When increased commuting costs to get to work = financial hardship

Anythingbutbeige

Not sure whether I'm asking for advice, or just an idea what to do next from anyone faced with similar.

Started a new role at Christmas.  Although not really relevant, the main office is in Birmingham and there's one in London.  My leadership role was advertised as London or Birmingham both with hybrid working.  I moved to  very rural in East Anglia after covid and used to work Sheffield pre and post covid but became gradually more wfh, then moved to this role thinking I don't mind a hefty commute.  I travel into London and then up to Birmingham.  I applied thinking I would be London with regular travel to where my team are. In contract negotiations I pushed back twice for London but ultimately it was decided it is a Birmingham based role, and no London weighting. The organisation has a hybrid working policy of 1-2 days in the office, and I have been making the 4.5 hour each way commute to the office once a week.  A couple of times I have also paid for hotels if, annoyingly, meetings start before my train can arrive in Birmingham.

Two train price increases since then means the journey, all costs in is just shy of £200 a time.  Painful, but fine.  I have been wondering why I didn't seem to have much money despite a salary in the £60ks

You might be able to guess what has happened.  Organisation has now decided a mandatory and rigid 2 days a week in the office.  I have found myself in a situation where 50% of my take home pay is on travel.  After my mortgage and bills, I will have about £200 p/m to spend on food and discretionary spending.

So in trying to find a solution other than finding a new job 6 months in,  I asked to move office base.  No demands; no 'I'm not working 2 days in the office' - just a worded help me find an inclusive way to accomplish this.  My newly recruited manager and exec reporting structure are based there.  But I have today has a 'no go'.  It is would be 'unfair and inconsistent' with other colleagues (obviously just not senior management mentioned above) 

So, confronting this.  Despite me stomping around thinking this is all very unfair (and hybrid working giving opportunities to recruit further afield candidates blah blah), I can see that asking employer to help (in loose terms by asking how I can adjust or apply this policy) with an employee struggling with a policy change, ultimately I have arrived at totally hard luck. 

I have 2 options: 1. feels like a road to poverty and/or debt. 2. Find a new job and in the meantime try to get some flexibility on the application of the 2 days p/w. (or 3. just don't do it wait for disciplinary action). 

Any thoughts? 


 

Undervalued

Anythingbutbeige said:

Not sure whether I'm asking for advice, or just an idea what to do next from anyone faced with similar.

Started a new role at Christmas.  Although not really relevant, the main office is in Birmingham and there's one in London.  My leadership role was advertised as London or Birmingham both with hybrid working.  I moved to  very rural in East Anglia after covid and used to work Sheffield pre and post covid but became gradually more wfh, then moved to this role thinking I don't mind a hefty commute.  I travel into London and then up to Birmingham.  I applied thinking I would be London with regular travel to where my team are. In contract negotiations I pushed back twice for London but ultimately it was decided it is a Birmingham based role, and no London weighting. The organisation has a hybrid working policy of 1-2 days in the office, and I have been making the 4.5 hour each way commute to the office once a week.  A couple of times I have also paid for hotels if, annoyingly, meetings start before my train can arrive in Birmingham.

Two train price increases since then means the journey, all costs in is just shy of £200 a time.  Painful, but fine.  I have been wondering why I didn't seem to have much money despite a salary in the £60ks

You might be able to guess what has happened.  Organisation has now decided a mandatory and rigid 2 days a week in the office.  I have found myself in a situation where 50% of my take home pay is on travel.  After my mortgage and bills, I will have about £200 p/m to spend on food and discretionary spending.

So in trying to find a solution other than finding a new job 6 months in,  I asked to move office base.  No demands; no 'I'm not working 2 days in the office' - just a worded help me find an inclusive way to accomplish this.  My newly recruited manager and exec reporting structure are based there.  But I have today has a 'no go'.  It is would be 'unfair and inconsistent' with other colleagues (obviously just not senior management mentioned above) 

So, confronting this.  Despite me stomping around thinking this is all very unfair (and hybrid working giving opportunities to recruit further afield candidates blah blah), I can see that asking employer to help (in loose terms by asking how I can adjust or apply this policy) with an employee struggling with a policy change, ultimately I have arrived at totally hard luck. 

I have 2 options: 1. feels like a road to poverty and/or debt. 2. Find a new job and in the meantime try to get some flexibility on the application of the 2 days p/w. (or 3. just don't do it wait for disciplinary action). 

Any thoughts? 


 

Unless you have a very unusual (and favourable) contract they can almost certainly do that. With only six month's service (again without some very unusual guaranteed terms) you have no real job security.

So, apart from trying to negotiate or moving house it seems you have little alternative but to find another job.

