Employee offered to work from home anticipates his team’s desire in the office

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am a longtime employee of a company that offered additional telework days to IT workers willing to trade their spacious, private offices for a desk in a shared room when they work on-site. To avoid commuting for two extra days a week, I took advantage of the offer and gave up my office.

What, if anything, should I say or do in response to the inevitable resentment from employees who were not offered this compromise? How can I respond firmly but politely to comments like, “I don’t know what your schedule is now that you’re home” or “I don’t know how to schedule a meeting with you”?

To avoid any confusion, I always specify when I will be working remotely and when I will be in the office in person.

FRIEND READER: Since this is your job, Miss Manners advises you to be professional. Answer the question, not the subtext: “Here’s where you can find my schedule and here’s how to schedule an appointment with me.”

***

(Please send your questions to Miss Manners on her website, www.missmanners.com; to his email, [email protected]; or by postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)