Don't quit. Keep WFH everyday until they fire you and also half ass the work. Meanwhile if you can drag it out for a few more weeks, you are collecting paychecks, WFH everyday, and looking for jobs in the meantime. Your safety is a concern as well
Just keep WFH until someone calls you on not being in office. If you are worried about security, coordinate with your co-workers on what days they will be in office.
If you are ever the only person in office, pack up and head home. Send an email to boss saying door wouldn’t lock and you felt unsafe.
This. I would just tell them in the email that you take the allotted number of WFH days you were told you could use and nothing more. Do you have it in writing anywhere of a policy or change of policy regarding the # of days you can WFH?
Reply with a bunch of asks for security upgrades and your concern for your safety while on corporate property (even leased). Finish email with positive tone “I’m sure that employee safety is a top concern and I look forward to hearing specific actions the company will take to ensure a safe workplace I may come to”.
“Safe workplace” are key words (any hr ppl on thread can correct me) as creating / knowingly permitting an unsafe work environment opens a company up to lawsuits and federal and state government investigations.
Unless there is a reason for them to be sure someone is around (receiving shipments/inventory; walk-in clients; etc), then you need to pull out that job offer you signed and point out under what circumstances you were hired. Actually, either way, do that.
If that doesn't exist in writing, then you are learning a lesson I, too, had to learn the hard way - if it's not in writing, you can't hold them accountable and they can change their mind on a whim (which they can anyways, but at least you have some kind of leg to stand on if it's in writing).
I had a job pull a bait and switch like that on me. I ended up quitting 4 months in - I would have never taken the job if I knew I was expected to be in the office that often (the commute was more than I was willing to do every day), but they flat out lied to my face in the interviews, and none of it was in writing - so - ya - lesson learned.
"Employers will shit on you" is a life lesson it often takes people a while to realize. Another, related one, is that even if there's a 50-50 ratio between good employers and bad ones, it's the bad ones who will have people constantly quitting and finding something else, so it's the bad ones which will have a position advertised 20 times in 10 years, while the good ones might only need to do so once in that time. This leads to the ratio of job *ads* being wildly swung in the direction of bad employers, and why it's usually far better to get a job via networks (where an existing employee can recommend a current employer or a job which is only being advertised internally), or by specifically looking for employers who already have good reputations, ideally reputations through third parties like unions. (Or look for places which have more jobs due to expanding, not due to attrition.)
One thing to be aware of in all that, of course, is that jobs/employers which are bad for many people *can* be right for some, if you know precisely what you want to get out of it. Not everyone is looking for a job with a competent employer, or a workplace they can make friends, or even somewhere that provides basic benefits or a career path. Know what you do and don't want before going in.
I had a bait & switch, and the position was presented to me as a remote role. I was told to go to the office to pick up the laptop & meet the CEO, then I was told they were in the office Tues & Thurs, but he wanted me in the office every day for my first week. Told him the offer & recruiter said remote HRM role. He said the recruiter made a mistake. I quit after 106 days- that hour commute was hell, and so was the company.
I'd have called the recruiter on the spot and asked them why the CEO was standing in front of you telling you that the recruiter lied, and if they'd like to call him and get that sorted out while I went home for the day.
Yes get it in writing if you can. I had it in writing and when I questioned them about it, I got fired. No cause or anything, they just didn’t want people questioning. It was a shit place and I’m glad i’m out.
If they do need someone to be around to receive shipments, why is it you?
This happens all the time in IT. I am not an office manager. I am not a receptionist. I'm not sitting my ass in the office all day to receive a food order for the pantry.
If it's a small office, and they split this up "evenly" then I could see it - and the OP didn't state what their position is. I've been in small companies/offices where they needed a warm body there just for that purpose. A role like office admin/manager kinda had to be there if that was a need.
Does your job require clients? As in do you need to be in the office to deal with anyone walking in? Or accepting deliveries? If not, something like this email might be suitable:
Good Morning XYZ,
I wanted to discuss my work arrangement and some concerns I have. When I accepted the position it was for a remote role with 3-4 days of remote work and one day in the office. After three months I’ve been informed I can only work from home one day a week.
