Get Your Butt Back To The Office (1 Viewer)

[offdee]

Today our CEO said that starting on March 1, everyone who lives within 50 miles of the office will have to come in twice a week.

I suspect this is a way to reduce headcount without having to resort to layoffs, as I'm sure some people will bail over this.

This is exactly why they're doing it. Silent layoff is the term for this.

 

[massraider]

The remote job market is brutal. Those looking for 100% remote work are going to be facing stiff competition.

Yeah, you better be pretty dang special working from home in your PJs to find a remote job right now.

 

[Grahamburn]

My company owns its own building and has since 1970.

Most positions have been fully remote since the pandemic, and a bunch of people who live nowhere near the office have been hired since then.

Today our CEO said that starting on March 1, everyone who lives within 50 miles of the office will have to come in twice a week.

I suspect this is a way to reduce headcount without having to resort to layoffs, as I'm sure some people will bail over this.

It's a pretty simple formula. Calculate the expected resignations versus the increases in salary for remaining employees to handle the workload. The latter is almost always cheaper.

The remote job market is brutal. Those looking for 100% remote work are going to be facing stiff competition.

How heavy is the new work load going to be on the remaining employees and will they be able to handle all the tasks and responsibilities? Doesn't sound as if this plan takes into account where there may be bloat but just assumes it's everywhere and this phase will remedy that. I'm doubtful. Sounds like the stupid penny plan but with personnel.

Then they’ll just go back into the market to grab the youngsters for cheap and pile it on them.

 

[Grahamburn]

The remote job market is brutal. Those looking for 100% remote work are going to be facing stiff competition.

Yeah, you better be pretty dang special working from home in your PJs to find a remote job right now.

Hundreds of applicants in literal seconds for these positions. Good luck getting noticed. Those PJs better be noice..

 

[Joe Schmo]

Inexperienced folks being trained by what's left and thrown into the dumpster fire sounds like a winning strategy. Amazons burn and churn coming to a government near you. Sounds like an unstable way to govern but what do I know.

 

[Grahamburn]

Inexperienced folks being trained by what's left and thrown into the dumpster fire sounds like a winning strategy. Amazons burn and churn coming to a government near you. Sounds like an unstable way to govern but what do I know.

Man, I always see those government guys standing around a computer. One guy at the keyboard and the other 3 just watching him work.

 

[Joe Schmo]

Inexperienced folks being trained by what's left and thrown into the dumpster fire sounds like a winning strategy. Amazons burn and churn coming to a government near you. Sounds like an unstable way to govern but what do I know.

Man, I always see those government guys standing around a computer. One guy at the keyboard and the other 3 just watching him work.

Paulie, Vito and Chrissy most likely

 

[Van Dyman]

The remote job market is brutal. Those looking for 100% remote work are going to be facing stiff competition.

Yeah, you better be pretty dang special working from home in your PJs to find a remote job right now.

Hundreds of applicants in literal seconds for these positions. Good luck getting noticed. Those PJs better be noice..

Definitely. I had given up on remote and started focusing on office or hybrid jobs in my area. Luckily I did land a remote one, but it's a non-US company so maybe things are tightening up more stateside than elsewhere.

 

[Yo Mama]

No chance I would ever commute 50 miles to a job

Yeah, in LA 50 miles is 2-3 hours of commute each way.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

My small law firm has each staff/paralegal employee come in one day per week, staggered so we always have at least one or two in the office - and they WFH four days each week. We accommodate their start / leave times for convenience for those who have longer commutes. I prefer to be in the office so only work from home a few days each month, but my commute is very short. One of our associate lawyers has a 30 minute commute so she works from home 3-4 days each week, sometimes 5. This all works pretty well for us. The main benefit for me from WFH is that so much more is done by video conference now rather than in-person that my work day is more efficient. Most days I either bike commute or work out mid day and don't have to worry about showering and changing because I'm usually completely alone on my office floor and I can throw a shirt/jacket on if I need to look the part for a web meeting.

We do a firm "culture event" every other month where everyone comes in and we have lunch together then do something like tour a museum or an escape room or carve pumpkins. I think that has value. I also still try to have many client meetings and business development lunches and things in person because there is value in that as opposed to the video meetings.

