Working from home may be ending?

Anonymous

June 3,2023 at 4:23PM UTC

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Working from home may be ending?

Curious how to approach this (and this got long, sorry). We were sent home like so many in March of 2020. Our business has changed quite radically since then (selling off part of it, selling the building we were in and leasing a small part of it, etc.). Some people have come back into the office, some have not. It seemed like that was how we were going to continue. There was no indication anything might change. Especially considering there is not enough space for everyone.

But then they just sent out a "return to work/hyrbid" something or other message where they want people to start coming back for a more "collaborative environment" (I believe this is business speak for "we want to make use of the office space we're leasing"). Only thing is no one gets their own space. You have to reserve a desk. Which means hauling everything in and out again every day you're there. It's unclear if they expect us to come back every day or not.

That being said...no. I do not want to go back. They indicated SOME people are unhappy. So let them go in, right? They have hired many people who are scattered throughout the country who will never go into an office, so they're really just saying "you happen to be near an office, so you get to uproot your entire life to be dragged into the office."

How do I go about refusing to return? I have some physical issues that make working from home easier (I am hard of hearing and find it super distracting to be in the office because I have to concentrate very hard to hear people on the phone, and I have tendonitis issues that mean having a bunch of specialized things like keyboards and stands and wrist rests). Couple that with the fact that my job involves communicating with remote technicians, none of who are in the office ever as they live hours away from it. So going in changes nothing for me except to make me miserable and take away the work/life balance I have managed to achieve by working from home. Including starting a side business that often means being out on the weekend (photography) and I only do that because I'm home during the week and so see my husband and dogs all day.

My manager agrees I shouldn't have to go in. So do I just let this quietly slide until someone says something and then tell them my manager approves? I'm just not sure the best way to go about this. I don't want to lose my job. But I also cannot go back to an office permanently. The thought of it makes me physically ill. I will resign before being forced back. I have been with the company a long time and so may have SOME leverage as I am the only one who works in my position and I know more about the company and how things work than most people.

As you can imagine, I am feeling angry and betrayed by the company. More than once I've mentioned how happy I am that they've continued to let us work from home and then THIS.

