Mums forced into office by big UK company?

[MM90]

I work for a big, well-known company. The bosses are considering plans to force all colleagues to come to the office 3 days a week. They are thinking about checking our turnstile data individually and disciplining anyone who doesn’t come in for 3 days every week, whether they need to be there or not. I thought this was the 21st century where working women have the chance to create a sensible work / life balance so long as they perform in their job. My line manager gave me a great performance rating during Covid. I have two children under 5 and no family nearby. Any thoughts on this?

Yes. They are not saying you have to come back because you are a mum. Though it’s probably the mums that have ruined it for others by not getting childcare

What I want to happen is for people to stop talking shit on the issue, especially on forums with a readership in the millions. I think it matters how we frame these discussions. You'll note that's why most of my posts on this point have been about things people have said.

I want people not to claim that remote working is bad for young workers when what they actually mean is it's bad for the young people they know who have chosen an office environment.

I want people not to respond to points about how removal of access to remote and flexible working is likely to drive more women out of the workplace, which it will, by telling us we need to good choices our way out of it.

I want people not to make overblown claims about research showing that remote working is bad for women.

I want people to understand that because of the significant practical obstacles that being in a physical workplace, we as a society sometimes have a choice between someone working remotely and someone working at all.

When I still thought OP was real, I wanted people to stop giving her poor advice about employment and contract law. I'm no longer concerned for the person who typed the OP, but I do want anyone who might be facing the same issue to get specialist advice rather than listening to some of the drivel on this thread.

You're meant to be working from home not looking after your DC whilst having your laptop logged in

Ah, another One Post Wonder

🙄

I am certainly capable of working at least 8 hours of productive work a day
All trackable as billed hours

not a hope any of your staff are doing a solid 8 hours work. people have good days and bad days people take coffee breaks smoke breaks all the time in the office. people scroll on the phone in the office too. they are having chats with their collegeues talking in the canteen etc

3 days in the office was the threshold for me to leave. There is a massive difference in different markets. London commutes for example are expensive and often much longer than commutes in other parts of the country. The trains are awful and commuting is something most people hate. I like some human interaction but 1-2 days a week in the office is my limit now and I suspect will be for the rest of my working life. I like working from home and it suits my family life. I pay for childcare for all of my hours but it is much nicer to be able to take my children swimming or do homework with them rather than being sat on a train.

The vast majority of staff have fed back how glad they are to be back and how much better it is for team morale to regularly have time with their colleagues.

Every time I hear this I think either:

You're the boss and people are pretending
You're lying - or -
You work with a bunch of utter losers.

😂

Are you serious?

I know plenty of people who enjoy being back to work in the office. And yes, it's true that it's good for morale.

Read some real evidence by psychologists on why it's good.

'Utter losers' ? Nice.

Having a silly emoji doesn't change the words of your post.

TBF i would rather be at work than take my children swimming 🤣

Every time I hear this I think either:

You're the boss and people are pretending
You're lying - or -
You work with a bunch of utter losers.
*
😂

Everyone I see a response like this I think it's ridiculous that you can't understand that for some people and some jobs, working in person is a good thing!

I work hybrid and there are definitely some things that just work better in person. And yes, I enjoy seeing and spending time with colleagues

It’s not necessarily that the kids are at home. It’s the travel time either side of the workday which causes problems to mostly mums. If you finish at 5 and can collect your kid at 5.10 or work through lunch and finish at 4, the kids getting a better home time.
Imagine then adding an hour on top of that work day with travel time, paying more for childcare, your kids are doing an even longer day than your working day and you might not get home until say 6.30, put dinner on, bath and bed and we have the powers that be wondering why so many kids have behavioural issues, mental health issues and exhausted parents.

I think that in 2020 most people would think they had won the jackpot being allowed to wfh 2 days a week.

I think the majority of those in favour of office workers returning fulltime are those who can't work without constant feedback, manage their own time and middle managers who want to 'supervise' their team and who have realised their role has been drastically cut when people are at home and managing to work on their own.

WFH helps working parents because it reduces the working day by over two hours for many people. Travel time is a complete waste of time when its unnecessary as well as expensive. Add to that more expensive lunches, office collections and office politics.

In my workplace, there is a long term vacancy which they cannot fill as they are insisting on it being an office based role. The person who left the role found a WFH job instead.

what quantitive or qualitative data have you used? Or you just chunterring. Ahh, someone in your work…unfilled vacancy…and from that you extrapolate this. Hmm

Qualitative data - oh dear - is your job really quiet now... and you bought a house to commute easily to work......ah shucks.

The 'data' is available on the numerous threads on MN alone about this subject. Google is your friend.

Shucks.? Genuinely your post are incoherent

I love being able to work from home. I am supposed to be in the office once a week, but as we are spread out all over the country (Australia) no one else in the office is physically at MY office.

But once a month I definitely HAVE to be in the office, unless I have a good reason not to be (lol).

Some of the other teams want people in 3 times a week. Which is hilarious because if everyone had to be in that often we wouldn't physically have the space in the office for everyone due to the reconfigured desks that enable social distancing etc. it's a hot desking set up and even the few people who go in every day and have a permanent desk allocation have to leave all personal items, including their laptop and headset (desks have monitors, keyboard and mouse) in a locker.

Our work places importance on mental health which is why they are encouraging people back into the office and I do generally feel much better for having been in the office once a week and socialising with other adults. I have a few people that I make an effort to go out for lunch with which really makes it worth the trip in now (as my meetings are still on line).

Working from home the rest of the week also gives me the chance to do compressed hours and I can have a day off every fortnight. My manager is brilliant though and lets me move that day off as and when I need for appointments etc.

I could probably earn a bit more working for a competitor, but losing this convenience is just not worth it for me. And I know a lot of colleagues who also feel that way. Makes for a workforce that is less likely to leave.

Also, with the way WFH is treated by the Australian Tax Office I get almost $1k back in my tax return for the privilege of working from home, as well as not having the commuting costs. What's not to love??!!

OK, got it. You want to pick holes in what everyone else is saying rather than contributing anything constructive yourself. Fair enough.

I wonder why you would think people were losers for having found a job that they enjoy and colleagues that they like spending time with? Given that most of us have to work anyway, and given that we generally spend a significant part of our lives working, I would consider the people who are actually having fun at work while also earning a living as the ones who are winning in life. How odd that you would consider it superior to be miserable!

I feel rather sorry for you that you can't even imagine a situation in which people might enjoy the experience of working towards a common goal alongside like-minded colleagues. It is obviously so far from your own experience that it's simply beyond your grasp, and that's quite sad really.

Agree! I enjoy going into the office and always have except for one company. I've always formed genuine friendships and there is usually good banter and fun to be had unless you work in a miserable workplace with miserable people

People do things in different ways that suit their personalities and lifestyles.

@pinacollateral well here we are 18 hours and 18 pages later and she still ain't come back......
Sorry....21 pages 😂

I'm fascinated that you are so obsessed with this.

People may like being in the office but the great majority would prefer it to be their choice unless there is a good reason. If everybody in the workplace is saying they like being back in the office then they didn't need to forced.