Working from home stopped - big commute

brutal_deluxe

Hi, advice needed!

• My job is IT-based which allows me to work from home. However my contract requires me to be in my place of work 5 days a week.
• A verbal agreement was handed to me on taking the job that I could work from home for half the week or when required, because of the nature of the work.
• I have been at my work for 6.5 years.
• I live 58 miles from my place of work.
• New senior manager has expressed how they don't like wfh arrangements. My line manager is twitchy and applied a blanket rule that no one can work from home.
• There is no advantage or perceivable need for me to be in every day, other than that's what my contract says.
• Since being in my post, I am responsible for a mortgage and a frail elderly widowed mother whom I visit to care for most evenings. The change has impacted on all of this and is beginning to impact on the quality of my work.

Anyone experienced a situation like this or have any advice they can give??

agrinnall

I think that without a written agreement to state precisely when you can work from home then the terms of the contract of employment will apply, and if they now want to enforce the work location then either you'll have to go in every day or resign. 58 miles is a nuisance but many people travel that far and further every day.

mountainofdebt

Why did you ask to work from home in the first place?

poorlittlefish

It could be argued that, by allowing you to work from home unchallenged for such an extended period, that has become "custom and practice". Have a look here, for example: http://www.hrzone.com/feature/employment-law/legal-guide-custom-and-practice-hr/140749.

Alternatively, put in a request for flexible working. You can do that immediately, because of having to care for a dependant. From next month anyone can apply for it, whether they have caring responsibilities or not. You would need to put forward a case for working from home and the employer would need to give it proper consideration. They'd have the right to refuse, but only if they are able to prove specific reasons under law (or theoretically you could go to an employment tribunal).

makeyourdaddyproud

I work in IT, and I would argue that your presence in the office has value to the employer in ways not obvious:

• Impromptu and urgent meetings
• Monitoring of work
• Assistance in areas where team presence is critical

I can see the convenience of working from home but as you admit, your wfh role has interlaced with the care of your elderly mum which suggests to me your working day is not dedicated to the job.


As much as you might not like it, having IT personnel in the office every day is massive benefit to the employer, and I personally feel that I couldn't give my best unless I was on site every day.


Having said that, some companies such as Microsoft embrace the wfh ethic but truth be told very few companies are sufficiently prepared for this.


As your contract denies you this right, your best course of action would be look for private care during the day (can you get help from the DWP??), and mobilise your CV ready for a jobhunt to include jobs nearer home and which include wfh a non-retractable option.

getmore4less

your contract includes the work from home terms if agreed as part of taking the job.
proving it is a different issue but certainly some c&p exists to show some variation existed.