Return to office - but I want to remain fully remote

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Samba ramba

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Hi,
Hoping to get some advice.

Since Covid I have been working from home until a few months ago when they requested I go back to the office 1 day a week or 2 half days. I said I'd give it a try but I knew it wasn't going to be suitable. It's an open plan office & the majority of my work is very detail orientated so peace & quiet is essential for me to fulfill my role.

I spoke to my manager about it numerous times but he was always very dismissive & I was basically told "I need to adapt". A few weeks ago he said he wanted to increase my time in the office to 40% of the week. Keep in my my role hasn't changed. I moved to a smaller open plan office but still find it impossible to concentrate properly.

The last couple of weeks have been very challenging workwise. In order to get through the workload I moved to an office that isn't occupied 90% of the time so I could concentrate. This wasn't good enough either - I was accused of trying to take over that office but for the few days I used it no one else actually needed it or even entered the room. It was never my intention to "take over" that office on a permanent basis, I saw it as an opportunity to tick the box of turning up to the office but also have the space & quiet needed to perform effectively during a particularly busy time.
Others in the company work remotely & do not have to operate under the same conditions as I do. Its fair to say my manager has an issue with me even though I'm one of the top performers & there has never been a reason to question my work rate.

Considering all of this how do I approach them to back off & return to more time at home? I'm being treated very differently to other colleagues for absolutely no reason.

I like the company & job I do but doing it in an open plan office is simply not working & is leading to delays in completing tasks. Also I have an office in my home so it's not as if I'm sitting at the kitchen table or working from the couch.
 
Are you in a union?

Can you document the roles / grades of those employees who are remote working?

Ask your manager to clearly document the reasons for increased office time.

Does the company have a documented remote work policy?
 
Hi, thanks for the replies. I was in the same company before covid hit. Office was moved during covid. My role has changed during that time & I have more responsibility now than I did when I started.
There's no union. The roles of others are not too unlike my own, one of them possibly should be in more than he is but can still be done remotely. One of them returned to the office once & said it wasn't for her that she is more settled at home so she hasn't come back since & the manager is OK with that.
When I questioned my manager on it he said she has more travel time compared to me, she lives 30 minutes away & I live about 10 minutes away. But my point is I'm far more productive at home than in the office. She gave more or less the same reason but has been allowed to stay at home whereas I'm being asked to turn up more often.
There's no document on remote working.
 
A lot of companies are heading to 3/4/5 days in the office now. I think its a reasonable request 40% is 2 days. Considering the cost of running offices, staff need to be in them I think.
 
Samba ramba said:
The roles of others are not too unlike my own,
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How many employees are there?

Larger employers generally tend to have policies to avoid this kind of ad hoc stuff, smaller ones should too but often don’t.

Samba ramba said:
But my point is I'm far more productive at home than in the office.
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You might not like to hear this but your manager probably thinks the opposite. Im
Not in a position to judge but in negotiations try to focus on solutions that demonstrate your productivity.
 
Are you able to do fully your job remotely. You seem to suggest that some roles should really at least partly be in the office? Are you relying on anyway on other people being in the office to do your job?
 
I can understand a company looking for staff to return to the office if there is a need however I struggle to make sense of it when there is clearly no need & the environment of an open plan office leads to less productivity.
On a personal level it's hard not to feel targeted when others have given the same reasons to stay at home & have been accommodated.
Its a sme. And has the internal politics to go with it unfortunately. But for the most part there's a great team working there, just one or two managers that bring moral down.
My role can be 100% remote without causing any issues for other members of staff. The other employee could certainly be on site at least once a week to deal with other departments but has refused & seemingly is getting away with it.
My point is, I've made the effort & tried to the best of my ability to function properly but it really isn't working. It's the equivalent of trying to make a square fit through a circle.
Having to listen to music on my earphones to drown out noise doesn't work. If I'm at home I don't play music or have the radio on. So rather than value my honesty about it the manager has decided I need to adjust & increase my time there. The mind boggles really. I think its fair to say he doesn't like me as I am treated differently to others in the company - a few employees have noticed this & mentioned it to me.
So would you suggest I send an email outlining my reasons? Do I contact HR?
 
Yes, contact HR. But first speak to your manager. Make your position very clear.

I am more productive working remotely, examples here, here and here.
I have tried to make in office work for me, open plan, quieter open plan, empty room, noise cancelling headset but I cannot concentrate at the level I need to keep my productivity up.
There are no meetings or tasks that require me to be in the office but I can attend at 10 mins notice for anything urgent.
I feel I am being victimised because colleague A is 100% remote and colleague B never comes to the office.
I am being singled out and held to a different standard to equivalent colleagues like A.
The changes to the working conditions are unfavourable to me.
I formally request a return to 100% WFH in line with my colleagues A&B
I will be making the same request to HR and your manager for the victimisation to end and that I return to being 100% WFH.
And I will also request that no retaliation be taken against me for raising this request.

