The view from my window

The view from my window
The view from my window

Thursday 20 September 2018

Well that went well - errr not!!!!

To say my request to telecommute went down like a lead balloon would be an understatement!!! Man oh man, the French have got to give me French citizenship now as I have them all manning the barricades. I made a written request asking for a partial telecommuting arrangement because of my commute from hell, its negative effect on my health and quoting the relevant organization policy. You could hear the very loud intake of breath from the director when he received it as he hates these arrangements with a vengeance. Trouble is, I had been asked by my supervisor what would it take to make me stay on rather than retire so I asked for a 50% telecommuting arrangement with the obvious proviso that I would be available in work when necessary - that goes without saying. Well I not only got a very resounding "no" but now colleagues who had been benefiting from such arrangements are being told they now have to come back 100% and work from the office. There is uproar. I feel bad to have been the catalyst for this but in the end I was not prepared to potentially be accorded this right but have to hide it from the others. As far as I'm concerned it has to be up front or not at all. And in any case, I am ready to retire so I have nothing to lose!

I think my director doesn't know what has hit him. Some very, very unhappy people are coming up to me complaining so I guess somebody had to "pierce that boil" as the French say. My supervisor just asked me 10 minutes ago to go away on holiday and come back with the minimum arrangement I could accept and he will run with it. In the meantime, some very ballsy women colleagues have also gone up to bat against the director. Lordy, lordy, that was never my intention but .... there are obviously some very unhappy people in this division!

Anyway, I can't go into more detail as I have work to finish before I head off for my flight to Sicily (yay me). I don't know what the outcome will be but in the end I'm not unhappy that it has happened. There was obviously festering resentment that has now been bought out into the open. We'll see I guess. I may or may not be able to post from Sicily as I will be on my ipad, but until then, man the barricades and vive la révolution!

15 comments:

  1. oh my! that will sure be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

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    1. Indeed! I have finally learned that you don't just jump in feet first. You do what you have to do and give the others time to react. It always works out better in the end.

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  2. Ah village unrest! I would not like the be the catalyst either, but sometimes it just happens. Have a wonderful holiday, come home and see what happens. You never know what changes can take place util they actually do.

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    1. Ah yes "the peasants are revolting". Actually I can't bear injustice even if it is not aimed at me, so I don't really mind being the catalyst as I seem to have the balls to fight back. Our scrap with the previous psycho HR director taught me that!

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  3. Good for you - perhaps the others were just waiting for this situation to happen (it would have happened whether or not you pushed the envelope, was just a case of "when") Obviously this director has no idea about how much better happy employees work. Have a great time in Sicily - and lots of photos please!

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    1. I agree, it was just a case of if not when, but I suspect if it had festered much longer the blow up would have been even worse - and in any case I have nothing to lose. And you're right, I have always believed if you treat your staff well the give more. Hell, I was retiring and was ONLY considering staying on to help my immediate boss out!

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    2. "when, not if". Oh dear - I need to proof read!

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  4. Companies need to move with the times. My husband works for a high tech company in Silicon Valley, a company that is internet based and blathers about telecommuting etc. He asked to be able to work remotely for health reasons, was told no, so he resigned. His manager came to him to ask why he was resigning, was there an issue?? Hello, are you people that stupid?

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    1. That is just absurd isn't it. Our HR director won't need to ask me why I'm resigning because (as I told my supervisor) if the Director didn't like my request to telecommute he sure as hell won't like my resignation letter! Onwards and upwards (as Buzz Lightyear used to say).

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  5. Wow-I'm glad you did not back down though in spite of the storm that started brewing. Interesting, we are being asked as management team to figure out better and more teleworking arrangements in our teams. Someone has got the bug big time that it will save time, money, and staff morale and is being a champion on this wave. I'll be formally telecommuting at least one day a week by November, plus my every other Friday off.

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    1. Well at least some people are intelligent! Good for you!

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  6. I think the cat is definitely amongst the pigeons in your (for now!) workplace.
    What a very stubborn man he is.
    Go and enjoy your lovely holiday, relax and take lots of photos, please. You are actually in a Win/Win situation, so no worries, eh?

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    1. Yep I’ve only been here a couple of days and I think my mind is made up! Life’s too short!

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    1. I already am. A nice group and lots of fun!

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