I work for a engineering consulting firm and this post honestly risks me getting fired if it somehow makes it back to me but whatever I'm sick of companies dictating to me how/where I get to work when I can easily do everything from home.
We consult for many large companies including but not limited to the banks, mining corporations, telecoms etc.
Mods feel free to DM me if you require proof.
Anyway we have been working remotely for said client since before the pandemic and we do sometimes go into the office but not because we have to, it's because we want to i.e. maybe getting together for a team lunch or team event but never because someone decided it is a work-from-office day.
Anyway the CEO of said client has now mandated that all employees, contract or permanent, have to go into the office 2-3 days a week. They sent out a disingenuous questionnaire to ask us questions that were phrased in such a way that no matter how you answered the questions it would make it look like you in fact wanted to work at the office as well as phrasing questions regarding concerns about working from home while not having any questions regarding concerns to work from the office.
They then updated the policy with regards to working from the office:
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Transport costs to the office, which we had none of for 2 years, would not be compensated which would mean we now effectively earn less as part of our income goes to having to commute to the office.
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Care arrangements must be made for those with kids at home, at the employees expense yet again, costs that cut into our income that we've not had for two years.
They used to provide us with company fuel cards pre-pandemic so this is a change from pre-pandemic policy. They also subsidized our care which is once again a change from pre-pandemic policy.
There is a meeting today with the client management and our management hoping to resolve this as many of us are not keen on this new policy. Some have even said they'll gladly be disciplined over and over but they will not be attending the offices. I'll update this post when I get news.