Companies are on the war path against remote work

[Anonymous]

As a fed manager, some of my staff work well from home. But half do not. They don’t actively make connections at work and instead rely on me as their manager to basically do their secretarial work for them. They don’t learn about the divisions that we work closely with. They think their entire job is just producing the tasks I assign them rather than running a program (which involves multiple tasks). I don’t want the level of babysitting that some of them need. They need for me to micromanage their work product thus that I assign each tiny task. And if I don’t assign a tiny task, they stop working and turn on Netflix. I even put in their performance appraisals “independently completes work and seeks out additional work needed on the project.”

I know lots of managers are putting more people on PIPs than ever before. Some people just cannot independent manage their time at home and it wasn’t a problem in the office. Private sector jobs have team building activities, happy hours together or they fly people to work conferences but fed jobs have none of that.

Some of you reading will think I don’t know how to manage, but no that’s not the case. I am unprepared however to micromanage every minute of my 40-60 years olds days. Hybrid does work but only if we’re all in on the same days

[Anonymous]

Everybody talks about the climate crisis and the need to be eco-friendly. That’s one of the main points the Democrats have against Republicans. Everyone staying home during lockdown was great for the environment.

Seems to me the federal government should be leading the way to facilitate employees WFH and pushing for legislation to incentivize private companies to do likewise.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7668666/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cities threatening to get rid of tax breaks for companies if they don’t RTO, because apparently small businesses are suffering, downtowns are becoming ghost towns, CRE values are plummeting & public transportation is being crime-filled due to normies no longer taking it.

Honestly, I am sick and tired if the FT WFH evangelists acting like these are not valid concerns. They are. Acting as if they are not is making the RTO worse. If you’re unwilling to meet halfway with hybrid, they’ll just make everyone come in all the time. The war path is over. People go back now.

Lots of people making $250k+ & WFH have the assets to retire or part-time freelance and would rather do that than RTO.

That would be good. We need spaces for young people in the workforce. Too many old people sticking in unwilling to retire.

Actually it’s the opposite. There is a labor shortage.

[Anonymous]

The problem is people want everything. They want the really high salaries DC affords but they also want the spacious yard with the backyard and schools in the suburbs. There you have your long commute. You could have purchased a smaller home/condo in DC or you could have pursued a job/career in Nowhereville, Maryland or Virginia, made less money and still probably have your house with the yard but with less discretionary income to do other things.

I am in the same boat so am not trying to be antagonistic. If I had to do it over, I probably would have stayed in or much closer to D.C. The first time I commuted from my new home in Maryland to my job in D.C., I cried.

[Anonymous]

*meant spacious house and backyard.

[Anonymous]

I'll come back to the office when the city restores pre-COVID travel capacity.

[Anonymous]

I was expected to not miss a beat when the world collapsed because of a global pandemic. I didn't miss a beat. I worked my ass off, despite having elementary school children distance learning on the computer and home full time.

Therefore, you will have to drag full time WFH out of my cold dead hands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was expected to not miss a beat when the world collapsed because of a global pandemic. I didn't miss a beat. I worked my ass off, despite having elementary school children distance learning on the computer and home full time.

Therefore, you will have to drag full time WFH out of my cold dead hands.

And BTW, I live in the city, so you can STFU with your "you made a choice to live a bazillion miles outside of the city." I live here. In a small townhouse. But the hypocrisy of employers is unbelievable, and I will fight this to the death.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need to strike

This. And maybe it’s time that office workers wholly embrace unions? Especially FLSA exempt workers.

Okay, go ahead and strike. How are you going to put food on the table? It's a lovely little idea for an 18 year old but I have a family, mortgage, life expenses, I NEED to have my job. GTFU.

Um, you are aware that Hollywood writers are striking right now, right? They're hardly a bunch of 18 year olds. I hope you enjoy reality TV shows because if the studios don't come to the table soon, that's all you'll be watching for a bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem is people want everything. They want the really high salaries DC affords but they also want the spacious yard with the backyard and schools in the suburbs. There you have your long commute. You could have purchased a smaller home/condo in DC or you could have pursued a job/career in Nowhereville, Maryland or Virginia, made less money and still probably have your house with the yard but with less discretionary income to do other things.

I am in the same boat so am not trying to be antagonistic. If I had to do it over, I probably would have stayed in or much closer to D.C. The first time I commuted from my new home in Maryland to my job in D.C., I cried.

I realize this is DCUM but many of us posting live in VA and MD. This is a large area with multiple urban/suburban areas. The fed is not centralized in any area, so two feds can be on completely different sides of the beltway, for example, one working at NIH and the other at MARC center. My DH and I are posted in Alexandria and Beltsville. There is no reasonable commute for either of us if we stay towards one job, and the middle is the suburbs. We also don't have very high salaries.

The high salaries/executive line is ridiculous. That's not even a significant percentage of the working population in this area. And by and large, those are the people actively voting against increasing public transit so that those of us without high salaries can commute effectively and at a lower cost.

Companies are in a pretzel because right now I save 500-600/month on commuting costs (gas and aftercare) as I will work 6-230, do school pickup for my elementary school kid, and then log in during the afternoon or early evening to f/u on anything from 230-5/6. If looking for another job, the salary would need to include an increase PLUS the 500/mo and if my company reduces WFH then I'll look for a higher salary.

