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?

Shouldiapologiseformyautism

I think you're confusing anonymity and confidentiality here.

Can he bring his dogs in?😂

He’s not refusing to come into work at all but wants certain requirements met. Why can’t you meet those requirements?

Yes he is refusing he said he can't work with other people

All the evidence shows that WFH results in more productivity, not less

All that evidence pre-dates Covid, so was collected in a totally different world, when far fewer roles involved WFH.

I don’t think that they made the decision purely for that. But my council at least, is getting less and less funding. The money has to come from somewhere. So yes, making cuts to office space is better than making further cuts to services.

OP, you need to decide whether this is a performance issue, or a disciplinary one. Read both of those policies to see where it falls.

My view is that he is refusing a reasonable request by his manager. His contract states work location as the office, yes? Not home based? If so then tell him you expect to see him in the office from x date. If he has any reasonable adjustments specifc to him then he should advise you by return.

If he fails to show, start the disciplinary process. The first point will probably be a verbal warning but seek suppose from HR about this. Make sure HR are aware of your intentions so that you don't get accused of going off and doing your own thing. Confirm everything to everyone in writing, always.

The world has changed. Like it or not, WFH is going to increasingly become the norm going forwards. As I said, I work in HR and all the trends are pointing in that direction. Employers who won't even at least consider fully remote options when the job can be done fully remotely are not going to get the best pick of candidates, or will have to pay a higher salary than they would have otherwise.

*seek support

I've had this exact problem with a senior member of staff too, we did resolve it but it was messy.

He didnt want to work from the office because he had a 90 minute commute (that he did daily pre-pandemic with no issues).

First off, he tried to say we were discriminating against working parents by requesting (not enforcing) people came to the office 2 days per week. That was laughed at by HR so he changed tack.

He then decided he had a bad back and couldnt hot desk due to this because it meant carrying a heavy backpack on the train to get to the office. Fair enough, the office installed a locker for him and gave him a second laptop for home use (all linked up to the cloud so he could access his files from anywhere). They also sent him for a private physio assessment and gave him his own special chair for use in the office, and a back protector thing for his chair at home plus 2 laptop risers, new screen etc.

He THEN said he couldnt hot desk because his wife was CEV and the cross contamination risk of using the same desk as other people was too high. This would have been fine if he and his wife hadn't just been on a cruise, dining in a shared dining hall etc. Nonetheless, the provided anti-bac wipes and sanitizer so he could wipe down the desk before use if he needed to.

Then he claimed the noise of other people working in the office was meaning he couldnt concentrate and he needed absolute quiet to work. He also needed to take confidential calls and couldnt do this in the office. One of the small meeting rooms was turned into an office for him so he had a quiet space he could work in but could still work collaboratively while in the office.

By now, the company had spent about £2k to try and get this guy to come to the office 2 days per week. He turne dup to the office twice in 6 months and then quit.

Of course policy can be enforced (although as pp said you need hr to enforce you). He hasn't got a leg to stand on if he's saying just because hotdesking isn't in his contract it cant be enforced -presumably his contract doesn't actually say anything about everyone having their own desk either - because seating arrangements are rarely in contracts!

I'd tell him either he forgets this nonsense and accepts that not every single task, policy, or guidance someone is expected to follow in work will be in included in a contract but by signing said contract he is agreeing to terms of work (and presumably follows other policies like how to book your annual leave or report a sickness absence just fine) or if he wants to stick by the letter of his contract fine, you will arrange a desk just for him but he will have to attend the office every single day to sit at it - after all wfh isn't in his contract either so it it is so important contracts are followed to the letter he won't feel comfortable wfh when it is not specified.

He's been a twat and no wonder your other staff are annoyed - tell hr you need to nip it in the bud before they all start ignoring which rules to follow if they "aren't specified in our contracts."

I'm far more productive at home because I get interrupted constantly when I'm in the office by people asking questions.

but I am a senior member of the team so although I have my own work to do to it is an expected part of my job description to support more junior colleagues with theirs as well.

when I am in the office THEY are more productive than when I am not. So although I am not personally more productive in the 'core business' part of my role it is vital that I am in the office enough to ensure that everyone else can get on with there stuff without hindrance also. As tempting as it would be to hideaway at home and coast through my core business and screw everyone else , anyone in a senior role must know that will significantly impact on the morale and productivity of the rest of the team.

You can't measure productivity on an individual basis in a team environment.

Cover your bases first.

Asked for a medical note
Send employee to occupational health
Get ACAS advice on whether this requires a change o contract

Once you've checked whether there's a need for reasonable adjustments or change of contact you then instruct him to come to work. Then if he fails to you discipline.

It sounds like 'I don't want' rather than 'I can't' which means as long as you behave properly you can enforce his attendance in the office

As I said, I work in HR and all the trends are pointing in that direction. Employers who won't even at least consider fully remote options when the job can be done fully remotely are not going to get the best pick of candidates, or will have to pay a higher salary than they would have otherwise

Maybe, maybe not.

