Telework abuse - would you report?

[Anonymous]

Wow - this string makes me SO happy I don't work for the Federal government and no one cares where/when I am (I am a lawyer and just need to get my work done when it needs to get done). This sounds like such a horrible work environment! Reporting co-workers?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow - this string makes me SO happy I don't work for the Federal government and no one cares where/when I am (I am a lawyer and just need to get my work done when it needs to get done). This sounds like such a horrible work environment! Reporting co-workers?!

Agreed. I'm not in law, but I'm also in a field where the work matters, not where you do it.

I'm also a manager. I've fired someone, and yes, telework abuse was one of her (many) issues. But, you know, I was her BOSS and it was my business, not her coworkers -- none of whom "ratted" on her, by the way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow this thread has evolved into a bunch of telework-abusers trying to justify their abuse of the system. You should be ashamed of yourselves. You don't get paid to pick up your kids/do laundry/clean your house/take time off/go to the park/etc. while others are actually working during telework hours.

Seriously, there have been so many explanations offered for this person's behavior except for the fact that she is shirking work.

I never do anything besides work on telework days, not even laundry. I said this on another thread and was told I "protest too much" and therefore must be hiding some terrible telework abuse behind my too-pure facade. There is no winning with the telework haters.

What? That's silly. Of course you're supposed to do laundry and cook on your telework days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A recent example: : I am charge of putting together a report for a funding agency. We collect input from everybody by Thursday afternoon, put together a report and run it by our supervisor who gives me feedback by Friday morning. I work back and forth with with everybody to get the revised report by Fridayafternoon but I am still waiting for Jane's changes who drops off by 2 pm. So at this point, I have to interrupt my forward momentum and restart the whole process on Monday morning to get it sent out. Ideally I would like to get this done and go home happy on Friday.

This is so easy to resolve with her -- Friday morning: "Jane, I'd like to get this closed out today: will you please send me x and y before you sign off?" Or, "Jane, how late will you be online today: I want to make sure I get your input before COB."

Alternatively, also easy to ignore because it doesn't sound like this actually has to be done by a certain time Monday: if boss doesn't like what time it's being turned in, then you can bring up lack of timely response. You seem to have the same problem you'd have if Jane were working closed-door on an important project and couldn't get back to you about the routine weekly report: the only difference is that you think you know she's not working.

I agree with PPs that you are bent on reporting telework fraud, even though (a) you are putting a lot of weight in someone else's spouse having correctly identified her outside the office and (b) you don't know her actual schedule or arrangements. Just do it if you want to do it. Let us know how it goes.

Agree with all of this. There have been several very good suggestions OP has been given about bringing up the real issue (not getting a response by COB on Friday that OP at least thinks they need) but OP seems dead set on pursuing the "telework abuse" issue that is much more likely to get OP ignored by management. Probably because OP knows their manager will tell them the report doesn't need to get out by COB Friday.

[Anonymous]

In my long career in private industry (and shorter in public) IMHO it's the BOSS's job to manage that sort of thing....if my work is impeded because of this person I would say that point blank but NOT that "so and so saw her and her kids at the playground at 9am". I've often seen folks getting their hand smacked for not knowing all the particulars of an individual employee's situation before "reporting" them....I would tread carefully on this but do as you see fit and deal with how the chips fall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow - this string makes me SO happy I don't work for the Federal government and no one cares where/when I am (I am a lawyer and just need to get my work done when it needs to get done). This sounds like such a horrible work environment! Reporting co-workers?!

+1
this is so ridiculous. "I saw you picking your nose outside of scheduled breaks".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh everyone here is clearly abusing their telework policy as well. Don't offer excuses. Teleworking does mean you have to actually do work!

Yes, this. Telework is supposed to be only so folk can save on commuting time. They are still expected to work the same number of hours as a non-teleworking Fed. I don't get these excuses of 'well, I don't talk to a coworker or browse so I am going to take of or for 2-3 hours on telework days ad head to Costco.

Exactly. And if someone can really "get all their work done" while taking 2 hour Costco breaks during the day regularly, then it's a sign that they either need more work, or the position can be reduced to part time (with part time pay) or eliminated completely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh everyone here is clearly abusing their telework policy as well. Don't offer excuses. Teleworking does mean you have to actually do work!

Yes, this. Telework is supposed to be only so folk can save on commuting time. They are still expected to work the same number of hours as a non-teleworking Fed. I don't get these excuses of 'well, I don't talk to a coworker or browse so I am going to take of or for 2-3 hours on telework days ad head to Costco.

Exactly. And if someone can really "get all their work done" while taking 2 hour Costco breaks during the day regularly, then it's a sign that they either need more work, or the position can be reduced to part time (with part time pay) or eliminated completely.

or...it's a sign that they are smarte than you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh everyone here is clearly abusing their telework policy as well. Don't offer excuses. Teleworking does mean you have to actually do work!

Yes, this. Telework is supposed to be only so folk can save on commuting time. They are still expected to work the same number of hours as a non-teleworking Fed. I don't get these excuses of 'well, I don't talk to a coworker or browse so I am going to take of or for 2-3 hours on telework days ad head to Costco.

Exactly. And if someone can really "get all their work done" while taking 2 hour Costco breaks during the day regularly, then it's a sign that they either need more work, or the position can be reduced to part time (with part time pay) or eliminated completely.

Here's what you don't get, though. Someone could have work that should be part time, but lets everyone believe it's a full time job. The boss has no complaints because he's "getting all his work done" and there are no problems with his work. But unless someone sees him goofing off half the time or someone else comes in to do the job who finishes in half the time AND tells management that they need more work, no one will know that the guy's job could be done in 20 hours per week.

