Wfh - they can dictate when surely?

[ahemfem]

I have a manger who I think has been a bit too forgiving of things and now has put their foot down.

They've said right, you're meant to come in the office 50% of the time and you aren't. (To everyone) so now they've said I want you all in on Monday and Friday and pick one other day a fortnight that you want to come in. I think that's really fair but there's other people kicking RIGHT OFF and complaining. Am I right in thinking that even if the policy just says 50% of time in the office the manager is still able to dictate when that is? They've given a month's notice too which seems more than fair.

I think it's the inevitable consequence of people taking the piss and not doing their 50%.

Ideally you'd have a conversation and find a solution everyone is happy with but if employees act like naughty teenagers not doing the 50% then they have to be treated like naughty teenagers.

Depends on their contracts really. If they were hired on a 100% home working contract or 100% flexible then insisting the days would be a change in contract which needs consultation.

Depends on the policies and contracts but generally you are expected to work in the place you are told to.

At my place people would moan, we don't have fixed days we have to be in, just a % of time.

They've clearly chosen Monday and Friday to stop people taking the piss with a long weekend.

I agree that your management 'can' do that. I suspect it's the days that have been chosen rather than being told when. Most people at my office choose to wfh on a Monday or a Friday, if not both.

We have to chose three days and stick to them. But the whole office has to be in on a Tuesday.

We're all actually 100% in the office with the "option" to wfh

I don’t think there’s any such thing as 100% flexible though, generally it’s “hybrid”.

Besides, when people pick the days they pick a day no one else is in then complain that no one else is there so it’s pointless.

If we are going to have hybrid working then it’s not unreasonable to expect that the entire team is there on the same day.

It depends on contracts and policies.

And whether they care about staff retention.

Yeah I think a lot of the younger ones were very "hungover" on mondays

I think they can do it but I can also understand people being pissed off, I would be ok with 50% in the office but child and dog care would need sorting out and a months notice isn't that long actually.
DH and me both do hybrid but unless it's unavoidable we do office days when the other one is WFH so someone is home for the dog and when DC get home from school. Our WFH days usually change week to week too.
Our youngest is 9 (year 5) and walks home alone but we don't think she's ready to come home to an empty house just yet.

Yes, I totally agree. The manager/owner has the absolute right to say what days people should be in the office (subject to contract of course). I run a hospitality venue so obvs there's no work from home but the very idea that the staff dictate what days they'll deign me with their presence is fucking ludicrous - and I am very far from a tyrant! Besides, I assume the majority of team members are needed to be in work on the same day, not just a few stragglers.

The WFH’ers will soon find out they’re expendable.

Your colleagues need to be careful what they wish for.

If you're able to do your job from home, somebody else is able to do it from the other side of the planet...for a fraction of the cost.

Sorry but this attitude is what makes employers dictate when you’ll work ‘in the office’
Its not employers job to be child care providers or dog sitters…who’d pick up the children or let the dogs out if you lost your job and had to work full time ‘in the office’

I should think they're well within their rights to do that, and you're colleagues will have to suck it up. I feel like the tide is turning on wfh, and companies are starting to clamp down on it. I'm waiting for it to happen at my place. Unfortunately, people take the piss and ruin it for those that don't.

Yes I think your manager is being reasonable.

That doesn’t mean I would like it personally.

I can see both sides of this: I work very effectively at home, and the goodwill it generates means I’m happy to take calls in my lunch hour every day, do evening calls with our US HQ and work really long hours for free when needed (which I absolutely would refuse if I was forced back to the office - I’d work strictly 9am to 5pm and I’d need my lunch break back for personal calls/admin and taking exercise.)

On the other hand I have worked with (usually younger) people who just take the mickey when wfh. I guess they don’t have an ingrained work ethic. We need this generation of workers to learn HOW to wfh effectively. And not slack off.

Yeah I can see both sides. I can understand wanting every one in on the same days regularly, in fact that is how we work, but we do 2 days a week in the office and the rest wfh. It doesn’t tend to be a Monday or Friday but that is because it has been set around the days people typically were in.

"Sorry but this attitude is what makes employers dictate when you’ll work ‘in the office’
Its not employers job to be child care providers or dog sitters…who’d pick up the children or let the dogs out if you lost your job and had to work full time ‘in the office’"

Yes but before covid we did have childcare sorted out because we were 100% in the office (and DC were younger), it was my employer's decision to make everyone hybrid , I don't have a dedicated desk anymore only a hot desk, there is no space for everyone to be in the office every day. I can do my work remotely and there is no issue with productivity. Same with DH. We only got a dog because they said hybrid working was permanent.
My DC were going to after school club but we stopped because they're old enough to not need supervision just that someone is at home, so we can easily work a couple of hours with them there.
If work said I had to be back in 100% of the time then yes obviously I would have to sort out dog daycare and after school care but that would need more than a month's notice.
So it is unfair to say "well who would sort kids and pets if you weren't home" because I am home....they said I had to WFH! They can't change their minds at short notice and expect people just to manage.

They can say when as it's best if people have the same days for example . Each team in our office has recommended days

Choosing the Monday and Friday suggests to me that someone has been skiving - our office is always empty on a Friday - not a single team choses to be in then - but everyone pulls there weight output is great

They definitely can decide the days. People have got way too used to taking the piss. A months notice should be fine for dog/pet care surely? Childcare I get, but in that case I would expect my staff member to come up with a compromise. Something like “I can’t get into afterschool club until next term, so can I leave early on Monday and make up the time in the evening until January” would be fine. “I can’t do that because childcare and pets” would really get my back up and make me much less inclined to help.

Yes of course.

When I was working PT whilst studying, I had set days in work and I was told what days these were.

They need to do what he says or get a different job.

It sounds like people were having extended weekends which is why he’s chosen Mondays and Fridays.
I think it’s a great idea.

The people moaning are the ones who are poor workers and take the piss.

Just to add, if you actually have a WFH contract that’s different. I’m talking about people who are already hybrid or technically office based

I think unless you are part of the team who has to enforce this, I would stay well clear, do as you are asked and don't get involved.

Depends on the job market in your sector. I suspect many would quit if my manager enforce this policy. We have one day a week but many don’t follow. It’s easy to find hybrid jobs that only ask for once a fortnight or once a month. We had redundancy earlier this year and everyone find a hybrid or remote job that ask for less than once a month.

50% and I don’t think we will be able to hire anyone unless you pay fintech salaries (ie £100k plus)

Just to add we have teams of contractors in India and they don’t work even in the same time zone let alone in our office. Our team is also multiple site. So it’s hard to tell people they need to come to the office.