Dreading upcoming changes
lcc86
Posts: 2,336 Forumite
Hi all,
We're going through some massive changes at work at present. About to move offices and go from being in 100% of the time to 50% and the rest working from home. Great, I hear you say! And it would be, if I wasn't in a front line role that requires seeing people face to face.
We've been split into two very rigid teams so will never see other colleagues in the other team, which isn't conducive to joint working, a critical element of our jobs. We've asked numerous questions about equipment at home and our rights, and are fobbed off. In fact, every concern we have had is fobbed off pretty much. We're not equipped to work from home, we're not being given additional computer equipment, we're not being told if we need to change our home insurance (someone says we might have to but I have no idea if this is true), we can't print remotely, some people house share and don't have a confidential space to work from etc.
We've put our concerns verbally to management but just get fobbed off and can't get a clear answer. We've also put them in writing to the team in charge of this change and don't even get a response.
The one positive I can think of is the better work/life balance and time saved through not commuting, however this is offset by the fact I can't see clients and this type of arrangement is completely unsuited to our client group, which management are ignoring. Also the fact that nobody appears to have thought this through and is trying to fudge it to make it work. It makes me dread going to work every day as there's always a new issue, but we are consistently ignored. Meanwhile the day this new regime starts edges closer and closer.
I am looking for a new job but jobs in my field are few and far between and I can't afford to take a pay cut at this time. We're not union members which is probably a mistake in hindsight. I've liaised with a few of my colleagues about some sort of joint action where we yet again try to present our concerns, but am worried about being in charge of it in case of repercussions.
They claim they've consulted us but in reality we have given our concerns, they have ignored them, and told us how it will work. We've not been allowed to have any input. Even more than the impact on us is the impact on the client group we work with (vulnerable people) who will have less contact with us than they do now, and potentially have contact with us in non-confidential spaces, which is not conducive to the type of work we do.
I'm not necessarily opposed to the change completely, but we need to be consulted, we need to be given the flexibility to come into work as and when needed rather than split into teams and not allowed in when it's not 'our turn', and we need to be given the right equipment to do the job. Does anybody have any advice re where we stand legally in terms of having these changes put upon us?
We're going through some massive changes at work at present. About to move offices and go from being in 100% of the time to 50% and the rest working from home. Great, I hear you say! And it would be, if I wasn't in a front line role that requires seeing people face to face.
We've been split into two very rigid teams so will never see other colleagues in the other team, which isn't conducive to joint working, a critical element of our jobs. We've asked numerous questions about equipment at home and our rights, and are fobbed off. In fact, every concern we have had is fobbed off pretty much. We're not equipped to work from home, we're not being given additional computer equipment, we're not being told if we need to change our home insurance (someone says we might have to but I have no idea if this is true), we can't print remotely, some people house share and don't have a confidential space to work from etc.
We've put our concerns verbally to management but just get fobbed off and can't get a clear answer. We've also put them in writing to the team in charge of this change and don't even get a response.
The one positive I can think of is the better work/life balance and time saved through not commuting, however this is offset by the fact I can't see clients and this type of arrangement is completely unsuited to our client group, which management are ignoring. Also the fact that nobody appears to have thought this through and is trying to fudge it to make it work. It makes me dread going to work every day as there's always a new issue, but we are consistently ignored. Meanwhile the day this new regime starts edges closer and closer.
I am looking for a new job but jobs in my field are few and far between and I can't afford to take a pay cut at this time. We're not union members which is probably a mistake in hindsight. I've liaised with a few of my colleagues about some sort of joint action where we yet again try to present our concerns, but am worried about being in charge of it in case of repercussions.
They claim they've consulted us but in reality we have given our concerns, they have ignored them, and told us how it will work. We've not been allowed to have any input. Even more than the impact on us is the impact on the client group we work with (vulnerable people) who will have less contact with us than they do now, and potentially have contact with us in non-confidential spaces, which is not conducive to the type of work we do.
I'm not necessarily opposed to the change completely, but we need to be consulted, we need to be given the flexibility to come into work as and when needed rather than split into teams and not allowed in when it's not 'our turn', and we need to be given the right equipment to do the job. Does anybody have any advice re where we stand legally in terms of having these changes put upon us?
Save £3,000 emergency fund #79 - £1,800 as of 04/24
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Comments
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Ask how they will comply with data protection issues..
Is this a contracted service to external stakeholders?0 -
getmore4less wrote: »Ask how they will comply with data protection issues..
Is this a contracted service to external stakeholders?
We've done that and been told it'll be looked into... This is an answer we seem to get a lot, which roughly translates to me as "oh sh*t we haven't thought about that".
As far as I'm aware it's not contracted externally, there is a team in charge of the change but even they don't seem to know what's going on. It's to help save money, which I completely understand given the climate we're in, but it's being done inflexibly and with no thought of the impact.Save £3,000 emergency fund #79 - £1,800 as of 04/240 -
Where you stand legally depends on what you are prepared to do about it. We have this issue in spades right now- and even with a union, it actually does still depend on what the employees are willing to stand up for. Because got haven't even started thinking of the implications- not just b insurance, but the hearing and lighting bills in winter (in other words, most of the year in a normal year), council tax (at 50% of your time, then there's a case to be argued that your home becomes business premises!)....
