Receptionists demanding to work from home

[Chickenleggs]

We have three receptionists where I work who were all immediately sent to work from home at the start of the pandemic. They couldn't wait to return when it was announced that the office would re-open mid last year. They came back to the office under flexible working conditions as the occupancy levels were pretty low and there weren't many face to face meetings, however, we have seen an increase in people coming back to the office but the receptionists are demanding to still work from home. They come into the office on a rota basis but they're not willing to cover each other in certain situations which means we are sometimes left without anyone manning reception. We have two other offices and their receptionists are back in full time but it's a struggle to get ours to return and there is not enough work for them to do at home. How do we approach getting them to return without it causing uproar?

Hybrid roles won't apply to them, because they're receptionists, the main point of which is to be on the desk as people come in to the building.

Our receptionists have been back in since the building reopened. It's true they have other tasks they can do off-desk, but the primary role is to be on the desk from 7am to 7pm - which is longer than a working day, so they cover it on rota. They cover each other for annual leave and sick leave. I assume that they could organise things that one of them can do admin tasks all day at home, but the priority would be to have someone on the desk. If they weren't doing that, they wouldn't be doing their jobs, and would be opening themselves up to disciplinary.

If they want to work hybrid, they need to get other jobs.

Frankly, if you've got three receptionists but they don't all need to be in the office, then at least one needs to be made redundant.

It sounds like they are calling the shots - why is this being allowed? They either work as per the terms of their contact or they need to leave.

I would send them a formal letter stating that following the end of lockdown the receptionist roles are returning to office based, as per their contract. The receptionist roles wfh was a temporary solution during lockdown, but the roles are no longer wfh. In order to continue their employment they must return to the office on xx. Perhaps a flexible day could be agreed across the 3 of them, but to be honest are 3 receptionists really needed?

*contract

Management sound weak and ineffectual - tell them they need to go back to working as per their contract. Surely management now also realise they don't need 3 receptionists?

Ok, I'm a receptionist and you need to be in the office, if all they're doing at home is booking in meetings and car parking them I'd suggest they either need a different role that suits itself to hybrid working or they look outside the business.

If they absolutely can’t work from home on a rota basis then they must come back - no ifs, not buts. Roles within an organisation vary, they always will - some lend themselves to hybrid working, others just don’t.
Are 3 really needed on the reception desk though, or are there other tasks they could take on that would allow them to work in a hybrid way? Sometimes it’s about thinking more flexibly and creatively, rather than saying that everyone needs to be at a desk doing exactly the same as they’ve always done if the business has changed and adapted.

Ultimately, it sounds like them “working from home” is them doing the absolute bare minimum on full pay. Of course they want this to continue for as long as possible!

Management need to send a letter or email explaining that WFH was in exceptional circumstances as per the businesses risk assessment which is no longer in place in line with HSE guidelines. They are hereby given notice that as of Monday they are required to be in the office full time.

If they have childcare to arrange, w/c 4 July would be an acceptable compromise.

I know from trying to recruit staff that many secretaries are prefer hybrid working but a receptionist’s place is at the reception desk!

I agree Receptionist = face of the business. Give them a day off to job seek LOL. Lets them search just how many remote jobs are out there exactly or how many remote jobs now do expect people afforded the luxury of home working to do some form of shift work.

Or, that you are bringing in new systems which means must be present in office.

I could not imagine dealing with scheduling which involves look at live changing by the minute computer screens from the home - they used to tell me it was done by marker pen and white boards not so long back..!! so never was a work from home jobbie. Don't get how people cannot understand what a Receptionist does.

Totally agree and I'm going to ask management to have a sit down discussion with them.

Oh I bet they were.

This is an issue for their line manager.

Who needs to tell them they are required back in the office.

I would stop the flexibility asap and advise them they have to be in especially if they aren't covering each others days

They must be doing very little at home, all 3 of them must be doing the workload of 1 person.

and keep asking why hybrid working doesn't apply to them.

It can't be that difficult to explain to them their job description.....as you have said 'the face of the business'. It is by definition that a Receptionist is there to welcome and "receive" people in to the building. Some jobs can't be done elsewhere. I should imagine your office cleaners, for example have to physically be in the building ?
Their manager need to say that now business is back to normal, they need to be in work every day from {insert date}. I can't see why this is difficult.

I think their manager is nervous to address the issue as they know it's going to be a difficult conversation so they've very much been left to their own devices until now. Also, the fact that we have a flexible working policy has muddied the waters as it gives the receptionists an opportunity to challenge why it applies to everyone else across the business but they're not able to benefit from it. I agree that they are ambassadors of the firm and should be in the office as normal but they see it differently and feel that as long as reception is covered by one person (and this isn't always the case as sometimes they're not in at all) then the other two can work from home even though there is no work for them as they are purely reception/facilities and don't support with any admin work.

Management are paying ar least two people to sit around doing nothing at home? No wonder the receptionists don't want to come in. Your managers need to get real.

If they can't do the role from home, the role is either redundant because the business no longer needs 3 front of house receptionists, or they come in and do their job properly. I expect they're spending 80% of their day on non-work stuff at the moment living the life of Riley

The longer it has been allowed to go on, the more difficult it becomes.
However, if you say they don't do an admin work and they are purely Reception / facilities, then that is the answer for the manager. Pretty straightforward that some jobs can be done anywhere and some have to be on site.
If they are not even covering Reception between them then they are in breach of contract, surely, and that is what needs to be addressed though HR .
If they maintain the business can function without them being there, then they are talking themselves out of a job. As a pp said, starting the conversation with a conversation about there no longer being a need for 3 Receptionists might focus the mind?

OP, if you are their line manager, I’m afraid you are going to have to insist they return to their office based job or resign. Why are they being allowed to dictate when and where they work?

I don't understand how you can wfh and be a receptionist. If they want to wfh then they need to find a job which allows you to wfh!

If the receptionists themselves say only 1 person needs to man the desk at any point, and the office copes generally when the desk is not manned (eg annual leave etc), I'd be saying to them "by your own admission we only need one person, and we've had to cope when you choose to leave the desk unmanned, therefore we will be reducing our reception capacity down to 1 member of staff. Redundancy information to follow"

There contracts have not been changed or altered since they joined the firm. It still states that they are expected to be in the office 5 days a week with no exceptions but obviously they have benefited from flexible working as this was introduced in response to the pandemic and keeling everyone safe. They are generally just being difficult and keep asking why hybrid working doesn't apply to them

Formally email and tell them that they are now required to attend the office for work as per the terms of their contract. If they fail to turn up begin discipline procedures and eventually give them the sack if they still do not turn up.

No need to waste time with them if they are not doing what they are told.

Remember do not ask them. Tell them.

I'd say to them that you need 2 people in each day so that's 10 shifts between 3 of them
I'd make them "front of house assistants" instead of "receptionists" and make those roles redundant

Then they will have to apply for these jobs that are 100% office based

I'm sure that would sort it

Luckily, I'm not there people manager but I do work in a support role and created this post to understand if other businesses were taking a similar approach but it's evident that we are being too flexible by allowing our receptionists to choose when and where they want to work. There has also been times where they are not willing to support with events as "it's not their scheduled day to be in the office" leaving me no choice but to ask my other colleagues to lend a hand with setting up meeting rooms, organising lunches etc which is just not acceptable.

Agreed. I think their manager will need to get HR involved if they refuse to abide by the terms of their contracts.