Jeff Zients throws a hissy fit in a memo about RTO

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I turn my AC to 80 when at work 12 hours a day.

Good for you. I’m going to go out on a limb and say most others don’t do that. The AC is cranking along everywhere, whether at home or not at home, in a full office building or in a half-vacant one. The argument that an earlier poster (you?) made, that it’s better for the environment for everyone to go to the office to save on energy costs associated with air conditioning, is silly.

NP and a little off topic but that's unfortunate if many people don't do this both from an expense and an environmental perspective, it's so wasteful and programmable thermostats are cheap and take just a few minutes to set up.

Also OT but my agency shuts down AC over the weekend. My old law firm did too, you had to request it by floor. I also hope this is a common practice, so wasteful to heat and cool buildings on the weekend.

It might be wasteful, but I’m not sure. It’s really hot out and buildings not air conditioned over the weekend take a lot of time to recool. I’ve worked in some buildings that turned back air conditioning on the weekend and Monday’s were always miserable - and that was in a building still be cooled over the weekend but just less so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I turn my AC to 80 when at work 12 hours a day.

Good for you. I’m going to go out on a limb and say most others don’t do that. The AC is cranking along everywhere, whether at home or not at home, in a full office building or in a half-vacant one. The argument that an earlier poster (you?) made, that it’s better for the environment for everyone to go to the office to save on energy costs associated with air conditioning, is silly.

NP and a little off topic but that's unfortunate if many people don't do this both from an expense and an environmental perspective, it's so wasteful and programmable thermostats are cheap and take just a few minutes to set up.

Also OT but my agency shuts down AC over the weekend. My old law firm did too, you had to request it by floor. I also hope this is a common practice, so wasteful to heat and cool buildings on the weekend.

It might be wasteful, but I’m not sure. It’s really hot out and buildings not air conditioned over the weekend take a lot of time to recool. I’ve worked in some buildings that turned back air conditioning on the weekend and Monday’s were always miserable - and that was in a building still be cooled over the weekend but just less so.

Of course Zients does not g-a-s about the actual conditions of federal workers. He just wants them back in the offices for the “optics” and commerical real estate profits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All the lazy feds are shaking in their boots! Can’t wait till you have to go back to the office!! Lol

Such a myth.
I never worked harder than when I was a fed. Now I work in the commercial sector and I make much more and work less hours doing pretty much the same thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Zients is right. I know some Feds who take their work and mission very seriously and they are all back in the office at least 3 days a week. It is mostly the lazy ass Feds who are complaining

Interesting, I care deeply about the mission but am cranking out new regs and policy from home. Process would be much slower if we were in the office screwing around with coffee breaks while the incompetent chatters walk in on our discussions.

Or it might be much faster w/o many of the new regs and policy.

[Anonymous]

Employment was just going up. Flexibility and WFH being a huge factor in the gains. It’s like the right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Create some financial incentives for Feds to live within walking/cycling distance from their offices.
Make some promises about clean air in Federal buildings to minimize covid transmission in the coming surge.

How about increase locality pay to reflect the actual cost of living in the DMV? Roll back FERS-FRAE? Child care subsidy?

If the answer is “Congress won’t increase the budget” then STFU and stop trying to take away a major benefit from feds for no reason.

This. No one worth anything wants to take the pay cut—it’s substantial. I spend 30 dollars a day to commute, minimum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I turn my AC to 80 when at work 12 hours a day.

Well even if I (a fed) got recalled to the office, my DH who works from home and our pets would not appreciate the temp st 80 degrees sooo …. Your argument is dumb. Not that many houses are empty these days with telework, flex schedules, kids and nannies, etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve met Jeff Zients and he’s as bad as they say, but he’s right about this issue. Empty federal offices is a huge political loser.

So sell the property and save money. How is this a loser?

I’ll say it again - the dems are reaping what they sowed.

Look at all of the giant hideous federal office buildings with historic designations that can’t be torn down or even modernized much. Who would buy them? Do you know what’s going on in the commercial real estate market these days?

The only rational answer is to send federal employees back to their offices. I’m guessing the White House / OMB / OPM / GSA has thought about this from all sides more than those on this message board.

So the mission of the federal government is to prop up real estate?

No, but as the largest industry in the city of DC the federal government and its workers should be participating in the local economy, using public transportation, local restaurants, etc. It’s not the only reason to return to the office but it’s an important one.