I will say I've had a few negative experiences with remote staff. There are times my job gets extremely stressful and intense and I kind of need my support staff to share the same level of urgency I have when facing a difficult deadline or preparing for a big hearing or trial or something. Its the old man in me I'm sure but there are times I really need my colleagues to be present, to spread some papers across a table and chart things out on a white board and look them in the eye and know they understand what is needed and will get it done. That's not possible through a Teams screen share. Sometimes I'm on group Teams meeting and a couple of the staff are in their apartment bedrooms with the cats and it looks like maybe they are in their PJ's and it's just not very reassuring for me when I'm working on a stressful client deliverable and really have to depend on everyone. There are a few specific incidents in the past few months but I'm sure if I typed them out it would just sound like an old man shaking his fist at the sky. Also, from a small business perspective, I get it when people say they are more efficient working from home. They save time on the commute and don't have in-office interruptions. But when I see those comments they often include things like, "also, I save money on child care" or "and I was able to build a new deck on my house while training for a marathon" or "I'm able to run errands that I can't do after hours" - these comments aren't effective in arguing for WFH. Its obviously a great benefit to the employee to be able to do these things during the workday but most small companies really depend on productivity. I also re-iterate earlier comments that obviously this entire discussion is highly industry and company dependent. In some professions, work from home makes total sense while in others its impossible. The discussion revolves around those jobs and companies that are in the middle - where there has to be some framework for it to work for employer and employee.

 

[NutterButter]

My company owns its own building and has since 1970.

Most positions have been fully remote since the pandemic, and a bunch of people who live nowhere near the office have been hired since then.

Today our CEO said that starting on March 1, everyone who lives within 50 miles of the office will have to come in twice a week.

I suspect this is a way to reduce headcount without having to resort to layoffs, as I'm sure some people will bail over this.

It's a pretty simple formula. Calculate the expected resignations versus the increases in salary for remaining employees to handle the workload. The latter is almost always cheaper.

The remote job market is brutal. Those looking for 100% remote work are going to be facing stiff competition.

How heavy is the new work load going to be on the remaining employees and will they be able to handle all the tasks and responsibilities? Doesn't sound as if this plan takes into account where there may be bloat but just assumes it's everywhere and this phase will remedy that. I'm doubtful. Sounds like the stupid penny plan but with personnel.

Then they’ll just go back into the market to grab the youngsters for cheap and pile it on them.

I'm actually surprised that my company hasn't done this. At least hire someone in a lower cost living area. Its been 4 years already. Just enjoying the ride on this wave as long as it lasts. Would be amazing if it lasts another 6 years. Then I'd at least have some early retirement options.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Also, I'm working from home today, still in my PJ's with a business shirt on as I just finished a client meeting, and my wife just texted asking if I can walk the dog this afternoon so she can work later. I'm about to start a webconference and may take part of it from the toilet.

 

[the moops]

I just don't get how all these CEO's and whoever else is in charge don't want WFH for themselves too?

 

[Yambag]

My small law firm has each staff/paralegal employee come in one day per week, staggered so we always have at least one or two in the office - and they WFH four days each week. We accommodate their start / leave times for convenience for those who have longer commutes. I prefer to be in the office so only work from home a few days each month, but my commute is very short. One of our associate lawyers has a 30 minute commute so she works from home 3-4 days each week, sometimes 5. This all works pretty well for us. The main benefit for me from WFH is that so much more is done by video conference now rather than in-person that my work day is more efficient. Most days I either bike commute or work out mid day and don't have to worry about showering and changing because I'm usually completely alone on my office floor and I can throw a shirt/jacket on if I need to look the part for a web meeting.

Due to my commute, I asked to work 7-3 so I can avoid wasting time in traffic. I was told all managers need to be available during normal office hours so leaving at 3 was unacceptable. My solution is to have 2 of my 3 in office days be Mon and Fri as there is not much traffic. The irony is that 90% of the other staff use those days as their remote option, so I invariably wind up sitting in an empty office. Makes so much sense.

 

[massraider]

The remote job market is brutal. Those looking for 100% remote work are going to be facing stiff competition.

Yeah, you better be pretty dang special working from home in your PJs to find a remote job right now.

Hundreds of applicants in literal seconds for these positions. Good luck getting noticed. Those PJs better be noice..

How many can be sourced overseas for remote jobs?

