Am I being unreasonable with my company which is trying to change my commuting shortly after hiring me?

Question

I was just hired for my first full-time position since graduating from University. The location is 15 minutes away from my parent’s house, and I just moved back in with them from college to accept/commute to this office. My written offer letter stated that I would be reporting to my local office.

Not even two weeks into my employment, a few Chiefs asked my boss if he would be ok with them “borrowing” me for a project, which would involve commuting 50 miles from my home for the next two months.

I told them, quite frankly, that I wasn’t hired to work at their new office, and I wouldn’t be able to commute there every day. I mentioned that I’d be able to commute once a week and work remotely from the original office, and that I would do everything necessary to overcome the learning curve and issues that come with telecommuting.

Am I being unreasonable, and is this something they can terminate me for?

Answer 1

Ask for the commute to be part of your working hours or ask for overtime pay.

Answer 2

No, you are not being unreasonable for not wanting to have that extra commute imposed on you.

You were hired to work on Office A from X hour to Y. What should happen is that you go to work at Office A at X. Then, if they want you to be on Office B you would travel there during your work hours, and travel back from there so you can check out of local office at Y. This should be at company expense, you could be given a company car, travel with another employee that is also going from Office A to Office B, by public transport (paid by the company) or, if going in your own car, be reimbursed for that mileage in whatever way is stated by the company policies.

You "sell" to the company a number of hours of your time. If instead of doing your "expected" kind of work, they prefer to have you doing something else, like driving between offices, that shouldn't concern you.¹ Of course, the company will probably not like to lose those hours of your work every week on that "internal commute", so it will be in their interest to see if they can have you working remotely from the Office A. But if they find it so important that you are in Office B to have you start your working hours moving between offices, well, it's their choice.

¹ In general, obviously there are cases where it would matter, such as if the task they gave you was denigrating, if driving was a problem for you (or even didn't have a license!), etc.

Answer 3

I think if they require you to work off-site, you can ask them if they can provide accommodation for you for that 2 months, eg. book a hotel room or Airbnb.

My example: I work in the UK, and from time to time I'm being asked to support sites in other cities in the country, and the other company books me a hotel and car/transport ticket (if the site is more than 25 miles away).

Answer 4

I agree with much of what's already been said. This answer is about proposing a compromise that can work well in some situations.

The mode of transport is important, as is the nature of the work. If there's a fast train, and you can work on the train, then everyone should be happy with you doing the majority of the journey during normal working hours, working as you do so. I have seen this agreed to for a new starter, then vetoed by HR, and of course if you're a lab chemist or work on top secret material it's less likely to be possible. The company should bear the cost as this is a secondment and not what you were recruited for.

This is an awkward distance though. Much longer and they'd need to provide accommodation (a neighbour was put up in a hotel for a few nights a week at about 80 miles recently). Much shorter and many people would consider it if they can get a clear run. For example I have a 40-mile train journey and while this isn't part of my usual working hours, I do often do some work; my evening commute can be very useful for email exchanges with colleagues who keep later hours than me.

Answer 5

Nathan, I have been working in Russia and the US. In both countries the employer is interested in using you for less money. You sell your time, your life and health. Employer gets your time, ideas, sweat and tear in exchange for money. You must establish personal boundries and requesting coverage for commute time is one of the basic things. Don't be afraid to stood up for yourself. Team player/work ethic etc - is a BS that is used to make sure that you are going to work up late till Sunday for free. Don't buy it. Remember, if you get into accident in your commute time - you are going to pay for it. If this happens during work hours your employer is going to pay for it. Now realize, that employer puts u under risk of getting injured in the car accident and ensures that you are going to be held responsible for it. Doesn't it make you feel foolish? If you will accept their terms, the following is going to happen: every other day there will be another important meeting or something will happen. You have to go there. In one month you will be going there every day for various reasons so. And you won't be able to back out because you'll be afraid to be fired and accepted rules of the game (again, team player all this stuff). It is better to disagree with the stuff now, renegotiate or find another place to work. Only you can protect yourself.

Answer 6

You can totally say no. However, people do remember who is flexible and who is not and use that knowledge when filling higher up positions that require flexibility.

So, you can do whatever you want, but it can hurt your career.

Answer 7

You're not being unreasonable, but you'll want to be looking for a new job as soon as possible. From your perspective, this company has a culture and expectations that you don't care for; why would you work there? From your employer's perspective, they got work to do and need people with a certain work ethic; why would they want to keep you around?

Answer 8

How badly do you need the job? If you can get another suitable job within a tolerable amount of time, then realize you have the power.

And to answer your question, no, it is not reasonable to expect you to travel both ways on your dime.

In the USA, this would normally mean you'd be reimbursed "for mileage" which includes fuel and wear-and-tear on your vehicle. It can also mean that the commute hours are counted as the work day.

If you say you won't commute, the managers involved would have to actually work to ensure you could work remotely from the local office. They are "solving" the logistical hassles by asking you to commute. They probably also want you to absorb the cost, or haven't even thought about it. As one gets older and more established, a little gasoline doesn't factor very much into the financial equation. Starting out, however, every penny matters.