Five weeks in. RTO is literally killing me!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those who insist on terminating TW are usually old men, people without children, or those who never did much childrearing. This generation of parents actually wants to spend time with their kids, we want to be able to cook a home cook meal several times a week, and see them after work for more than an hour, we don't want to be shitty/absent parents. TW simply gives us two hours of our lives back (at least!), time we can dedicate to our families and not commuting.

We are the generation that deeply understands why birthrates are going down. A society that refuses to support parents is doomed, young people will look at us and say "hard pass".

This has been definitely true for DH's office. The retiring Boomers seem to be the last generation hardcore into in-office work. Xers on down, not so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those who insist on terminating TW are usually old men, people without children, or those who never did much childrearing. This generation of parents actually wants to spend time with their kids, we want to be able to cook a home cook meal several times a week, and see them after work for more than an hour, we don't want to be shitty/absent parents. TW simply gives us two hours of our lives back (at least!), time we can dedicate to our families and not commuting.

We are the generation that deeply understands why birthrates are going down. A society that refuses to support parents is doomed, young people will look at us and say "hard pass".

This has been definitely true for DH's office. The retiring Boomers seem to be the last generation hardcore into in-office work. Xers on down, not so much.

They need to retire already then. Or just succumb to a heart attack for spending so much time at the office.

[Anonymous]

So their main argument was that we weren't working while teleworking.

Maybe the fix is that we have strict monitoring equipment and our managers can see what we're working on while teleworking.

I'd give up some of my independence for more telework.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So their main argument was that we weren't working while teleworking.

Maybe the fix is that we have strict monitoring equipment and our managers can see what we're working on while teleworking.

I'd give up some of my independence for more telework.

We had that!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry you can’t function as an adult. I’d pack it in now.

Sorry you are trapped in 1995 and don't understand the wonders and benefits of modern technology and better work-life balance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those who insist on terminating TW are usually old men, people without children, or those who never did much childrearing. This generation of parents actually wants to spend time with their kids, we want to be able to cook a home cook meal several times a week, and see them after work for more than an hour, we don't want to be shitty/absent parents. TW simply gives us two hours of our lives back (at least!), time we can dedicate to our families and not commuting.

We are the generation that deeply understands why birthrates are going down. A society that refuses to support parents is doomed, young people will look at us and say "hard pass".

This has been definitely true for DH's office. The retiring Boomers seem to be the last generation hardcore into in-office work. Xers on down, not so much.

They need to retire already then. Or just succumb to a heart attack for spending so much time at the office.

Or, maybe we can just stop electing them to run the country. And get someone who is, I don't know, not senile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those who insist on terminating TW are usually old men, people without children, or those who never did much childrearing. This generation of parents actually wants to spend time with their kids, we want to be able to cook a home cook meal several times a week, and see them after work for more than an hour, we don't want to be shitty/absent parents. TW simply gives us two hours of our lives back (at least!), time we can dedicate to our families and not commuting.

We are the generation that deeply understands why birthrates are going down. A society that refuses to support parents is doomed, young people will look at us and say "hard pass".

This has been definitely true for DH's office. The retiring Boomers seem to be the last generation hardcore into in-office work. Xers on down, not so much.

I can’t think of anyone in my office of any age who likes full time RTO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So their main argument was that we weren't working while teleworking.

Maybe the fix is that we have strict monitoring equipment and our managers can see what we're working on while teleworking.

I'd give up some of my independence for more telework.

We had that!

I'm a supervisor in a big Dept. No we didn't have that. HR could pull logs if you had disciplinary issues, but even those logs weren't good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So their main argument was that we weren't working while teleworking.

Maybe the fix is that we have strict monitoring equipment and our managers can see what we're working on while teleworking.

I'd give up some of my independence for more telework.