I know a person who told be a remote personal assistant job had 4,000 applicants

 

[Scoresman]

My small law firm has each staff/paralegal employee come in one day per week, staggered so we always have at least one or two in the office - and they WFH four days each week. We accommodate their start / leave times for convenience for those who have longer commutes. I prefer to be in the office so only work from home a few days each month, but my commute is very short. One of our associate lawyers has a 30 minute commute so she works from home 3-4 days each week, sometimes 5. This all works pretty well for us. The main benefit for me from WFH is that so much more is done by video conference now rather than in-person that my work day is more efficient. Most days I either bike commute or work out mid day and don't have to worry about showering and changing because I'm usually completely alone on my office floor and I can throw a shirt/jacket on if I need to look the part for a web meeting.

We do a firm "culture event" every other month where everyone comes in and we have lunch together then do something like tour a museum or an escape room or carve pumpkins. I think that has value. I also still try to have many client meetings and business development lunches and things in person because there is value in that as opposed to the video meetings.

I will say I've had a few negative experiences with remote staff. There are times my job gets extremely stressful and intense and I kind of need my support staff to share the same level of urgency I have when facing a difficult deadline or preparing for a big hearing or trial or something. Its the old man in me I'm sure but there are times I really need my colleagues to be present, to spread some papers across a table and chart things out on a white board and look them in the eye and know they understand what is needed and will get it done. That's not possible through a Teams screen share. Sometimes I'm on group Teams meeting and a couple of the staff are in their apartment bedrooms with the cats and it looks like maybe they are in their PJ's and it's just not very reassuring for me when I'm working on a stressful client deliverable and really have to depend on everyone. There are a few specific incidents in the past few months but I'm sure if I typed them out it would just sound like an old man shaking his fist at the sky. Also, from a small business perspective, I get it when people say they are more efficient working from home. They save time on the commute and don't have in-office interruptions. But when I see those comments they often include things like, "also, I save money on child care" or "and I was able to build a new deck on my house while training for a marathon" or "I'm able to run errands that I can't do after hours" - these comments aren't effective in arguing for WFH. Its obviously a great benefit to the employee to be able to do these things during the workday but most small companies really depend on productivity. I also re-iterate earlier comments that obviously this entire discussion is highly industry and company dependent. In some professions, work from home makes total sense while in others its impossible. The discussion revolves around those jobs and companies that are in the middle - where there has to be some framework for it to work for employer and employee.

If companies would acknowledge commute times like this, it would make returning to the office a lot more palatable. It makes no sense to waste hours of your week sitting in traffic needlessly. It's borderline insulting for this to be completely ignored when companies mandate returning in person after WFH works so well for so many.

Yes, it's great to be able to do laundry while working or do quick grocery shopping on my lunch break. Those saying they are building a new deck while WFH are suspect as hell and ruining it for the rest of us. But they are also probably not the most productive in the office either. You either have a work ethic or you dont.

 

[Scoresman]

Also, I'm working from home today, still in my PJ's with a business shirt on as I just finished a client meeting, and my wife just texted asking if I can walk the dog this afternoon so she can work later. I'm about to start a webconference and may take part of it from the toilet.

I've led contractor negotiation meetings while on the toilet, muting in between turd plops.

 

[culdeus]

I just don't get how all these CEO's and whoever else is in charge don't want WFH for themselves too?

I mean I caught something in my feed that said ceos tend to work a lot remote. If not on the road then when they get home.

 

[Scoresman]

I just don't get how all these CEO's and whoever else is in charge don't want WFH for themselves too?

I mean I caught something in my feed that said ceos tend to work a lot remote. If not on the road then when they get home.

Also, when you get to the CEO level, you're not exactly grounded in the reality of everyday basic life. To get to that position, you probably made your career your whole life so commuting is just part of it, have a driver to drive you to work and have other people doing the things WFH people like to multitask while working.

 

[offdee]

But they are also probably not the most productive in the office either. You either have a work ethic or you dont.

This is exactly it. Bad workers will just waste the entire day in the office doing nothing too.

That said, I WFH and I have my email and Teams messages come through my phone and am always keeping up on work while I sit and watch the Pat McAfee show or get a workout in. Does that make me a bad worker? I don't think so, I'm getting the same thing done as if I was sitting at my computer desk.

 

[culdeus]

But they are also probably not the most productive in the office either. You either have a work ethic or you dont.