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AnonymousJune 3,2023 at 6:33PM UTC
Get a Drs note that you need an accommodation to permanently work from home.
AnonymousJune 3,2023 at 7:03PM UTC
I just experienced this same scenario. I was still unsatisfied with their accommodations, so we decided to part ways. I've been wanting to leave for a while so this weighed heavily into my decision. I definitely feel salty and disappointed but I could not imagine going back into that environment. Onto the next thing I suppose. Good luck to you.
AnonymousJune 3,2023 at 7:26PM UTC
I work at a large corporation and they require one day a week.
Well, now it's "suggested" we go two. I'm sure eventually three....
I like being at home because I get something done. But being at work is easier than collaboration over Teams.
I don't have the issues you do but I do not have a set space - bring my laptop and the MINIMUM to the office. I'd get a Dr note if I were you.
If your manager is okay with you staying home, might be okay without one
At our organization - if we're not in the office as required (if we live near one), we might be released.
I just play the game. Go when needed, stay home when able. Too tired to fight it and can't afford to lose my benefits and start over looking for work
Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJune 3,2023 at 8:32PM UTC
For now I would go with it being ok with your manager. Personally, I wouldn't call attention to myself and make it a bigger deal at this point. I would speak with my doctor to see if he would be willing to back me up on needing an accommodation if it comes to that.
Let your manager have your back first and if needed, get a medical accommodation. If you don't bring it up, it may take them a while to realize you're not going in.
I feel you on this. I've worked remote for 15 years - way before covid and I'm never going back into an office if I don't have to.
AnonymousJune 3,2023 at 9:18PM UTC
Thanks folks! My plan so far has been to lay low and just quietly ignore the message until needed. I'll let my manager have my back first and if not, I'll definitely talk to my doctor about a note regarding my hearing loss especially. I didn't realize how exhausted and difficult it was being at the office until I went home three years ago.
I actually didn't WANT to go home. But after a couple months I couldn't believe how different I felt and how much better I worked. It was mind-blowing and completely unexpected.
And my hearing has only gotten worse over the past few years as well, so I know it would be even more of a struggle.
Thankfully I do work for a small company with many permanent WFH people, so there may be more leeway than a large company. I'd hate to part ways (long history here, health insurance, not sure what else I'd do!) so I'm hoping it won't come to that.
AnonymousJune 3,2023 at 9:27PM UTC
Hang in there - I think you have a solid plan!!
AnonymousJune 4,2023 at 8:56PM UTC
Talk to your doctor now. If supportive, you can have this at the ready or know right now that you need another medical professional to do it for you.
Talk to askjan.org about your situation. Remote work can be a reasonable accommodation for a disability but an employer is not required to give anyone the accommodation of her choice. Without disability accommodation as the reason for continued remote work, employers are not required to provide WFH at all.
AnonymousJune 4,2023 at 9:25PM UTC
I imagine they're not required to! But it's also very frustrating when they're hiring WFH people, have the infrastructure and many of us have been home for over 3 years now and have established new routines and a better way to work. Not to mention how much better our work/life balance is!
AnonymousJune 3,2023 at 11:04PM UTC
90% of my co workers work from home and that is permanent
AnonymousJune 3,2023 at 11:33PM UTC
A lot of our employees work from home. We closed one office early in the pandemic and sent everyone there home permanently. We started hiring people without caring where in the country they were located and so they will never have to go to an office. I just happen to have been at the company long enough that I started at what was once the one and only office back when there really wasn't much work from home stuff out there (if there was at all...we were still using a DOS based program when I started here!). So I happen to live within driving distance of the office.
A part of me keeps wanting to say "Fine, then I'll MOVE!" But I don't actually want to move...lol
AnonymousJune 4,2023 at 2:29PM UTC
If they ask everyone to go in a set number of days and start tracking attendance your best bet is getting a note from the doctor and asking for disability accommodation ( working from home). They probably will grant it.
Recently many companies asked employees to return. I regret how remote is going away.
AnonymousJune 4,2023 at 6:01PM UTC
It's a shame. People found true happiness and it's amazing how work continued (and even got better) with people home. The culture NEEDS to change. My workplace had given every indication that this was the new normal (people who wanted to come in went in, others did not) and so this was out of nowhere.
SaraJune 5,2023 at 2:16PM UTC
Definitely ask for the disability accommodation. If others will continue to wfh, then this is clearly one they can make. If they refuse it to you then they could have an ADA case on their hands.
AnonymousJune 4,2023 at 4:06PM UTC
Unless your manager is willing and able to put in writing a confirmation to HR and others that you can continue to WFH, just go to the office. No one is forcing you to do anything it's not slave labor. It's a job and if the company wants their folks to come back, now that the pandemic is over in order to continue there you have to go back. If not, quit and find a job where you can stay home and do what you want.
AnonymousJune 4,2023 at 6:04PM UTC
