads, up there with the CF threads.

Basically you have had a cushdy little number for the last 18 months where you don't have to leave the house, now life is going back to normal you don't want to resume the job you actually signed up for and go to work. When you took the job I presume you agreed to go to the office for a set amount of days a week, now all of a sudden that doesnt work for you? Looks like its time to rewrite the CV and ensure you add 'will only work from the comfort of my own home'. See how many jobs you get offered

You sound nice.

And it’s “cushy”.

Sit down with your manager and ask directly.

It's the only way really. Unless you go via HR but if that doesn't go in your favour then it might make your position untenable with your line manager.

Go to Manager first and try to resolve. There might be a perfectly logical explanation for needing you back.

I'm sorry but I see this so much that it's actually annoying.

Pre covid you were on site. Lucky you, you got that much time at home. But when you started your job that wasn't even in the picture. You knew what was expected of you. People are getting too comfortable at home.

Put your big girl pants on and get a grip.

Speak with your manager informally, asking the reasons why, despite company and government guidance, they are asking you to return to the office.

If you don't get satisfactory answers, submit a formal flexible working request to HR. Get your union's guidance on how to phrase this (it needs to explain how you can do your job from home, what the benefits to the business are, how you can overcome any identified barriers or concerns). Ensure the company handles this strictly according to the law, both the initial request and any appeal.

Should your position become 'untenable' due to you submitting this request, then that would be grounds for constructive dismissal (or unfair dismissal if they dismiss you). I'm sure @Eeiliethya didn't think that comment through before posting, but being treated unfavorably for asserting a statutory right is unlawful.

It's bizarre how many people will ignore their own rights just because their employer tells them to do something. Race to the bottom mentality.

@GreenTortoise

I'm sorry but I see this so much that it's actually annoying.

Pre covid you were on site. Lucky you, you got that much time at home. But when you started your job that wasn't even in the picture. You knew what was expected of you. People are getting too comfortable at home.

Put your big girl pants on and get a grip.

This argument for not staying at home is, imo, the most pointless one.

I absolutely agree op may need to go back and should accept going back for meetings.

But not everything is going back to exactly the way it was pre covid. A pandemic is a huge event and sine things will change permanently. Some things simply won't go back to the way they were.

The argument 'well that's how it's always been' has never been a good basis for a business decision.

@CorrBlimeyGG

Speak with your manager informally, asking the reasons why, despite company and government guidance, they are asking you to return to the office.

If you don't get satisfactory answers, submit a formal flexible working request to HR. Get your union's guidance on how to phrase this (it needs to explain how you can do your job from home, what the benefits to the business are, how you can overcome any identified barriers or concerns). Ensure the company handles this strictly according to the law, both the initial request and any appeal.

Should your position become 'untenable' due to you submitting this request, then that would be grounds for constructive dismissal (or unfair dismissal if they dismiss you). I'm sure @Eeiliethya didn't think that comment through before posting, but being treated unfavorably for asserting a statutory right is unlawful.

I’m a HR Director in Wales. FWRs are decided by managers, but none of ours are permitted to agree permanent home working due to the implications this has for the organisation. So whilst it would be considered in line with legalities, it absolutely wouldn’t be agreed at anything below 1 day in the office per week.

Home working is currently managed under an emergency policy linked with COVID-19. Ongoing arrangements will be in line with the above minimum office attendance.

It’s very similar in other Welsh organisations I am involved with.

@NavigatingAdolescencethank you for that luckily for me we have a strong union who are backing hybrid working and had I not lost three lucrative businesses in Covid I would not have this dilemma of where I live and a long commute it’s not a race to the bottom

@GreenTortoise

I'm sorry but I see this so much that it's actually annoying.

Pre covid you were on site. Lucky you, you got that much time at home. But when you started your job that wasn't even in the picture. You knew what was expected of you. People are getting too comfortable at home.

Put your big girl pants on and get a grip.

But why should people not want to be comfortable where they work? Why should that annoy you? If you agree that it's preferable to work at home, why shouldn't people try to have that continue?

From my experience meetings with the majority of people in the room and one or two people remote do not have the same dynamics as when everyone is in the room. And I say that has someone that works remotely, except the occasional business trip.

Your boss may be feeling this way also. Plus there is also extra work load created on the in office staff when it comes to having to make sure zoom is set up (and paid for), the conference room is all ready, and there are no technical difficulties. It's not much per meeting, but if everyone else is in the office and there are 2-3 meetings a day then it builds up to a lot of extra man hours in order to accommodate wfh for a single person.

That said I think there are huge benefits to hybrid working. Are there 2-3days a week that are more meeting heavy? You could offer to go in these days and wfh on the days with less meetings?

Thanks for all your replies - Big pants firmly on I assure you

I think it’s all the emails that we are receiving from HO about the new way of working, wfh to continue indefinitely, staff well-being, work/life balance etc - very much a forward thinking organisation, hence why I work for them. And then to be asked to revert back to pre-covid arrangements by lower management.

I won’t go down the HR route as it’s their job to find ‘exceptions’ in policies and ‘legitimate business reasons’ to get what managers want (as proved on here!). I’d just vote with my feet and leave.
There is now way now after wfh successfully that I would go back to a commute and cold office on my own.

If the company is communication the wfh is continuing indefinitely you need to ask why your manager has decided that doesn't apply to you.

Then find another job thay does allow you to work from home op

Jeez such a polarised camp on this thread it’s not a race to the bottom as I said upthrrad if you can possibly work from home it’s worth exploring I would suggest

I absolutely sure you can negotiate here and agree with your manager that you go in for meetings 1/2 days a week and the rest at home.

Good on you OP. If enough people refuse this nonsense then the companies will work out that they have to adapt if they want to want to attract and retain the best staff.

@KungFuPrincess

These are my new favourite MN threads, up there with the CF threads.

Basically you have had a cushdy little number for the last 18 months where you don't have to leave the house, now life is going back to normal you don't want to resume the job you actually signed up for and go to work. When you took the job I presume you agreed to go to the office for a set amount of days a week, now all of a sudden that doesnt work for you? Looks like its time to rewrite the CV and ensure you add 'will only work from the comfort of my own home'. See how many jobs you get offered

Yes it's exceptionally cushy to have to work in cramped and uncomfortable conditions for longer hours than usual, with your home/work split completely blurred, whilst your mental health takes a nose dive because you never see anyone.

Please will people stop with this narrative that those working from home had it easy. Yes, some people liked it but just as many hated it. A bit like those WOH really.