This is exactly it. Bad workers will just waste the entire day in the office doing nothing too.

That said, I WFH and I have my email and Teams messages come through my phone and am always keeping up on work while I sit and watch the Pat McAfee show or get a workout in. Does that make me a bad worker? I don't think so, I'm getting the same thing done as if I was sitting at my computer desk.

We have a teams client thing now as well.

I feel like that has weaponized just staying up with work nearly all waking hours. When I'm actually in the office I still find myself messaging someone that is 20 feet away. Then they ask me on chat, oh were you in today?

 

[Riffraff]

Inexperienced folks being trained by what's left and thrown into the dumpster fire sounds like a winning strategy. Amazons burn and churn coming to a government near you. Sounds like an unstable way to govern but what do I know.

Man, I always see those government guys standing around a computer. One guy at the keyboard and the other 3 just watching him work.

They are ummm... supervising... effectively!

 

[Grahamburn]

But they are also probably not the most productive in the office either. You either have a work ethic or you dont.

This is exactly it. Bad workers will just waste the entire day in the office doing nothing too.

That said, I WFH and I have my email and Teams messages come through my phone and am always keeping up on work while I sit and watch the Pat McAfee show or get a workout in. Does that make me a bad worker? I don't think so, I'm getting the same thing done as if I was sitting at my computer desk.

I think it’s the company just realizing that WFH has created this excess of time for those individuals. There’s no commute. They’re completing personal tasks throughout their work day. Which, is fine. We love that for you.

But, there’s significant added value there. We pay you for those 40 hours per week where you walk your dog or do laundry or go for a run in between meetings.

As evidenced by the amount of applicants for these positions.

The company has all the leverage now and they know it.

 

[TheBaylorKid]

Four years into working from home, the company ratio is 90% wfh, 7% hybrid, and 3% office. CEO said this year he loves it, we are not going back.

My team is basically new employee technology white glove service, so we have been through hiring slow downs over the past 4 years and we never reduced head count in my team. My folks have gone months with very little to do but have been kept on.

Anonymous HR survey feedback from one of me employees this week:

I felt more secure and knew my value when I went into the office. Working from home makes me feel doubtful and unsure in my role. I don’t know how to fix this but I wish I felt more secure.

we’ve paid this person to sit idle at home form months in end? What else can be done to make you feel secure?

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Four years into working from home, the company ratio is 90% wfh, 7% hybrid, and 3% office. CEO said this year he loves it, we are not going back.

My team is basically new employee technology white glove service, so we have been through hiring slow downs over the past 4 years and we never reduced head count in my team. My folks have gone months with very little to do but have been kept on.

Anonymous HR survey feedback from one of me employees this week:

I felt more secure and knew my value when I went into the office. Working from home makes me feel doubtful and unsure in my role. I don’t know how to fix this but I wish I felt more secure.

we’ve paid this person to sit idle at home form months in end? What else can be done to make you feel secure?

I would feel extremely unsecure in that position. Most people want to earn their wages and feel like they are providing value. Sitting at home with no work to do, I'd feel like the grim reaper is coming for me every day.

 

[Scoresman]

But they are also probably not the most productive in the office either. You either have a work ethic or you dont.

This is exactly it. Bad workers will just waste the entire day in the office doing nothing too.

That said, I WFH and I have my email and Teams messages come through my phone and am always keeping up on work while I sit and watch the Pat McAfee show or get a workout in. Does that make me a bad worker? I don't think so, I'm getting the same thing done as if I was sitting at my computer desk.

I think it’s the company just realizing that WFH has created this excess of time for those individuals. There’s no commute. They’re completing personal tasks throughout their work day. Which, is fine. We love that for you.

But, there’s significant added value there. We pay you for those 40 hours per week where you walk your dog or do laundry or go for a run in between meetings.

As evidenced by the amount of applicants for these positions.

The company has all the leverage now and they know it.

Speaking for myself, I give more hours per week WFH than being in the office. With a commute, I would have to leave by a fixed time to make my train to get home by a certain time. WFH has no such constraints.

And that time walking the dog, doing laundry,etc is the same time that gets wasted in the office taking breaks, chatting with co-workers, celebrating birthdays, etc.

Nobody doing WFH properly should be assuming they will be working less than 40 hours.