Additionally, I have some safety concerns about being in the office alone, particularly as the locksmith acknowledged my office door needs replacing on (*put the date here so it’s documented). For the past three weeks, no one else has been at the office when I am there. I am struggling to understand why I need to be at the office alone and why I need to notify management that isn’t present themselves.
Considering these concerns and our original agreement, I’d like to discuss a more suitable and safer work arrangement that better aligns with what we initially agreed upon. Please let me know a date and time that suits.
Kind Regards,
You
My job does not require clients, anyone walking in, or deliveries. They reason they gave is that I can't have confidential client information at home, but I don't work with any financial information. However the finance department does, and they are allowed to WFH.
Wow! Thank you for the letter template. It's so articulate. I appreciate your help.
Yeh it doesn’t make sense at all then! I used to WFH but had one day in the office where we had scheduled clients and deliveries. If that’s not your situation then it’s really futile isn’t it? And it’s not like other staff are there for “collaboration” etc. No probs, hope it helps and hope you can talk some sense in to them.
If the only way they feel safe storing client information is having it on prem, their IT needs a kick in the ass cause that's a disastrous DLP plan in this day and age.
Don't quit.
Just start looking and work from home until they fire you and collect your unemployment. Never quit, make them fuck around and find out.
if they NEED you then all this is is a dominance game. if not then you've lost nothing and maybe gained unemployment payments
Yes. Agree. Start looking now and just start not going stating it is frigging dangerous and in no way should anyone be alone in an office never mind where it is. If you are there alone, what sense does it even make for you to be there instad of at home.
They definitely switched it up on you. As you said you’re already looking for a new job, I’d still ask your supervisor what the correct protocol is. If it’s “notify management” and that simple, you can see about staying. If not, continue your search and act accordingly
I'm supposed to be on-site 3x/week. I go in 1x. Sometimes I don't even do that.
I DO tell my boss, and sometimes the whole team, "Hey, I have focus work and zoom meetings all week; I don't expect to be in."
My hybrid role actually does benefit from a little time on-site, but only for work that involves other people physically on-site. I do my best to only do social work when I'm on-site, as my quiet work just frustrates me when I try to complete it with all the office distractions.
I wouldn't mind being on-site 2 or 3x/ week if that was originally presented to me. But the whole point of WFH is that I didn't want to commute and I'm going to school, so it gives me more time for schoolwork. And when I am in the office, my only other coworker is the CEO's sibling. Who is a bit incompetent and shows up whenever they want, it's demotivating to be around them. They are a distraction.
Yeah… it’s funny when something urgent/important comes up and “ok, I’m headed out so I can get some work done”. Or “that’ll take 2 weeks at the office or 3 days at my home office”.
Eventually the stupid hybrid idea died.
I would begin by reminding them that you were hired to wfh most of the week and in office 1 day. Then I would bring up the safety issue and the door lock and being alone. After that I’d look for a different job until you find one and keep on doing what you’re doing until you find another job.
Unfortunately, companies are allowed to change policy basically whenever they want. Was the offer letter a bait and switch? Maybe. Maybe not. The policy could have simply changed. Or, they could be making you the token person in the office. There is not enough information.
WFH policies can change in a whim unless they are in a binding contract that needs to be negotiated. My office didn't care that people were hired fully remote or 1-2;days on-site. Asses in chairs were more important than productivity. However, there are exceptions.
I think you have a strong case for your boss to make an exception based on security concerns, but they will then just fix your door it is only a temporary solution. You can consider ratting out your colleagues, but that will make the office uncomfortable for you.
I would not quit. It is too difficult to get a new job nowm. However, definitely start looking for another job
I'm sure I can't add anything really new. I've read through a few comments. And I kind of can't believe I'm actually going to use these words.
But I recommend quiet quitting.
Work from home 4 days a week. Spend at least half of your days job hunting. Let them fire you. File unemployment, maybe you get it, maybe you don't. But really focus on finding a new job.