That's what has happened in our department. We had a few old-timers who's job functions really didn't take 40 hours/week. But they would talk and act like it was a full time job. When they left/retired, management realized what they were doing but until then, they were totally scamming the system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh everyone here is clearly abusing their telework policy as well. Don't offer excuses. Teleworking does mean you have to actually do work!

Yes, this. Telework is supposed to be only so folk can save on commuting time. They are still expected to work the same number of hours as a non-teleworking Fed. I don't get these excuses of 'well, I don't talk to a coworker or browse so I am going to take of or for 2-3 hours on telework days ad head to Costco.

Exactly. And if someone can really "get all their work done" while taking 2 hour Costco breaks during the day regularly, then it's a sign that they either need more work, or the position can be reduced to part time (with part time pay) or eliminated completely.

or...it's a sign that they are smarte than you

Or more efficient or just work "differently." Our agency work has been limited due to lack of a quorum, so there's been a lot of sitting around lately and on telework days, well. . .

But even when we are super busy and I have a lot of work to do, I don't work well on the regular 9-5 schedule. Yes, those are my hours (more like 9-6:30 officially), but I tend to work better in the evenings. So when I'm busy and on a deadline, even though I'm in the office during my official hours, I get the majority of my substantive work done in the hours of 3-7:30/8 or whenever I need to be happy with my final product. My point is I don't think the co-worker being seen somewhere other than her home office on her telework days says anything about her performance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh everyone here is clearly abusing their telework policy as well. Don't offer excuses. Teleworking does mean you have to actually do work!

Yes, this. Telework is supposed to be only so folk can save on commuting time. They are still expected to work the same number of hours as a non-teleworking Fed. I don't get these excuses of 'well, I don't talk to a coworker or browse so I am going to take of or for 2-3 hours on telework days ad head to Costco.

Exactly. And if someone can really "get all their work done" while taking 2 hour Costco breaks during the day regularly, then it's a sign that they either need more work, or the position can be reduced to part time (with part time pay) or eliminated completely.

or...it's a sign that they are smarte than you

Or more efficient or just work "differently." Our agency work has been limited due to lack of a quorum, so there's been a lot of sitting around lately and on telework days, well. . .

But even when we are super busy and I have a lot of work to do, I don't work well on the regular 9-5 schedule. Yes, those are my hours (more like 9-6:30 officially), but I tend to work better in the evenings. So when I'm busy and on a deadline, even though I'm in the office during my official hours, I get the majority of my substantive work done in the hours of 3-7:30/8 or whenever I need to be happy with my final product. My point is I don't think the co-worker being seen somewhere other than her home office on her telework days says anything about her performance.

This is the entire issue. OP says it DOES affect her performance, as well as that of the team (they all miss a deadline bc they're waiting on her feedback).

[Anonymous]

Haven't read whole thread but if the coworkers wife sees her late afternoon couldn't she be working 7-3:30 or 7:30-4 and then taking her kids to the park?

[Anonymous]

The lengths people go to to bootlick agencies and corporations that wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire is sad. Bow to your overlords.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh everyone here is clearly abusing their telework policy as well. Don't offer excuses. Teleworking does mean you have to actually do work!

Yes, this. Telework is supposed to be only so folk can save on commuting time. They are still expected to work the same number of hours as a non-teleworking Fed. I don't get these excuses of 'well, I don't talk to a coworker or browse so I am going to take of or for 2-3 hours on telework days ad head to Costco.

Exactly. And if someone can really "get all their work done" while taking 2 hour Costco breaks during the day regularly, then it's a sign that they either need more work, or the position can be reduced to part time (with part time pay) or eliminated completely.

Here's what you don't get, though. Someone could have work that should be part time, but lets everyone believe it's a full time job. The boss has no complaints because he's "getting all his work done" and there are no problems with his work. But unless someone sees him goofing off half the time or someone else comes in to do the job who finishes in half the time AND tells management that they need more work, no one will know that the guy's job could be done in 20 hours per week.

That's what has happened in our department. We had a few old-timers who's job functions really didn't take 40 hours/week. But they would talk and act like it was a full time job. When they left/retired, management realized what they were doing but until then, they were totally scamming the system.

You are talking about most of the workforce. Only a small minority of idiots ask for more work. Most of these fools are in DC because of the Type A thing. Doesnt bother me I'll keep costing while yall pick up the slack thinking you are so important lolz

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh everyone here is clearly abusing their telework policy as well. Don't offer excuses. Teleworking does mean you have to actually do work!

Yes, this. Telework is supposed to be only so folk can save on commuting time. They are still expected to work the same number of hours as a non-teleworking Fed. I don't get these excuses of 'well, I don't talk to a coworker or browse so I am going to take of or for 2-3 hours on telework days ad head to Costco.

Exactly. And if someone can really "get all their work done" while taking 2 hour Costco breaks during the day regularly, then it's a sign that they either need more work, or the position can be reduced to part time (with part time pay) or eliminated completely.

Here's what you don't get, though. Someone could have work that should be part time, but lets everyone believe it's a full time job. The boss has no complaints because he's "getting all his work done" and there are no problems with his work. But unless someone sees him goofing off half the time or someone else comes in to do the job who finishes in half the time AND tells management that they need more work, no one will know that the guy's job could be done in 20 hours per week.

That's what has happened in our department. We had a few old-timers who's job functions really didn't take 40 hours/week. But they would talk and act like it was a full time job. When they left/retired, management realized what they were doing but until then, they were totally scamming the system.

You are talking about most of the workforce. Only a small minority of idiots ask for more work. Most of these fools are in DC because of the Type A thing. Doesnt bother me I'll keep costing while yall pick up the slack thinking you are so important lolz

+1