A reader writes:
I work as a improvement director for a nonprofit for a particular area. I’ve been in my job for 4 years and have been very profitable in my function.
I’ve labored primarily from dwelling as a result of I write loads of grants and reviews, and my workplace doesn’t have personal areas or designated work areas. I do go into our small workplace one half day every week for workforce conferences, however the remainder of the time I’ve all the time labored from dwelling or am out visiting shoppers, attending conferences, and many others. The one different workplace employee on our native workforce (most of our employees does discipline work) does the identical as me — goes in for half a day and the remainder of the week is working from dwelling.
We have now a coverage that if you’re not working within the workplace, you have to have a workspace with a door, and many others. I all the time observe this guideline.
My CEO could be very involved when folks work in numerous areas if they’ve connectivity points. I used to be working remotely at some point at a buddy’s trip dwelling and the web didn’t enable me to hitch a workforce zoom assembly. After not with the ability to be part of that assembly, I used to be informed I needed to take a trip day for that complete day. I did as a result of I simply didn’t wish to argue about this.
This week, I labored at one other buddy’s dwelling in one other metropolis however this time the web connectivity labored advantageous and I joined all of the zoom conferences, and many others. If I had not informed folks I used to be at a buddy’s home in one other state, they’d not have identified.
Nicely, as we speak, the third day that I’ve been working from my buddy’s dwelling, I obtained an e mail from my supervisor that I used to be alleged to have had this request to work from a unique location authorized earlier than I did so. And that they’d inform HR to make all of my days this week be designated as trip days on my timecard and I might lose three trip days from my accrued trip.
Is that this acceptable? I merely wish to give up, however I can’t as a result of I would like the cash and would like to line up a brand new job earlier than quitting. I really feel like my employer doesn’t belief or worth me when I’ve been a high-performing worker for 4 years. My location had zero impact on my work.
Do I’ve the precise to refuse to just accept that call and demand that I not be required to make use of trip days for the three days I already labored this week?
Your employer does have the precise to inform you that you would be able to solely work remotely from your property and that you would be able to’t work from different areas. We are able to debate whether or not or not that’s affordable, however they do have the precise to make that their coverage. (Some issues that will make it affordable: if there’s a better incidence of connectivity points when individuals are different locations, and in case your work has strict confidentiality necessities.)
However the best way for them to deal with that’s for them to inform you that, proactively. In the event that they’ve by no means stated this was prohibited, then they’re unsuitable to say they received’t depend these days as work days and can deduct them out of your trip steadiness. Your supervisor ought to have contacted you and stated, “That is the coverage. We’ll make an exception this time because it sounds prefer it wasn’t clear, however going ahead you can not work remotely from anyplace apart from your property (or your native space, or no matter they need their coverage to be) with out prior permission.”
And it is best to strategy it that manner out of your aspect now. Return to your supervisor and say this: “I hadn’t been knowledgeable of any coverage prohibiting us from working from different areas. I’ve solely been informed that distant work areas should be personal and have a door, and I’ve adopted that vigilantly. If this received’t be allowed going ahead, I’ll after all adjust to that however I don’t suppose I needs to be held to a coverage I wasn’t knowledgeable of, particularly if it means shedding precious trip days after I did X hours of labor throughout the days in query.”
In the event that they dig of their heels, you may level out that you simply’ve all the time gone above and past and been lauded for wonderful work, and that is extremely demotivating. In the event you’ve ever carried out even a small quantity of labor when you’re on trip (checking emails or returning a name), it is a good time to say that, and observe that they’re eradicating any incentive to be versatile that manner sooner or later.
In the event that they nonetheless received’t budge, legally you in all probability don’t have any recourse. The authorized requirement is that you simply receives a commission for the times you labored — however the requirement is simply that they pay you, not that it could possibly’t come out of your PTO. (Caveat: in the event you occur to be in California, that will change issues. In California, in the event you work throughout a trip, your employer should depend that as time labored and might’t dock your PTO for it. It’s attainable a small variety of different states may need related legal guidelines; I haven’t discovered something, but it surely’s value you checking on your state.)
However that’s nearly what’s authorized, not about what’s affordable. An inexpensive employer received’t maintain you to coverage you’ve by no means been knowledgeable of, and it’s value speaking to HR in the event you don’t get anyplace along with your boss.