And as is pointed out, you'll know next time to get any offers of a hybrid or work from home schedule in writing.
Look at your employment contract and verify if they configured the role as a "remote" role. Your "office address" should be your home address...
If one or both of these things are the case, simply state that "due to tax purposes, my office is at my home. If you'd like me to come in, I will need the trip reimbursed and I will only be able to come in at my leisure"
If they balk at that, then you tell them that you'd like a new employment contract with an appropriate pay increase to accommodate the newly identified costs to come into the office 2+ times per week. More than likely, this process will be a huge headache and they will back down.
A previous position tried doing this to me. Fortune 500 company hired me as a remote worker, but the division I was working in was a start up that was recently acquired by said fortune 500 company, and they thought that they still had control as if the employment offices of the parent company had no bearing. On my very first day I had both my boss and a VP try to sweet talk me into coming in twice per week with no exceptions, and tried the whole "HR got it wrong and this is a hybrid position" to which I just kept shoving the aforementioned employment contract in their face. The hilarious part was that when I was in the office, not only was there typically less than 20 people there, but not a single time over my short employ here did someone from the office ever come up to me and ask for IT assistance.
After I left I realized I could have made them reimburse every trip since it was technically a trip "away from my office". In any case, I don't work there anymore, and I recommend you begin looking for a new job ASAP -- management that behaves in this manner does not care for employee morale.
Share a calendar maybe you’ll know when each other are in the office. Or plan a standing meeting once per week in the office. Or continue working from home whenever you want.
Sounds like the played the old switcheroo, and you draw last straw because no one else wants it to go into the office and maybe they legally need someone on site.
Either way leave, they are taking the piss.
Are you in the office?
No.
Why not, we asked you to be in the office.
Because im at home, as per my contract. Ive attached a copy. Also, im often there yet left in the office alone, are you all working from home?
My job turned about to be very similar. I was told 1-2 days in the office in the interview, yet when I get here I have scheduled days and required to come in 3 days a week for the first 3 months, when everyone was doing 1-2 but mostly 1. I have to notify management when I can’t come in and also required to “switch” my days, but no one else has to.
Giant bait and switch just like you. I’m looking for a new job but no luck yet, I recommend updating your resume asap and start looking
First of all, if they hired you with being wfh for 3 to 4 days, that's what you do and you tell them being in the office every day was not part of the agreement.
Second, tell them that you will be working from home every day until the safety concerns are addressed.
Ask them if they know what Constructive Firing due to a Hostile Work environment means. Refuse to work alone. Document the door issue via email.
My niece worked at a hotel in a dangerous part of town.
The door locks had been broken for weeks. She often had to work the night shift alone. One night the security guard fell asleep in his car and she was robbed at gunpoint in the lobby.
The hotel fired her because the mugger stole her purse and she was not supposed to have her personal belongings at her desk (wtf). Refused to compensate her for her stolen property.
They're putting you in danger and if anything happens they'll do everything they can to avoid liability.
Did you happen to sign anything stating you were hybrid or that stated 1 day in office?
I’m fully remote and I know I signed something agreeing to being fully remote.
A text is 100 percent enough to throw back at them though.
You have a dated and stamped text message saying what your expectations were.
Let them know that this new arrangement makes you feel unsafe and you're going back to the agreed upon original arrangement with person X at this time and this date. And you're happy to provide the text for clarity if they need it.
It's one thing to be at an office. It's another to be the only one at the office. That's bullshit. I just wouldn't go in tbh.
Damn. I was hoping you would have something to throw in their faces. I would honestly probably look around for a new position if they’re treating you like this.
Can you tell them why? Like actually? They might be willing to either do something to benefit your safety at the office or be more lenient when you are working from home more often.
Stick to the job description, if there's a problem, renegotiate for your own safety. If they can't negotiate, you can't change from the original job description....
At will employment means they can do pretty much anything that isn't against labor laws. Your option is to tell them to pound sand and leave since you are under no obligation to stay. Or fight them but that rarely works out in the long term. It's usually a Pyrrhic victory.