Just keep working up the list until something happens. Your manager if reasonable should see the unfairness by at least the 4th point, but be prepared to go all the way. Be sure to have your ducks in a row and evidence of your increased productivity collated for the meeting. Have a copy of your email to HR ready to go. If your boss still says no request the reason in writing for your records.

Are you in any way different to your peers, race, colour, religion, sex, etc. If you are you should point out that your company appears to be treating you differently due to your class in x,y or z.

Your boss seems to be a bad manager.
 
Hello,

I'd explain, via email, how your role differs now, to what it was like "Pre-Covid", and why this new role needs silence / solitude.

I'd also explain what you've tried to do, to make the office environment work for you, and what's needed, if it is to work, given current responsibilities.

I'd finalise by saying that you've grave (legitimate, and reasonable) concerns that the currant arrangements will have a negative impact on your role - be it in terms of delivery times, risk of increased human error etc. and specifically ask for help to deal with these issues, if full time WFH isn't an option.

Give it a few days, then send a follow up, if you haven't had a response.

You've then put your line manager on notice, regarding your concerns, and can evidence them, if issues later arise with performance, missing deadlines etc.
 
You need to decide if this is a hill you want to die on, and are you prepared to leave if you cannot resolve it to your satisfaction. This is why you need to be formal and write emails or follow up in person meetings with an email, (as discussed today I said point x y and z. You said points a b and c. You agreed to do 1 and 2.)

Your company may legitimately say we accept the reduction in productivity over our need to have you in office. So you may succeed on the perceived victimisation, but they could easily say A has no legs, we are on the third floor with no lift, they cannot access the office (but they would just say a disability and give no details), you get the drift.

If you stopped coming in like B, what would the consequences be? If you boss says B is in the days you are out, just say great. I will talk to B about their schedule and align my in office days with theirs.

You have options, you just need to take action. HR look after the interest of the company not you, but in discussions with your bosses boss may decide that he is on a wierd solo run that does not align with the company and could tell him stop. They may decide you are too valuable to the company and will let you be 100% remote. Who knows, they might decide your boss for all his faults is very valuable to the company and would prefer to see you leave.

Best of luck
 
Leo said:
.
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Fortune said:
That's a terrible argument
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It is indeed a terrible argument but one that is increasingly heard. Especially if they’ve actually bought the building rather than a lease.
where I work started to go down this pointless rabbit hole… a debate on a company wide zoom call.. started with the house services people saying that they were in to keep the building running and what was the point if it was half empty. They even said the cost per head for 20 people was too high. One of the finance team pointed out that sunk costs could never be used to justify additional costs. An angry exchange ensued.. pointless of course. And they eventually saw sense..

Back to the OP. Try to get some agreement in writing about reasons, be prepared to meet them half way . We’ve had discussions about productivity too. It was agreed that a mix was usually more appropriate and stay home if you’ve sole work that needs quiet time to focus. If I’m required to go in on days that really don’t suit me I wear noise cancelling headphones and do my exact working hours only. Taking permitted breaks too. Which I don’t usually do.
 
Thank you. This is excellent advice. I'm going to think it over though as I don't want to create a bigger problem for myself.
I'm female, off the top of my head I can think of 8 other women who left under this male manager in the last number of years & none of them on good terms. But as I pointed out already it is a great team, just one or two toxic people to drag the mood down.
The funny thing is if a problem arises I'm usually one of the first he goes to to find a solution & fix it. It's not in my nature to refuse anyone help but I can't say the thought hasn't entered my head. I am still human!
From looking up the definition of bullying in the workplace, how I am being treated by him certainly fits some of the criteria. I'm reluctant to start launching that torpedo though as I feel it would seem like a threat to get my own way wfh.
The company is currently being sued by a former employee
due to the way he treated her. While I can't say I saw these interactions take place I have no reason to doubt her as I saw the effect it had on her as a person over a number of months & I always found her to be very straight, to the point & professional.
 
DannyBoyD said:
Forget HR - they are there to protect the company, not you.
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Clamball said:
You have options, you just need to take action. HR look after the interest of the company not you, but in discussions with your bosses boss may decide that he is on a wierd solo run that does not align with the company and could tell him stop. They may decide you are too valuable to the company and will let you be 100% remote. Who knows, they might decide your boss for all his faults is very valuable to the company and would prefer to see you leave.
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I'm with Clamball, HR are there to stop a manager doing anything stupid which could hurt the company.
 
Samba ramba said:
From looking up the definition of bullying in the workplace, how I am being treated by him certainly fits some of the criteria. I'm reluctant to start launching that torpedo though as I feel it would seem like a threat to get my own way wfh.
The company is currently being sued by a former employee
due to the way he treated her. While I can't say I saw these interactions take place I have no reason to doubt her as I saw the effect it had on her as a person over a number of months & I always found her to be very straight, to the point & professional.
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It sounds like you need to talk to HR and/or your managers boss.
 
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