What is going to happen to the RTO?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I tried to go into the office yesterday, it was a 2 hour wait for the shuttle to get to my building. So productive. Good thing I managed to keep my hybrid schedule so I could turn around, go home and get some work done. The RTOs just twiddled their thumbs for a good chunk of the morning.

Curious how you managed to keep your hybrid schedule, if there is some info you could share without giving away too much?

[Anonymous]

https://apnews.com/article/fda-remote-work-telework-f7b6036c62f44359b5d04fafb9eb5fec

Kinda surprised folks went public w this after expressly being told not to. Pretty sure if they reverse course at this stage they will rapidly lose folks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://apnews.com/article/fda-remote-work-telework-f7b6036c62f44359b5d04fafb9eb5fec

Kinda surprised folks went public w this after expressly being told not to. Pretty sure if they reverse course at this stage they will rapidly lose folks.

This is the way it should be. If employees have proven themselves to be trustworthy and hardworking, let them work remotely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FDA is reversing telework for employees according to apple news. According to emails, review staff and supervisors are resuming telework.

They are trying to put employees against one another. And/or Malarkey doesn’t understand the value of the rest of FDA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FDA is reversing telework for employees according to apple news. According to emails, review staff and supervisors are resuming telework.

They are trying to put employees against one another. And/or Malarkey doesn’t understand the value of the rest of FDA.

I’m not a reviewer but my group was verbally told that pre-COVID telework is coming back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://apnews.com/article/fda-remote-work-telework-f7b6036c62f44359b5d04fafb9eb5fec

Kinda surprised folks went public w this after expressly being told not to. Pretty sure if they reverse course at this stage they will rapidly lose folks.

This is the way it should be. If employees have proven themselves to be trustworthy and hardworking, let them work remotely.

That’s not what’s happening. They’re doing this because if they lose more staff in specific divisions, it will trigger a massive funding cut that will fully shutdown the FDA. They need a carrot to keep the reviewers they have left. They let the wrong people take early retirement and buyouts, and they scared off more with their mean spirited layoffs.

Too bad Sara Brenner spent all her time jogging and dancing around her office instead of pushing back on DOGE when she was in charge. She could have prevented this. Now Makary has to kowtow in front of the Secretary and the White House to get an RTO exemption. It’s a good thing he’s so short. He’s already closer to the ground.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://apnews.com/article/fda-remote-work-telework-f7b6036c62f44359b5d04fafb9eb5fec

Kinda surprised folks went public w this after expressly being told not to. Pretty sure if they reverse course at this stage they will rapidly lose folks.

This is the way it should be. If employees have proven themselves to be trustworthy and hardworking, let them work remotely.

That’s not what’s happening. They’re doing this because if they lose more staff in specific divisions, it will trigger a massive funding cut that will fully shutdown the FDA. They need a carrot to keep the reviewers they have left. They let the wrong people take early retirement and buyouts, and they scared off more with their mean spirited layoffs.

Too bad Sara Brenner spent all her time jogging and dancing around her office instead of pushing back on DOGE when she was in charge. She could have prevented this. Now Makary has to kowtow in front of the Secretary and the White House to get an RTO exemption. It’s a good thing he’s so short. He’s already closer to the ground.

Which is why it is only happening at the FDA. But hopefully it can start trickling to other agencies as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://apnews.com/article/fda-remote-work-telework-f7b6036c62f44359b5d04fafb9eb5fec

Kinda surprised folks went public w this after expressly being told not to. Pretty sure if they reverse course at this stage they will rapidly lose folks.

This is the way it should be. If employees have proven themselves to be trustworthy and hardworking, let them work remotely.

That’s not what’s happening. They’re doing this because if they lose more staff in specific divisions, it will trigger a massive funding cut that will fully shutdown the FDA. They need a carrot to keep the reviewers they have left. They let the wrong people take early retirement and buyouts, and they scared off more with their mean spirited layoffs.

Too bad Sara Brenner spent all her time jogging and dancing around her office instead of pushing back on DOGE when she was in charge. She could have prevented this. Now Makary has to kowtow in front of the Secretary and the White House to get an RTO exemption. It’s a good thing he’s so short. He’s already closer to the ground.

Reviewers were excluded from the early buyouts (at least VSIP and VERA, they were eligible for the fork).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://apnews.com/article/fda-remote-work-telework-f7b6036c62f44359b5d04fafb9eb5fec

Kinda surprised folks went public w this after expressly being told not to. Pretty sure if they reverse course at this stage they will rapidly lose folks.

This is the way it should be. If employees have proven themselves to be trustworthy and hardworking, let them work remotely.