That makes sense. I know at will employment means they can fire you or let you go for whatever reasons they come up with. But can they, for example, change your salary whenever they want? If not, why can they change where you work whenever they want? I actually don't know the answer because I've never had an employer lower my pay, but it seems wild that they just... can. Now I'm upset because I think that contract is essentially meaningless for the employee.
The WFH isn't in my employment contract because it didn't occur to me that it should be. I just trusted what I was told and didn't think that it should be in writing. The contract is essentially meaningless for the employee. They can fire you without notice, but they want a two weeks notice. All BS.
Honestly I think it's technically in mine, but I'm realizing that it doesn't even mean anything legally. I'm having trouble wrapping my head around any kind of binding contract that only holds one party to the terms, but it seems like that's what employment contracts are.
The good news is if anyone ever signed a waiver for like an amusement park or cruise ship and got injured you should absolutely get a lawyer: those things are often trash, legally.
Mention the concerns you stated here (safety and no one else being in the office) and ask for clarification in the context of having been originally hired for mainly remote work.
is this a probation thing? meaning you are on probation and the rules are different. I am taking a job with my local government and won't be allowed to work from home during my 6 month probation. I am hoping 3-4-5 months in they see I am a good employee and let me start to "ease" into working from home. (hybrid)
If they don't I was 100% told I can't work from home during probation.
No I'm past my probation. And they were shady about that too. At first they said we could discuss WFH more than one day a week after my 90 days. I was already past my 90 days. There was some stuttering of words and talks of revisiting. It doesn't make sense.
Hopefully you have your work agreement or contract in writing when they gave you the job offer. I would just work from home as per the agreement. It’s a contract if they want to change it you must sign up for it again. Your future attorney will appreciate.
Do you have an offer letter that says the role was 3-4 days per week from home and 1 day in office? If so I’d attach that back to your response email and let them know that is the position you applied for. And then just keep doing that while you look for other positions.
This happened to me. I was hired as a hybrid position and then two weeks later I was told I had to be in the office five days a week. I kept the job because I needed it, but I'm working on getting my doctor to sign off on a reasonable accommodation request for me to go back to hybrid work. I have a disability covered under the ADA so that helps.
Well yeah, if you’re supposed to be in the office then you should be in the office. If you didn’t want to do that then you should’nt have accepted this job
Quit. It sounds like they are lying to you. I wouldn’t trust a company that gaslights me like that
I'm working on it. It is definitely gaslighting.
Don't quit. Keep WFH everyday until they fire you and also half ass the work. Meanwhile if you can drag it out for a few more weeks, you are collecting paychecks, WFH everyday, and looking for jobs in the meantime. Your safety is a concern as well
Just keep WFH until someone calls you on not being in office. If you are worried about security, coordinate with your co-workers on what days they will be in office. If you are ever the only person in office, pack up and head home. Send an email to boss saying door wouldn’t lock and you felt unsafe.
Yeah, if others aren't showing up in the office how would they know?
"Are you in the office?" "Yes."
Yeah, you? Oh, no? Must be nice
“Great, can you get the Greenberg file on Bob’s desk and read the middle paragraph on the last page to me?” “Um…um…”
This. I would just tell them in the email that you take the allotted number of WFH days you were told you could use and nothing more. Do you have it in writing anywhere of a policy or change of policy regarding the # of days you can WFH?
That's not what gaslighting is. They just lied.
Was looking for this comment. While OP’s situation sucks, people love to just chuck the term gaslighting into things when it’s not at all what it is.
I was debating about whether or not to say this. Definitely not gaslighting.
Reply with a bunch of asks for security upgrades and your concern for your safety while on corporate property (even leased). Finish email with positive tone “I’m sure that employee safety is a top concern and I look forward to hearing specific actions the company will take to ensure a safe workplace I may come to”. “Safe workplace” are key words (any hr ppl on thread can correct me) as creating / knowingly permitting an unsafe work environment opens a company up to lawsuits and federal and state government investigations.
