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Notice and changes to working location

Lyndsey Hancock

My friend is a remote worker who goes to the office 90 miles away as and when required approximately 2-3 times a month.

They have just handed in their notice and the MD is requiring them to go to the office for the next 3 weeks 8:45 to 17:00.

This entails leaving home at 6:30am and returning home about 7:00pm with 900 miles driving a week and effectively a 65 hour week....

How should they proceed without things turning ugly. The MD is volatile on best days!

Should they just grin and bare it for 3 weeks? These terms are obviously malicious and I think this person is hoping the person is just going to walk away!

Parents
  • Well yes grinning and bearing it will avoid things turning ugly and possibly in a few days the MD will realise how stupid they are being and be more reasonable. Its one path.

    If they want to go "all formal" the key will be what their actual contract says. If they are employed as a remote worker then the employer may not have the legal right to insist on 5 days a week attendance - and anyway it doesn't pass the reasonableness test. But that path may/will get confrontational.

    Probably I would see if there is another member of the management team who could intervene on your friend's behalf. Stressing wishing to leave on good terms, H&S issues, custom and practice etc etc
  • in reply to Keith
    They have asked if the MD will be providing overnight stays which they would usually do if they were working there for multiple days. answer was along the lines of "no because you need to treat it as a normal commute like I do. you've been working from home all this time enjoying perks of doing school runs" which is untrue they don't do any school runs- their partner does them all.
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  • in reply to Keith
    They have asked if the MD will be providing overnight stays which they would usually do if they were working there for multiple days. answer was along the lines of "no because you need to treat it as a normal commute like I do. you've been working from home all this time enjoying perks of doing school runs" which is untrue they don't do any school runs- their partner does them all.
Children
  • in reply to Lyndsey Hancock
    I am not sure I would have asked that - as the answer would have been inevitable

    The key is either how far and how hard they want to push this

    Or if they can find someone else to intercede on their behalf - the latter would be best option
  • in reply to Keith
    Also assuming "daily commute like I do" means MD is intending there will be no reimbursement for additional mileage costs of over £1700 and 80 additional hours travelling they are asking of this person... (mileage up to now always paid for the 180 mile round trips 3-4 times a month for over a year)
  • in reply to Lyndsey Hancock

    Lyndsey all good points - but all hamstrung but them starting from position that they don't want things to turn ugly

    All very unreasonable of course and potentially challengeable on several fronts but are they up for it?

    Mileage etc is almost certainly recoverable through the courts in these circumstances but again they need to be willing to do this

  • in reply to Keith
    I don't know if in this scenario there is a way for it to not turn ugly without the person leaving getting completely walked over for the next 3 weeks. Safe to say the decision to leave has been solidified as the right thing to do. I also think the responses to these unreasonable/ malicious requests should have the MD's boss CC'd in. There is a LONG history of bullying especially when people are leaving that perhaps the higher ups need to be aware of as I am sure they are not!