Does anyone thinking about leaving fed job (or taking a break) if forced to RTO 5 days a week?

[Anonymous]

My current plan is:

There is no enough office space for everyone to go back, I hope I can keep my remote status.

If I have to RTO 5 days a week, I will stick around for a while, at the meanwhile I will try to find another remote job. If I cannot find a job, I may decide to take a few years of break and try to come back when remote policy will be available again. I very much want to come back and work till retirement, since I have 15-20 years of service already, I don't want to give up, but I don't want to RTO 5 days a week too. My biggest concern is --- it will be very difficult to find a position in the future, I may not be able to come back.

[Anonymous]

Yes but I’d wait it out to see what actually happens.

[Anonymous]

I live close enough I could but as you pointed out, we also simply don't have the space. Enough of my colleagues are out of state remote and live in other states for unshakable reasons (family, spouse's job). We have been remote for over a decade, well before COVID.

So those of us who did RTO would be the band on the Titanic, playing as the ship goes down. We're fee funded, if we can't deliver work, people won't file anymore and we'll collapse and the global system will shift to one of our foreign counterparts.

[Anonymous]

Don’t have the luxury to “take a break” from working.

[Anonymous]

No--I'm committed to my job and my staff, and I hope to stay and mitigate the damage this administration wants to do.

I worked 5 days in the office for a long time, and then 4 days in the office until Covid. Now I'm in 2 days a week. I am hoping to keep at least 1 day a week of telework, but I did it before and I'll make it work again. I actually find that getting out of the house and into the office is good for my physical and mental health. My sweet spot would be 50%--if a critical mass of people were in. Right now I have to go in more than my staff so I have days where I spend the whole day in the office on Teams meetings with people who are at home. It's kind of dumb.

[Anonymous]

I'm the higher earner in my household, so I will go back. I already bought a parking pass just in case. It will cost us plenty in driving/parking but the big impact is to my non-fed DH, who will need to limit himself to remote roles so he can handle the to/from school situation. Right now we split it because we each work hybrid.

[Anonymous]

I am OP, I don't mind taking pay cut (from 33.94% DC locality to 17.06% Rest Of US locality) if they give employees the option to keep remote status. I live in DC metro area and take DC locality rate currently.

https://federalnewsnetwork.com/federal-newscast/2025/01/federal-workers-who-telework-one-day-a-week-could-lose-locality-pay/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live close enough I could but as you pointed out, we also simply don't have the space. Enough of my colleagues are out of state remote and live in other states for unshakable reasons (family, spouse's job). We have been remote for over a decade, well before COVID.

So those of us who did RTO would be the band on the Titanic, playing as the ship goes down. We're fee funded, if we can't deliver work, people won't file anymore and we'll collapse and the global system will shift to one of our foreign counterparts.

USPTO? I don't think examiners will be RTO 5 days a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live close enough I could but as you pointed out, we also simply don't have the space. Enough of my colleagues are out of state remote and live in other states for unshakable reasons (family, spouse's job). We have been remote for over a decade, well before COVID.

So those of us who did RTO would be the band on the Titanic, playing as the ship goes down. We're fee funded, if we can't deliver work, people won't file anymore and we'll collapse and the global system will shift to one of our foreign counterparts.

USPTO? I don't think examiners will be RTO 5 days a week.

I doubt it because the tech industry would freak out. Because patent pendent would go through the roof.

[Anonymous]

Several people in my office have left already. Too much drama. I expect a wave of retirements if RTO 5 days happens. We have only been 1 day for 10 years? and 0 days since Covid. I will likely hang on. I want a few more years in before retirement. Its not worth starting somewhere new.

[Anonymous]

5 days is off market so I would leave. Most trade associations offering 2-3 days TW per week. Smaller number of have remote but a decent amount.

[Anonymous]

No.

But we have no space issues and I’m only wfh one day a week now.

[Anonymous]

Not just for that reason, but it could contribute. I am already frustrated that I seem to get more work and less “sexy” assignments than others in my office, despite getting exceeds expectations on my performance reviews. So 5 days a week RTO would be just a factor, not the deciding issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the higher earner in my household, so I will go back. I already bought a parking pass just in case. It will cost us plenty in driving/parking but the big impact is to my non-fed DH, who will need to limit himself to remote roles so he can handle the to/from school situation. Right now we split it because we each work hybrid.

What did you do before COVID in terms of getting kids to and from school situation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm the higher earner in my household, so I will go back. I already bought a parking pass just in case. It will cost us plenty in driving/parking but the big impact is to my non-fed DH, who will need to limit himself to remote roles so he can handle the to/from school situation. Right now we split it because we each work hybrid.

What did you do before COVID in terms of getting kids to and from school situation?

Not PP but I was remote before COVID.