Anyone know a govt employee who simply decided they won't go to the office?

[Anonymous]

What are agencies doing?

Have the most absurd coworker at FDA (we're in different groups but groups work together and somehow she has "befriended" me). New employee - not even 2 years in. Took a maternity leave, then FMLA, then a second maternity leave. Somewhere in the middle of this she was RIFed in the big FDA RIF. Has been hired back along with the rest of her group, but isn't returning for a few months because she wants to finish maternity leave. So she's basically telling people she won't be coming in - she'll telework; we are 5 days/wk RTO and this was made clear to her upon rehiring and she said yes. The open secret (because she talks a lot) is that she can't come back because she lives many states away - think middle of the country. But this is one of those jobs where a condition of being hired was living within 60 miles. She used a relative's local address and acted like she lived there. So she has no exemption or reasonable accommodation to telework but just . . . is. I'm at the point where I'm not comfortable knowing some of this esp. lying about the address. As she called and told me all this and says her boss has agreed to look the other way (IDK how much of that I believe) expecting me to be like OMG you're sooo lucky I was like uh . . . have you thought about certifying your timesheet? About whether they're checking badge entries? About whether your peers are going to be pissed? The answer to everything is NBD. Frankly I think the peers are going to be the issue here. Since we have minimal flexibility people are VERY attuned to who is getting what - like if someone gets to ad hoc telework more than others, you hear about it. In this case it isn't like oh there was that one week Bob got 2 ad hoc telework days - it's permanent 5 days/wk with no RA in a group that does not do that. How are people not going to go complain to the higher ups, HR, anyone who'll be like yeah we can't be allowing this?

I'm staying out of it and honestly if someone was doing this being like it'll take them a few weeks to catch up to me, give me an ultimatum, and fire me - so I get paid for a while longer, I'd kind of not disagree. This woman thinks - what is anyone gonna do - and this'll be permanent. I said very little to her just - well good luck . . . .

[Anonymous]

We have someone mothers just off maternity leave that were allowed to TW for a few extra months.

[Anonymous]

The department did a PIP and the employee didn't come in and they were let go

[Anonymous]

You said she has maternity leave.

End of story.

Come back if she's still working from home when she has no leave left.

[Anonymous]

I thought paets of FDA had 2x per week TW and I heard it was spreading to other FDA groups.

[Anonymous]

Is she teleworking or on maternity leave?

[Anonymous]

You should have hung up once she started talking about the fraud. Don't lie if asked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is she teleworking or on maternity leave?

Maternity leave right now. Scheduled to return in person on x date. Is saying well I’m just going to telework starting x date - not return in person.

I know some FDA sections are 2 day/week telework and maybe it’ll spread to others but this one is not - this is 5 days in person. And even if it becomes 2 day telework, wouldn’t you need some kind of RA to get 5 day telework?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should have hung up once she started talking about the fraud. Don't lie if asked.

This. If anyone asks you whether now or months from now - do not lie. It’s her problem that she can’t keep her mouth shut but you do not want to be pulled into this web of fraud in any way.

[Anonymous]

Great, we're back to women knifing each other in the back because they're taking "too much" maternity leave (yes, I heard you with the living in the midwest scenario). Good old regressive days.

When will the US understand that parents need at least 6 months of paid maternity leave, and 6 months of paternity leave?

The birthrate is plummeting. Time to treat families right if the nation needs babies.

Separately, sure, ding people for living where they shouldn't be living. Punish them for not following the rules. But when the rules are insane in the first place, I think the people who skirt them aren't entirely wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great, we're back to women knifing each other in the back because they're taking "too much" maternity leave (yes, I heard you with the living in the midwest scenario). Good old regressive days.

When will the US understand that parents need at least 6 months of paid maternity leave, and 6 months of paternity leave?

The birthrate is plummeting. Time to treat families right if the nation needs babies.

Separately, sure, ding people for living where they shouldn't be living. Punish them for not following the rules. But when the rules are insane in the first place, I think the people who skirt them aren't entirely wrong.

Huh? No one denied her her 2 maternity leaves plus FMLA. She can take as much leave as allowed/as she has. She actually does live in the Midwest which is decidedly more than 60 miles from Maryland.

[Anonymous]

yeah, you're staying out of it

[Anonymous]

People are quietly teleworking again with supervisory awareness. I wish more would so the roads can clear up again. Traffic is unbearable.

[Anonymous]

Over the years I've encountered some kids who've simply refused to go to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great, we're back to women knifing each other in the back because they're taking "too much" maternity leave (yes, I heard you with the living in the midwest scenario). Good old regressive days.

When will the US understand that parents need at least 6 months of paid maternity leave, and 6 months of paternity leave?

The birthrate is plummeting. Time to treat families right if the nation needs babies.

Separately, sure, ding people for living where they shouldn't be living. Punish them for not following the rules. But when the rules are insane in the first place, I think the people who skirt them aren't entirely wrong.

This isn't about maternity leave, sweetie pie, it's about FRAUD. What she's doing is illegal. I hope she gets canned.