Job moving due to Brexit, what are my rights?

Bogwoppit

I work for a UK based company but I have an office just outside Dublin, I'm the only person over here at the moment and have been for a few years.
Due to Brexit, head office has decided to put more people based here so they can continue to operate in Europe in a worst case scenario. Got told last week that the office would be in the centre of town which would add an hour each way and quite a bit of cost to my commute.

I was told on 3 occasions that I would have an input on where the office was to be located but this didn't happen.

Found my original contract from 10+ years ago and it does state that the company reserves the right to ask me to work at any location, however this contract was signed before the company was taken over and there has also been a transfer of employment to another company for management purposes.

Is there anything I can do apart from ask nicely for a compromise?

Thanks

troyzer

Hang on.

So you're annoyed that they didn't choose an office location based on what's handier for a single employee?

callaway92

troyzer wrote: »

Hang on.

So you're annoyed that they didn't choose an office location based on what's handier for a single employee?

I wouldn’t go taking the piss out of the guy. He’s obv just upset at what’s happening so suddenly. Many of us would react the same to such a big change.

OP - it’s just an unlucky thing in life that you’ll either have to suck it up and accept it or else look for another job.

ThunbergsAreGo

Bogwoppit wrote: »

I work for a UK based company but I have an office just outside Dublin, I'm the only person over here at the moment and have been for a few years.
Due to Brexit, head office has decided to put more people based here so they can continue to operate in Europe in a worst case scenario. Got told last week that the office would be in the centre of town which would add an hour each way and quite a bit of cost to my commute.

I was told on 3 occasions that I would have an input on where the office was to be located but this didn't happen.

Found my original contract from 10+ years ago and it does state that the company reserves the right to ask me to work at any location, however this contract was signed before the company was taken over and there has also been a transfer of employment to another company for management purposes.

Is there anything I can do apart from ask nicely for a compromise?

Thanks

Could you look to WFH for a few days a week?

You are hardly the only one in this situation

amcalester

troyzer wrote: »

Hang on.

So you're annoyed that they didn't choose an office location based on what's handier for a single employee?

naughtb4 wrote: »

Could you look to WFH for a few days a week?

You are hardly the only one in this situation

OP was the only employee up to now.

ThunbergsAreGo

amcalester wrote: »

OP was the only employee up to now.

Ah sorry missed that, makes it more likely they will let him WFH

seamus

troyzer wrote: »

Hang on.

So you're annoyed that they didn't choose an office location based on what's handier for a single the only employee?

FYP; let's be fair to the guy.

Ultimately OP, yes the company can really just decide to move the office and there's nothing you can do about it.

Realistically though, they haven't operated in good faith. You're the only person operating in this location, you were promised input on the new location, and it seems like they've instead completely ignored you and just chosen it.

That says a lot about how much they respect you.

But they're likely forgetting the power that you hold. As the only employee they will be heavily reliant on your assistance to get the new location up and running, between simple stuff like being on-site and training up new hires. If you were to leave before the new office was even up and running, that'd be a significant headache for them.

I would address this head-on, making it clear that you need some flexibilty or your future at the company is in question. Obviously not quite so threatening

Something like,

"I am delighted that our company is increasing its footprint here in Ireland and excited to work with an expanded team.
I also trust the decision that the location selected is the one which best serves the needs of the company's future in Ireland.

While I understand that obviously the needs of a single person cannot dictate the future needs of the whole company, I am disappointed at the selection of the location for the new Dublin office. This was selected without any input from me, despite a number of reassurances that this would not occur.

As such, having examined the various options available, this new location presents a considerable difficulty for me in terms of commuting, at onerous personal and financial cost.
I would like to request a discussion ASAP on other options available to make this new location feasible as a workplace, and the company a continued success in Ireland. For example, working from home 3/4 days a week, or indefinite retention of the existing office."

If they ignore or refuse, then start looking.

troyzer

OP isn't the only employee going forward. When choosing where to locate the new office, they're going to be looking at a broad range of factors including future employees.

It doesn't matter that the OP is the only employee now, they will be one of several or many when the office gets put in. It would be really weird to put an office based on what's handy for one employee.

RebelButtMunch

There's nothing you can do about it, do a search for previous rulings in Ireland. It's not even worth going down that road.

Bogwoppit

Thanks for the replies guys, really appreciate it.
Looks like it's as I suspected, try get as much leeway as I can but really they don't have to do anything for me.

Pretty p*ssed off about how they've gone about it though.

Teyla Emmagan

Realistically they need an office location that will suit everyone, and they may also be looking for a 'prestigious' address. So the centre of town is the best option. But it sucks for you of course.

I think WFH a few days a week is your best hope. Though they may want you around more at the start to bed the new guys in. Hopefully you will get a compromise that you are happy with.

OMM 0000

I went through this before.

Worked for a company who had an office on the other side of the city.

They said our rent is too high and we need to move, but they'll take our input on board.

90%+ of us (100 people?) did not want to move to the other side of the city. We were all fairly happy with the other options, closer to our current office.

The final decision was made: we're moving to our other office on the other side of the city.

There was nothing we could do about it.

Sucks.

CruelCoin

Bogwoppit wrote: »

Found my original contract from 10+ years ago and it does state that the company reserves the right to ask me to work at any location, however this contract was signed before the company was taken over and there has also been a transfer of employment to another company for management purposes.

Your contract stands.

In the same way a bank buying out another banks mortgage book does not change the terms of that mortgage, neither does a company buyout affect your written contract.

BrokenArrows

Nothing you can do about the move, however it may come under the grounds of being far enough to warrant a renegotiation of your contract.

Calculate how much extra the trip will cost you in both commuting costs and your time (take your hourly rate for each hour of a commute + a bit more for inconvenience)

Propose a pay increase to match your extra costs.
Propose possibly working from home where they pay for your home office setup if you dont already have one.
Propose a promotion into a management position to manage the new employees (if you are not already a manager).

Its a good time to try and get something extra out of them. If they value you at all they will likely try and help you out.

Bogwoppit

Thanks for that, some good suggestions there.

Eoin

I think there's precedent for an "unreasonable" distance with an office move, but it basically just gives you grounds to apply for redundancy in court.

seamus wrote:

But they're likely forgetting the power that you hold. As the only employee they will be heavily reliant on your assistance to get the new location up and running, between simple stuff like being on-site and training up new hires. If you were to leave before the new office was even up and running, that'd be a significant headache for them.

I think you're assuming quite a lot. With respect to the OP, we've no idea if they've already got senior & admin people lined up to set everything up, or how senior the OP will be when there's more staff here. As you said yourself, the fact the OP was not consulted at all (not even for an opinion, if not a say in it) says a lot.

I agree with the gist of the email (if not the tone), but I'd just be cautious about over-playing your hand. I could be totally wrong about the dynamics here.