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I am going to start a new job soon, and during the interview process I was not told I would be expected to work from home. But now I am being told I don't have assigned office space. I informed my manager-to-be that I am not set up for any work from home, and he said he would look into it.
This is not cool. In March 2020, we were all promised by the public health experts that we would be able to get back to normal after there was a vaccine. It feels like no one takes their promises seriously any more, and I am having to constantly explain that I do not work from home. I should not have to do this, any more than I would have prior to the pandemic.
"Promised" seems more like your perception vs. what was actually said? Even if that was the case, you are dealing with something that isn't static. Things change. Another unknown virus can always spread.
That said - we actually are able to "get back to normal". But there is no "requirement" to do so. Meaning there is no mandate that says "however your company was operating pre-pandemic, you have to go back to it".
You are in a minority that rather not WFH. There's nothing wrong with that - but I think you also need to realize that the majority don't feel that way.
As for constantly explaining your preference - how is this different than anything else that people want? Do you expect people to read your mind?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ncole1
Because I complied with the lockdowns under the promise that it would be temporary, the least that could be done to return the favor to me is to stop making me "justify" why I want to work in an office assigned to me by my employer. I don't need to justify it. The burden of proof is on the person who wants me to work from home, to explain why I shouldn't just work as most of us did pre-COVID.
The situation is more about choice vs. mandate. There was never a mandate (by society or government) that you have to work in an office. There was always a choice (by the employer). Even before the pandemic, there were companies that were completely WFH. However, during the pandemic, the choice of working in the office was not prudent - so that was essentially taken away.
Now, many companies are CHOOSING to stay home. That isn't YOUR preference. Which, again, is fine. But it's preferred by many, if not the majority.
No one is making you "justify" anything. It's about simply communicating your preferences. This is no different than anything else you want/need. You want an office with a window? You can ask for it or make sure the employer you are applying with actually have offices with windows.
Remembering your previous posts wfh is an issue for you. Lack of social contact? Can you rent shared office space to get out of the house?
The problem with renting an office is that most of the coworking companies want you to do it by the month, and also the employer is still attempting to offload liability and responsibility on to me that I did not agree to and which would go uncompensated. Furthermore, the company would be refusing to assess the cybersecurity of the connection. In a corporate office, the company provides an implied guarantee that the network is compliant, and is of a speed and reliability necessary to get work done. If I must secure a space on my own, the company is offloading onto me the responsibility to figure out what I need in a facility, which would otherwise be handled by the company, or I would be paid for the time I spent figuring it out.
And yes, social contact, including that of the professional variety, matters as well.
But neither of those really addresses the biggest problem, which is that in March 2020, almost all the employers introduced widespread remote work strictly under the pretense of public health, and did not disclose that there were any other reasons for the change. By referencing public health, employers implicitly promised that they would adhere to the public health timeline for returning to normal. There was no talk at that time of making it permanent, thus, “normal” was defined as how things were prior to the pandemic. The promise that we would be able to return to normal after the vaccine was thus a collective promise by most companies that employees would not have to put up with remote arrangements long-term, except for those who stated a preference for WFH (all or some of the time.)
You cannot redefine the terms of a promise after you made the promise and then claim you kept the promise. That is extremely manipulative and dishonest.
Now you may say that I am being stubbornly resistant to change, but this misses the point. Every other technological revolution was entered into voluntarily, and without deceit. This is a unique situation, where a new way of doing things was forced on the entire populace by promising it would be temporary, and then months later companies started threatening to make it permanent and guilt-tripping those who want to go back to normal.
The problem with renting an office is that most of the coworking companies want you to do it by the month, and also the employer is still attempting to offload liability and responsibility on to me that I did not agree to and which would go uncompensated. Furthermore, the company would be refusing to assess the cybersecurity of the connection. In a corporate office, the company provides an implied guarantee that the network is compliant, and is of a speed and reliability necessary to get work done. If I must secure a space on my own, the company is offloading onto me the responsibility to figure out what I need in a facility, which would otherwise be handled by the company, or I would be paid for the time I spent figuring it out.
And yes, social contact, including that of the professional variety, matters as well.
But neither of those really addresses the biggest problem, which is that in March 2020, almost all the employers introduced widespread remote work strictly under the pretense of public health, and did not disclose that there were any other reasons for the change. By referencing public health, employers implicitly promised that they would adhere to the public health timeline for returning to normal. There was no talk at that time of making it permanent, thus, “normal” was defined as how things were prior to the pandemic. The promise that we would be able to return to normal after the vaccine was thus a collective promise by most companies that employees would not have to put up with remote arrangements long-term, except for those who stated a preference for WFH (all or some of the time.)
