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 residence as a result of I write lots of grants and studies, and my workplace doesn’t have non-public areas or designated work areas. I do go into our small workplace one half day every week for staff conferences, however the remainder of the time I’ve all the time labored from residence or am out visiting shoppers, attending conferences, and so on. The one different workplace employee on our native staff (most of our workers does subject work) does the identical as me — goes in for half a day and the remainder of the week is working from residence.
We have now a coverage that if you’re not working within the workplace, you should have a workspace with a door, and so on. 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 in the future at a good friend’s trip residence and the web didn’t permit me to hitch a staff zoom assembly. After not having the ability to be part of that assembly, I used to be informed I needed to take a trip day for that whole day. I did as a result of I simply didn’t wish to argue about this.
This week, I labored at one other good friend’s residence in one other metropolis however this time the web connectivity labored nice and I joined all of the zoom conferences, and so on. If I had not informed folks I used to be at a good friend’s home in one other state, they might not have recognized.
Properly, as we speak, the third day that I’ve been working from my good friend’s residence, I bought an electronic mail from my supervisor that I used to be presupposed to have had this request to work from a distinct location authorized earlier than I did so. And that they might 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 want 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 fitting 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 fitting to let you know which you could solely work remotely from your private home and which you could’t work from different areas. We are able to debate whether or not or not that’s affordable, however they do have the fitting to make that their coverage. (Some issues that will make it affordable: if there’s the next incidence of connectivity points when persons are different locations, and in case your work has strict confidentiality necessities.)
However the way in which for them to deal with that’s for them to let you know that, proactively. In the event that they’ve by no means mentioned this was prohibited, then they’re improper to say they gained’t depend these days as work days and can deduct them out of your trip stability. Your supervisor ought to have contacted you and mentioned, “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 aside from your private home (or your native space, or no matter they need their coverage to be) with out prior permission.”
And it is best to method it that approach out of your facet 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 have to be non-public and have a door, and I’ve adopted that vigilantly. If this gained’t be allowed going ahead, I’ll in fact adjust to that however I don’t assume I needs to be held to a coverage I wasn’t knowledgeable of, particularly if it means shedding precious trip days once I did X hours of labor in the course of the days in query.”
In the event that they dig of their heels, you may level out that you just’ve all the time gone above and past and been lauded for glorious work, and that is extremely demotivating. If you happen to’ve ever carried out even a small quantity of labor when you’re on trip (checking emails or returning a name), this can be a good time to say that, and word that they’re eradicating any incentive to be versatile that approach sooner or later.
In the event that they nonetheless gained’t budge, legally you in all probability don’t have any recourse. The authorized requirement is that you just receives a commission for the times you labored — however the requirement is just that they pay you, not that it will possibly’t come out of your PTO. (Caveat: when you occur to be in California, that will change issues. In California, when you work throughout a trip, your employer should depend that as time labored and might’t dock your PTO for it. It’s doable a small variety of different states may need related legal guidelines; I haven’t discovered something, however it’s value you checking on your state.)
However that’s nearly what’s authorized, not about what’s affordable. An affordable employer gained’t maintain you to coverage you’ve by no means been knowledgeable of, and it’s value speaking to HR when you don’t get anyplace along with your boss.
