I don’t ask for much in my job. I cover other people’s days off on the rota. I will work extra days over Christmas. When someone needs to stay late, I’ll do it with no complaints. I’m a loyal member of staff who has been poached more than once and I’ve stuck to the company because I believe in what they do. I’ve asked for one thing in the last four years: that when the World Cup is back I can get to work from home the next day. The games are late in the evening and I don’t want to have to get up at 6am to head to the office.
For months, I’ve been checking with my boss that it would be OK for me to work from home or even just leave early, or arrive later on certain days. It was a “yes” with a wave of a hand, so I didn’t worry too much about it. Everyone knows I love football – it’s my hobby and the one thing I enjoy. But now I’m hearing I’m not allowed to because “it sets a precedent and everyone will want to do it” and that we suddenly have a big project looming and they need “everyone to be sharp on it”. I’m not everyone, though. No one has asked for this apart from me. I’m absolutely fuming. It feels like it’s an optics thing more than anything. Is there a way I should word my anger when talking to my talk to my boss? Should I speak to them at all? What should I do?
