Micro-managed in terms of working location

[Wilmslow]

Agreed when I started current gig that I would be in South London occasionally for meetings, but usually working around my area – North-West.

However, a rather slimy and shockingly bad at planning PM is now insisting I spend pretty much all week in South London, as in not just meetings but to be bases there for majority of my working week. While they are picking up the expenses, it is a large dent to quality of life, so I am not happy about the change of goal-posts to what was agreed. I have so far refused, as it is a breach of what was agreed when I took on the role. I agreed with the PM’s boss about travelling down only for core meetings, but not approached him as of yet….

Anyone had this situation and how have you handled it? Contract states local address, certainly no mention of South London!

[Lance]

Just tell the PM that what he asking for is a change to the contractual terms and he must take it up with the agency.

[mookiemoo]

Either walk OR,
Say you'll go but insist on travelling on clients dime and time. Leave at lunch time the day before to travel during working hours and charge them full mileage and dont stay in a travelodge.

See how long it will be until suddenly you aren't needed at those meetings and can dial in.

[Wilmslow]

Either walk OR,
Say you'll go but insist on travelling on clients dime and time. Leave at lunch time the day before to travel during working hours and charge them full mileage and dont stay in a travelodge.

See how long it will be until suddenly you aren't needed at those meetings and can dial in.

Good advice - I have no qualms about going to meetings I am needed for, none at all. My beef is that the PM is asking me to work in South London for the sake of it, as opposed to having planned meetings, which is different to what was agreed wth the programme director.

Thankfully I stay at the London military clubs being ex services, which are nice places to be

[Glencky]

As a PM myself, I do wonder what idiots like this think they're doing. I mean, it's pretty obvious that moving you from based in the NW to based in S London would likely be a big impact on your life. Some people might actually like it, most wouldn't though regardless of their family/ personal set-up. PMs are rarely in a position to 'insist' on anything, it does beggar belief to me that people behave like this. You catch more flies with honey, not that I shy away from standing firm when I need to. But it's pretty obvious that randomly pressuring you is only going to alienate you, which is rarely what you want as a PM (to be alienated from team members!)

Anyway - the previous advice is right. "Say you'll go but insist on travelling on clients dime and time. Leave at lunch time the day before to travel during working hours and charge them full mileage and dont stay in a travelodge.

See how long it will be until suddenly you aren't needed at those meetings and can dial in. "

That said, from a practical point of view, there's a balance, isn't there? If a lot of the 'action' (for which read 'people important to the project') is in S London, then there's a good case to be made for being there for more than just the occasional planned meeting. Personally, I think being there for X days over whatever period (one day a week? 2 days a fortnight? whatever...) isn't an unreasonable request... but just pressuring you to effectively change where you're based over that distance is just ridiculous.

I suppose the ultimate risk is if 'they' (not just the PM but PD too) decide they need somebody based there and start recruiting...

[Old Greg]

Is your current gig based in the northwest but they would rather you were somewhere else?