Flexible working contract issues

[Saz09]

Hello everyone,

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, I'm hoping you can help me.

My employer asked me to sign a flexible working contract a few months ago. I was very anxious about returning to work but agreed to 1 day a week in the office. I didn't want to do this but tried to put my anxiety aside and I was in a better state of mind then so thought I could possibly handle it. (I've been working from home for over a year now and this has been better for my mental health).

They then put us all at risk of redundancy which lasted 45 days. During this time my mental health took a nose dive and it has really affected me. Most of my team have also left due to the pressure and another has been made redundant, leaving only 2 people and myself on the team.

Now the redundancy period is over, my job is safe. However, my feelings about returning to the office have completely changed. 1. My anxiety is much worse so the thought of returning is exacerbated by the anxiety. 2. I don't really have a team to return to and during the discussion of the flexible working contract, the main reason given by my employer was that we would need to return to keep a team environment.


Do I have a leg to stand on now that I've signed the contract? I feel like I was tricked into agreeing to something when I was in a different state of mind and hadn't gone through the difficulties of the redundancy process.

Thank you very much for your help and advice.

[ULA]

If it is not too long can you anonymise and post up the flexible working contract you signed?

If not can you post up the clause/s that relate to the arrangements for your flexible working and if there are any clause/s relatating to this being reviewed or for a specific period of time.

Thank you.

[Saz09]

Hello thank you very much for your reply!

The contract is too long to post fully sorry but I've picked out the things that may be of interest:

'The colleague should: understand that the ability to work from home may change, reduce or be withdrawn entirely due to operational needs, with minimal or no notice and structure their domestic routines accordingly.'

'Home working is not a contractual right and the company reserves the right to discontinue homeworking if it no longer meets operational requirements'

They identify 3 types of role which are 'out of scope for homeworking, home-based, has the potential for am element of home working' and says the categories will be reviewed on an annual basis. (I'm the 3rd category).


In terms of the actual agreement itself it just says it will be reviewed regularly rather than a set timescale.

Thank you for your help

[ULA]

Unfortunately the contract that you signed is very clear that the bility to work from home can be changed or taken away entirely.

With you and 2 other people, that does effectively create a team and potential after the situation of a redundancy process the company is probably keen to create a productive working environment for the "new team".

If you are category 3, I presume this is "has the potential for am element of home working" Is the company asking you to work full time in the office or are they asking you to return for a certain number of days per week?

[Saz09]

Ah I thought as much! They only asked for our preference so I said 1 day per week in the office but it could be more depending on what they decide.

Thanks for your help anyway and your swift replies!