Colleague refusing to hotdesk at work – anyone else face this issue??

[Singleparent78]

Post-pandemic our offices have moved to a hotdesking set up as part of new hybrid working. Most FT staff now WFH 2-3 days/week and now, when they do come in, they no longer have ‘their own’ desk but instead sit at a series of desks which they book in advance – each desk has IT equipment, but staff have all been given laptops that they can bring in.

It’s not ideal but it encourages a good mixing of staff and ultimately saves money - with staff WFH it was possible to reduce the overall office footprint rather than have the same office with half populated desks. A lot of effort went into setting up the new hot desk system to ensure it was well kitted out and comfortable.

One Staff member has been refusing to come in and hot desk. Says it’s a policy that can’t be enforced, that this way of working is not in his contract.

He claims the desks aren’t access compliant – he doesn’t have a disability he just is complaining about the process of setting them up and doesn’t feel the set-up is compliant. He has been WFH for months now, refusing to come in and use the hot desks until he gets his own desk with a number of other requirements on his list.

HR have been useless, just saying I will need to make adjustments ‘to support him’ but my view is as he doesn’t have special requirements, just a general grievance, so needs to follow policy - otherwise what is the point of the policy?

Anyone else have this problem? How did you address it?

Yeah he’s right it’s shit bad the cause of many RSI injuries in OH.

@pastabest - He might come onsite for a v important meeting, ask to join via Zoom (which can be awk if he is the only one) or not attend.

Saying that, we also had a wfh model 20 years ago and that was a disaster for MH, so we shall see how this works out...

Hot desking isn't in anyones contract.

Ultimately if his place of work is listed as the office then he is required to work from that location.

How you set up the desks at work is something that is the decision of the organisation and can be changed at a whim.

The only exception to this would be where static changes have been made to accommodate a reasonable adjustment at the workspace.

For example I have had a team member previously with MS, she got bad headaches from screen glare and direct overhead lights, needed a sit/stand desk, ergonomic mouse and a specific chair. She had a fixed desk.

We also had a very petite team member who needed a footstool, the footstool was mobile so could be moved to whichever desk she was working at, a cupboard was made available for storing it between shifts.

DSE assessment should include education alongside the assessment, that education is used to ensure that everyone is able to make quick and immediate adjustments when they sit at a new desk.

• adjust the height of the chair so feet are flat on the floor, knees bent at comfortable angle
• adjust height of chair arms
• move screen so it's directly facing you and height so top of screen is level with eyebrows
• move keyboard and mouse so room to rest wrists and not over reaching.

It takes 2 minutes.

I'm a disability trainer. How do you know he doesn't have a disability? Can you see into his body or mind? Has he told you? Is it even any of your business? Maybe he just doesn't want to share the disability or condition with everyone.

My non visible disability means I can't hot desk. I need to be sat at a fixed desk ina certain location. Maybe he is the same? Maybe he likes routine? Maybe he has IBS and needs to be sat near the toilet at all times abut doesn't want to tell you this for obvious reasons.

Don't make assunptions unless you want to end up in court.

Get him his own desk and he can work from the office daily. if there is nothing flagged on a DSE or occupational health then bring up his contract is not a wfh one and never will be

If he wants reasonable adjustments he has to ask for them. People aren't psychic. An employer can't be expected to know this unless an employee tells them. Otherwise, he should suck it up and be in the office like the rest of his team.

The enabling of such ridiculous behaviour is appalling. OP I hope you have that discussion with him and successfully manage the situation - I wouldn't deal with this passively.

He is inventing a load of hot air to ensure he gets to WFH 100%.

Just tell him his attitude is unacceptable, his contract does not cover him WFH, that he is the only member of staff objecting & the rest of the team are irritated by his behaviour, & that unless he complies with OH assessment procedure (the one he is refusing) you will have no choice but to assume he is reluctant to fulfil his obligation to come into the office because he'd rather be at home with his dogs.

Staff are pissed that he is not coming in because of various administrative loopholes and they know he wants to be at home with his animals (he has 3 dogs and has been vocal about saying he has to get a dog sitter when he comes in).
His dogs are not his employer's problem.
Time to (carefully, HR-compliantly) read this joker the riot act OP.

CrabbitBastard

It isn't a employer's job to mind read. He needs to say if he considers himself to have a disability. That is the legal position. Wanting to save money on dog walkers isn't going to cut it and that's why he hasn't said anything specific.

I’m with him. This system sounds like a nightmare - pre-book your desk? Not know who you’re going to be sat next to? Don’t know where you’ll be located in the office? Could be near dodgy lighting, radio, a noisy chewer, a chatterbox, the boss, the heater, the air con, have an uncomfortable chair setting, crumbs in your keyboard, sweat on the mouse. I completely get it. I would hate the uncertainty, it would cause me anxiety not knowing where I was going to be sat each day, and having to set myself up each and every day.

Some people might not have an autism diagnosis, but if they’re telling you that they’re sensitive to the environment, why can’t that be respected without official special requirements needed? Why can’t he just continue to WFH?

I think hot desking is a horrible policy. And very bad for colleague relationships. Dont blame this person for not wanting to do it.

I don’t hot-desk any more. My workplace tried it. Everyone hated it. Productivity went down. Every time you logged on, you’d lose half your work or your desktop would be one from days ago, if not weeks ago. Your settings would disappear. Your programs wouldn’t recognise you. As I work in a time-critical environment where every minute mattered, this was crucial.

