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I think it would be funny if the employees of some agencies coordinated to all show up on the same day and then post pictures of people sitting on hallway floors with laptops since they don't have a desk to use. How many OSHA laws would be violated? The fire marshal would have to order people to leave.
Our base CO said continue business as usual until further notice. Told us that instruction will come through the normal chain of command once the path forward is settled upon. We're a DOD R&D (civ) lab so that was expected. I doubt we get targeted like some of the other orgs.
I’ve had the exact same experience working for multiple Fortune 500 companies. We had a guy who kept showing up drunk or high in one of our satellite offices. It wasn’t enough to observe him intoxicated — HR told us that we had to send him for a drug test to fire him. Or we could spend 6 months documenting how he was failing in his job. Even though we had customers complaining that he showed up drunk — if he showed up at all.FWIW - we do PIPs and have difficulty firing folks in the multiple Fortune 500 companies I’ve worked for. I’m not saying it’s exactly equal to the public sector, but IMO large corporations share much of the same inefficiencies as when I worked for the Federal Govt in DC.
Where does it say that? Full time does not equal straight 8s or prohibit AWS.
not completely true, our "high cost area's" get COLA. I get $129 a month for being stationed in Alameda, CA
Hmm. It must have been part of his speech and not in the EO....
OPM memo is pretty trash calling government offices “virtually abandoned.” Most people are back at least couple of days per week from what I know. It is what it is, I guess.
No way. You have to document, but not hard to fire people. Large companies just lay off faster than they fireFWIW - we do PIPs and have difficulty firing folks in the multiple Fortune 500 companies I’ve worked for. I’m not saying it’s exactly equal to the public sector, but IMO large corporations share much of the same inefficiencies as when I worked for the Federal Govt in DC.
In the office twice per week. Flexibility to pick which days. Worked from home the other three days.
I’m finding it hard to talk about this in a way that doesn’t get political.
Brutal. It's just so federal government. It really highlights all the non government employees negative opinion when the topic pops up. This just seems so easy to me. First you don't create a knee jerk reaction and end it all. Give it a year. You create a non biased workforce that investigates all employees telework production. You eliminate the bad and keep the good. The debate is the middle. It isn't all bad, but you gotta prove it. It's that crappy 5% that ruin this for everyone. People make opinions based on reading stories of just bad employees and ignore the good employees production. Imo
I think it's the people who have to go to work 5 days a week? I dont get it. Why would I care if someone teleworks if they do their job? You do your job then all good. One thing to think about is not everyone can do it. My wife was a 5 day a week telework RN for the VA for 6 months. We thought we hit paydirt. She absolutely hated it and is back actually going to the hospital. I'm a veteran who has had countless doctors apts via computer at home. I love it. I get my prescriptions refilled from my couch. Eliminating that option sucks for me personally.
Yeah, my wife is attorney with 20 years of experience and manages team of other attorneys. Graduated from a top law school, and gave her career to the federal government. She’s had some of her best members already tell her that they will go find some place else that allows flexibility. Working for the federal government is a substantial pay cut relative to what attorneys make in the private sector; less pay and less flexibility than what can get elsewhere is not a winning strategy to retain good people. Just sucks that they are treating all employees like **** stuck to the bottom of their shoe that need to get rid of.
Unfortunately, retaining good people isn’t a factor. Every time I try to think optimistically about how I think this will play out , I have to remind myself what the real goal is.
Thought the point was to make people quit
CA state govt did this last year. I’m not sure this is an issue that tribal affiliation easily maps onto
Everything that I’ve seen on California says just mandated two days per week in office.
No way. You have to document, but not hard to fire people. Large companies just lay off faster than they fireFWIW - we do PIPs and have difficulty firing folks in the multiple Fortune 500 companies I’ve worked for. I’m not saying it’s exactly equal to the public sector, but IMO large corporations share much of the same inefficiencies as when I worked for the Federal Govt in DC.
The OPM memo cited the success of the DC government forcing everyone back in. I found it funny that they were pointing to the DC government as an example of doing something right.
It’s less draconian for sure, but the point stands and the discourse among employees mirrors this thread’s reactions.
What are the key parts for active duty?
Our office has already lost two great attorneys.
Uh, that's the point. Doesn't matter if they are "good". In fact it might be desirable for the good, hard workers to voluntarily leave.
It is and I suspect it follows the same course the covid vaccine mandate did.
100%. I remember when I got out of active duty military and went for a fed job. I got one, then started day 1 of my federal career. I would have to do 20 years for that agency, then my military would factor into my FERS retirement. They made a change. Now your military time starts in the beginning of your career. It is a decent incentive for military to enter the fed workforce.
That and the "write to this email address to snitch on your fellow employees" about DEI stuff.
I got 3% last year and 2.5% the year before in the private sector. Many jobs aren't keeping up with inflation and if you want a raise, you have to switch companies.
I don't know of many jobs that really are keeping up, but the macro data says wages are outpacing inflation.
we are already short on people (CG), yes we met our recruiting goals last year but they are junior members who still have to go through A schools and then it's going to take a few years for them to know their heads from their asses. So we are going to double the missions that we are already doing with broken cutters and an aging helicopter fleet and not enough members, yep gonna work out great. Our base, which is a larger one, already has an issue with Doctors and our medical has now shifted our primary care services to an Air Force unit an hour away
Mostly due to people changing companies. I know there are people 2 steps below me with less experience that make more money than I do. The reason is that they came into the company when the company was flush (~3 years ago) and negotiated well. I've been in the company 8 years. This is the way.
This is really the bottom line (or it should be the bottom line). Do you get your work done? If so, does it matter where you do it? Also, there are some jobs that have to be done in the office. In those cases remote working is not an option. It has nothing to do with fairness. You chose a job that is hands on so you have to be hands on to do it. Someone else chose a job they can do on a computer from anywhere. So they can remote work. It's not that difficult.
I imagine after all the popcorn headlines and seeing how bad things are going we will revert back to something like 3 days in office next year.
As long as my AWS stays in place it's really only adding a total of 3 days back in office every pay period so not the end of the world. I will just have to use more time for appointments than before so instead of putting 1 hours in of leave it'll be 3
Sorry man. Hate it for you and others.
“Collaboration”
Thanks but not end of the world /first world problems hopefully. If that's the worst of it so be it. It's just annoying as it's a blanket change with really no thought put into it. Not trying to be political buts it's not the first time a random policy has been put in place that makes little sense to our groups.
I have heard that as a reason for being in the office together and I have no doubt that there are some jobs where that is a benefit and because of that there should be office time together. Again, it's not a once size fits all situation. Just because particular jobs benefit from collaboration or need to be hands on in an office or at a job site doesn't mean all jobs fit that paradigm.
I think the "good faith" case for RTO is a combination of a few isolated bad apples, certain types of jobs where being in-person is actually an operational benefit (a small minority, in my view, to be sure, but they exist), and the backlash from workers in the private sector who were long ago forced back into the office resenting that their taxpayer dollars are paying people who have a benefit that they no longer have. There are certainly political actors with what I'd consider bad ulterior motives but that's outside the scope of the discussion on this board.
