Managers working from home in bad weather

BlueAngelCV

What is unfair is if you're not given the same opportunity to work from home.

We were told that if we can't come in then we can work from home (& we must record as much time as we usually would) or take the day unpaid.

OK I thought, I'll work from home. So I asked for IT to arrange access to our server so I could.
Sorry, we don't let people do that anymore they said?
So the approx 10 people in my team who do the same job as me are able to work from home but I am not.
There are people in my team who work from home at least once a week but I am not allowed to.

That's what is not fair.

Allowing people to work from home when they are capable of doing so and when it is dangerous to leave the house is completely reasonable.

mikey72

Raksha wrote: »

FYI I am the Office Manager. Your original post implied you were 'expected to drive/walk/bus to work in order to deliver a service' - we don't know what that service is - it may be that you are in direct face to face contact with members of the public - you haven't told us. A manager is often quite capable of delivery a satisfactory service remotely, so why shouldn't the decision be made to keep as many vehicles off the roads as possible?

Sounds to me like you need to address this with your manager at your next review, and maybe ask for some help with anger management

I must admit, I've had a manager who was just as satisfactory when he wasn't in, in fact I'd say the company ran better if he was out.
Others were better if they were present though.

simone83

Both me and my husband work for the local council. I work from home and he works out of the office.

I am smug about this for 99% of the time - other than this week, when he hasnt been able to get out of the village to go to work (car cant get off street and no buses running!), and I still have to work from the front bedroom - Homeworking can really suck sometimes!!

I think I might have to make him walk the 15 miles in 2 feet of snow to make an example to his staff next week!!! just to get him out of the house.

Nick_C

I am also a manager for a local Council, and worked from home yesterday because of the bad weather. I worked a 10 hour day - I'm paid for 7.15. If I had struggled in to the office, I would have arrived late and left early, and probably have done 6 hours maximum. Working from home, I have full access to all files and e-mail. My office phone diverts to my home number - people who call me don't know I'm at home, and I function just as well from home as from the office.

On Monday, I made sure my staff had work they could do from home if they were unable to get to the office.

Our council saves money for local taxpayers by encouraging staff to work from home or do compressed working hours such a 9 day fortnight. We have to share desks at the office, and only have 7 desks/phone/computers for every 10 members of staff. The savings for the Council in rent/rates/hardware/heating/lighting are considerable.

muddypaws2807

Hi

Totally agree with you. I am one of 5 managers at a manufacturing company. To be fair all five managers did get in some from quite a way off. One thing that did amaze me was that we had another deluge of snow during the day and one of the managers decided at 2pm to leave as they did not want to drive in the snow in the dark. Promptly left and left his staff, incredible!

I was told to go home and I refused stating that as a professional manager I would not leave before my staff you are there to set an example, we all got in the next day except the person who left early and "worked from home".

I During a meeting with the MD pointed out that some people were milking the "cant get in or cant get in on time" big time and he decided that those people had to work their hours back, which is only fair. Bizarre thing is, the MD's PA is the worst culprit :rolleyes:

ixwood

if they can work from home, why not? We'll all be working from home more and more these days. Offices are so last millennium.

Also bear in mind, that most german "prestige" cars that managers are usually attracted to, are rear wheel drive and useless in snow and ice.

ixwood

link to another thread which confirms cars may well have something to do with it:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2191199

Also I'd say managers are more likely to live in remoter areas and villages, where roads may not be gritted. That combined with cars that are dangerous in snow and I'm not surprised they don't bother.

ohmsoft

Hi

I'm a manager within my office and have the ability to work from home. I've actually made it in every day over this icy period but am aware that some of our other managers have not. Our staff who can't work at home and can't get in are asessed on a individual basis about the situation, if they can provide support from another location or perhaps do something from home - utilimately if every effort is made they're likely to be paid.

What I will say about managers being able to work at home is that it's not as much a perk as you may beleive. I was working until gone midnight last night and am back at it now, and will be tomorrow - in all i'll have done a good 70+ hours this week and i blame homeworking for that as my boss doesn't see all the work we do behind the scenes to keep up with workflows. I'm not complaining but just making the point that being at home working doesn't always mean we/they have it easy.

dawnteabag

I'd just like to sencond the point above..

All staff in my office have the option to have home-working set up and it was made very clear when everyone was having big concerns about a brd-flu episode that you would have to have a good reason not to have it set up.

As a single-parent, I've found it invaluable at times. E.g. for a year or so I worked 6 hours a day in the office and 5 additional hours at home over the week so that I could take and collect my child from school. On the downside, I often found that I was working far more than that. Sometimes up to 15-20 hours a week. In effect working an extra couple of days for nothing.
This last week, I managed to make it in everyday except one day when there were no buses running and I couldn't use my car because I'd had to abandon it on the wa to work the previous day. On that day, bacause I could work from home I was expected to do so despite having my son at home with me all day. If I hadn't been set up to work from home I could have taken the day as a paid parental day like many others across the company.
Swings and roundabouts......

emmell

People who work ten minutes away have not been turning in where my husband is MD, yet my sons girlfriend has been getting up all week at 2.30am to walk half an hour (in good weather) to start work at 4.15 am to stack supermarket shelves for minimum wage.
She's walking because she's scared her little (£600) mini will get damaged in the snow.
ML.