Let me guess? One of those miserable people who wants everyone back in the office? If I need to I will get doctor's notes and my manager to go to bat for me. I won't go back into an office now that I know how much better I work. It's honestly in the company's best interest to NOT have me come back as my work for them has gotten so much better over the past few years. I'd hate to revert to the distracted and difficult office environment. ESPECIALLY when I don't even have my own space and I have to drag all my stuff (laptop, keyboard, mouse, etc.) into the office and set it up and pack it back up every day. That's likely to add another 20 minutes or so on either end of the day. NO THANKS.
And I don't "do what I want." I work hard. I work harder than I did in the office because I'm not distracted by the loud people around me that made it so hard to hear and concentrate on the people I was talking to. I work better now that I attend meetings where I can listen on headphones instead of get nothing out of them in person.
I am SO tired of people thinking "work from home" means "doing nothing." Not by a long shot.
AnonymousJune 4,2023 at 8:50PM UTC
You have a plan. Do your best to implement and ignore this malcontent. Good luck.
AnonymousJune 4,2023 at 9:23PM UTC
Thanks. I'm going to call my doctor on Monday too to get another appointment about my hearing and see about getting some note about working from home. I haven't been to the ENT or audiologist in years (what was the point? hearing aids were too pricey) so I need to start over with them. I've been reading a lot from the ADA and accessibility sites that working from home is one accommodation they can give to people with hearing loss and tinnitus.
AnonymousJune 5,2023 at 10:18PM UTC
Definitely talk to the good people at askjan.org. They will work with you so you understand your rights and responsibilities and what may or may not be feasible.
AnonymousJune 5,2023 at 1:46AM UTC
It's not your call so you can keep letting it slide with your manager's ok until someone higher up makes you return to the office. At that time you either abide by the company request or find another job.
AnonymousJune 5,2023 at 6:39PM UTC
That would be the basic plan. I won't go back. So either I use my leverage or the ADA or I'm done. It's sad that a company would even contemplate letting someone go for such a reason, so hopefully they'll be smarter than that. I know my worth here.
AnonymousJune 5,2023 at 11:18AM UTC
Angry? Betrayed? The WFH option allowed you to keep a job, not to turn into an entitlement. They, like most companies, were making the best decisions they could through Covid to still exist and to get through such a tragic part of a history that NONE of us thought we would ever need to live through. Yes, it's an inconvenience to adjust to not having a regular desk, that may change. it's still an evolving return to office culture. YOUR manager may agree but doesn't sound like they are providing you the tools to address this correctly. If you have a medical reason, then get an accommodation through the company so that this request can be fair and valid. Your leverage sounds like it would be a great source in the office. People need people whether you see that now or not. If you no longer choose to be part of what the company is asking, then go be happy, YOU deserve to be happy.
AnonymousJune 5,2023 at 6:38PM UTC
Yes a bit betrayed because they indicated they were going to let people work from home and then found out SOME people were unhappy at home and decided that maybe people should all come back. And then they gave this notification with only a week and a half before they wanted people to come back, so no time to really prepare.
That being said, it's NOT an entitlement. I work better from home. Period. My leverage would not help at the office. I used to be left out of everything because I couldn't hear. I mostly worked on the computer and called people in the field. I was never brought in to meetings because they were in person or a conference call with one phone set up in the middle on speaker. Going back would mean a return to not being a real part of the company.
And the major problem here is I LIKE my job. I don't want to resign. I'd be devastated to leave the company. But I also cannot return to the office and do my job well.
AnonymousJune 5,2023 at 10:28PM UTC
You had mentioned how much you know so much about the company I think they were pointing out what an asset it would be to have that in office. If you did your job prior to the pandemic at the office there's no reason not to continue by doing it in the office. Sorry that you feel excluded when in office, maybe this is your chance to start over to build those relationships. Life isn't just about doing a job, it's about people. Good luck and hope you give people another try.
AnonymousJune 6,2023 at 6:07PM UTC
You seemed to miss where I mention I have a disability? I struggled in the office and never realized HOW much I was left out of things and how much a struggle it was until things changed.
And I am on with people ALL the time. Why do people assume working from home means not collaborating or communicating. I communicate MORE now than I ever did when I was at the office. I'm on meetings on Teams all the time. I'm involved and love my coworkers. We work very well together and that's happened BECAUSE I'm not at the office.
AnonymousJune 7,2023 at 11:42AM UTC
It wasn't mentioned a disability in your post, a medical condition doesn't auto equate to disability. Get an accommodation from you company and follow the processes to get approved. If they don't approve then it's their choice. Not sure of what you were looking for in your post. Be kind, to yourself.
AnonymousJune 5,2023 at 1:14PM UTC
Your company is allowed to want what they want.
So are you. Don't let people here or anywhere else tell you your employment preferences should be eclipsed by your employer's. Everything is negotiable, and there are other jobs out there.
I consider these office recalls a pay cut, as they reintroduce the need for more sacrifice from the employee (personal time spent getting ready and commuting, costs of commuting, work wardrobe, dependent care, and food if bringing your own isn't feasible), while most of us have not received sufficient salary increases to counter the current level of inflation and reflect our professional growth over the past 4 years. If we never push back for what we need out of employment, we will never get it. Best of luck navigating your situation!
AnonymousJune 5,2023 at 6:12PM UTC