I certainly wouldn't "just don't do it wait for disciplinary action" as it wouldn't look good in a reference!
 

Anythingbutbeige

Thanks for the reply. Yes. I agree about not waiting for disciplinary action. It’s tricky though as I’m not sure some months how I will actually afford the train fare. It’s a very precarious position aiming for another job.  I’ve been thinking about maybe asking for compressed hours so I can get another job on top, but all of this seems quite hard!

lincroft1710

4 th option, move nearer to Birmingham.

tizerbelle

So before it was adhoc in the office but now it is every week?  You could look at flexi-season tickets or season tickets which won't solve the issue of having to go into the office but would hopefully reduce costs.  You could also potentially look at buying tickets up to 12 weeks in advance and hopefully managing to get cheaper deals that if you don't need to use, you apply for a refund (there will be a admin cost to this)  Dont forget about split-save tickets as well.

stuhse

Its madness living so far from where you work.  Move home or work is the only sensible solution IMHO.

Saver73

As someone who has done long commutes for previous job roles, I never really saw it as a long term plan, because aside from the cost, travelling long distance is hard, particularly in winter and it impacts your life leaving you with little leisure and social time.  I wouldn't do it again ever. 

My own employer is enforcing three office days a week whereas before it was 1-2 office days a week, there is less flexibility on days too, I think we are moving into a new phase of hybrid working. I have a commute of max 30 mins which I still find a chore but in comparison to the long commutes I did, it is a piece of cake!

I'm guessing you have considered options like railcards to try and reduce the cost?  also, booking in advance / split ticketing. Would your employer give flexibility so you can travel off peak?

tightauldgit

The situation you are in seems completely unsustainable for any length of time so eventually you are going to have to change job or move house. In the meantime you can see how flexible your employer is willing to be - if you explain to them you are planning to relocate to Birmingham but need some flexibility in the meantime they may be more amenable? 

is the issue that you physically need to be in Birmingham or just that they don't want to move you to London and pay a London weighting - perhaps you could work a day or two a week in the london office while still technically being based in Brum?

If your employer values you and wants you to stay then I'd expect them to be reasonable in making compromises but they cant bend over backwards for one individual and the fact that you choose to live and work so far apart is really a 'you' problem that they don't need to accommodate. 

Of course you are also free to ask for more money due to the change in policy but they may well simply say no. 

I certainly wouldn't just ignore the rules and get disciplined. 

Anythingbutbeige

stuhse said:

It’s madness living so far from where you work.  Move home or work is the only sensible solution IMHO.

Thanks for your comment. It didn’t used to be madness. I am single and senior leadership so if the salary and flexibility offered by an employer was good, it was an attractive arrangement for me.  Additionally, post Covid the possibility of hiring great people from further afield was a real benefit of hybrid working. I still think many people enjoy arrangements where they can live far away from work.  The creep back to office working, rigidity of this employer, cost of living and transport costs seems to have ruled that out in this instance.

No desire to move. I’ve only been here a year and was lucky with a fixed rate. 

Thanks all for your replies. I’d love to hear what others think, or have done in similar situations.

Anythingbutbeige

tightauldgit said:

The situation you are in seems completely unsustainable for any length of time so eventually you are going to have to change job or move house. In the meantime you can see how flexible your employer is willing to be - if you explain to them you are planning to relocate to Birmingham but need some flexibility in the meantime they may be more amenable? 

is the issue that you physically need to be in Birmingham or just that they don't want to move you to London and pay a London weighting - perhaps you could work a day or two a week in the london office while still technically being based in Brum?

If your employer values you and wants you to stay then I'd expect them to be reasonable in making compromises but they cant bend over backwards for one individual and the fact that you choose to live and work so far apart is really a 'you' problem that they don't need to accommodate. 

Of course you are also free to ask for more money due to the change in policy but they may well simply say no. 

I certainly wouldn't just ignore the rules and get disciplined. 

Thanks for this. No need to be physically anywhere. I manage a team who come in one day a week to Birmingham. CEO has said he want leadership ‘visible’ in the office, so min two days. I haven’t even mentioned London weighting so not that. ‘Business need’ to be in Birmingham v London. One of those nebulous terms that doesn’t mean anything.  I’m definitely smarting that my manager is allowed to be London based.  Ultimately, it seems I’m defeated.

Your comments were really helpful, and yup. Does seem a me problem. (The worst!)

Alderbank

You have ignored all the suggestions about moving house.

You said 'I moved to very rural in East Anglia after covid' so it doesn't sound as though you have strong roots where you currently live.

West Midlands is much more than city streets. There are also lovely 'very rural' spots as well.