I work in a team environment. I recently joined this team in a higher position on the team, and I have a lot of experience in this position at other companies.
There is a senior team leader on the team who works full time remote in a different state. It’s difficult for everyone on the team that she works remote- especially for me who is supposed to be working very closely with her. It’s also difficult because, as a result, everyone on the team spends a lot of time on the phone with her. She has been on the team for almost a decade. She was working in the office not remote before her and her family relocated out of state and she left the team/company. Then when she was laid off from her other job in that state she was rehired on my team/company, and she lived out of state at that point so when she was rehired it was clear that she would be full time remote.
I have another team member who works remote from home one day a week every single week. This person has also been on the team for over 5 years.
Another person in a different senior role on my team (sort of a manger) has made comments to me that no one else would ever be allowed to work remote like my coworker out of state. It also has been made clear that I will not ever be allowed to work remote from home ever, even if I stay at this company for as many years as my teammates, with the exception of the few and far between days if I’m sick. Obviously it is very easy to work remote for my company and team, as the main person I interact with is already out of state. I don’t have a ton of interaction with the other people on my team.
I understand that now wouldn’t be the best time for me to work remote as I’m still adjusting to being on the team, but is it weird that I will never have the option to work remote? It seems the ability to work remote is based on seniority and that my senior coworker has earned the ability to work remote while only one other coworker is allowed to work remote one day per week. When I was hired I was told that there is a possibility for remote work, but now that seems to not be an option ever.
Is this a weird policy or is it a normal policy?
TLDR: work from home policy is only for people who have worked at my company a long time but that wouldn’t ever apply to me and I’m asking if that’s strange or normal