Working From Home

Hi Germanshep thank you for your comments Hope you have a lovely day

Your choice OP, and your problem if it doesn’t work out. To try to censure what people post and threaten them about what you perceive to be the consequences is totally unacceptable. You should not be trying to work from Spain for a UK LA. I hope you have taken on board the problems. Don’t blame others for your choices.

Wow !!

Post references deleted post Talk guidelines.

Post references deleted post Talk guidelines.

carmen54 I don’t share your confidence that a LA knows what it is doing when it comes to HR! I challenged the one that I worked for who argued with me for weeks until I showed them the ACAS website! I do think you may struggle to fight this as they only have to consider alternative working. They don’t have to grant the request.

The team I worked for employed someone, who lived in Ireland, during the pandemic, the LA is in the home counties. She was told that she would have to attend whole team meetings at her own cost and that attendance was mandatory. My guess is that people who do have to go into the office have complained that this hasn’t been applied to everyone, hence the reason why they are now saying everyone has to go in one day a week.
Also, as a public servant, there have been times when it has been ‘all hands to the pump’ irrespective of the team you work for, and if people don’t even work in the same country as the LA, how is that achievable?

If your employer values the intangible benefits of having everyone in the office every so often, Could you agree to come back into the office for a week every 5 weeks?

I was a home based worker for the last 10 years. My employer provided a desk, computer, phone line and ergonomic chair after health assessment. I was experienced and happy to avoid the daily truck into the city. I went into the office for meetings and if work took me to the vicinity. I valued being part of a team which in many areas of work is essential
Moving to Spain was your decision OP. I wonder if local authorities in the uk would offer interviews to people who lived in another country.

Ok thank you

I wouldn’t be so sure about that! I worked in local government for 13 years and don’t share your confidence. HMRC has rules which anyone employing someone who lives overseas must follow. However it is your responsibility to inform HMRC that you now live outside the UK. As I have said, depending on how long you have been living abroad you may no longer be resident in the UK for tax purposes. It’s important that your tax and NI payments are on a proper footing. It’s possible that you may now, or at some point, not have to pay NI and of course this has important implications for your State Pension.

Germanshep I work for the local authority I am sure that they know what they are doing if an empolyee is working out of the UK Thank you though

You must also tell HMRC, Carmen. They may decide that you have ceased to be a UK resident for tax purposes, and your employer may not be operating PAYE and NI contributions correctly.

The logistics do make perfect sense to me, if the role is not one that involves liaison with colleagues. If that is the case, as it is in many administrative roles, then the obstacle would be that special pleading often causes resentment. It’s not always fair, but it’s understandable. The question then (which is where the Union can help) is whether the request is reasonable in itself on the basis of operational effectiveness. If it’s not, and if the whole team can be managed remotely, then maybe everyone should have the option to come in or not, depending on their own wishes and circumstances.

Sorry carnen you answer wasn’t there when I posted

I agree GSM, although you have the knowledge, but to me how you put it makes perfect sense and what I feel too
I can understand working from home, having meetings by internet etc etc but to never be a real life person sounds unmanageable and what about the taxes and contributions etc

I don’t blame you are at all wanting to be near family and in the sun ( wouldn’t we all) but the logistics seem unreal to me

Dear Germanshep NO I have not left UK for tax reasons--my pay is exact same and pay exact same tax

Yes my employers DO know that I am in The Med

If they knew, would they ask her to go into the office once a week? I doubt it. An employer must be notified of a change of address, as must HMRC. It’s possible that the OP has ceased to be a UK resident for tax purposes. She really needs to look into this. Her employer has to be told that she’s living abroad to make sure that PAYE and NI contributions are being appropriately dealt with.

The OP hasn’t said what sort of work she does, but I remain to be convinced that a local authority employee can work satisfactorily from Spain, never going into the office.

Funny thing is that when I was in the UK I always went into the office even though I did not need to--its a new thing--since the pandemic that they are now statong they want us in office one day a week--many employees are ignoring this--and getting away with it--unfortunatley for me I am not liked by a decision maker--I have no idea why--I have always been nothing but polite to him..I think he is pushing for me to come into office--Yes told them I was wanting to work from The Med and told them that was my plan-

Germanshepherdsmum

I assume your employer doesn’t know where you live?

Surely they must!

Germanshepherdsmum

That’s awful. If an organisation which delivers a service to the public allows employees to wfh it’s vital that they invest in an IT system which will enable the service to be delivered remotely. If all correspondence and documents are routinely scanned and filed digitally then an employee wfh should have access to all they need. I was doing that with no problems over a decade ago.

I agree

I assume your employer doesn’t know where you live?

If they are hostile and after exploring the challenge with them - if they refuse, maybe you can offer once every month for say, four days?
This is the equivalent, is probably more manageable and means you travel less. My daughter negotiated with the civil service. It's not impossible.

Good luck.

If you live and are happy in Spain and who can blame you with family there why not find a job there Surely there must be times when it’s a disadvantage to have someone so many miles away both for you and your employer although I totally understand some work can be done from anywhere in the world doesn’t it all get complicated, insular and lonely never to have a laugh or a coffee break with workmates
It seems sad to me that so many are not getting face to face contact with anyone
In years to come will we ALL be sitting in our rooms talking to computers giving instructions to the few that are still are doing hands on sounds very sad but hey ho I won’t be around to see it
Good luck in your fight anyway but make sure it’s worth it

That would be some commute! Not just a hop over the Channel.

Yes, negotiate.

Hi A big thank you to everyone that posted--very grateful--This was stressing me out so I thought it best to close my laptop and have a happy weekend with family and give everyone time to respond to my post .. Once again Thank you

I have ready every post--some twice

I have made notes of helpful advise that I will use when challenging this request for me to go into the office once a week

For example ..
Resonable adjustment..
Doing my job satisfactorily from home..
WFH I am able to manage stress better..
Am not adding anything by going into the office..
No Operational reason to go into office..
More productive WFH

All very helpful..

So far I have approached Unison and waiting for a reply
I will today email my TL and let him know of my plans to challenge the request and perhaps get his advise--

My Job is based in London and I am living with family in The Mediteranian .. So not really possible to pop over to London once a week

Grateful to each and everyone (flowers)