Dear Urban Diplomat: I’m tired of every suburbanite in my office “working from home” when it snows. How do I complain without being a jerk?
I live and work downtown. Many of my co-workers commute from Mississauga and Hamilton. Every time the forecast calls for the tiniest bit of snow, half of them announce they’re going to work from home. It’s annoying that they get a mini-holiday every time there’s a dusting. Is there a way to make things fair without seeming like a jerk?
—Justice Is Snow-blind, Queen West
Living and working where you do, you don’t have to experience the soul-blackening grind of a lengthy commute. I have, and I consider the option to telecommute practically a fundamental human right. I suggest you enjoy your own blessedly short walk or streetcar ride and not sweat something that is, frankly, not your concern. Use the opportunity to get work done in a quiet office and prove your diligence to the higher-ups. That said, working from home should mean working. If your co-workers’ output indicates they’re binge-watching Judge Judy, you have every right to alert your boss. But make sure it’s warranted. The only thing worse than a layabout is a narc.
Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at urbandiplomat@torontolife.com
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/city/urban-diplomat-justice-is-snow-blind/&title=Dear Urban Diplomat: I’m tired of every suburbanite in my office “working from home” when it snows. How do I complain without being a jerk?&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/urban-diplomat-working-from-home.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_261557" align="alignleft" width="292"] (Image: Logan Ingalls)[/caption]Dear Urban Diplomat,
I live and work downtown. Many of my co-workers commute from Mississauga and Hamilton. Every time the forecast calls for the tiniest bit of snow, half of them announce they’re going to work from home. It’s annoying that they get a mini-holiday every time there’s a dusting. Is there a way to make things fair without seeming like a jerk?
—Justice Is Snow-blind, Queen West
Living and working where you do, you don’t have to experience the soul-blackening grind of a lengthy commute. I have, and I consider the option to telecommute practically a fundamental human right. I suggest you enjoy your own blessedly short walk or streetcar ride and not sweat something that is, frankly, not your concern. Use the opportunity to get work done in a quiet office and prove your diligence to the higher-ups. That said, working from home should mean working. If your co-workers’ output indicates they’re binge-watching Judge Judy, you have every right to alert your boss. But make sure it’s warranted. The only thing worse than a layabout is a narc.
Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at urbandiplomat@torontolife.com){kind=link}
Wait, so the Urban Diplomat lives in the suburbs?
I’m not sure “feel lucky you get to walk to work in a blizzard” is the best advice you’ve ever given, but I agree there’s probably not much that can be done, especially if your boss is one of the people “trapped” in Oakville by 3cm of snow.
Super-commuters are destroying the world, both in productivity and pollution.
It is a mobile workforce. (Well…depending on what type on the work you do). Anyway, welcome to the 21st century.
I totally agree with ‘Justice is Snow-blind”! We live in Canada, there’s going to be snow for a good portion of the year! I’m not saying they should risk their lives but come on, it’s their CHOICE to live in the burbs and commute. Trekking to work in a blizzard whether it’s via car, ttc, or walking is never a fun task, and sometimes walking in those conditions can actually be more unsafe than driving. Companies should either make it optional for the
ENTIRE office to work from home on such days or have it so it counts as a sick/personal/vacation day if you can’t make it.
I can’t believe this is even an issue. Telecommuting makes perfect sense when there is no actual need for face-to-face collaboration. It saves commuting time for employees, and it saves on office space (rent, heat, hydro) for companies. It’s a win-win. And let me tell you, as a supervisor you have a job to do when you manage teleworkers, but it’s not different or more difficult than managing them when they’re at the office. You set goals, and they either meet or don’t meet them. It’s that simple.
That picture seems most appropriate.
Just think of their home as a branch office and, voila, they are working in the office. See? Everybody’s happy. :)
what picture?
Exactly.
Do you mean the picture of my face?
Still wondering if you’re referring to the picture of my face or what?
Correct
Perhaps if you send me a photo I can tell you how dumb you look.
I will get right on that.
Coward.
Moron
If I worked with Justice Is Snow-blind I’d work from home a lot more often then just snow days. Who wants to work with the guy who keeps a list of the days people work from home? Justice probably also makes a mental list of who comes in at 9:01 and tracks how many times you go to the washroom. Presence in the office does not equal productivity.
Justice is snow-blind should politely mind his/her own business.
This argument implies that the folks that are working from home aren’t actually working at all. If that’s the case, then your employer will take care if it in time. You have a job to do, whether at home or in the office. If you don’t do it (i.e. taking a ‘mini-vacation’ as you describe), then you won’t have a job for long. If they’re still employed in droves, then they’re not vacationing as much as you think.
Question: is there anything stopping you from “working from home” as well? If they’re getting their work done, then I don’t see the harm, but you should have the exact same privilege that they do.
I think that was past-tense. There’s not way the Urban Diplomat could live in the suburbs, right? Because then they’d be the Suburban Diplomat, and everything we’ve ever known would be a lie.