Companies aren't upset about remote work, companies are upset that employees have more choice(s).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was expected to not miss a beat when the world collapsed because of a global pandemic. I didn't miss a beat. I worked my ass off, despite having elementary school children distance learning on the computer and home full time.

Therefore, you will have to drag full time WFH out of my cold dead hands.

And BTW, I live in the city, so you can STFU with your "you made a choice to live a bazillion miles outside of the city." I live here. In a small townhouse. But the hypocrisy of employers is unbelievable, and I will fight this to the death.

I have no dog in this fight but I am rooting for you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a fed manager, some of my staff work well from home. But half do not. They don’t actively make connections at work and instead rely on me as their manager to basically do their secretarial work for them. They don’t learn about the divisions that we work closely with. They think their entire job is just producing the tasks I assign them rather than running a program (which involves multiple tasks). I don’t want the level of babysitting that some of them need. They need for me to micromanage their work product thus that I assign each tiny task. And if I don’t assign a tiny task, they stop working and turn on Netflix. I even put in their performance appraisals “independently completes work and seeks out additional work needed on the project.”

I know lots of managers are putting more people on PIPs than ever before. Some people just cannot independent manage their time at home and it wasn’t a problem in the office. Private sector jobs have team building activities, happy hours together or they fly people to work conferences but fed jobs have none of that.

Some of you reading will think I don’t know how to manage, but no that’s not the case. I am unprepared however to micromanage every minute of my 40-60 years olds days. Hybrid does work but only if we’re all in on the same days

What you described has very little to do with WFH. The root of your problem is that your employees are in low paid government jobs. There is a skilled labor shortage that has gotten even worse the last few years. Your employees know this. You’ll be hard pressed to find better more motivated employees. If they were high performing and motivated they would not work for your agency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was expected to not miss a beat when the world collapsed because of a global pandemic. I didn't miss a beat. I worked my ass off, despite having elementary school children distance learning on the computer and home full time.

Therefore, you will have to drag full time WFH out of my cold dead hands.

Yup. I went so far above and beyond in 2020 to keep our mission on track. And I did it, despite a zillion things falling apart all around me.
Don't tell me now that things are a tad easier that I can't keep the mission on track from home. I've proven I can do it and do it well for the last three years. I actually do go in once or twice a week now, and I really enjoy seeing my coworkers occasionally. But there is simply no way I'll ever return to going into the office four or five times a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a fed manager, some of my staff work well from home. But half do not. They don’t actively make connections at work and instead rely on me as their manager to basically do their secretarial work for them. They don’t learn about the divisions that we work closely with. They think their entire job is just producing the tasks I assign them rather than running a program (which involves multiple tasks). I don’t want the level of babysitting that some of them need. They need for me to micromanage their work product thus that I assign each tiny task. And if I don’t assign a tiny task, they stop working and turn on Netflix. I even put in their performance appraisals “independently completes work and seeks out additional work needed on the project.”

I know lots of managers are putting more people on PIPs than ever before. Some people just cannot independent manage their time at home and it wasn’t a problem in the office. Private sector jobs have team building activities, happy hours together or they fly people to work conferences but fed jobs have none of that.

Some of you reading will think I don’t know how to manage, but no that’s not the case. I am unprepared however to micromanage every minute of my 40-60 years olds days. Hybrid does work but only if we’re all in on the same days

What you described has very little to do with WFH. The root of your problem is that your employees are in low paid government jobs. There is a skilled labor shortage that has gotten even worse the last few years. Your employees know this. You’ll be hard pressed to find better more motivated employees. If they were high performing and motivated they would not work for your agency.

Agree- and Im not sure how its any different when they are in the office vs at-home. I cant imagine someone who doesn't ask for work while remote asks for more work in office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a fed manager, some of my staff work well from home. But half do not. They don’t actively make connections at work and instead rely on me as their manager to basically do their secretarial work for them. They don’t learn about the divisions that we work closely with. They think their entire job is just producing the tasks I assign them rather than running a program (which involves multiple tasks). I don’t want the level of babysitting that some of them need. They need for me to micromanage their work product thus that I assign each tiny task. And if I don’t assign a tiny task, they stop working and turn on Netflix. I even put in their performance appraisals “independently completes work and seeks out additional work needed on the project.”

I know lots of managers are putting more people on PIPs than ever before. Some people just cannot independent manage their time at home and it wasn’t a problem in the office. Private sector jobs have team building activities, happy hours together or they fly people to work conferences but fed jobs have none of that.

Some of you reading will think I don’t know how to manage, but no that’s not the case. I am unprepared however to micromanage every minute of my 40-60 years olds days. Hybrid does work but only if we’re all in on the same days

What you described has very little to do with WFH. The root of your problem is that your employees are in low paid government jobs. There is a skilled labor shortage that has gotten even worse the last few years. Your employees know this. You’ll be hard pressed to find better more motivated employees. If they were high performing and motivated they would not work for your agency.

Agree- and Im not sure how its any different when they are in the office vs at-home. I cant imagine someone who doesn't ask for work while remote asks for more work in office.

All that going into the office will do is make PP, the manager, feel like he or she has more control. When really he or she does not. The reality is that these employees would probably perform even worse at the office since they will be angry over the commute to go and do made up work.