STUPIDLY UNREASONABLE MANAGER

[lifesabitchslways]

I’m looking for advice about a work situation as I’m due back in the office today.

My understanding is that working from home and flexibility are at the discretion of my line manager. My current manager only took over the role late last year, and her manager has a reputation for being very controlling. I previously had to raise concerns about his micromanagement.

The general rule he introduced is that everyone must work from the office two days a week, including part‑time staff.

One of my colleagues is part‑time and normally works in the office on Tuesdays. Last week she took half a day’s leave on her office day, worked the morning in the office, then left. She was then told she had to come back the next day to complete the remaining half‑day in the office, which seemed unusual.

Last week, my plan was to work from the office on Thursday and Friday. On Wednesday morning I woke up with a stiff neck, logged in from home, and posted on Teams to say I was working remotely. Within minutes, my manager’s manager asked if I was coming in. I said no, I was working from home. He then emailed asking whether I had discussed not doing two office days with my line manager. I explained that I had only just realised Friday was a bank holiday, and that I could come in if needed. I also asked whether I could take the afternoon off using my flexi hours (I currently have over 14 hours). He replied that I should speak to my line manager this week, said my flex balance was “incorrect”, and refused the afternoon off. He also asked whether I would be working three office days the week after Easter, but I didn’t respond to that part.

My line manager was on annual leave all last week, so he was effectively in charge.

Today is Tuesday. My usual office days are Thursday and Friday, but I prefer not to go in on those days because of the nature of the work. Tuesdays are extremely busy and I also have a health‑related agreement not to attend the office on Tuesdays due to low immunity. I don’t want to go in three days this week, as he suggested, because I “missed” one day last week due to the bank holiday. I also don’t want to lose my flexi hours, as they were accumulated through work and I haven’t had the chance to reduce them.

To summarise:

• My line manager is back from leave today.
• The rule is two office days per week.
• I plan to do my usual two office days this week, not three.
• I don’t agree with being asked to “make up” a day because of a bank holiday.

I’m unsure how to handle this when I go in today. Any advice would be appreciated.

What does your contract say?

If the rule is 2 days a week including part timers then it would stand to reason that you have to accommodate bank hols and still do 2 days a week.
Don't get me wrong, it's a very unreasonable rule ! But it's not like Good Friday is an unknown or new bank holiday so you could have easily planned around it.
If the rules state you have to make up days not in the office from week to week, I'd be surprised. So I'd say you just stick to 2 days a week as that is the rule.

Suck it up or find another job. They management set the rules and the interpretation of those rules. Unless they are doing something that is discrimitory. U don’t have to like it, but you do need to comply or move to another job that makes you happier.

What an arse he is! Our in office day is Monday but if it falls on a bank holiday like this week, we are not forced in on another day to compensate.
I bet he’s an awful manager in other ways too. In which case I’d be looking for alternative employment in the medium term.

If it’s at the discretion of the manager then you need to suck it up unfortunately

It's a stupid rule but what does your contract say?

They can't force you to come in, what would happen if you just didn't go in for 3 days this week?

“Today is Tuesday. My usual office days are Thursday and Friday, but I prefer not to go in on those days because of the nature of the work. Tuesdays are extremely busy and I also have a health‑related agreement not to attend the office on Tuesdays due to low immunity.”

so what days do you plan to go in this week? Sounds like you’re just avoiding going in. You prefer not to go in on your usual days and how is your immunity worse on a Tuesday? I can see why your manager is getting a little annoyed tbh.

This is how companies eventually move away from hybrid/wfh and want you back in the office 24/7.

Agree with the “what does your contract say?” At some point I honestly think employers are really going to pull back on wfh unless it’s embedded in contracts given the pushback from so many re attending their workplace

I suspect they’ve had to make it a strict rule because when it was more relaxed, people took the piss.

Pre WFH, you wouldn’t (presumably) have taken days off sick because of a stiff neck or ‘low immunity’. You can go in, you just can’t be arsed.

Just accept you need to do 2 days like you have been clearly told

It does seem odd to have to make up a day - you’re contracted for 5 days but don’t have to make one up due to back holidays
id be apologetic say you thought that was reasonable given above and continue your pattern ?. But if they are unreasonable and wfh isn’t contractual then you might have to go in a bit more this week and next to keep it as an ongoing perk.

it’s also a weird to ask you to go in after you’ve started and waste the commute time.

I’m confused by this too!

As someone who doesn’t have any option to WFH, I don’t really see what the issue is. You’re expected to do two days in the office per week - so that’s what you need to do 🤷‍♀️

I think you should have assumed, if everyone has to two days in office including part-timers, that Friday last week wouldn’t count, even if Friday is your regular office day. I am not in support of presenteeism which is what this sounds like, I’m just saying that the rule is two days and you haven’t done two days. (Not sure how you just “forget” about Good Friday.)