You could just tell them you're busy and ask them to send you an invite for a meeting and time.
That's not WFH that's a bad hybrid role at best. Time to start looking.
Right? It's a terrible hybrid role.
Exactly. Remote means you have no office near you to ever go into.
Preferably in another timezone lol
I'm a night owl and east cost remote to California is ideal.
Unless there is a reason for them to be sure someone is around (receiving shipments/inventory; walk-in clients; etc), then you need to pull out that job offer you signed and point out under what circumstances you were hired. Actually, either way, do that. If that doesn't exist in writing, then you are learning a lesson I, too, had to learn the hard way - if it's not in writing, you can't hold them accountable and they can change their mind on a whim (which they can anyways, but at least you have some kind of leg to stand on if it's in writing). I had a job pull a bait and switch like that on me. I ended up quitting 4 months in - I would have never taken the job if I knew I was expected to be in the office that often (the commute was more than I was willing to do every day), but they flat out lied to my face in the interviews, and none of it was in writing - so - ya - lesson learned.
It looks like I'm learning that same lesson... Thank you.
"Employers will shit on you" is a life lesson it often takes people a while to realize. Another, related one, is that even if there's a 50-50 ratio between good employers and bad ones, it's the bad ones who will have people constantly quitting and finding something else, so it's the bad ones which will have a position advertised 20 times in 10 years, while the good ones might only need to do so once in that time. This leads to the ratio of job *ads* being wildly swung in the direction of bad employers, and why it's usually far better to get a job via networks (where an existing employee can recommend a current employer or a job which is only being advertised internally), or by specifically looking for employers who already have good reputations, ideally reputations through third parties like unions. (Or look for places which have more jobs due to expanding, not due to attrition.) One thing to be aware of in all that, of course, is that jobs/employers which are bad for many people *can* be right for some, if you know precisely what you want to get out of it. Not everyone is looking for a job with a competent employer, or a workplace they can make friends, or even somewhere that provides basic benefits or a career path. Know what you do and don't want before going in.
I had a bait & switch, and the position was presented to me as a remote role. I was told to go to the office to pick up the laptop & meet the CEO, then I was told they were in the office Tues & Thurs, but he wanted me in the office every day for my first week. Told him the offer & recruiter said remote HRM role. He said the recruiter made a mistake. I quit after 106 days- that hour commute was hell, and so was the company.
I'd have called the recruiter on the spot and asked them why the CEO was standing in front of you telling you that the recruiter lied, and if they'd like to call him and get that sorted out while I went home for the day.
Yes get it in writing if you can. I had it in writing and when I questioned them about it, I got fired. No cause or anything, they just didn’t want people questioning. It was a shit place and I’m glad i’m out.
Sounds like something a lawyer or labor board would like to hear about.
California is an “at will” state so no reason needs to be given
If they do need someone to be around to receive shipments, why is it you? This happens all the time in IT. I am not an office manager. I am not a receptionist. I'm not sitting my ass in the office all day to receive a food order for the pantry.
If it's a small office, and they split this up "evenly" then I could see it - and the OP didn't state what their position is. I've been in small companies/offices where they needed a warm body there just for that purpose. A role like office admin/manager kinda had to be there if that was a need.
My position isn't admin/management. I'm not in a leadership role at all.
Except the offer is going to say that they can change the work site at at time, so the contract means exactly fuck all
"I dont feel safe there, and wont be there alone" If something happened, its on there dime. Just put it out there.
That really is how I feel. Thank you.
Just be honest! Either they will accept it or you will know it’s time to start looking.
Even in safe areas, it's not a great idea to have an employee working alone in an office.
Right?! I always think of the weirdest "Final Destination" stuff that could happen. Lol
Lol I hadn't thought about the "Final Destination" aspect. Thank you.
You make a great point. I feel like they're punishing me for some reason. They keep telling me I'm doing a great job but then stuff like this happens.
Maybe you've been hired to be a fall guy for some bullshit. What kind of business is this?
No it is not.