That’s not what’s happening. They’re doing this because if they lose more staff in specific divisions, it will trigger a massive funding cut that will fully shutdown the FDA. They need a carrot to keep the reviewers they have left. They let the wrong people take early retirement and buyouts, and they scared off more with their mean spirited layoffs.

Too bad Sara Brenner spent all her time jogging and dancing around her office instead of pushing back on DOGE when she was in charge. She could have prevented this. Now Makary has to kowtow in front of the Secretary and the White House to get an RTO exemption. It’s a good thing he’s so short. He’s already closer to the ground.

Reviewers were excluded from the early buyouts (at least VSIP and VERA, they were eligible for the fork).

I know at least one person whose role was technically “medical officer” who took the VERA. Pretty sure reviewers were eligible for VERA but not VSIP. I don’t know any reviewers who tried to take the fork, and we haven’t been offered it again yet.

also, lol at PP’s comments re Brenner dancing around the office. God, she annoyed me so much! Her coming into the OND all hands meeting via zoom was the most tone deaf thing ever (2-3 weeks after all senior/supervisory staff was supposed to have ceased all telework)

Wasn’t a fan of Makary’s initial speech either. Teleworking two days a week makes me quitting less likely in the immediate term, but things would have to get a whole lot better for me to want to stay beyond that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s the deal? Is this getting rescinded any time soon? Is Connolley and Warner going to stop it?

What are Connolley and Warner trying to do?

More importantly, how would one senator and one rep, both in the minority, have much power over any of this?

Well, they can filibuster until Leon Musk and T-Rump come to their senses and allow WFH again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://apnews.com/article/fda-remote-work-telework-f7b6036c62f44359b5d04fafb9eb5fec

Kinda surprised folks went public w this after expressly being told not to. Pretty sure if they reverse course at this stage they will rapidly lose folks.

This is the way it should be. If employees have proven themselves to be trustworthy and hardworking, let them work remotely.

That’s not what’s happening. They’re doing this because if they lose more staff in specific divisions, it will trigger a massive funding cut that will fully shutdown the FDA. They need a carrot to keep the reviewers they have left. They let the wrong people take early retirement and buyouts, and they scared off more with their mean spirited layoffs.

Too bad Sara Brenner spent all her time jogging and dancing around her office instead of pushing back on DOGE when she was in charge. She could have prevented this. Now Makary has to kowtow in front of the Secretary and the White House to get an RTO exemption. It’s a good thing he’s so short. He’s already closer to the ground.

Any date when this might also extend to DOJ and we can WFH again?

This whole idea of people just coming to the office every single day is ridiculous and unworkable long term:

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your "job" can be done at home, then it will likely be put on the chopping block and outsourced or eliminated.

Technology has defeated those jobs.

Or transferred to a location or city you don't want to move to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://apnews.com/article/fda-remote-work-telework-f7b6036c62f44359b5d04fafb9eb5fec

Kinda surprised folks went public w this after expressly being told not to. Pretty sure if they reverse course at this stage they will rapidly lose folks.

This is the way it should be. If employees have proven themselves to be trustworthy and hardworking, let them work remotely.

That’s not what’s happening. They’re doing this because if they lose more staff in specific divisions, it will trigger a massive funding cut that will fully shutdown the FDA. They need a carrot to keep the reviewers they have left. They let the wrong people take early retirement and buyouts, and they scared off more with their mean spirited layoffs.

Too bad Sara Brenner spent all her time jogging and dancing around her office instead of pushing back on DOGE when she was in charge. She could have prevented this. Now Makary has to kowtow in front of the Secretary and the White House to get an RTO exemption. It’s a good thing he’s so short. He’s already closer to the ground.

Any date when this might also extend to DOJ and we can WFH again?

This whole idea of people just coming to the office every single day is ridiculous and unworkable long term:

I think DOJ may experience a world of pain before RTO comes back. It’s been eerily quiet since the reorg memo came out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s the deal? Is this getting rescinded any time soon? Is Connolley and Warner going to stop it?

What are Connolley and Warner trying to do?

More importantly, how would one senator and one rep, both in the minority, have much power over any of this?

Well, they can filibuster until Leon Musk and T-Rump come to their senses and allow WFH again.

Of they are going to shutdown Congress with filibusters to protest Trump policies, it won’t be for Fed RTO, and if it were that would be incredibly politically tone deaf.

[Anonymous]

My Bureau supposedly prepared an argument for my office for an RTO exemption based on our office structure and clear quantifiable metrics output, but they said the problem is there is nobody to submit the argument to; nobody reviewing exemptions.