I don’t disagree it give companies leverage. I just wish they would stop insulting us with BS like “we want to see your faces” or blanket false statements like you will be more productive in the office, etc. if you want to increase morale, listen to your employees about this. WFH has been an incredibly huge morale boost for myself and my coworkers.

 

[the moops]

Nobody doing WFH properly should be assuming they will be working less than 40 hours.

If they are more efficient, as many claim they are, they absolutely should be working fewer hours

 

[offdee]

But they are also probably not the most productive in the office either. You either have a work ethic or you dont.

This is exactly it. Bad workers will just waste the entire day in the office doing nothing too.

That said, I WFH and I have my email and Teams messages come through my phone and am always keeping up on work while I sit and watch the Pat McAfee show or get a workout in. Does that make me a bad worker? I don't think so, I'm getting the same thing done as if I was sitting at my computer desk.

I think it’s the company just realizing that WFH has created this excess of time for those individuals. There’s no commute. They’re completing personal tasks throughout their work day. Which, is fine. We love that for you.

But, there’s significant added value there. We pay you for those 40 hours per week where you walk your dog or do laundry or go for a run in between meetings.

As evidenced by the amount of applicants for these positions.

The company has all the leverage now and they know it.

Yep I get it, but in reality I wasn’t doing anymore “work” while in the office. I was done with what was needed and wasting time otherwise. They also weren’t paying for my commute time and gas, that was all on me

 

[offdee]

Nobody doing WFH properly should be assuming they will be working less than 40 hours.

If they are more efficient, as many claim they are, they absolutely should be working fewer hours

Exactly. Very few people who WFH are putting in 40 hrs of actual work. But that’s the same as in the office…majority don’t actually work that much either, they are just wasting time to get to the end of the day.

 

[Scoresman]

Nobody doing WFH properly should be assuming they will be working less than 40 hours.

If they are more efficient, as many claim they are, they absolutely should be working fewer hours

I guess it depends on the work. In my case, even if it takes less than 40 to finish we need to be available for client requests during normal business hours.

 

[dutch]

Between the three different conversations I had re:Tyson fight yesterday I'd say I lost 30-40mins of work which is not atypical for a Friday. Add in my throne break and I'm 45 less of work than the eight I pit down on my timesheet. My work product didn't suffer.

 

[tommyGunZ]

I just don't get how all these CEO's and whoever else is in charge don't want WFH for themselves too?

One thing Elon Musk is proving - CEO's are the most overpaid and overcompensated people in America. He's the CEO of 4 multi-billion dollar companies at the same time, all while currently working full time for Donald Trump and being a top 20 Diablo player in the whole world.

 

[dutch]

I just don't get how all these CEO's and whoever else is in charge don't want WFH for themselves too?

One thing Elon Musk is proving - CEO's are the most overpaid and overcompensated people in America. He's the CEO of 4 multi-billion dollar companies at the same time, all while currently working full time for Donald Trump and being a top 20 Diablo player in the whole world.

And posting more than anyone else on the platform formerly known as twitter. Hope hes not pretending to work from home.

 

[Grahamburn]

But they are also probably not the most productive in the office either. You either have a work ethic or you dont.

This is exactly it. Bad workers will just waste the entire day in the office doing nothing too.

That said, I WFH and I have my email and Teams messages come through my phone and am always keeping up on work while I sit and watch the Pat McAfee show or get a workout in. Does that make me a bad worker? I don't think so, I'm getting the same thing done as if I was sitting at my computer desk.

I think it’s the company just realizing that WFH has created this excess of time for those individuals. There’s no commute. They’re completing personal tasks throughout their work day. Which, is fine. We love that for you.

But, there’s significant added value there. We pay you for those 40 hours per week where you walk your dog or do laundry or go for a run in between meetings.

As evidenced by the amount of applicants for these positions.

The company has all the leverage now and they know it.

Speaking for myself, I give more hours per week WFH than being in the office. With a commute, I would have to leave by a fixed time to make my train to get home by a certain time. WFH has no such constraints.

And that time walking the dog, doing laundry,etc is the same time that gets wasted in the office taking breaks, chatting with co-workers, celebrating birthdays, etc.

Nobody doing WFH properly should be assuming they will be working less than 40 hours.

