So when I got hired we agreed on working 7:30-4 (WFH). Now they want us to choose from 4 options:
– 8:30-5:30/9:00-6:00 with an hour lunch
– 8:30-5:00/9:00-5:30 with half hour lunch
Here’s my situation: I realllly don’t want to change my availability, especially because of the reasoning for this change (we work with healthcare providers, and they want the east coasters to be “better able to communicate with west coast offices during ‘peak hours’ of 9-3 in their time zone.” I’d like to keep working here, though. My goal is to try to convince them that the change is unnecessary, and maybe twist their arm a bit into not making this change, but I don’t want them to say “well I guess you’re fired now.” And yes, the handbook most likely states that work hours are subject to change.
PS not sure if it would be appropriate to put in the teams group chat (that doesn’t include management) that I am voicing my frustration/unhappiness and that I suggest anyone else unhappy should do the same. My gf who people don’t know is my gf is also sending a similar email
My main concern is that this email might come off as rude or entitled, or suggest that I won’t work here if I can’t keep my availability, but to still be as persuasive as possible. Maybe I could change the wording in order to appeal to emotion/empathy
Well that’s all the context I think you need, so here’s the email:
Hi,
I hope this email finds you well. After taking some time to think about the proposed changes to my working hours, I have realized that these changes would not be conducive to a healthy work-life balance for me. I have my own commitments and projects that I dedicate time to outside of work, and staying a full hour later than was discussed during my hiring and orientation process would not allow me to have that time for myself and my family.
Furthermore, I have a few concerns about the nature of this change:
- Inflexibility: this change does not seem to consider that it will clash with people's schedules outside of work. This contrasts with the changes that took place with the scheduling of the queue, which would only affect individual recruiters once a month at most, allowing them to move around their appointments/commitments and still be able to fulfill their work obligations.
Additionally, the options offered for work hours suggest that there are no alternative solutions. - Abruptness: this change places the burden on recruiters to change their entire schedules within a couple of weeks – assuming this change is to take place on August 7h. While I have become accustomed to my own personal schedule over the past 7 months of working here, many recruiters on the team have been here much longer than that.
- One-sidedness: what concerns me most about this change is that there seemed to be no attempt to collect feedback from the recruitment team on the best way to be available for providers in different time zones. Personally, I've noticed that my last hour of work (3-4 ET) is when providers are least responsive to both emails and phone calls, this is most likely due to offices closing early, office managers leaving early, and offices on the West Coast being closed for lunch. There is nothing that suggests to me that working an hour later would yield different results.
Furthermore, asking recruiters to stay later won't necessarily translate into them reaching out to providers from 4 to 5 pm. And, lastly, email seems to largely be the preferred method of communication for providers. This type of communication already allows for both recruiters and providers to communicate on their own time, and with a written record of questions and answers, documents sent and received, and anything else contained within those messages. Providers that don't have our email address can always leave voicemail or speak with whoever is in
the queue at that time
I don't want to give off the wrong impression – I am very happy working here. The past several months have been full of positive experiences. I have been more than pleased with the flexibility, open communication, and support from management, and I would like to continue working for a company that takes care of its own employees. However, this proposed change would make that difficult for me. I am hoping there can be a way to find a solution that works for everyone, including management, the recruitment team, and our providers.
Thank you,
My name