How do I handle this?

[Aquestionofwork]

I work slightly different hours to my contracted hours in a small company where my boss is the owner. This was agreed with my boss from when I joined and is based on childcare arrangements (I'm single) and the length of my commute.

When remote working was introduced, so was a daily, compulsory video call involving the whole company, and that worked fine for me while I was wfh, but it was scheduled at a time that wouldn't have been possible for me to attend as a meeting if we were in the office.

We're now returning to the office (compulsory) and my boss wants this meeting to remain in place, at the same time of day, and expects me to find a solution.

His suggestion is that I dial in. I can't legally join a video link so would just have to be on speaker phone, whilst driving, while everyone else is there in person, and I won't be able to see any of the information they are all looking at on screen. This puts me at a huge disadvantage.

I accept if it happens at a different time of day that impacts on other people as the meeting relates to the day's work.

I'm not sure why it's my job to find a solution, or what that solution would be. Any tips on how I should handle this?

Well it’s only you impacted why should someone else find a solution for you?

I assume the meeting falls within your contracted hours but not your hours of choice?

If it is to share information and you are a viewer rather than a contributor could they record the meeting and you catch up with it ASAP.

Or, find some kind of childcare provision eg a breakfast club so you can start work at your contracted time.

Just record it and catch up. You can still listen in

I'm not sure why you've assumed I'm just a participant. I'm a key contributor. I have to be in the meeting. It's not something that can be recorded for me to view later. There is no point having the meeting if I can't attend.

Contracted hours mean an earlier start than standard working hours. I am already using childcare and drop off early. There is no childcare provision that would be available at a time which would allow me to commute and arrive at work in time for the official start and the required meeting. My boss is aware of this.

Could childcare be changed to a provider nearer work so that you can drop off on your way in?

@BritInUS1

Could childcare be changed to a provider nearer work so that you can drop off on your way in?

Unfortunately not as I have school aged DC.

I have colleagues who drop their child at school, go home for the daily teleconference, and then drive into work. Would that work for you? (obviously home would have to be relatively near to wherever you're dropping your child/ren off).

I accepted the role based on the understanding a later arrival wouldn't be an issue.

It may be relevant to point out that until recently I was the only female employee.

Show him the case where the worker won £185k because the employer would not allow the request by a female worker to leave in time to collect child from nursery! And then suggest the meeting is arranged for the time you arrive.

Could you dial into the meeting from home and commute into the office immediately afterwards?

@UserAtLargeAgain

I have colleagues who drop their child at school, go home for the daily teleconference, and then drive into work. Would that work for you? (obviously home would have to be relatively near to wherever you're dropping your child/ren off).

This wouldn't work because of the length of my commute.

I'm not sure there is a solution, other than to move the meeting time.

You’ve got a lovely attitude. Good luck.

The reality is this meeting has only started whilst working from home and was not in place prior to lockdown so there seems to be no actual NEED for it to happen at that time.

Out of curiosity why do you feel you workplace needs to find options to meet your personal circumstances? (I’m not having a go, just keen to understand)
It sounds like they have been really accomodating so far.
Have you considered working from home until you have the meeting and then commuting afterwards?
What options have you put forward?

Hang on. If your employer has agreed that you work non standard hours then surely those non standard hours are your contracted hours?

I'd bear that in mind when proposing solutions really ie would lean towards the solution being that the meetings happen during your working hours. Don't be dialling in while driving. It's not safe anyway.

I guess you could drop, dial in from home for the meeting and then go in but it seems an almighty faff on.

Really I'd be looking elsewhere I think if my employer set up meetings that I needed to attend that were outside my hours and that I couldn't get to.

@SeasonFinale

Show him the case where the worker won £185k because the employer would not allow the request by a female worker to leave in time to collect child from nursery! And then suggest the meeting is arranged for the time you arrive.

Ha! Yes, I was aware of this. I don't want the issue to become adversarial as frankly I could do without that in a life with enough complications as it is.

* There is no childcare provision that would be available at a time which would allow me to commute and arrive at work in time for the official start and the required meeting. My boss is aware of this.*

^I actually think your boss is being difficult. You accepted the job with agreement that you would have later starts in the day. Now you boss is changing the goalposts fully well knowing you can’t physically attend the meeting.