Presumably he’s been managing his duties perfectly well without being in the office?

Huge assumption. When we all had no choice but to WFH, it was better than nothing. It does not follow from that that WFH is as effective as working together at a single site. There is a massive amount of informal work and team-building that goes on when you are co-located with colleagues, which is impossible when everyone is WFH. Someone as rigid as the OP's colleague would be the last person I would want WFH - you can bet he isn't going to put his hand up for the share of the informal work.

The OP's organisation is already providing a compromise by offering long-term hybrid work.

OP, would desk sharing, rather than hot-desking be an option? 2 people who work different days share a desk, so they always have their own space, but without leaving lots of used space.

Exactly this. If he wants to adhere to his contract perhaps do just that and welcome him in 9-5, 5 days a week.

Give him a desk and he works in office full time. Work from home isnt in his contract. He wants permanent desk then he works on office.

Sorry, not read the rest of the thread but it looks like he's either

1. Stringing you along knowingly for as long as possible as he doesn't want to pay for dogsitting and commuting, plus likes being at home.
2. Aggrieved about the policy and acting on principle
3. Got a disability that he doesn't want to disclose or is in denial about and wfh is much easier.

All of these things he needs to be upfront about and sitting at home not sorting the situation is just a pisstake plus winding up colleagues.

I would ask directly, preferably in person and if he continues to be arrogant in his responses, direct it back to HR at every interaction.

But my patience would be wearing thin (and I have dogs, can get arsy about policy implementation and have a hidden disability but that's why I don't go out to work! I'm a pita for employers.)

This. I had to clear other people's crap off the desk because they ignored the clear desk policy, clean the keyboard and monitor, sanitise the phone. And that was long before we had eve heard of covid.

Mind you as a part timer even when I did have my own desk I'd have to do that as someone else would almost always use it in my absence. Plus if someone had a malfunctioning keyboard the IT guy would swap it with mine because that was easier than getting them a new one, but then I'd get in and find I had one that wouldnt work...

Hotdesking would infuriate me beyond belief. I wouldn't tolerate it at all.

All the evidence shows that WFH results in more productivity, not less. I don't understand why so many companies are so deadset against it tbh. If someone has been effectively working at home for the past 2 years what's to stop them now?

I work in HR (as a freelancer now after many years as a senior HR Manager in house - working from home!) and it's a candidate's market out there at the moment. Employers who won't be flexible on their hybrid policies are going to find themselves left behind.

If you are public sector I don't think it matters that you don't want anyone working from home 100% or that it's not fair on others because they don't complain. I also suspect it is others complaining who are causing it to be a bigger issue.

Fact is HR are not going to back you so your hands are tied. What are you going to do, order him to come in, go down the disciplinary route and then find you have no actual authority because you are overruled?

The public sector were happy to send their staff home at a moments notice with a mobile and a laptop, if they were lucky, and expected them to adapt and wfh, even if they lived in shared accommodation or had to work from a lap tray on the sofa.

Very little input to the MH or wellbeing of their staff and now they want them back in the office, or rather some managers want them back in the office and some don't.

He wants to stay at home with his dogs, wfh may not be in his contract but how many public sector contracts have been updated since the pandemic? Is he working, if so then you cant go down the performance route.

Is wfh not custom and practice now as its been 2 years? Daft arguments about office space and adjustments will take up time and energy better spent elsewhere.

Not helpful I know but for example I know a public sector worker who has not attended the office or any meetings since lockdown, any objections from colleagues are dismissed with it's not your business, he is completing his work and it's not affecting yours.

in his mind the only acceptable solution is permanent working from home.

if this genuinely doesn't work for the business that needs to be formally communicated to him in writing that whilst some working from home is proportionate and a 'perk' of his seniority that the business needs are for him to be on site for all face to face meetings as required.

to ensure his needs are met in the office you can

1. assign him a permanent desk if he intends to be in the office more than 50% of the week


2. complete all necessary assessments for his workspace in the office to ensure his specific needs are met

once these requirements have been met all face to face meetings will be planned as such and expectations will be that all required attendees attend in person and not access them virtually as this doesn't meet the business needs of supporting more junior staff. Failure to attend these meetings could be a disciplinary issue.

if you wanted to be nice you could ensure that these meetings have plenty of advanced warning and happen on routine days so he knows that he needs a dog sitter e.g. every Tuesday and Friday.

If he is senior then it's likely his job role includes some supervision/ leading of junior staff. If he isn't able to do this effectively from home then he also isn't meeting that part of his job spec and can be brought up as a performance issue as part of a PIP.

I like the suggestion that either staff can have a permanent desk space and work exclusively in the office or, can hot desk and WFH.

I’d hate not to have a designated desk in the office and would much rather just come in to work like pre-covid times. Hot desking with laptops is really grim.

But would you want to share any issues you had with someone who posts it all on Mumsnet?! Not very confidential....

Has this employee put his reasons for wanting to WFH in writing to his employer ?

Has the employer, replied in official terms stating that all employees are required to be in the office ?

Has employee put in an official request to WFH ?
Has employer confirmed that WFH is not compatible with Business needs

Correct processes need to be followed

Just because someone wants to WFH, doesn't mean that it can go ahead

I think OP has been suitably general and not outing.