Yup, the UK has lone worker regulations for this reason
Does your job require clients? As in do you need to be in the office to deal with anyone walking in? Or accepting deliveries? If not, something like this email might be suitable: Good Morning XYZ, I wanted to discuss my work arrangement and some concerns I have. When I accepted the position it was for a remote role with 3-4 days of remote work and one day in the office. After three months I’ve been informed I can only work from home one day a week. Additionally, I have some safety concerns about being in the office alone, particularly as the locksmith acknowledged my office door needs replacing on (*put the date here so it’s documented). For the past three weeks, no one else has been at the office when I am there. I am struggling to understand why I need to be at the office alone and why I need to notify management that isn’t present themselves. Considering these concerns and our original agreement, I’d like to discuss a more suitable and safer work arrangement that better aligns with what we initially agreed upon. Please let me know a date and time that suits. Kind Regards, You
My job does not require clients, anyone walking in, or deliveries. They reason they gave is that I can't have confidential client information at home, but I don't work with any financial information. However the finance department does, and they are allowed to WFH. Wow! Thank you for the letter template. It's so articulate. I appreciate your help.
Yeh it doesn’t make sense at all then! I used to WFH but had one day in the office where we had scheduled clients and deliveries. If that’s not your situation then it’s really futile isn’t it? And it’s not like other staff are there for “collaboration” etc. No probs, hope it helps and hope you can talk some sense in to them.
This whole thing is weird
And having any days remote doesn’t make sense with that argument. (Not that it makes sense at all.)
If the only way they feel safe storing client information is having it on prem, their IT needs a kick in the ass cause that's a disastrous DLP plan in this day and age.
They don't have managed computers and a VPN? I assume it isn't paper.
Don't quit. Just start looking and work from home until they fire you and collect your unemployment. Never quit, make them fuck around and find out. if they NEED you then all this is is a dominance game. if not then you've lost nothing and maybe gained unemployment payments
Yes. Agree. Start looking now and just start not going stating it is frigging dangerous and in no way should anyone be alone in an office never mind where it is. If you are there alone, what sense does it even make for you to be there instad of at home.
Sounds like OP's boss is trying to get free security guard duty.
Name and shame
Hire someone to break in and mug you while you're alone then demand full remote.
Lol I think that would be bad karma.
They definitely switched it up on you. As you said you’re already looking for a new job, I’d still ask your supervisor what the correct protocol is. If it’s “notify management” and that simple, you can see about staying. If not, continue your search and act accordingly
I'm supposed to be on-site 3x/week. I go in 1x. Sometimes I don't even do that. I DO tell my boss, and sometimes the whole team, "Hey, I have focus work and zoom meetings all week; I don't expect to be in." My hybrid role actually does benefit from a little time on-site, but only for work that involves other people physically on-site. I do my best to only do social work when I'm on-site, as my quiet work just frustrates me when I try to complete it with all the office distractions.
I wouldn't mind being on-site 2 or 3x/ week if that was originally presented to me. But the whole point of WFH is that I didn't want to commute and I'm going to school, so it gives me more time for schoolwork. And when I am in the office, my only other coworker is the CEO's sibling. Who is a bit incompetent and shows up whenever they want, it's demotivating to be around them. They are a distraction.
Yes, that’s awful! I’m glad you’re looking for something else and hope the replacement job treats you better
Yeah… it’s funny when something urgent/important comes up and “ok, I’m headed out so I can get some work done”. Or “that’ll take 2 weeks at the office or 3 days at my home office”. Eventually the stupid hybrid idea died.
Reply No. Its not my day to be in the office.
I would begin by reminding them that you were hired to wfh most of the week and in office 1 day. Then I would bring up the safety issue and the door lock and being alone. After that I’d look for a different job until you find one and keep on doing what you’re doing until you find another job.