It's easy to focus on the needs/wants of the employees who want to WFH and forget the needs of the rest of the team.

If your whole company can WFH, fine. But that's not an option for many organisations, e.g. healthcare. So, if you don't spread the home/workplace burden fairly, you will end up with one privileged group of staff, who get to duck the commute, save money on child/pet care and get out of all the informal work that gets picked up in the workplace - versus another group of staff who have to come into the workplace and end up with a much worse deal. They are going to feel the unfairness and be very difficult to retain.

That's why, for many organisations, hybrid working for everyone is a fairer, more sustainable solution.

Before I went freelance earlier this year, I managed a large team, including very junior members of staff who needed a lot of handholding, completely remotely. I started that role in 2016 and in nearly 6 years of my being there we had only three members of staff leave (across the entire organisation, not just in my time). No performance issues, no toxicity, minimal office politics.

It can be done. People refuse to believe it's possible, but it is.

I hate hot desking, why would you want to create a bacteria sharing pit? It's been proven offices with hot desking have higher sickness levels 🤢

A block booking of a particular desk could be made on set days (let's say every Tuesday as an example).

My guess is that it is someone who does not want to come into the office for any one of a number of reasons and is using this as an excuse.

Personally I don't like hot desking, fortunately no-one seems to like my preferred seat so I get it almost every time I am in the office. We don't have a booking system.

I hate hot desking but he is being an arse

We have a clean-desk policy which I find very practical. Nobody leaves anything behind at the end of the day, everyone is now very used to it. I get in early at 7am to go to the gym and I see the cleaning staff have a much easier job of doing the desks and chairs with nothing on the surfaces apart from keyboard and mouse.

Also since COVID it is much more hygienic and easier to sanitise by keeping minimal tutt on the desks, we have a personal locker for things like a mug, some coffee and a few pens and note book. I carry a couple of personal items in my backpack eg pencil case, a drawstring bag that DH bought me for Christmas for my own mouse and headset, but I take it away with me.

I'm having similar issues on a wider team perspective. Whilst the organisation is moving towards hybrid working, my team are completely refusing to come into the office and will only "pop in" if they need to see an IT engineer etc. One team member has repeatedly provided reasons for not attending the office - "I'll only come in when I've had both vaccines" - which then moved to a third and is now the autumn booster. A number won't come into the office until all social distancing has been removed from the office (we still currently have social distance desk spaces so that people didn't feel the need to sit "closely to each other", currently its not something I am pushing too hard on - HR are quite flaky and the organisation seems content to allow people to be WFH the majority of the time.

Interestingly one of the people who steadfastly refuses to attend under any circumstance (based on safety grounds/catching Covid) is about to fly to Australia for a very extended holiday.

So far I have asked HR to provide in writing what they consider to be the relevant "support" for people returning to the office and how I can access these "support packages".
I have also spoken to some members of my team and asked them to review and consider the homeworking policy that the organisation have and to consider if they wish to consider being "permeant" homeworkers - with all the ramifications and requirements that route will take.

Its really difficult OP and i already feel that there will be people who will be "difficult" if they are asked to attend the office on an ad-hoc/business need basis.

FWIW, my company is making this transition at the moment. We've been giving the choice between:

1. Having a dedicated workspace, and committing to being in the office a minimum of 3 full days a week; or

2. WFH and hotdesking on the days you're required to come in.

I don't really care for WFH so I eagerly plumped for option 1. What's been surprising is the number of people who'd prefer to WFH primarily but who have also chosen option 1, such is their dislike for hotdesking.

Your fella sounds like a lazy chanced, though, looking to complain about whatever he needs to, to stay home with his dogs.

Some of the 'difficulties' may reduce once energy bills come in for the winter, no doubt, if not for the OPs colleague.

Humans by nature don't like change as someone pointed out

This made me smile. We should employ more dogs.

If I was in your colleague's position I would get myself diagnosed with OCD or anxiety, argue that it's sufficiently serious to be treated as a disability, and then ask you to make reasonable adjustments.

Oh for crying out loud, it's the MN bonkers brigade again.

"Get yourself diagnosed" ? As if you can wave a magic wand, get a desired bespoke diagnosis for your WFH needs and voila, all sorted. Not least of all the timescales involved, the fact the NHS doesn't cater for idiots last time I checked, and the fact you'd be lying through your teeth. On what planet are you? Planet delusional, clearly.

I'm public sector.
We got desk and have for years.
Anyone already with or who develops a disability was assessed and provided with a chair and or equipment that can be pushed to a storage area when not in use.
The desks and chairs and screens are the responsibility of the employee to set up correctly everyday.
We are provided with antibacterial wipes since covid but I don't know how long this will continue.
HR need to be supporting you and providing you with the responses to his points about set up.
Tell him he can have his own desk and be back working in the office 100% as his contract requires - or he works flexibly - or he put in a request to wfh permanently which you deal with appropriately.
Stop letting the moaner get away with stuff others don't as it will breed resentment.