New hybrid "onsite" requirement and reporting to an empty office

[Anonymous]

When I was hired a few years ago, management did not have an onsite work requirement. They'd summon us once a month for an in-person team meeting, but that was about it. If you had a meeting in person for a project, you showed up. If you didn't, you didn't and so what.

This summer, they imposed an on-site at least three times per week (unless you have an exception or special permission not to show up 3x). I've been doing my best to make it work, but it's becoming ridiculous and a waste of time and money for me. We have four offices we can report to, and the two closest are about an hour away on a good day. Most of the time when I've showed up earlier in the week, the office is about half-full with enough people there to meet with in person or even go to lunch with. By Thurs-Fri though, only a few people trickle in and out. I put in two days this week and quite frankly, don't want to waste my time and money driving there tomorrow to sit alone in an empty office. I've shown up those days before and was the only one there. It was so stupid. I spent an hour in traffic to fx8King badge in and occupy a desk. I think at most one or two other people I don't even work with show up. So, my gas tank is empty, and I really don't feel like spending $30+ to fill it just to drive in traffic, sit alone, make one phone call, and then drive home in traffic.

I understand it's a risk not showing up anywhere and badging in, it can rattle the wrong cage, but I'm too old for this and I'm burning money to check a box. I can start my day early and be done by 5 rather than playing the badge in game and get home at 7 after sitting in silence for eight hours. If you were in my shoes and chose not to show up, how would you explain it to management if they call you out? How can they honestly argue with, "No one is there and it's a long drive for me to show up and sit at a desk, not attend any meetings, not even say hello to anyone." Is it worth getting into it with them? And no driving another half hour to a site further away where there may be what, at most 5 people in the office would be better?

[Anonymous]

Have you tried talking to your manager? By just not showing up, you escalate this a lot. The argument isn't going to be "it's important to be in the office", it's going to be "you knew this was expected of you and you didn't do it", and that's true.

[Anonymous]

What would I do? I would go in just once a week. And if management flags me for not coming in, I'd just say yes sir and continue to come in once a week until it escalates to HR.
Management might not care no one else is in the office. In fact, it may be a strategy to get people to quit instead of doing lay offs.
Where is management? Are they coming into the office?

[Anonymous]

If the office is that empty, it suggests other people are blowing this off too. I’d start coming in 2 days and see what happens. If nothing then go down to 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What would I do? I would go in just once a week. And if management flags me for not coming in, I'd just say yes sir and continue to come in once a week until it escalates to HR.
Management might not care no one else is in the office. In fact, it may be a strategy to get people to quit instead of doing lay offs.
Where is management? Are they coming into the office?

What??? That’s terrible advice. In Right to Work states it would never even get to HR, you can be fired anytime with no reason.

You do what you were told to do and start documenting. Then you have a conversation like a grown up to clarify expectations and show your concern that they are being enforced equally.

[Anonymous]

Go in every day for one week and take note of others who go in person. Based on your description it sounds like others aren’t going in three days a week.

[Anonymous]

OP, your situation isn’t unusual. There are millions of office workers required to commute daily to an office to sit on Teams. Many of us don’t have coworkers in our office. What you described is fairly common.

I wouldn’t bring it up with management. Depends on your culture but in many cases everyone knows it’s stupid and pretends to go along with it. Acknowledging that it’s a fake RTO can ruin it for everyone. Also no one is going to tell you officially that you don’t have to go in. Even your own manager telling you this only provides so much protection. I’d stay quiet, go in 2 days a week and always be there for an important meeting.

I figure eventually it will work itself out. Elephant in the room is this office space that companies don’t need. Billion spent on it. TBD if AI replace us all or we at some point get some power back and can push back.

I commute 20 hours a week to sit by myself. No one I work with is in my office. Surely my company could make better use of my 20 hours, but they don’t. I’ve determine they really care about RTO and showing up to work alone is more important to them than my productivity. To get ahead I must badge swipe and worry less about deliverables.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What would I do? I would go in just once a week. And if management flags me for not coming in, I'd just say yes sir and continue to come in once a week until it escalates to HR.
Management might not care no one else is in the office. In fact, it may be a strategy to get people to quit instead of doing lay offs.
Where is management? Are they coming into the office?

