I'm at a job now for about 18 months where my position has always been hybrid. The office is located an hour away, so the only reason I took the job was because I knew I'd only have to make the drive a couple times a week, something appealing to me since I have 2 small children and a spouse with medical issues.
Management has always been flexible about it and would let us all use wfh on days we were scheduled to be in the office if we had personal obligations (Dr's appt, sick, sick famiily, etc) if we made the effort to come into the office another day instead.
Well despite me talking about the family issues I had (sick spouse) with my boss up front a few months ago and getting the okay to be flexible with my wfh/in office days, last week my infant child was really sick so I rearranged one of my in office days and unfortunately had to call out the next day to seek medical care for my child.
While I was holding my ill child that day trying to comfort them I got a call my from my boss telling me that they felt I was taking advantage of wfh and that it was a privilege, not a right, so starting the next week I had to be in office every day for the foreseeable future and would be getting a write up when I was back in the office. No warning, no prior conversations, no “hey, we need you to stick to your scheduled in office days 2 days a week moving forward as much as possible,” or anything. Not to mention it was totally crossing the line to call me to reprimand me while I was off (I'm an hourly employee) taking care of a really sick infant.
Previous conversations had my boss telling me that they understood I had a lot going on personally but they would be flexible as long as I made effort to get into the office 2 days a week. They even dissuaded me from applying for FMLA or anything else to care for my sick spouse saying I wouldn't need it if I was making the effort and still working, even if it was remotely. I even have a text from a couple weeks ago saying that they need me in the office 2 days a week “more often than not” with no mention of me needing to adhere to a strict schedule moving forward.
So now, everyone else on my team except me can continue working their hybrid schedules with all the flexibility that entails with things in their personal lives like Dr's appts, being sick, snow days, etc. Not me. I was told I need to use PTO for things like that moving forward.
99% of my job can be done remotely, and my numbers and production are stellar. My most recent review in February was glowing, and I had even talked with my boss about pursuing a promotion, which they seemed totally on board with and encouraging about, giving me things I could do to prepare for it.
So I feel blindsided, and honestly, I think this is their way of quiet firing me. Company isn't doing well and there has been a lot of turnover lately. The work in my area has been drying up steadily over the last 6 months. The funny thing is they tout “we don't do layoffs here!” but I'm starting to think it's because they pull this crap like they are with me. Not only am I the only person in my department with small child and a sick spouse and all that entails, but I'm also in a less desirable demographic, as well as the most recent hire overall in my position, so I think I'm being forced out.
Time to tidy up the resume and look for a new job I think.
Oh, I spoke to HR and have a lawyer aware of this, but not sure how it will go. But I felt I had nothing to lose at that point. I should have an update sometime soon.
Update from below:
Got pulled into meeting with head of HR and my boss. I was told that despite my employment file being stellar up until this point, the reason it was so good was because my boss was negligent in addressing my attendance/wfh day switching and should have done it a long time ago. They're saying they are not trying to push me out, and might give me 1 wfh day back in a month if I adhere to my new schedule.
My boss lied about half the things I said we talked about before, denying any offers of flexibility with wfh schedule or telling me I didn't need to apply for FMLA.I said I felt I was being targeted since work was drying up and they responded that I'm being targeted for being unreliable. Again I said I was never given any inkling of there being an issue and had I been told I would have worked to improve since I take all constructive criticism seriously. Oh well. I'm sure there's an even bigger target on my back now.