I don’t disagree it give companies leverage. I just wish they would stop insulting us with BS like “we want to see your faces” or blanket false statements like you will be more productive in the office, etc. if you want to increase morale, listen to your employees about this. WFH has been an incredibly huge morale boost for myself and my coworkers.

They aren’t going to admit they’re doing it to save money on payroll or justify real estate costs. .

 

[The Z Machine]

But they are also probably not the most productive in the office either. You either have a work ethic or you dont.

This is exactly it. Bad workers will just waste the entire day in the office doing nothing too.

That said, I WFH and I have my email and Teams messages come through my phone and am always keeping up on work while I sit and watch the Pat McAfee show or get a workout in. Does that make me a bad worker? I don't think so, I'm getting the same thing done as if I was sitting at my computer desk.

I think it’s the company just realizing that WFH has created this excess of time for those individuals. There’s no commute. They’re completing personal tasks throughout their work day. Which, is fine. We love that for you.

But, there’s significant added value there. We pay you for those 40 hours per week where you walk your dog or do laundry or go for a run in between meetings.

As evidenced by the amount of applicants for these positions.

The company has all the leverage now and they know it.

Yep I get it, but in reality I wasn’t doing anymore “work” while in the office. I was done with what was needed and wasting time otherwise. They also weren’t paying for my commute time and gas, that was all on me

But they are also probably not the most productive in the office either. You either have a work ethic or you dont.

This is exactly it. Bad workers will just waste the entire day in the office doing nothing too.

That said, I WFH and I have my email and Teams messages come through my phone and am always keeping up on work while I sit and watch the Pat McAfee show or get a workout in. Does that make me a bad worker? I don't think so, I'm getting the same thing done as if I was sitting at my computer desk.

I think it’s the company just realizing that WFH has created this excess of time for those individuals. There’s no commute. They’re completing personal tasks throughout their work day. Which, is fine. We love that for you.

But, there’s significant added value there. We pay you for those 40 hours per week where you walk your dog or do laundry or go for a run in between meetings.

As evidenced by the amount of applicants for these positions.

The company has all the leverage now and they know it.

Yep I get it, but in reality I wasn’t doing anymore “work” while in the office. I was done with what was needed and wasting time otherwise. They also weren’t paying for my commute time and gas, that was all on me

Did you land a new remote job?

 

[offdee]

Did you land a new remote job?

I did yes. I technically work for an IT Recruiting Agency, but a month ago I started an 8 month contract position with Hilton Grand Vacations.

I'm thinking I might just stay on this Contractor/Consultant type of role...you get paid more, you don't have to go through all the corporate BS, it's just here's your project and here's your team now go get it done. And it's WFH. Really nice.

On my final month or two the recruiting agency I work for will then start looking for new placements for me when this contract is up.

 

[acarey50]

But they are also probably not the most productive in the office either. You either have a work ethic or you dont.

This is exactly it. Bad workers will just waste the entire day in the office doing nothing too.

That said, I WFH and I have my email and Teams messages come through my phone and am always keeping up on work while I sit and watch the Pat McAfee show or get a workout in. Does that make me a bad worker? I don't think so, I'm getting the same thing done as if I was sitting at my computer desk.

I think it’s the company just realizing that WFH has created this excess of time for those individuals. There’s no commute. They’re completing personal tasks throughout their work day. Which, is fine. We love that for you.

But, there’s significant added value there. We pay you for those 40 hours per week where you walk your dog or do laundry or go for a run in between meetings.

As evidenced by the amount of applicants for these positions.

The company has all the leverage now and they know it.

I guess this depends on the type of job you are talking about - are you paying the person hourly for X hours of work, or are you paying a salary for a certain task/project/deliverable, and the person gets paid the same regardless of it is accomplished in 24 hours of work a week or 50 hours of work a week?

 

[Dr. Octopus]

everyone who lives within 50 miles of the office will have to come in twice a week.

It seems odd to have different rules for people on the same level within a company.

 

[Runkle]

everyone who lives within 50 miles of the office will have to come in twice a week.

It seems odd to have different rules for people on the same level within a company.

I'm patiently waiting for parental discrimination rights to be established. Apparently the in-office days at my company are only enforced for the childless. Parents get exemptions and can be full-time WFH. Wish it was illegal but it ain't.

 

[Scoresman]

everyone who lives within 50 miles of the office will have to come in twice a week.

It seems odd to have different rules for people on the same level within a company.

