Are work schedules confidential?

[got2bebrave]

Hi can anyone confirm from an employment law perspective, whether work schedules (days and times people work) are confidential, when provided for internal use only within a team - ie not made public to anyone other than co-workers. Thanks

I have worked in a team for many years, with lots of different people whom have flexible working in place (myself included) and NEVER have i ever been told that i cannot ask what days/times someone is working - as a colleague or in any line management training.

I totally understand that why someone has flexible working is a confidential matter and certainly not appropriate to ask, having processed many many flexible working requests in previous roles.

How on earth are you meant to plan a meeting without knowing when everyone is available?

Thanks all, seemed illogical to me too so i am with you all on this!

I wont be sharing the backstory as that's to be dealt with by our employer, especially as I have been singled out and made to feel guilty for asking what i felt was a perfectly normal question in a perfectly polite manner (and also backed by colleagues at the same meeting).

Just needed some guidance as to whether any employment (or other) law existed that i had breached given I felt what I was being told was ridiculous

Really appreciate everyone's input (and enjoyed the usual non candid MN type responded that have cheered me up) as I thought I was going a little crazy, especially after comment from Senior Manager.

Get your Senior Manager on here - we'll put them straight

Do you have an HR dept you could go to to ask if there's some internal policy which states 'thou shalt not ask a perfectly reasonable question about your colleague's work pattern' in the absence of any employment law?

In that case, no. People need to know when their colleagues are working.

Hmm. Ok I’m back tracking a bit with the context now. Why did you ask your manager when someone was working and not just as the colleague when was a suitable time for the meeting?

A lot of people work 9-5 so what about those people's violent exes?
As others have mentioned, part time office workers often have their working days on their email signature visible to the public.

Without the context, which you refuse to share, then it's impossible to guess. But with the small amount of extra information, this appears to be a specific circumstance. There can be specific reasons why such information may not be shared, and it appears your manager is aware of a reason for that to be the case. You asked a general wisdom and got general answers. Those may not be correct in a specific situation.

Agree, there is clearly a reason the manager has said this and I think the op knows that. Any normal situation you’d just ask the employee when free. The fact , using the ops words, several of them wanted to know when this person was working at this meeting says there is a reason it wasn’t shared, and the op knows that full well.