During the pandemic, many companies embraced remote working, giving people the opportunity to give up city life and move to cheaper areas – all without risking their jobs.
This week’s Money Problem reader, Ashley, is one of those who made the switch after his role went hybrid, going from the London grind to village life in Wiltshire.
It was all going so well until his boss called him back into the office.
With the 36-year-old now facing the prospect of his comfortable salary being eaten up by the commute, he reached out to Metro consumer champion, Sarah Davidson, for guidance.
The problem…
I’m in the weirdest situation and I’m not at all sure what to do. I work in publishing in the licencing department and have been with the same company since 2018. I’ve worked from home most of the time since the pandemic but my boss has now told me I have to be back in the office five days a week.
Before Covid, I worked Monday to Friday in our office in central London. I was renting a flat with a couple of friends in Zone 6 and my travel costs were manageable. But it’s five years later, I’m now 36, most of my friends are married with kids and I’ve moved out to a village near Swindon in Wiltshire.
At the moment I go into the office once a fortnight, which costs me £160 a month roughly and keeps me in the loop with colleagues. If I was to commute in five days a week, it’s going to cost me £13,260 for an annual railcard that gets me from home and across London.
I’m on £60,000 a year – which I think is a really good salary – but after rent, bills and running the car, there is literally no way I can afford to go back to the office full time.
I’ve been doing my job from home without an issue for nearly six years – can they really give me an ultimatum like this?
The answer…
Unfortunately, your story is not an uncommon one and, I agree, it’s a living nightmare.
A survey from the British Chambers of Commerce published in August found that two in five businesses have demanded workers be in the office more over the past year. And over the next year, half say they expect staff to come back to the office full-time.
You’re in a service sector, so there is a stronger argument for you working productively from home than for someone working in, for example, the manufacturing sector.
But even so, there’s a definite swing back to having employees in the office for a growing number of companies – clearly, yours is one of them.
Next – train fares. You are not alone in your absolute consternation about the cost of commuting. Trains are outrageously expensive. Never mind the fact that services are cancelled or delayed constantly, there aren’t enough carriages, people are forced to stand, packed together in overheated, overcrowded aisles and vestibules.
I’ve spent a 90-minute train journey literally on a luggage rack – at least I was sitting.
The state of the rail system in the UK is appalling. To be charged over £13,000 a year for the privilege of travelling in considerably less comfort than cattle is the final sucker punch.
Add to this perfect storm the fact that rents in England have gone up by 29% since the start of the pandemic, while the overall cost of living has also rocketed by 28%.
As you say, your options to share a home with friends are rather fewer than five years ago when marriage and babies weren’t a factor.
So what are your options?
Negotiating with your employer should be the first step. All UK employees have a statutory right to ask for flexible working – including working from home.
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Check what your contract says about place of work and then have an informal chat with your boss or HR about your situation. Show them the maths – they won’t be able to argue with hard facts.
If they are adamant you come back, ask for a pay rise to help you cover the increased travel costs. They may be willing to meet you halfway to make it financially viable for you.
However, if that fails, you can make a statutory flexible working request and your employer must follow the statutory procedure. The law is going to be on your side here; employers can only reject the request if there’s a genuine business reason to.
The fact you’ve been doing your job perfectly competently from home for six years should demonstrate that it’s not harming the business. Gather evidence of this to submit alongside your request.
Bear in mind that taking this route may irk them. And while constructive dismissal is also illegal, the reality is many companies aren’t above making your working life so unpleasant you leave anyway.
I’m afraid this boils down to an unpalatable choice.
Move closer to work, find somewhere cheaper to live or move back into a shared house. Or, resign and try to get a new job nearer to where you live.
Yes, I know. This is what a cost of living crisis looks like for a well-paid single man today.
Mad.