I'm patiently waiting for parental discrimination rights to be established. Apparently the in-office days at my company are only enforced for the childless. Parents get exemptions and can be full-time WFH. Wish it was illegal but it ain't.

This has ALWAYS been the case and it's complete BS.

There were many times where I would wonder why I was the only one working overtime. It's because everyone else had kids to pickup.

 

[Grahamburn]

But they are also probably not the most productive in the office either. You either have a work ethic or you dont.

This is exactly it. Bad workers will just waste the entire day in the office doing nothing too.

That said, I WFH and I have my email and Teams messages come through my phone and am always keeping up on work while I sit and watch the Pat McAfee show or get a workout in. Does that make me a bad worker? I don't think so, I'm getting the same thing done as if I was sitting at my computer desk.

I think it’s the company just realizing that WFH has created this excess of time for those individuals. There’s no commute. They’re completing personal tasks throughout their work day. Which, is fine. We love that for you.

But, there’s significant added value there. We pay you for those 40 hours per week where you walk your dog or do laundry or go for a run in between meetings.

As evidenced by the amount of applicants for these positions.

The company has all the leverage now and they know it.

I guess this depends on the type of job you are talking about - are you paying the person hourly for X hours of work, or are you paying a salary for a certain task/project/deliverable, and the person gets paid the same regardless of it is accomplished in 24 hours of work a week or 50 hours of work a week?

Sure. Most salary exempt positions are still centered around a 40 hour work week though. Even when you're WFH you probably still log in at whatever time and then are required to "work" until a certain time. Not universally of course. I'm sure there are others where that isn't necessary, but I also think the company realizes it if they've structured a work from home job that someone can get done in 24 hours, and if that's the case you can spread those hours out amongst other employees to get that job done instead of paying that extra salary plus benefits.

 

[the moops]

everyone who lives within 50 miles of the office will have to come in twice a week.

It seems odd to have different rules for people on the same level within a company.

I'm patiently waiting for parental discrimination rights to be established. Apparently the in-office days at my company are only enforced for the childless. Parents get exemptions and can be full-time WFH. Wish it was illegal but it ain't.

This has ALWAYS been the case and it's complete BS.

There were many times where I would wonder why I was the only one working overtime. It's because everyone else had kids to pickup.

Should have had a kid

 

[TLEF316]

Yeah, don't get me started on the kid thing.

Cool for those that have them. I'm sure they enrich your lives in ways I can never understand.

But its absolute crap how any "absence" related to kids (whether its actual child "care" or just leaving early to see them in an activity..dont get wrong, that stuff is VERY important) is always 100% acceptable and those of us without kids are open to catching a hard time if we want to duck out early for another reason.

If Bill 3 cubicles down gets to leave at 3 PM 2X a week to catch his son's JV baseball game, I should be able to duck out for an early 18 holes without hassle if my workload that day allows for it.

Almost enough to make me want to have kids....almost.

 

[NutterButter]

everyone who lives within 50 miles of the office will have to come in twice a week.

It seems odd to have different rules for people on the same level within a company.

I'm patiently waiting for parental discrimination rights to be established. Apparently the in-office days at my company are only enforced for the childless. Parents get exemptions and can be full-time WFH. Wish it was illegal but it ain't.

one of the big perks of having kids. after playing that card so many times, I joked to myself that if I didn't have kids, I would just make up a family.

 

[JohnnyU]

IT guy here. I’ve been working from home since 2020. There are no plans for IT staff to ever go back in the office. Look at the facility costs they save. Even if they did change their mind and want everyone to go back, I’m retiring in 6 months, so I don’t give a crap if they did.

 

[Runkle]

everyone who lives within 50 miles of the office will have to come in twice a week.

It seems odd to have different rules for people on the same level within a company.

I'm patiently waiting for parental discrimination rights to be established. Apparently the in-office days at my company are only enforced for the childless. Parents get exemptions and can be full-time WFH. Wish it was illegal but it ain't.

one of the big perks of having kids. after playing that card so many times, I joked to myself that if I didn't have kids, I would just make up a family.

My coworker's wife had twins just before covid started. He hasn't had a single day back in since. We even moved to a different building in the interim and he wasn't even assigned an office. Meanwhile the childless have to be there 3 days a week or face discipline from HR.

 

[Runkle]

Yeah, don't get me started on the kid thing.

