Change in working (location)

Coveredinbees!!!!

I have been in my job for over 10 years and have always work from home, due to the nature of the work it means that I have some days of down time but this in my view makes up for the lack of paid overtime and fairly rubbish holiday entitlement. The company has changed a lot recently and I now have a different manager, he has decided that now I have to go in to the office when I have down time to 'help out', it takes the best part of 2 hours to get there. I have done this before with my old boss but it was on a more ad hoc basis which I didn't mind but this will be every day I'm not out on the road. I have made offers in the past to do things at home like making cables for example but they have never taken me up on the offer. Can they actually do this as it is fundamentally changing my working conditions?

Ms_Chocaholic

Just a thought .... will you be doing the 2 hour travelling time in working hours, also do you have a company car so will the fuel/vehicle be covered.

Coveredinbees!!!!

I don't know as yet regarding the working hours as I'm not doing it yet, I'm going in tomorrow to see what is going to happen I have a company supplied vehicle.

TELLIT01

Surely it's not unreasonable for a company to expect an employee to work the hours they are being paid for. As long as the travel time to the office is included in the working day (because you normally work from home) I don't see that you have very strong grounds for objection.

Sarastro

Coveredinbees!!!! wrote: »

I have been in my job for over 10 years and have always work from home, due to the nature of the work it means that I have some days of down time but this in my viewmakes up for the lack of paid overtime and fairly rubbish holiday entitlement. The company has changed a lot recently and I now have a different manager, he has decided that now I have to go in to the office when I have down time to 'help out', it takes the best part of 2 hours to get there. I have done this before with my old boss but it was on a more ad hoc basis which I didn't mind but this will be every day I'm not out on the road. I have made offers in the past to do things at home like making cables for example but they have never taken me up on the offer. Can they actually do this as it is fundamentally changing my working conditions?

I don't think they have actually changed your working conditions though. Your location is the office...and they allow you to work from home...your location isn't your home. If it were you would be allowed to claim travel expenses to go to the office.

You say, "in my view" - is it fair in their view? Is it even agreed in their view? I think you can argue that your contract says 8 hours a day (or whatever) but in practice you don't work an even number of hours on each day and will (effectively) be taking back time in lieu on the days you work less. Again, you will need to agree with them that this is how your hours are going to be managed.

The idea that you can have a few hours off / work from home / have flexible working as compensation for a 'rubbish holiday entitlement' is bonkers. Please can you show me the clause in your contract that says, "because our holiday entitlement is rubbish, you can have a few hours off here and there as you see fit, work from home and don't need to be accountable".

I'm not surprised your new boss wants you to be present at the office a bit more; they haven't actually changed anything - they are just holding you to your contract more. If you want to carry on working from home in the way you have been, I'd suggest you try being completely open, honest and transparent. If you moan about it, they will assume you've been skiving and remove the privilege.

getmore4less

holidays rubbish?

With a statutory min of 5.6 weeks that's more than 10% of a year.


If you believe the "down time" should really be TOIL for extra hours then you may need to formalise that in some way or you may be better setting your schedule so that you don't have down days and work fewer extra hours on the other days.

sangie595

Sarastro wrote: »

I don't think they have actually changed your working conditions though. Your location is the office...and they allow you to work from home...your location isn't your home. If it were you would be allowed to claim travel expenses to go to the office.

You say, "in my view" - is it fair in their view? Is it even agreed in their view? I think you can argue that your contract says 8 hours a day (or whatever) but in practice you don't work an even number of hours on each day and will (effectively) be taking back time in lieu on the days you work less. Again, you will need to agree with them that this is how your hours are going to be managed.

The idea that you can have a few hours off / work from home / have flexible working as compensation for a 'rubbish holiday entitlement' is bonkers. Please can you show me the clause in your contract that says, "because our holiday entitlement is rubbish, you can have a few hours off here and there as you see fit, work from home and don't need to be accountable".

I'm not surprised your new boss wants you to be present at the office a bit more; they haven't actually changed anything - they are just holding you to your contract more. If you want to carry on working from home in the way you have been, I'd suggest you try being completely open, honest and transparent. If you moan about it, they will assume you've been skiving and remove the privilege.

I agree with this.

Sorry, but if your working conditions are unacceptable, then you know what to do - get another job. Until that time there is nothing unreasonable in your employer wanting you to work for the hours they pay you to work. Working from home is a privilege- abuse it and there will be nothing unreasonable about them enforcing working from the office base every day.

bap98189

TELLIT01 wrote: »

Surely it's not unreasonable for a company to expect an employee to work the hours they are being paid for. As long as the travel time to the office is included in the working day (because you normally work from home) I don't see that you have very strong grounds for objection.

We have home-based sales reps, and we understand that due to the nature of the job, some days they will probably only work a few hours, but others they may be travelling and not get home until 9pm. If we started to demand they be on the clock, or in the office, from 9-5 every day they would start to object to the long hours they have to work on other days.