So the bottom line here, but it is a bottom line and if you don't ask stand together you will be picked off... your employer does not own your house and cannot make you work there! They can relocate you to other officescv they can relocate you to penises they rent, borrow or steal. But nobody can make you work from your own house. But bear in mind, there's possibly no half way measures here - if you say no it is very likely that the employer won't ever let you work from home. So it's your decision - will you all refuse, and are you prepared to fight until you win?
Keep your arguments about you. Please accept this as no criticism of you, or lack of sympathy with your clients, but your job is to deliver the service the employer determines suitable. So that isn't your fight. There must be organisations that do represent the client groups. Let them fight that battle- and you stay well out of it, because it could very easily provide the employer with leverage to discipline you.
You don't happen to be in a northern city on the east of the Pennines, do you? I ask because I happen to know a certain Council relocation that sounds very much what you describe here.0 -
Sounds like a nightmare, is no one in a union at all?0
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They can relocate you to other officescv they can relocate you to penises they rent, borrow or steal.
Don't think these are sex workers, but you never know...
Your insurer most certainly will need to know about this. There may also be issues where those living in leasehold flats and/or rented property are not permitted to carry out any sort of business from home, even just clerical work.
GDPR is going to be a major issue if you are communicating by e-mail...0 -
Where you stand legally depends on what you are prepared to do about it. We have this issue in spades right now- and even with a union, it actually does still depend on what the employees are willing to stand up for. Because got haven't even started thinking of the implications- not just b insurance, but the hearing and lighting bills in winter (in other words, most of the year in a normal year), council tax (at 50% of your time, then there's a case to be argued that your home becomes business premises!)....
So the bottom line here, but it is a bottom line and if you don't ask stand together you will be picked off... your employer does not own your house and cannot make you work there! They can relocate you to other officescv they can relocate you to penises they rent, borrow or steal. But nobody can make you work from your own house. But bear in mind, there's possibly no half way measures here - if you say no it is very likely that the employer won't ever let you work from home. So it's your decision - will you all refuse, and are you prepared to fight until you win?
Keep your arguments about you. Please accept this as no criticism of you, or lack of sympathy with your clients, but your job is to deliver the service the employer determines suitable. So that isn't your fight. There must be organisations that do represent the client groups. Let them fight that battle- and you stay well out of it, because it could very easily provide the employer with leverage to discipline you.
You don't happen to be in a northern city on the east of the Pennines, do you? I ask because I happen to know a certain Council relocation that sounds very much what you describe here.
We don't want to stop it, but we want to be given trust and flexibility to carry out our roles appropriately, not forced into teams and unable to see other colleagues who we co-work with on specific cases. We want to ensure we have appropriate equipment to do our jobs and to ensure our clients still receive the same service as before. We work in a statutory/legal service so there's no other provider that can do our work for the most part.
They are saying we can work from satellite offices however can't tell us where these offices are, which leads us to believe they don't exist as they've closed most of the satellite offices already, so in effect we ARE being forced to work from home in a way as there's nowhere else for us to go. Okay we might be out doing visits part of the time but as you say there will be an impact on our bills etc. The money we save on commuting will help a little with the increase in bills I suppose. I feel there are some personal benefits to working from home (saving a massive amount of time commuting for example) but we can't get answers to basic questions such as insurance, desk assessments etc, and we start this in less than 6 weeks!
I'm actually down south, but I'm aware it's going on in various locations. I know of other councils where it's worked well but they were more flexible in their approach.
I want to raise it with managers but am worried about their response and any potential repercussions.Save £3,000 emergency fund #79 - £1,800 as of 04/240 -
Sounds like a nightmare, is no one in a union at all?
Unfortunately not, some are members of professional bodies, including myself but unfortunately my professional body is on the verge of closing due to funding issues and can't assist.Save £3,000 emergency fund #79 - £1,800 as of 04/240 -
Don't think these are sex workers, but you never know...
Your insurer most certainly will need to know about this. There may also be issues where those living in leasehold flats and/or rented property are not permitted to carry out any sort of business from home, even just clerical work.
GDPR is going to be a major issue if you are communicating by e-mail...
:rotfl:
Don't even get me started on GDPR :wall:
I read something online which said our employer's own insurance might cover home working, however when I asked I was told they weren't sure! I'm sure you can appreciate the frustration of your own employer deciding to implement this sort of thing but seemingly not knowing what the implications are for employees. I suppose what I'm trying to say is I can't believe how much they are winging it!Save £3,000 emergency fund #79 - £1,800 as of 04/240 -
You still need to tell your own insurer.
Yeah I've been doing some reading on this. And having somewhere secure to store any work items e.g. Laptop... I just find it mind boggling that we are told this is what we're doing but given no guidance, yet if my house was burgled and my work laptop stolen I'd be the first in the firing line for not having the right cover! Surely we're entitled to this sort of basic information beforehand?! :mad:
As a team we drafted a list of our concerns again a few weeks ago, most of which had been voiced verbally in meetings etc already. I sent them to the team in charge of the change but got no response so I think tomorrow I'll send it directly to management and ask for a response ASAP.Save £3,000 emergency fund #79 - £1,800 as of 04/240
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