I am supporting the local economy. In my neighborhood. Why is downtown's economy more important? Also, I can spend more if I am not wasting hundreds of dollars a month commuting to do the EXACT same job in a cubicle that I can now do at home?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Employment was just going up. Flexibility and WFH being a huge factor in the gains. It’s like the right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing.

This. If it doesn't come with a pay raise, people will bail. The Federal gov't already has a huge recruiting issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Employment was just going up. Flexibility and WFH being a huge factor in the gains. It’s like the right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing.

This. If it doesn't come with a pay raise, people will bail. The Federal gov't already has a huge recruiting issue.

That's why I think RTO will be tied to the Federal Pay Compression bill just introduced by Eleanor Holmes Norton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[mastodon] try

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Create some financial incentives for Feds to live within walking/cycling distance from their offices.
Make some promises about clean air in Federal buildings to minimize covid transmission in the coming surge.

How about increase locality pay to reflect the actual cost of living in the DMV? Roll back FERS-FRAE? Child care subsidy?

If the answer is “Congress won’t increase the budget” then STFU and stop trying to take away a major benefit from feds for no reason.

Why should only Feds get increased locality pay. Teachers have to work in person 5 days a week and make less than you. What about the workers at Panera, Starbucks, Target, Safeway, etc.

TEACHERS ONLY COMMUTE 195 DAYS OF THE YEAR. I get so tired of this argument. They are underpaid for what they deal with and the importance of their work but not how much they work. They work 75% of the days that a full-time fed works. As someone who has a very good friend who just transitioned to non-teaching work, working the full year is an adjustment. The only reason the adjustment is not more difficult is because the spouse is still a teacher and she can WFH part-time. Otherwise they would need to take leave and/or pay for camps for summer break, winter break, spring break, and every other rando holiday.

[Anonymous]

I’m getting tired of Feds acting like going in a few days a week is the end of the world. That’s how the world existed before Covid, life has moved on. I work IT/Admin at a hospital that makes us come in now four days a week. Sure I don’t love it, but I don’t complain every second. Everyone is saying, “I’ll quit if they make me come in”. Have you tried looking for a white collar job nowadays? Jobs with more flexibility have fierce competition. I looked for something that was less in person, got an offer that was two days a week, and it was a 20% pay cut and worse benefits. So many people in healthcare have to come one everyday, have minimal flexibility, and unless their physicians/pas/upper admin, make less than your run of the mill fed on dcum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[mastodon] try

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Create some financial incentives for Feds to live within walking/cycling distance from their offices.
Make some promises about clean air in Federal buildings to minimize covid transmission in the coming surge.

How about increase locality pay to reflect the actual cost of living in the DMV? Roll back FERS-FRAE? Child care subsidy?

If the answer is “Congress won’t increase the budget” then STFU and stop trying to take away a major benefit from feds for no reason.

Why should only Feds get increased locality pay. Teachers have to work in person 5 days a week and make less than you. What about the workers at Panera, Starbucks, Target, Safeway, etc.

TEACHERS ONLY COMMUTE 195 DAYS OF THE YEAR. I get so tired of this argument. They are underpaid for what they deal with and the importance of their work but not how much they work. They work 75% of the days that a full-time fed works. As someone who has a very good friend who just transitioned to non-teaching work, working the full year is an adjustment. The only reason the adjustment is not more difficult is because the spouse is still a teacher and she can WFH part-time. Otherwise they would need to take leave and/or pay for camps for summer break, winter break, spring break, and every other rando holiday.

How much they work? Do you have any idea how many hours a teacher works in a week?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m getting tired of Feds acting like going in a few days a week is the end of the world. That’s how the world existed before Covid, life has moved on. I work IT/Admin at a hospital that makes us come in now four days a week. Sure I don’t love it, but I don’t complain every second. Everyone is saying, “I’ll quit if they make me come in”. Have you tried looking for a white collar job nowadays? Jobs with more flexibility have fierce competition. I looked for something that was less in person, got an offer that was two days a week, and it was a 20% pay cut and worse benefits. So many people in healthcare have to come one everyday, have minimal flexibility, and unless their physicians/pas/upper admin, make less than your run of the mill fed on dcum.

All you said is true (and healthcare workers are superstars) but more federal workers commuting isn’t going to make your life any better. Work from home is here to stay for feds.

[Anonymous]

People who Are remote work 20 percent less. That’s a fact.

So in a 40 hour week they work 32 hours.

People in office 40 hours when you add in lunch hour and two hour commute spend 55 hours of time away from home.

Why should they be paid the same?