Help: Office Moving

[Wigsie]

Where is a perverted welsh solicitor when you need one?

I have just heard through a reliable source that our office is moving, apparently the keys are being exchanged in the next few days, then the official announcement will come, then it will be all go in the next week or two! Its not a million miles away (about 30 miles each way actually) but its where I used to work and part of me moving to the new office was saving £5k a year on travel/running a car (I can't always cycle).

Is there some sort of legal issue with companies just moving offices without giving sufficient notice?

 

[fossyant]

Thats a fairly big shuffle - 30 miles. They should give notice. ne thing you do have to be careful of is your contract of employment and 'where your base is. To move so fast without telling people is unfair. How far is the new office from the current one. How far are your current commutes.

 

[Wigsie]

Thats a fairly big shuffle - 30 miles. They should give notice. ne thing you do have to be careful of is your contract of employment and 'where your base is. To move so fast without telling people is unfair. How far is the new office from the current one. How far are your current commutes.

Its 30 miles up the road and more convenient for about 80% of the staff, but my current commute is less than a mile and location was a massive bonus and a big part of the decision to move there. The new offices are in the centre of a town that is impossible to park near for free and very few of the offices will have more than one or two parking spaces.

I am not going to cry over it too much as I want to leave and this is a good motivator to start looking at a move I was just wondering if there was any legal cards I could play if they are going to try and make me move in the next two weeks!

 

[meenaghman]

When that happened to me ( I was a cycle commuter not a car driver) I told the company they'd have to stump up with moving expenses. To be fair they had a scheme in place of so many pounds extra per mile. I said that that wasn't enough as they were effectively asking me to buy a car, so my manager said then your car commute is now from your home to new place of work (27 miles) and put that down as the extra journey, instead of the 15 extra it would have been. that said this was an upfront drawn out process as there was lots of computing equipment to move.

 

[philipbh]

Its 30 miles up the road and more convenient for about 80% of the staff, but my current commute is less than a mile and location was a massive bonus and a big part of the decision to move there. The new offices are in the centre of a town that is impossible to park near for free and very few of the offices will have more than one or two parking spaces.

I am not going to cry over it too much as I want to leave and this is a good motivator to start looking at a move I was just wondering if there was any legal cards I could play if they are going to try and make me move in the next two weeks!

30 miles further is unreasonable / unfair - esp. without consultation

My HR guru suggests that this could be a redundancy situation - you should be offered relocation expenses or a redundancy package

 

[mark barker]

I doubt theres much you can do, most contracts have vague statements like "permanent place of business" to cover the company in this kind of situation. I'd guess they'd argue that if the other staff have been able commute to the current location you should be able to make it to the new one.... Still sucks though!

 

[Wigsie]

30 miles further is unreasonable / unfair - esp. without consultation

My HR guru suggests that this could be a redundancy situation - you should be offered relocation expenses or a redundancy package

That would be nice... my contract states a minimum of 3 months pay!

 

[philipbh]

That would be nice... my contract states a minimum of 3 months pay!

Just might be worth getting an opinion of an Employment Lawyer though as it seems a fine line between consulting with staff and not esp. if redundancy is part of the relocation process (as I understand it)

You say 80% of the staff will be happier - perhaps this general "staff" mood has led "managment" into thinking this would be a good result for most and others would put up with it / say nothing / tut loudly in the usual way etc

 

[ChrisKH]

There's redundancy or you just go to them and say the move puts you out of pocket by X amount a year. How about a rise of y amount per year to compensate for lack of proper notice and the inconvenience? Assuming you want to stay that is. If most of the people are in favour of the move because it is more convenient for them, it adds weight to the argument that you are one of the few who are being truly inconvenienced and paying through the nose for their 'business' decision to move.

They may well have thought about this as part of the decision to relocate and may have an inferior compensation package in mind, so go in fast and hard, but within reason. If you were looking to move, there's nothing to lose.

 

[siadwell]

Where is a perverted welsh solicitor when you need one?

I have just heard through a reliable source that our office is moving, apparently the keys are being exchanged in the next few days, then the official announcement will come, then it will be all go in the next week or two! Its not a million miles away (about 30 miles each way actually) but its where I used to work and part of me moving to the new office was saving £5k a year on travel/running a car (I can't always cycle).

Is there some sort of legal issue with companies just moving offices without giving sufficient notice?

Constructive dismissal?

From http://www.direct.go...sal/DG_10026696:

What is constructive dismissal?
Constructive dismissal is a form of dismissal. If you resign from your job because of your employer’s behaviour, it may be considered to be constructive dismissal. You would need to show that:

1. Your employer has committed a serious breach of contract
2. You felt forced to leave because of that breach
3. You have not done anything to suggest that you have accepted their breach or a change in employment conditions

Possible examples of constructive dismissal
The reason for leaving your job must be serious - there must be a fundamental breach of your contract. Examples include:

• a serious breach of your contract (eg not paying you or suddenly demoting you for no reason)
• forcing you to accept unreasonable changes to your conditions of employment without your agreement (eg suddenly telling you to work in another town, or making you work night shifts when your contract is only for day work)
• bullying, harassment or violence against you by work colleagues
• making you work in dangerous conditions

Your employer's breach of contract may be one serious incident or the last in a series of less important incidents that are serious when taken together.

 

[ttcycle]

Wigsie

Check your contract- as has been mentioned previously there may be a little clause in your contract that states that your workplace location can be changed according to business need.
This could amount to constructive dismissal but to be honest constructive dismissal cases are incredibly hard to win.

Have a ring around when you have time and try and get some legal advice, the redundancy may be a good option to go down but it may not be an easy thing and make sure you have some one on your side to attend meetings with you.

Good luck mate