🐶 "Remote" job with "you have to work at the office now" - clause

[legallego]

I've just verbally accepted a job offer for a UK company that advertised the job as "remote".

I even had a confirmation call with HR to ensure that they won't just change their mind and keep their options open - keeping me in limbo regarding where I can actually live.

The contract reads
Your normal place of work is your home address from time to time, which is currently ABC, London. However, you may be required to work in our office at XYZ, London, and at such other locations from time to time to visit and work and for such time as we consider necessary for the proper performance of your duties.

To me this doesn't differ at all from a "you can currently work from home" agreement.

Is there any formulation anyone has in a proper remote working contract you can suggest?

Thanks in advance Beagles!

[Law Student 6]

Thank you for your enquiry.

As this is what the contract states you can always request to negotiate the clause and ask for it to be changed to remote working as advertised. However you must know what you are willing to settle for and if you can't get it, then know at what point you would be unwilling to continue with the job.

Hope this helps.

[Law Student 6]

ULA Celestine So sorry

[legallego]

Thanks Law Student 6 That's what I'm trying to do. Would you or anyone else have a formulation I can suggest? E.g. You may occasionally be requested to visit the office?

[R0b]

Personally I don't see what the issue is, or what it is you are asking. I think the title of your thread is misleading because it doesn't say you must work at the office.

Let's break it down:

Your normal place of work is your home address from time to time, which is currently ABC, London.

The contract acknowledges your place of work is your home address, and your current place of residence is identified. Nothing in there suggests you are limited to that London address as it also says from time to time. However, if you wanted to be very specific, you could instead say something like Your normal place of work is your home address from time to time, which is currently ABC, London. However, as your employment role is remote based, you may work from a location as you may choose.

you may be required to work in our office at XYZ, London, and at such other locations from time to time to visit and work and for such time as we consider necessary for the proper performance of your duties.

I'm not sure how you get around this one. Depending on the role, you may be required to attend the office due to company events, or important announcements, client meetings etc. so I don't think any employer would give you absolute immunity from not having to attend the office. If that's not what you want, then you need to negotiate that or don't take the job as Law Student 6 has mentioned. I'll caveat that by saying, if you work in programming or development where most remote workers can be all over the world and not expected to be in an office but I would imagine that their contracts still have something like this in to protect the employer's rights.

Again, if you wanted to be more specific the description could be worded slightly differently like so, Although you are expected to work remotely, there may be times where we will ask you to visit and work from our offices located at xxxxxxxx where we consider it necessary as part of your role. For example, we may ask you to attend the office for the following reasons: (1) xxxxx (2) xxxxx (3) xxxxx

[ULA]

It is clearly established that your place of work is your home address as currently given, not an office location so the intent of this contract is that it is a remote working position.

Agree with all the other contributions from Law Student 6 and rob . Even taking on an employee who will be a remote worker, the company will want to safeguard their position to bring you into the office for certain events such as meetings, projects etc.

Hopefully the comments from rob will give you something to go back to your new employer with to try and ensure that having to go into an office is the exception and for limited periods.

[legallego]

I would be working with a remote development team that's based in another country.

According to this contract they can still ask me to come in tomorrow and every day of the week going forward without notice. That's not a "solely remote" contract and I wouldn't be able to move away from London without risking to travel to central London every day, as I wouldn't be able to come to the office if they change their mind.

I would like to know if there are any other people out there that have a more fair/real remote working arrangement.

[legallego]

My worry isn't that they can ask me to come in for a day, but they can ask me to come in every day now Monday - Friday!

[ULA]

If this were to be the case it would be a variation to your contract of employment which you employer would need to consult and agree with you.

I have not seen any remote working contract that does not allow for the employer to request the individual to attend an office as stated in my previous post.

Your contract as set out in your first post has the phrase "from time to time" which means that this is intended to happen occasionally. If you want to try and negotiate the limitaion of this then rob has provided some very good wording.