Failing to comply with order to return to office

[Anonymous]

Is your boss on site? Won't they realize soon? Can you negotiate some flexibility?

We are hybrid and have formalized, signed and filed with HR, telework agreements. They are day-specific, with some mgr. flexibility re local appts. etc., but otherwise adhered to. I know of a few resignations of staff who took new jobs over the last year with perhaps 100% telework (or $$ increases with limited in office), but I do not have any "how it played out" story to share.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So you are just straight up ignoring a directive to come back to the office? I don’t think anyone can tell you how it’s going to play out in your case. In my case (federal contractor) I probably would have been disciplined the first week I didn’t come in three days as directed if I had not made accommodations in advance. That’s just obnoxious and defiant not to address it at all.

No, what would be "obnoxious and defiant" would be if OP made a big deal about saying "I refuse to come in! What are you going to do about it?" to their boss.

The fact is, there are many non-mandatory job requirements that don't become mandatory until management actually decides to crack down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you can no longer meet the requirements of the job you need to resign.

Op here. As explained in my OP, I’m not going to resign or come in. That’s the point. They can discipline me or fire me. I’m curious how long that’s going to take to play out.

It really depends on your workplace. At mine, if you didn't have a formal accommodation, you'd start burning leave and eventually be fired. It would probably take a couple of weeks. If they really want people back in the office, they'll get rid of you quickly. If it's less urgent to the leadership, you probably have more time.

[Anonymous]

OP DON'T BACK DOWN.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a very immature and passive-aggressive (and entitled) decision on your part. I hope they do fire you. Who the hell do you think you are?

Op here. I’m a person with in demand skills in a hot market. For one thing, no one in my entire department is able to do my work, whereas all of them can cover each other (we all have the same title but I have extra licensure/certifications that are needed to do my work and only I have those credentials). I can get another job, but I really do like this one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP DON'T BACK DOWN.

Lol. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am sure it is hard and you have your reasons ( did you move too far away, at-risk relative) but the problem is that employees see this as a personal decision and employers see this as a business decision. If the directive is 3 days in office, it has to be ( or should be) fairly enforced.

I don’t know how long your employer will let it go but likely once they acknowledge you are not in compliance you will be given time to correct- maybe 6-8 weeks. So if you are looking now, you hopefully will have an offer by then.

This is the kind of thing that gives teleworking - or even hybrid models - a bad name and spoils the pot for everyone else. I am assuming that OP went into the office at least three days a week prior to COVID. Why is it so hard now?

We are currently expected to be in the office one day per week. One. The amount of complaining from my coworkers who decided to move or make other life decisions in the absence of a full remote policy is staggering.

[Anonymous]

You should be fired tomorrow.

[Anonymous]

We have a small informal office. We talked about coming in twice a week starting 2021, which I did for a moment, but we're so disorganized that no one really knows who is in when and I've gone weeks and weeks without going in and no one has said a thing. Like you, I like my job and have in demand skills. I'm not trying to move up the career latter, either. I try to figure out when my only real boss comes in and come in on that day, once a week, as often as possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a very immature and passive-aggressive (and entitled) decision on your part. I hope they do fire you. Who the hell do you think you are?

You sound like a tiresome busy body

[Anonymous]

latter = ladder

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am sure it is hard and you have your reasons ( did you move too far away, at-risk relative) but the problem is that employees see this as a personal decision and employers see this as a business decision. If the directive is 3 days in office, it has to be ( or should be) fairly enforced.

I don’t know how long your employer will let it go but likely once they acknowledge you are not in compliance you will be given time to correct- maybe 6-8 weeks. So if you are looking now, you hopefully will have an offer by then.

This. If there's a rule, it ought to be enforced fairly. They're making a mistake if they announce a policy and then let (some) people ignore it and do whatever they want. Regardless of whether it's a good idea or really necessary or whatever, if you're going to say three days a week in the office, then everyone should have three days a week in the office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is your boss on site? Won't they realize soon? Can you negotiate some flexibility?

We are hybrid and have formalized, signed and filed with HR, telework agreements. They are day-specific, with some mgr. flexibility re local appts. etc., but otherwise adhered to. I know of a few resignations of staff who took new jobs over the last year with perhaps 100% telework (or $$ increases with limited in office), but I do not have any "how it played out" story to share.

Op here. Yes my boss is on site.

I could probably negotiate some flexibility, but I would likely have to rely on something like FMLA/ADA types of accommodations and I’m a very private person. I really don’t want to disclose all the complications/details/reasons. I have worked in this job for several years and many people don’t know a lot about my personal life. I understand HR isn’t allowed to share but I believe it would definitely be known at work that “OP got a special schedule through HR” and there would absolutely be gossip/speculation about it. I guess I’d rather be seen as defiant than as a person with a bunch of problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you can no longer meet the requirements of the job you need to resign.

Strongly disagree with this. Every company is different. Even a few more months at the company are a few more months of the job being on your resume. I think it really depends on your manager and what others are doing.

Don’t take advice to flat out quit your job

Yes every company is different. OP’s company is directing her to be in the office three days per week. She should resign if she can’t fulfill that part of her job. Resigning is better than being disciplined and fired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is your boss on site? Won't they realize soon? Can you negotiate some flexibility?

We are hybrid and have formalized, signed and filed with HR, telework agreements. They are day-specific, with some mgr. flexibility re local appts. etc., but otherwise adhered to. I know of a few resignations of staff who took new jobs over the last year with perhaps 100% telework (or $$ increases with limited in office), but I do not have any "how it played out" story to share.

Op here. Yes my boss is on site.

I could probably negotiate some flexibility, but I would likely have to rely on something like FMLA/ADA types of accommodations and I’m a very private person. I really don’t want to disclose all the complications/details/reasons. I have worked in this job for several years and many people don’t know a lot about my personal life. I understand HR isn’t allowed to share but I believe it would definitely be known at work that “OP got a special schedule through HR” and there would absolutely be gossip/speculation about it. I guess I’d rather be seen as defiant than as a person with a bunch of problems.

If your boss is on site, they are going to notice. And being defiant IS a problem. They can't fire you for requesting or receiving an accommodating; they absolutely can fire you for insubordination.