A reader in Manchester has been told by her employer that everyone must return to the office three days a week. She has been working mainly from home and says her commute takes around 90 minutes each way, adding nearly three hours to every office day as well as considerably higher travel costs due to the price of petrol. She understands that employers want people together sometimes, but feels three days is excessive for work that can largely be done remotely, and asks how to make a sensible case for greater flexibility without sounding as though she simply cannot be bothered to come in.
Make a business case, not a personal plea
Careers expert James Innes advises that the argument should not be built around the commute alone, since an employer may simply reply that where she lives is her choice. Instead, he suggests explaining how she has performed while working remotely, what requires her to be physically present and what does not.
He recommends proposing something specific, such as two office days instead of three, or adjusted hours to avoid the worst of the journey. A trial period makes the request easier to consider, he says.
Show you understand the employer's position
Innes advises showing that she understands why the employer wants people together, and offering to attend particular meetings, clients or team days where her presence is useful. He says she is asking for sensible flexibility, not a personal exemption from ever seeing another human being again.
He urges keeping the tone calm and not threatening to resign unless she is prepared to do it. If the employer refuses, he says she faces a plain choice: accept the commute, change something about the journey, or look for a job with better flexibility.
Count the real cost of commuting
Innes notes that commuting time is often treated as though it does not count. Adding three hours to an office day means losing breakfast with the children, an evening at home, sleep, exercise and whatever else used to occupy that part of life.
He advises doing the math properly before agreeing to a new attendance pattern, counting the hours, fares, fuel, parking, extra childcare and other costs, then deciding whether the job still works on those terms. A role can remain perfectly reasonable on paper while becoming miserable in practice, he says.
His top tip is to propose a specific alternative backed by evidence that the work will not suffer, noting that “two office days for an eight-week trial” is much easier for management to consider than a general plea for flexibility.