Cool for those that have them. I'm sure they enrich your lives in ways I can never understand.

But its absolute crap how any "absence" related to kids (whether its actual child "care" or just leaving early to see them in an activity..dont get wrong, that stuff is VERY important) is always 100% acceptable and those of us without kids are open to catching a hard time if we want to duck out early for another reason.

If Bill 3 cubicles down gets to leave at 3 PM 2X a week to catch his son's JV baseball game, I should be able to duck out for an early 18 holes without hassle if my workload that day allows for it.

Almost enough to make me want to have kids....almost.

Now that the parents are getting older I wonder if they'll be as flexible with elder care needs as they appear to be with child care. One would hope but my bet is no.

 

[dgreen]

Yeah, don't get me started on the kid thing.

Cool for those that have them. I'm sure they enrich your lives in ways I can never understand.

But its absolute crap how any "absence" related to kids (whether its actual child "care" or just leaving early to see them in an activity..dont get wrong, that stuff is VERY important) is always 100% acceptable and those of us without kids are open to catching a hard time if we want to duck out early for another reason.

If Bill 3 cubicles down gets to leave at 3 PM 2X a week to catch his son's JV baseball game, I should be able to duck out for an early 18 holes without hassle if my workload that day allows for it.

Almost enough to make me want to have kids....almost.

For the most part, the reason for the time off is irrelevant. No manager should ask what the person will be doing during that time off as a way to determine if it's approved. If you have the leave balance and I don't need you working at that particular time, then it's approved.

Now, if I decline a leave request because of an insufficient leave balance or because I need the employee at that time, then it does matter what's going on with the employee and it is important for the employee to communicate their emergency need for leave.

"I need to leave early today."

"I'm sorry, you know we have a big deadline today and your part of the project isn't done yet so I have to deny that request."

"I understand, but my son was in a bad car accident and is on his way to the ER so I'm leaving whether you like it or not."

"Ok, go ahead. I hope your son is ok. Don't worry about anything here; we'll figure it out."

Vs.

"I need to leave early today."

"I'm sorry, you know we have a big deadline today and your part of the project isn't done yet so I have to deny that request."

"I understand, but it's really nice out and there's an open tee time at my favorite course."

"Sorry, I'm not approving that."

 

[Joe Schmo]

Yeah, don't get me started on the kid thing.

Cool for those that have them. I'm sure they enrich your lives in ways I can never understand.

But its absolute crap how any "absence" related to kids (whether its actual child "care" or just leaving early to see them in an activity..dont get wrong, that stuff is VERY important) is always 100% acceptable and those of us without kids are open to catching a hard time if we want to duck out early for another reason.

If Bill 3 cubicles down gets to leave at 3 PM 2X a week to catch his son's JV baseball game, I should be able to duck out for an early 18 holes without hassle if my workload that day allows for it.

Almost enough to make me want to have kids....almost.

For the most part, the reason for the time off is irrelevant. No manager should ask what the person will be doing during that time off as a way to determine if it's approved. If you have the leave balance and I don't need you working at that particular time, then it's approved.

Now, if I decline a leave request because of an insufficient leave balance or because I need the employee at that time, then it does matter what's going on with the employee and it is important for the employee to communicate their emergency need for leave.

"I need to leave early today."

"I'm sorry, you know we have a big deadline today and your part of the project isn't done yet so I have to deny that request."

"I understand, but my son was in a bad car accident and is on his way to the ER so I'm leaving whether you like it or not."

"Ok, go ahead. I hope your son is ok. Don't worry about anything here; we'll figure it out."

Vs.

"I need to leave early today."

"I'm sorry, you know we have a big deadline today and your part of the project isn't done yet so I have to deny that request."

"I understand, but it's really nice out and there's an open tee time at my favorite course."

"Sorry, I'm not approving that."

you suck

 

[-OZ-]

I just don't get how all these CEO's and whoever else is in charge don't want WFH for themselves too?

One thing Elon Musk is proving - CEO's are the most overpaid and overcompensated people in America. He's the CEO of 4 multi-billion dollar companies at the same time, all while currently working full time for Donald Trump and being a top 20 Diablo player in the whole world.

And posting more than anyone else on the platform formerly known as twitter. Hope hes not pretending to work from home.

“Manage yourself out of a job while keeping it”