You cannot redefine the terms of a promise after you made the promise and then claim you kept the promise. That is extremely manipulative and dishonest.
Now you may say that I am being stubbornly resistant to change, but this misses the point. Every other technological revolution was entered into voluntarily, and without deceit. This is a unique situation, where a new way of doing things was forced on the entire populace by promising it would be temporary, and then months later companies started threatening to make it permanent and guilt-tripping those who want to go back to normal.
I am very familiar with the hoopla. You jumped ship without discussing details. You knw your options.
I know somebody who worked for the railroad, he hated his job. He went out on disability and was making money on his side business. He pushed right up against a time frame to keep his health insurance active, so he went back to work for 1 day, and got his health insurance back for another 6 months or a year.
"Promised" seems more like your perception vs. what was actually said? Even if that was the case, you are dealing with something that isn't static. Things change. Another unknown virus can always spread.
That said - we actually are able to "get back to normal". But there is no "requirement" to do so. Meaning there is no mandate that says "however your company was operating pre-pandemic, you have to go back to it".
You are in a minority that rather not WFH. There's nothing wrong with that - but I think you also need to realize that the majority don't feel that way.
As for constantly explaining your preference - how is this different than anything else that people want? Do you expect people to read your mind?
The situation is more about choice vs. mandate. There was never a mandate (by society or government) that you have to work in an office. There was always a choice (by the employer). Even before the pandemic, there were companies that were completely WFH. However, during the pandemic, the choice of working in the office was not prudent - so that was essentially taken away.
Now, many companies are CHOOSING to stay home. That isn't YOUR preference. Which, again, is fine. But it's preferred by many, if not the majority.
No one is making you "justify" anything. It's about simply communicating your preferences. This is no different than anything else you want/need. You want an office with a window? You can ask for it or make sure the employer you are applying with actually have offices with windows.
I do not expect anyone to read my mind. However, if the job offer I accepted was not listed as hybrid or remote, then they should not assume that is what I want without asking me.
I don’t get why this is so hard. If you advertise a house as having central A/C, you should not assume the buyer wants to use window A/C units. Even if 80% of buyers actually preferred window A/C. You have still been dishonest and manipulative with the remaining 20%.
Same thing here. I did not sign up for a remote or hybrid job, and there is no stay at home order in place. So I should not have to remind everyone over and over that I do not want WFH.
I am very familiar with the hoopla. You jumped ship without discussing details. You knw your options.
What is your point? I accepted a job that was not listed as hybrid or remote, and was not told in the interviews that I was expected to be equipped to work remotely. That is all that should matter. If the company wants me to be equipped to work from home, they should pay 1/3 of my rent.
What is your point? I accepted a job that was not listed as hybrid or remote, and was not told in the interviews that I was expected to be equipped to work remotely. That is all that should matter. If the company wants me to be equipped to work from home, they should pay 1/3 of my rent.
I do not expect anyone to read my mind. However, if the job offer I accepted was not listed as hybrid or remote, then they should not assume that is what I want without asking me.
I don’t get why this is so hard. If you advertise a house as having central A/C, you should not assume the buyer wants to use window A/C units. Even if 80% of buyers actually preferred window A/C. You have still been dishonest and manipulative with the remaining 20%.
Same thing here. I did not sign up for a remote or hybrid job, and there is no stay at home order in place. So I should not have to remind everyone over and over that I do not want WFH.
You can turn this around and ask - Why is it so hard for you to verify or ask?
You pretty much had no idea if you signed up for a remote, hybrid, or on-site job because you didn't ask.
At the end of the day - it's obvious that this is more of an issue to you than it is for the employer. You can do that verification, or you can wait/expect the employer to provide said info. Which option do you think will typically work out better for you?
I accepted a job that was not listed as hybrid or remote, and was not told in the interviews that I was expected to be equipped to work remotely.
Did you ask?
You have a strong preference. That's fine. Given your strong preference, I would have expected you to ask pointed questions. The right fit organization would probably be one with in-person interviews in a bustling facility. Is that how it was, and now you're getting a bait-and-switch?
What is your point? I accepted a job that was not listed as hybrid or remote, and was not told in the interviews that I was expected to be equipped to work remotely. That is all that should matter. If the company wants me to be equipped to work from home, they should pay 1/3 of my rent.
You did not discuss your wfh phobia nor did you ask. You get a laptop and maybe screens. What else do you need?
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