This is entirely punitive. If it had anything to do with the work, they would let managers or even the politicals who are actually running offices decide whether to allow telework. The arguments they pretend this is about have nothing to do with it, because they're making it harder for us to work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was no work life balance before 2020. We were all exhausted and stressed to the brink with the madness of commuting. And now life is much harder and more expensive. And it’s 2025…we are going backwards for no reason. Bring back telework for anyone who has a job that can telework. It’s good for everyone. For society as a whole.

there was tons of work life balance pre -2020. I would think you have to go back to pre 1990 at earliest to have no work life balance Most people under 60 have never worked a real work week in their life. It was horrible at work in the 1970s and 1980s. Most have never seen it pre computers and automation where you were processing massive amount of work by being at work 12-13 hours a day with no breaks with people cursing and blowing smoke in your fact in a suit and tie or business suit with pantyhose.

I started working in 1991. So yeah I remember all the no work life balance. It was and is brutal and unnecessary to not have it. Even after Sept 11, there was no work life balance for me. I’ve been in federal government for almost 10 years and it was only when I started that I got 1 telework day per week, then four, and now nothing. Anyone that had work life before 2020 was supremely lucky. It’s relatively new and we need to get it back. I don’t want what’s happening currently to affect my kids or professionals that I respect.

I grew up in Long Beach, California. My mom went to work for a PR company that was doing the 1984 Olympics; their office was in downtown LA. She was a new mom and they told her that she had to drive into DTLA for the first four months. If you know Southern California, you know this is a brutal commute.

The agreement with the PR firm was that if she did well and could be trusted, they would give her a new IBM screen-based desktop word processing machine and she could work from home.

She did her four months and they gave her the IBM and Xerox's new desktop small copy machine. She would basically be on the phone all day doing stenography for the firms' principals and Olympic committee, then turning those into written press releases and other marketing collateral for the Olympics. She would also have to help with event planning for the Olympic committee (fundraisers, events leading up to the Games). Couriers would stop by our house 2-3 times per week to pick up her work or she'd bring it in if she was heading into the office for something important (1-2x per month).

According to this article from 1987, 1.5M Americans were "telecommuting" primarily with private sector companies:
https://www.csmonitor.com/1987/0608/ftelly.html

[Anonymous]

This policy is going to have the biggest effect on children. Parents used to be able to spend good quality time with them, take them to sports (and coach!), have dinner with them, etc.

Once again, the party of "family values" makes policies that are bad for families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those who insist on terminating TW are usually old men, people without children, or those who never did much childrearing. This generation of parents actually wants to spend time with their kids, we want to be able to cook a home cook meal several times a week, and see them after work for more than an hour, we don't want to be shitty/absent parents. TW simply gives us two hours of our lives back (at least!), time we can dedicate to our families and not commuting.

We are the generation that deeply understands why birthrates are going down. A society that refuses to support parents is doomed, young people will look at us and say "hard pass".

This has been definitely true for DH's office. The retiring Boomers seem to be the last generation hardcore into in-office work. Xers on down, not so much.

They need to retire already then. Or just succumb to a heart attack for spending so much time at the office.

Or, maybe we can just stop electing them to run the country. And get someone who is, I don't know, not senile.

You made me smile amidst this depressing situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This policy is going to have the biggest effect on children. Parents used to be able to spend good quality time with them, take them to sports (and coach!), have dinner with them, etc.

Once again, the party of "family values" makes policies that are bad for families.

You do know kids were very happy when zero renote and no WLB. Moms just stayed home when kids young,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those who insist on terminating TW are usually old men, people without children, or those who never did much childrearing. This generation of parents actually wants to spend time with their kids, we want to be able to cook a home cook meal several times a week, and see them after work for more than an hour, we don't want to be shitty/absent parents. TW simply gives us two hours of our lives back (at least!), time we can dedicate to our families and not commuting.

We are the generation that deeply understands why birthrates are going down. A society that refuses to support parents is doomed, young people will look at us and say "hard pass".

I’m a teacher and can’t stay at home. I rather resent the notion that I’m a “shitty/absent parent” because of my job.

My mom was a teacher and her school day was the same as mine and she had the summers off. It’s totally different than what we are talking about here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This policy is going to have the biggest effect on children. Parents used to be able to spend good quality time with them, take them to sports (and coach!), have dinner with them, etc.

Once again, the party of "family values" makes policies that are bad for families.

You do know kids were very happy when zero renote and no WLB. Moms just stayed home when kids young,

I didn’t go to school for 25+ years to stay home.