I’ve tried teleworking and it isn't for me. Can I go back to working at the office?

If teleworking was not part of your initial job description when you were recruited, and was instead an option you agreed with your employer, the decision to change to teleworking may be reversible by individual agreement between you and your employer, or collective agreement in the case of all workers affected. Whether your contract gives your employer the right to require you to work from home (which is unlikely), and the exact terms of the agreement under which you assented to work from home will be crucial.

On the general principle that people should not be forced to telework, those who do so should be able to change their mind if they find the arrangement to be unsatisfactory. This could apply, for example, to workers who may find they dislike the isolation, as well as to employers if productivity is suffering. Both sides should however agree on the changes.

There may be circumstances where you are unable to both agree to changes, and it may therefore not be possible to reverse the decision to telework. For example, your employer could argue with justification that office space had been reduced or reallocated as a consequence of your initial decision to leave the office. Similarly, the costs of reversal (added to the money already spent to provide equipment for the home) may be too high.

The circumstances in which a decision to telework cannot be reversed should be spelled out at the beginning, either in collective or individual agreements.

Note: See our information on the legal status of teleworking.