I don’t really understand the issue with flexi-time but it sounds like you didn’t give very much notice of wanting to take the afternoon off, so it’s not unreasonable to have denied the request.

Urgh micromanagement at its finest! If your company is like mine - contracts don't say anything about office days - its upto whatever manager you unfortunately get!! Some managers are chill - others are twats!! We work in one organisation...some managers let parents wfh in school hols..others don't! I hate different rules for different people!
Your manager coming back today will agree with whatever his manager will tell him so unfortunately you gotta suck it up!

What does your contract say?

It sounds like you took the mick by saying you can’t go in with a stiff neck - you should have phoned in sick if you could not work properly.

The fact that you mention needing to WFH on Wednesday suggests that you knew you were supposed to be in the office due to the BH.

You could have suggested using your flexible leave or WFH instead but you don’t just refuse to go into work. That is at your employers discretion.

You are now trying to get out of going in on the 2 days you’re supposed to be in.

It seems that you shouldn’t have to go in for the third day but it depends on what your contract says.
It sounds like you’re constantly making excuses to not go in.

I’m guessing your contract says something about the hybrid aspect being at your employers discretion.
As you seem to be taking the mick, I can imagine you being asked to work in the office more.

Go in 2 days a week.
If you can’t manage that, then find another job.

I don’t agree this is micromanagement. It sounds like the poor managers are just trying to enforce the rules with a bunch of staff determined to flout them. If your colleague only spent half a day in the office, then she needs to do another half day. If your Friday falls on a Bank Holiday, then you need to do another day in the office. Not really sure what you are looking for here! And with your flexi time, we do that too but it has to be taken when it suits the business as well.

WFH because you have a stiff neck is pretty pathetic. Sounds like they are keeping an eye on you because you clearly don’t want to work in the office and will find any excuse not to do so.

We also have 2 office days per week. We don’t make it up elsewhere if one falls on a BH.
nor would you be expected to come in again if you booked half day off on an office day. You manager sounds unreasonable

These employers want to enforce a rule of 2 days per week in the office for everyone and there is precedent from your example of the colleague and the half-day that those who don't make this quota are required to make it up another time. Making you do 3 days this week is a fair and reasonable application of the same rule and it would be unjust favouritism to let you get away with not doing it last week. It was your mistake to not realise about the Bank Holiday last week.

If you don't like the rules of your current employer, feel free to resign and seek a different job. No one is making you work there. While you work there, follow the rules.. You should work in the office 3 days Wed Thu & Fri this week and given this set of policies it would be sensible to make your default office days Wed&Thu so that if something goes wrong on one of those you have Fri available to make up the difference.

Stop using WFH as a semi-sickday thing. If you aren't well enough to work in the office on a day you are expected there, be off sick not WFH.

You work three days to make up for the one only you done last week. Why do you think this is an unreasonable request?
It's people like you who make WfH harder for others.

You are displaying a poor attitude/defiance and I’m not surprised they’re managing this closely.

He sounds like a twat. But I think all you can do is speak to your manager about any issues you need to be managed, like your stiff neck, and see what they’re prepared to accommodate in advance, rather than assuming you can be flexible on your days in the office off your own bat.

If working from home makes working viable, but adding a commute makes it unfeasible, and they still insist they want you in, then you’ll need to take a sick day. They’ll have to accommodate your absence from duties instead.

Otherwise, you’ll have to suck up having to do two days in the office regardless of bank holidays, etc. He’s made it clear he’s going to be very rigid and inflexible on it, and is clearly monitoring everyone’s movements with 100% zeal. You’ll just be making problems for yourself if you keep pushing on it.

My experience is that managers who are rigid and inflexible in one area are generally like that in general, and a bit miserable to work for. If that’s the case here, maybe it would be good to see what other roles are available elsewhere.

So if you don’t want to go in Thursday and Friday, and you can’t do Tuesdays when do you intend to do your 2 days in the office? And if you had no intention of going in on a Friday, the bank holiday would have made no difference because surely you’d have planned two days in the office that didn’t include Friday?

It honestly sounds like you’re trying to play the system, and your manager is playing right back. Talk to your employer, agree with them your office days and turn up when you’re meant to.

This, and your original post OP makes it very clear you’re looking for excuses not to go in two days a week.

Two days a week is not a big ask.

We have this in my workplace too, and it’s amazing the ways that people will try and find ways around the two days in the office. They’ll have a delivery on their normal office day for example, but then instead of coming in a different day that week will just think they can do one day. Or various other examples like you’ve shared yourself.

When people take the piss and do their best to work around reasonable rules, then management have to crack down or they’d find themselves with a workforce barely doing a single day in the office each week.

if you want a fully remote job then you should leave and find one that accommodates this.

the flexi hours are different - assuming you have this documented then you need to raise this again but with a paper trail.