This is a very good point! It IS a pay cut. More money spent on gas and food, more time that you don't get paid for to get ready and drive. I also do not have a wardrobe for work anymore. I got rid of a lot of a couple years ago and I've gained some weight so what I have left doesn't much fit. So it would require buying new clothes.
I'm definitely going to push back.
AnonymousJune 5,2023 at 1:33PM UTC
Good for you for knowing what you want, and your limits. I agree that your long tenure may have leverage you didn't even realize (speaking from experience here; I didn't want to go back to the office and had decided I would resign before I did so, and I ended up with an exception to remain WFH). If they're not making this a hard and fast policy, and your manager is happy with your work performance WFH, keep on as you are until someone says something, and if/when that happens, be sure to loop your boss into the discussion so they can advocate for you.
AnonymousJune 5,2023 at 6:15PM UTC
My long tenure is definitely a bonus. So may be the fact that my tenure extends far longer than I've worked here. I've worked at my business for almost two decades. But I grew up with the business. My father worked here from before I was born (my father has passed on at this point). So I'm hoping all of that and how integral I am to the business in my role may be enough leverage even without bringing in the ADA and accommodations for my hearing issues.
I'm glad to hear that worked for you! I'm glancing around at other options and contemplating how I could make my side business my full time business if need be. But really? I'd rather just stay at this company. I LIKE working here and I like my job and the people I work with.
HelenJune 5,2023 at 2:27PM UTC
I can understand your frustration, but here's an alternative perspective. I have started going back into the office (we had a similar message from senior management) and that entailed booking a desk, not having my own drawers for personal stuff - all the usual post covid hot-desk things. And you know what? It's not so bad. I enjoy those conversations in the hallway which hadn't happened when I was wfh. I get stuff done in a different way and still wfh two days a week. The booking a desk thing was tiresome at first, but people are creatures of habit and we all sit in our favourite spots when we are in - so it's like having my own desk back anyway in the end. And I got some noise-cancelling ear plugs to block out the noise - I too find it difficult to concentrate when I'm in a noisy open plan office. It's not the end of the world, it's an adjustment which you may or may not be prepared to make - ultimately it is your choice, but I urge you to give it a try first.
AnonymousJune 5,2023 at 6:10PM UTC
Ok so that's you. I NEVER liked those conversations in the hallway. I can't hear people anyway so they rarely happened as I can't converse like that. My hearing loss is very bad and making out words difficult. So if people tried to talk to me it was an exercise in frustration.
There's more than JUST not being able to concentrate here. If there's noise around I find it hard to hear people on the phone (and much of my job is communicating with people out in the field). And on the flip side, if it's dead quiet, my tinnitus becomes distracting. So I've managed to find a way to make it work at home (quiet music/white noise machine that allows my tinnitus to feel "less" but then turning it off and having complete quiet when in meetings and on the phone).
So there's a lot more there with my hearing/tinnitus issues that made working from home an amazing thing. And I honestly had NO idea how hard I found it to work until I came home. I am less depressed, less tired, less anxious. I feel like I have my life back and I work so much better. Maybe 20 years ago when I had better hearing I might have felt differently. But now with my issues, I find this has been the best thing for me AND for my job.
AnonymousJune 5,2023 at 2:51PM UTC
If your manager already said you don't have to go in then don't worry about it.
AnonymousJune 5,2023 at 3:52PM UTC
Exactly. Let your manager go against the company and jeopardize their job.
You'll need to return to the office eventually but wait until you absolutely have to.
AnonymousJune 5,2023 at 6:47PM UTC
Hopefully I won't ever! If I can hold it off longer, I might be able to go full time with the side business I started and then it won't even matter. But I like my job and the stability. I just know how much more depressed and exhausted I was being in the office a few years ago and know I can't go back to that.
AnonymousJune 5,2023 at 6:55PM UTC
Keep us posted on how things go! Good luck!
AnonymousJune 5,2023 at 2:54PM UTC
If you don't want to be back in an office, might I suggest you find a different WFH job.
Just be aware that that, too, may require you to go in. If you have a very legitimate excuse like a doctor can back up a WFH accommodation, then go for it. Otherwise, unless you were fully remote and that was fully understood prior to 2020, don't expect to get special accommodations.
AnonymousJune 5,2023 at 6:06PM UTC
The ADA may back me up on this. Since going home in 2020 my hearing and tinnitus has gotten worse. But that being said, we have MANY people who WFH and they hired people nowhere near the office. My job is also radically different than it was when I was in the office. I stepped into a new position that requires more collaboration via Teams. I need quiet in order to be able to hear people.
And yeah, I've started looking around for what else is out there. But I've also been at my job for nearly two decades, am an integral part of the company, and really enjoy working there. I love my job. I don't WANT to quit.
AnonymousJune 7,2023 at 6:31PM UTC
EDIT: incorrect word
The ADA can't back you up if you haven't talked to your employer and made them aware of the situation and your need for the accommodation. Do that now so it's clear down the road.
AnonymousJune 8,2023 at 12:41PM UTC