If he won't move the time of the teleconference (which I understand if it suits everyone else) can you WFH that day? If not you may need to look at other childcare for that day (and I sympathise as a single parent with a demanding professional job. A live in au pair or before school nanny who is prepared to start at 5 am perhaps? - there are some, and I've done this in the past). But yes, fundamentally your boss is being unreasonable and sexist. This is grim but they are still your boss

@User198724

Out of curiosity why do you feel you workplace needs to find options to meet your personal circumstances? (I’m not having a go, just keen to understand) It sounds like they have been really accomodating so far. Have you considered working from home until you have the meeting and then commuting afterwards? What options have you put forward?

My commute is an hour, so I would have the meeting then be a spending an hour of the working day getting to work, so I don't think that would be a solution that suited my employer, even if I worked an hour later to make the time up (which would have me arriving home pretty late).

@Igmum

If he won't move the time of the teleconference (which I understand if it suits everyone else) can you WFH that day? If not you may need to look at other childcare for that day (and I sympathise as a single parent with a demanding professional job. A live in au pair or before school nanny who is prepared to start at 5 am perhaps? - there are some, and I've done this in the past). But yes, fundamentally your boss is being unreasonable and sexist. This is grim but they are still your boss

The meeting happens daily, so I can't wfh every day.

I can't physically accommodate an au pair, and I can't afford a nanny. My salary is low for my job role, but that's another story.

I know I am rejecting all suggestions put forward but it's because they aren't workable solutions and not because I'm being difficult. My boss doesn't actually question my work ethic and knows I'm a hard and dedicated worker.

My commute is an hour, so I would have the meeting then be a spending an hour of the working day getting to work, so I don't think that would be a solution that suited my employer, even if I worked an hour later to make the time up (which would have me arriving home pretty late).

That doesn't make sense though? Surely your commute is an hour regardless of what time of day it takes place (actually I guess it might be quicker if done out of rush hour).

So if your current arrangement is (say)
8.00am Drop DC at childcare
9.00am Arrive at office and start work

You just change it to (say)
8.00am Drop DC at childcare
8-8.30am - Go home and work
8.30am - Teleconference (i.e. work)
8.45am - Leave house
9.45am - Arrive at office

You're arriving 45 minutes later but you're doing 45 minutes (ish) of work at home before you get there.

Basically your options are

• get to office in time for teleconference (so sort some additional childcare)
• put up with dialing into call as voice only during commute
• pull over somewhere safe during commute and video conference in for call, before continuing to work
• find a commuting method that doesn't involve driving and video conference in to call
• Go home for teleconference and get to office later
• miss teleconference
• change time of teleconference

There are no other options.

I am no employment lawyer but doesn’t this constitute a change to established terms and conditions of work? I know it’s not in your contract but it is a mutually agreed and longstanding variation of your contract. I would call ACAS and ask them. If your employer is not going to be sympathetic to that argument then it doesn’t bode well for your job in the longer term, though.

Show him the case where the worker won £185k because the employer would not allow the request by a female worker to leave in time to collect child from nursery!

Don’t do that. It’s not relevant so you’ll make yourself look needlessly confrontational. She got the compensation because they failed to respond within legal guidelines to her request - not because she couldn’t leave on time. If they’d officially considered and refused the request on business grounds, she’d have had no basis to sue on that point (there is plenty of speculation about other discriminatory practices which weren’t adhered to in that case, but the details of those aren’t public).

It’s not ideal, but your options here are limited. Could you prepare the notes beforehand and your boss present them, and you stop at a services or something for a set 10 minutes to answer questions?

Could you tell us the actual times as that might make it easier.

If you were previously working, say 9.30am rather than 9am before pandemic, did you then start joining the new 9am meeting while wfh?

I agree with PP that your non-standard hours are arguably contracted, but then that contract also varied when you started attending an earlier meeting while wfh.

I can understand why, if you've got a daily meeting which i assume is a stand-up or trading call or similar, there would be reluctance to move the time. By how much would you be asking this to shift. 30 mins?

I am also no employment lawyer but agree that @SimonedeBeauvoirscat understanding is the same as my understanding. Work contracts are commonly varied almost from the off, and this situation sounds like it has been.

PP's questioning the OP's attitude can have a

OP have you gone back to your employer detailing what you've said here and how you've considered all the options apparent to you without finding a solution? Put the ball firmly back in their court and see what they come up with.