What??? That’s terrible advice. In Right to Work states it would never even get to HR, you can be fired anytime with no reason.

You do what you were told to do and start documenting. Then you have a conversation like a grown up to clarify expectations and show your concern that they are being enforced equally.

^^this reads like someone in the public sector. In the private sector this isn’t what you do. No conversation is going to clarify expectations unless you want in writing that you must go into the office. “Enforced equally” won’t happen and will raise red flags to management that you’re a troublemaker.

You go in less and if you get flagged, then start going in.

Never ask questions like PP is suggesting. It also would demonstrate you’re stupid.

[Anonymous]

Are you new here? People complain about RTO weekly. Do a search - the advice does not change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I was hired a few years ago, management did not have an onsite work requirement. They'd summon us once a month for an in-person team meeting, but that was about it. If you had a meeting in person for a project, you showed up. If you didn't, you didn't and so what.

This summer, they imposed an on-site at least three times per week (unless you have an exception or special permission not to show up 3x). I've been doing my best to make it work, but it's becoming ridiculous and a waste of time and money for me. We have four offices we can report to, and the two closest are about an hour away on a good day. Most of the time when I've showed up earlier in the week, the office is about half-full with enough people there to meet with in person or even go to lunch with. By Thurs-Fri though, only a few people trickle in and out. I put in two days this week and quite frankly, don't want to waste my time and money driving there tomorrow to sit alone in an empty office. I've shown up those days before and was the only one there. It was so stupid. I spent an hour in traffic to fx8King badge in and occupy a desk. I think at most one or two other people I don't even work with show up. So, my gas tank is empty, and I really don't feel like spending $30+ to fill it just to drive in traffic, sit alone, make one phone call, and then drive home in traffic.

I understand it's a risk not showing up anywhere and badging in, it can rattle the wrong cage, but I'm too old for this and I'm burning money to check a box. I can start my day early and be done by 5 rather than playing the badge in game and get home at 7 after sitting in silence for eight hours. If you were in my shoes and chose not to show up, how would you explain it to management if they call you out? How can they honestly argue with, "No one is there and it's a long drive for me to show up and sit at a desk, not attend any meetings, not even say hello to anyone." Is it worth getting into it with them? And no driving another half hour to a site further away where there may be what, at most 5 people in the office would be better?

This is code for we hired too many people during the pandemic. Soft layoffs through RTO. Play the game like everyone else.

[Anonymous]

We just had a director be fired because their staff were not following the RTO protocols. None of their staff were fired (as of yet).

[Anonymous]

First, is this a company wide policy or for your team? Are there details on how they track and monitor and what the penalties are for not meeting the metric?

This is really like any other job in that if it’s not worth it to you to do what they are asking, you need to be prepared to leave if you’re not willing to do it.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the feedback. It's a lot to consider. I don't know how a company can deem someone more effective simply for traveling an hour each way to park at a desk in a lonely office. Imagine getting into a bad accident just to do that? Or you go to your office to badge in, you're alone, and have a heart attack or stroke at your desk and you drop dead because no one finds you until Monday morning?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for all the feedback. It's a lot to consider. I don't know how a company can deem someone more effective simply for traveling an hour each way to park at a desk in a lonely office. Imagine getting into a bad accident just to do that? Or you go to your office to badge in, you're alone, and have a heart attack or stroke at your desk and you drop dead because no one finds you until Monday morning?

It’s not usually about being individually more effective it’s about a corporate dictated priority and they are willing to lose employees over it. In fact sometimes they are trying to force attrition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for all the feedback. It's a lot to consider. I don't know how a company can deem someone more effective simply for traveling an hour each way to park at a desk in a lonely office. Imagine getting into a bad accident just to do that? Or you go to your office to badge in, you're alone, and have a heart attack or stroke at your desk and you drop dead because no one finds you until Monday morning?

To work with their new policy you have to understand that they don’t care about the inefficiency of it all. Yes, they want you spending hours to sit by yourself on Teams. Again, they don’t care.

One silver lining is that the RTO policies have helped us understand how stupid these large companies are. Use your large company and figure out a plan to eventually leave.