If need be I will be working on that. My employer is aware of my hearing issues but I doubt many remember how much I struggled when we were in the office and probably aren't aware of how they left me out of most meetings. They don't even seem to be aware that when I WAS asked to be at meetings I was just a quiet presence and now that we do it through Teams and Zoom, I am no longer a quiet presence (couldn't hear what they were talking about so had nothing to contribute) and am now much more involved. That enabled me to get a promotion to a more enhanced role at the company. Pulling me back to the office would negate all the progress I've made.
So definitely as we go forward if I need to I will be talking to them about that and documenting such things.
AnonymousJune 5,2023 at 3:49PM UTC
I work for a state and we had this issue last year. The Governor wanted everyone back in the office. No, people didn’t want to (neither did I). They offered a hybrid week, you had to fill out a form, your boss had to sign off on it. If you wanted to work at home more than 3 days a week, the Governor’s office also had to sign off. Most requests were accommodated. Especially people who were full time remote and did not live in the area of their office. Unless you own your own business, you are at the mercy of the higher ups/boss. One can argue all they want about not enough dedicated space/commute too long/don’t want to come back and my favorite, “what will I do with the children”? You either want to keep your job and work in the office when required or you find another job. No one said life was fair.
But I work in facilities, the guys who keep things going have to be in the building every day, so everyone in the department should be in the building every day … because it isn’t fair to the people who MUST be there and don’t have the option of working from home.
AnonymousJune 5,2023 at 6:04PM UTC
So on one hand you point out life isn't fair but then on the other hand you say that everyone should go in to be fair to the people who have to be there...so which is it?
Lisa McCartneyJune 5,2023 at 4:34PM UTC
Talk to your doctor, they should be able to write something up so you can get an accommodation to wfh. The company would then have to follow it. Sounds like you have a good case.
AnonymousJune 5,2023 at 6:44PM UTC
If the company terminated me because they could not give me the accommodations needed for my disability, then that would be a case for the ADA. One of the reasonable accommodations for my disability is working from home in a quiet space. And it's very reasonable for this company as we have many people who WFH.
It is illegal to fire an employee for asking for disability accommodations.
AnonymousJune 5,2023 at 8:20PM UTC
Unfortunately there are many throughout the world in your predicament.
AnonymousJune 8,2023 at 12:38PM UTC
There are. I had hoped that when workplaces saw how much happier their workforces were they might consider allowing some flexibility. Instead it was "you get to be miserable again, so come on back!" And they couch it in terms of "collaboration" which really means distraction and micromanaging.
AnonymousJune 8,2023 at 7:30PM UTC
I read where a number of leaders in business said that all indicators point to an uptick in productivity since folks came back into the office.
Seems strange since no one is tracking the uptick in related mental health issues that go along with the return to office. I'm think that perhaps it has to do with many companies allowing 1 day work from home. But I'm unsure.
AnonymousJune 9,2023 at 6:25PM UTC
Of course they're going to say that. They want an excuse to micromanage and drag people back into the office and use that office space they paid for.
I've watched more than one friends go back to the office. Some are super happy with it. Some are absolutely miserable and I KNOW their productivity has gone down because they feel like the company doesn't care and so they do the minimum needed to get by.
All this change to remote work was really the time for companies to reevaluate how they work with and treat employees. Our seemed to. Almost everyone they hire these days is remote. We have had announcements of a few new employees the last few weeks, all working remotely. But if you work near the office you have to go back? Makes no sense except they don't like empty space.
Susan Heidi WolmanJune 6,2023 at 12:33PM UTC
If you have a disability, you can request accommodations and they must by law give them to you.
this would require doctors reports for your hearing and your tendinitis with accomodation descriptions. In the end they will not be able to provide you with a consistent workstation equipped with the proper keyboard, etc in a quiet environment. Talk to your manager and ask how best to handle this. You are not legally required to disclose your physical issues BUT if you do you need to be prepared to get different treatment which is not legal but difficult to prove. (Not getting as large a raise, having work funneled away from you…). You need to decide whether the job is worth it
AnonymousJune 6,2023 at 6:03PM UTC
My manager and most of my coworkers are well aware of my hearing loss. I don't hide it from people. I was definitely treated differently before going home to work. Here I became much more a part of the team. Prior to that there was so much frustration with me that yeah, I was definitely held back from advancing. I just finally got a promotion and new title to go with it after years of just puttering away at the same job. The last few years have let me grow in the job a LOT, which has been fantastic.
AnonymousJune 6,2023 at 7:13PM UTC
Why haven't you applied for an accommodation? That's truly your only recourse. You must determine where they stand and if they will fight you.
AnonymousJune 8,2023 at 12:37PM UTC
I hadn't because until a week ago, they had indicated they were happy to let people stay home. So there was no need. Then they got some survey that indicated SOME people were unhappy working from home and did a complete about-face.
AnonymousJune 14,2023 at 6:10PM UTC
Just an update! I spoke to the director of my department (essentially my boss's boss) about it yesterday. He has ok'ed working from home 98% of the time. He may bring me in for the occasional meeting, but other than those special occasions, he's ok with my working from home. He agrees I work better at home too and he'd rather have me continue being productive at home than be dragged back into the office.