I apologise in advance for the length of the following post, but I wanted to get in as much detail as I could. Please don't read it if lengthy explanations bother you. I also realise that I'm in a very fortunate situation and many people would love to be in my situation. That said, all problems are subjective and I would like a second opinion.
I've been wracking my brain for the best way to phrase my argument regarding the following, as I'm only going to get one chance to make it.
Many forum members have more experience of working for large companies, so I'd value any input.
I'm currently self-employed and have been working as a contractor, for a Canadian bank, since April 2006. Since 2008, my schedule has been as follows:
Monday - In the office
Tuesday - work from home
Wednesday - In the office
Thursday - off work
Friday - Alternate weeks, working from home or in the office
It's a routine I negotiated instead of asking for pay rises, so that I'd be around to take my son to doctor's appointments, swimming classes, etc. as well as being able to walk him to and from kindergarten (two days some weeks, three days others). Everyone has been happy with this routine - the work gets done, I greatly reduce the time I would spend commuting (two hours each way), and I get to see my son growing up.
Unfortunately, the bank is stopping all contracts from being renewed and I've been told that at the end of my current one (October 31st), I have to either join as a full-time employee or leave altogether.
If I go full-time:
I know that I'll be making slightly less - I don't have a problem with this, as I'll now get vacation and sick pay.
I know that I'll now be working five days a week, instead of four - I don't have a problem with this (I always worked five-six days before the current role)
My problem is the remote working. I'm part of a four man team, located in a larger department. Some other people in the department (not my team) have been complaining to my team manager about the fact that I get to do it and they don't. As a result, he's considering stopping me from doing it altogether. If I were to go to commuting five days per week, I honestly don't think I'd stay in the job. The extra time and cost involved, coupled with not seeing my son while he's young, apart from weekends, just wouldn't be worth it to me.
My argument for being allowed to continue is as follows (I'm trying to think of whether I've missed anything relevant):
1. The current routine has been in place for six and half years. I'm happy with it, my boss is happy with it.
2. I work as a 'self-contained' unit. I build things and publish reports from a laptop. I could do my job anywhere on earth, as long as I had internet access. The people who are complaining do their work on secure servers and with confidential data. They couldn't work remotely even if they were allowed to.
3. If I leave, the time taken to bring someone else in and get them up to speed with both the database and the business processes wouldn't be inconsiderable. It would cause delays and disruption AND would do so at the most important time of the year (our fiscal year ends October 31st).
Any input gratefully received.
I've been wracking my brain for the best way to phrase my argument regarding the following, as I'm only going to get one chance to make it.
Many forum members have more experience of working for large companies, so I'd value any input.
I'm currently self-employed and have been working as a contractor, for a Canadian bank, since April 2006. Since 2008, my schedule has been as follows:
Monday - In the office
Tuesday - work from home
Wednesday - In the office
Thursday - off work
Friday - Alternate weeks, working from home or in the office
It's a routine I negotiated instead of asking for pay rises, so that I'd be around to take my son to doctor's appointments, swimming classes, etc. as well as being able to walk him to and from kindergarten (two days some weeks, three days others). Everyone has been happy with this routine - the work gets done, I greatly reduce the time I would spend commuting (two hours each way), and I get to see my son growing up.
Unfortunately, the bank is stopping all contracts from being renewed and I've been told that at the end of my current one (October 31st), I have to either join as a full-time employee or leave altogether.
If I go full-time:
I know that I'll be making slightly less - I don't have a problem with this, as I'll now get vacation and sick pay.
I know that I'll now be working five days a week, instead of four - I don't have a problem with this (I always worked five-six days before the current role)
My problem is the remote working. I'm part of a four man team, located in a larger department. Some other people in the department (not my team) have been complaining to my team manager about the fact that I get to do it and they don't. As a result, he's considering stopping me from doing it altogether. If I were to go to commuting five days per week, I honestly don't think I'd stay in the job. The extra time and cost involved, coupled with not seeing my son while he's young, apart from weekends, just wouldn't be worth it to me.
My argument for being allowed to continue is as follows (I'm trying to think of whether I've missed anything relevant):
1. The current routine has been in place for six and half years. I'm happy with it, my boss is happy with it.
2. I work as a 'self-contained' unit. I build things and publish reports from a laptop. I could do my job anywhere on earth, as long as I had internet access. The people who are complaining do their work on secure servers and with confidential data. They couldn't work remotely even if they were allowed to.
3. If I leave, the time taken to bring someone else in and get them up to speed with both the database and the business processes wouldn't be inconsiderable. It would cause delays and disruption AND would do so at the most important time of the year (our fiscal year ends October 31st).
Any input gratefully received.