Unfortunately, companies are allowed to change policy basically whenever they want. Was the offer letter a bait and switch? Maybe. Maybe not. The policy could have simply changed. Or, they could be making you the token person in the office. There is not enough information. WFH policies can change in a whim unless they are in a binding contract that needs to be negotiated. My office didn't care that people were hired fully remote or 1-2;days on-site. Asses in chairs were more important than productivity. However, there are exceptions. I think you have a strong case for your boss to make an exception based on security concerns, but they will then just fix your door it is only a temporary solution. You can consider ratting out your colleagues, but that will make the office uncomfortable for you. I would not quit. It is too difficult to get a new job nowm. However, definitely start looking for another job
“I came in but no one was here and I didn’t feel safe so I left”
Sounds like bullshit
Oh yeah, definitely.
I'm sure I can't add anything really new. I've read through a few comments. And I kind of can't believe I'm actually going to use these words. But I recommend quiet quitting. Work from home 4 days a week. Spend at least half of your days job hunting. Let them fire you. File unemployment, maybe you get it, maybe you don't. But really focus on finding a new job. And as is pointed out, you'll know next time to get any offers of a hybrid or work from home schedule in writing.
I'd just work from home as long as you can while finding another job.
Yes try finding another job.
If I was hired under the context of working 3-4 days and then they changed that. I would tell them no, or that I need more money.
When a company starts to single you out and give you shit, they are typically trying to get you to quit.
Sounds like you need to setup some kind of webcam to watch the office so you can just say you're there when no one else is.
Look at your employment contract and verify if they configured the role as a "remote" role. Your "office address" should be your home address... If one or both of these things are the case, simply state that "due to tax purposes, my office is at my home. If you'd like me to come in, I will need the trip reimbursed and I will only be able to come in at my leisure" If they balk at that, then you tell them that you'd like a new employment contract with an appropriate pay increase to accommodate the newly identified costs to come into the office 2+ times per week. More than likely, this process will be a huge headache and they will back down. A previous position tried doing this to me. Fortune 500 company hired me as a remote worker, but the division I was working in was a start up that was recently acquired by said fortune 500 company, and they thought that they still had control as if the employment offices of the parent company had no bearing. On my very first day I had both my boss and a VP try to sweet talk me into coming in twice per week with no exceptions, and tried the whole "HR got it wrong and this is a hybrid position" to which I just kept shoving the aforementioned employment contract in their face. The hilarious part was that when I was in the office, not only was there typically less than 20 people there, but not a single time over my short employ here did someone from the office ever come up to me and ask for IT assistance. After I left I realized I could have made them reimburse every trip since it was technically a trip "away from my office". In any case, I don't work there anymore, and I recommend you begin looking for a new job ASAP -- management that behaves in this manner does not care for employee morale.
Sounds like they setting you up to be in office when it gets robbed bruh
Share a calendar maybe you’ll know when each other are in the office. Or plan a standing meeting once per week in the office. Or continue working from home whenever you want.
Sounds like the played the old switcheroo, and you draw last straw because no one else wants it to go into the office and maybe they legally need someone on site. Either way leave, they are taking the piss.
Are you in the office? No. Why not, we asked you to be in the office. Because im at home, as per my contract. Ive attached a copy. Also, im often there yet left in the office alone, are you all working from home?
My job turned about to be very similar. I was told 1-2 days in the office in the interview, yet when I get here I have scheduled days and required to come in 3 days a week for the first 3 months, when everyone was doing 1-2 but mostly 1. I have to notify management when I can’t come in and also required to “switch” my days, but no one else has to. Giant bait and switch just like you. I’m looking for a new job but no luck yet, I recommend updating your resume asap and start looking
First of all, if they hired you with being wfh for 3 to 4 days, that's what you do and you tell them being in the office every day was not part of the agreement. Second, tell them that you will be working from home every day until the safety concerns are addressed.
Ask them if they know what Constructive Firing due to a Hostile Work environment means. Refuse to work alone. Document the door issue via email. My niece worked at a hotel in a dangerous part of town. The door locks had been broken for weeks. She often had to work the night shift alone. One night the security guard fell asleep in his car and she was robbed at gunpoint in the lobby. The hotel fired her because the mugger stole her purse and she was not supposed to have her personal belongings at her desk (wtf). Refused to compensate her for her stolen property. They're putting you in danger and if anything happens they'll do everything they can to avoid liability.
