Wfh flexible working and mandatory meetings

[Sheldonsheher]

If you have a non wfh contract originally.
However, you have an agreed flexible working agreement and you live 500 miles away.
Can work suddenly make meetings in person mandatory, if they were previously on teams, can be done on teams but your line manager says they want it for the woolly reason of encouraging face to face collaboration. However they can be done on line. No real benefit to go in person. What is the legal position because these are meetings that are considered mandatory in my field. Is this discrimination against remote workers?

Surely you moved the goalposts when you moved 500 miles away from your place of employment?

Genuinely OP you’re putting up barriers here. I don’t think your work is unreasonable and I think you’re being short sighted.

But by all means go and get another job. It’s your life.

I think the key thing here is being a carer of a disabled child. And the additional barriers that creates for you to attend. I think that's probably what you need to focus on. Or say you can't attend and see what happens! If it's public sector probably nothing before you retire!

Are you in the Highlands and the job is in London?
What conversation have you had with your line manager, as I'm curious as to what response they would give if you are saying 'I'm a single parent and have zero overnight childcare, which I'd need due to the distance'
What conversation was had when you notified them you were moving, did they mention meetings then at all?

lol thankfully you are not my boss. Unnecessarily pompous remark.

Why did you move 500 miles away?

I moved for a valid reason but it’s quite outing. It’s more the point that it was agreed but now goal posts changed. So wondering where I stand and seems most people think I will just have to accept it !

Wfh is a tricky thing. Where I work (public sector but not UK), it is not very clearly defined. You are not guaranteed anything; they can pull you back to the office any time and most definitely, they can ask you to attend in person meetings at any time. I agree with those posters who suggest you talk to your manager and explain your situation. While they are not obligated to accommodated you, they may. It all depends on the person, I guess.

Perhaps you could outsource some of the household chores, maybe get a housekeeper type person who could double up and do childcare every couple of months whilst you go into the office? I’m assuming as you’re 6 years from retirement your Dc are not primary age?

Does your child gets short breaks from children social services?

Do you feel you are being discriminated against because you are a carer to a child with disabilities?

If the reason you have changed is in connection to your disabled child you may have a case for discrimination as you are protected by proxy, and there would still be an expectation of the employer to make reasonable adjustments, such as online meetings rather than face to face

Thanks that was my original query. These meetings can easily be online( have been for years) so if remote working is agreed is it not unnecessary discrimination to mandate in person attendance.

it seems like it’s all a grey area. Probably ultimately an employer can do what they like.

Just seen in 6 times a year. So unless your contact is concrete about you being solely work from home, they aren’t being unreasonable to ask.

You mention a disabled child, you may have a solid case for pushing back if you’re able to
evidence the reasoning. For example: do you have to be within X mins from them in case of emergency? Do they always have to have a trained carer with them? If so, would their consultant back this up?

I’ve had a similar situation. A job based 300 miles away, with home stated as my place of work, that wanted me in once every couple of months. A child with high needs who requires a trained carer with her at all times and ideally a parent nearby incase of emergency. I offered to travel there and back in a day at their expense, it was 4 taxis and a flight. It showed willingness on my part, then when i mentioned it to the bosses boss how, they thought it was ridiculous and said to just dial in from then on.

You need to speak to your union rep. Was the time working a flexible working request that was officially signed off?

How old are your children

Primary school

Depends what your amended contract says, surely?

And you are 8 years to retirement ... That would make you at least 55

Do you have a flexible working contract or a homeworking contract? If you're a civil servant you could have either.

However, the people on my team who have homeworking contracts do still come in for key meetings etc every couple of months (but they can expense the travel in this case). Their official base is 'home'. If your base is still in the office you'll need to get a formal agreement by way of a carer's passport that you can do meetings remotely.

If you're not CS mileage will vary on this. It might not be the meeting per se, the manager might be looking to do other team stuff that day, catch up with you in person etc.

I think the line is blurred round attendance issues between you being a carer for a disabled child and the issue that your commute would be extensive. I'm also public sector and being a carer is likely to get reasonable adjustments around working from home (probably reduced from an expectation of minimum 3 days per week in office to 1 day per week), but it would have to be quite significant to agree a completely working from home contract (even the few in my teams that have these still have the caveat that they attend for business needs - which in reality is once every month or so).

Six times a year is a very good agreement, would it be doable if the job were local? Could you agree to go in for a few hours rather than the entire day? A lot of parents at my work do core hours in the office and then bookend it with working from home in the morning/early evening so they can do the school run. If this would be doable if you lived closer then the main issue is the commute which isn't your employers concern in the same way that your caring responsibilities are.

Hope you can find something that is workable, I do think you've got a very good agreement but appreciate how difficult it is for you.

My bf was working 250 miles from his public sector job. His contract stated that he got to work from home and otherw were hybrid. His manager strongly encouraged him to go down for some meetings but he refused. They gave the whole team building reasons but he refused. He worked his contract, got great references. But they didn't continue his contract and instead they hired someone local that can do hybrid. If your contract states that you can wfh exlusively then you can. It might look bad, but that's upto you. However, it is not discrimination.

My contract is not wft it states that I can WFH 1-5 days a week depending on work. Therefore I have to go in to my montly team meeting. But I live and work locally.

Thanks. I think it’s difficult to trust they won’t redraw the line in sand again.
It’s not the area you would move a family to or could afford to easily live. So if moved closer would still have to be a hour commute or so (which is better than 5) but still difficult as single parent if it was every day going in in the future. I thought I had an agreement but it seems that these things are never set in stone.

You're 8 years to retirement and have primary school children, is that right? My retirement age is 68-is yours much younger?

Yes younger is possible, it is public sector so 60 is ok, at least partial retirement.

Trying not to be too outing case my boss sees that I hate them! 😂