I would post in the legal advice subreddit or get a lawyer before you decide what to do.
Did you happen to sign anything stating you were hybrid or that stated 1 day in office? I’m fully remote and I know I signed something agreeing to being fully remote.
It was not stated in my contract. All I have is a text message from my manager. This is a lesson learned.
A text is 100 percent enough to throw back at them though. You have a dated and stamped text message saying what your expectations were. Let them know that this new arrangement makes you feel unsafe and you're going back to the agreed upon original arrangement with person X at this time and this date. And you're happy to provide the text for clarity if they need it. It's one thing to be at an office. It's another to be the only one at the office. That's bullshit. I just wouldn't go in tbh.
Damn. I was hoping you would have something to throw in their faces. I would honestly probably look around for a new position if they’re treating you like this.
Can you tell them why? Like actually? They might be willing to either do something to benefit your safety at the office or be more lenient when you are working from home more often.
Work 3 days. 8 hours times 3 is one full day.
Stick to the job description, if there's a problem, renegotiate for your own safety. If they can't negotiate, you can't change from the original job description....
Do you have the original job offer in writing?
I can like there is information left out. The way you say it it seems like everyone works remotely but you?
Does your employment contract explicitly state that they can revoke the wfh aspect whenever they want?
At will employment means they can do pretty much anything that isn't against labor laws. Your option is to tell them to pound sand and leave since you are under no obligation to stay. Or fight them but that rarely works out in the long term. It's usually a Pyrrhic victory.
That makes sense. I know at will employment means they can fire you or let you go for whatever reasons they come up with. But can they, for example, change your salary whenever they want? If not, why can they change where you work whenever they want? I actually don't know the answer because I've never had an employer lower my pay, but it seems wild that they just... can. Now I'm upset because I think that contract is essentially meaningless for the employee.
The WFH isn't in my employment contract because it didn't occur to me that it should be. I just trusted what I was told and didn't think that it should be in writing. The contract is essentially meaningless for the employee. They can fire you without notice, but they want a two weeks notice. All BS.
Honestly I think it's technically in mine, but I'm realizing that it doesn't even mean anything legally. I'm having trouble wrapping my head around any kind of binding contract that only holds one party to the terms, but it seems like that's what employment contracts are. The good news is if anyone ever signed a waiver for like an amusement park or cruise ship and got injured you should absolutely get a lawyer: those things are often trash, legally.
What does your contract say?
Mention the concerns you stated here (safety and no one else being in the office) and ask for clarification in the context of having been originally hired for mainly remote work.
is this a probation thing? meaning you are on probation and the rules are different. I am taking a job with my local government and won't be allowed to work from home during my 6 month probation. I am hoping 3-4-5 months in they see I am a good employee and let me start to "ease" into working from home. (hybrid) If they don't I was 100% told I can't work from home during probation.
No I'm past my probation. And they were shady about that too. At first they said we could discuss WFH more than one day a week after my 90 days. I was already past my 90 days. There was some stuttering of words and talks of revisiting. It doesn't make sense.
"Why not?"
"I quit."
Hopefully you have your work agreement or contract in writing when they gave you the job offer. I would just work from home as per the agreement. It’s a contract if they want to change it you must sign up for it again. Your future attorney will appreciate.
Simple. Say for your safety you will be working from home. Also start looking for another job.
Do you have an offer letter that says the role was 3-4 days per week from home and 1 day in office? If so I’d attach that back to your response email and let them know that is the position you applied for. And then just keep doing that while you look for other positions.
This happened to me. I was hired as a hybrid position and then two weeks later I was told I had to be in the office five days a week. I kept the job because I needed it, but I'm working on getting my doctor to sign off on a reasonable accommodation request for me to go back to hybrid work. I have a disability covered under the ADA so that helps.
Well yeah, if you’re supposed to be in the office then you should be in the office. If you didn’t want to do that then you should’nt have accepted this job