pointless onsite requirement

[Anonymous]

I just commuted an hour each way to literally sit in an office alone all day long. One colleague showed up for the morning, two other people from another department were across the floor in another section, and that was it. None of our managers who enforce the 3x per week onsite requirement were there, and everyone else on our team of about three dozen were working from home or supposedly at other buildings to fulfill their "onsite" requirement. I don't understand why fulfilling this stupid requirement is imperative. I did not collaborate, I was on two calls all day, no one who cares even saw me there, I did not advance any project that required being on site... all I did was spend money on gas. I paid for this nonsense. Are others doing the same thing or have their employees finally realized this is ridiculous. I understand fed orgs are dealing with this, but what about contractors/others in the private sector who enforced onsite requirements?

[Anonymous]

Wait until you find out about the new cover page on the TPS reports!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just commuted an hour each way to literally sit in an office alone all day long. One colleague showed up for the morning, two other people from another department were across the floor in another section, and that was it. None of our managers who enforce the 3x per week onsite requirement were there, and everyone else on our team of about three dozen were working from home or supposedly at other buildings to fulfill their "onsite" requirement. I don't understand why fulfilling this stupid requirement is imperative. I did not collaborate, I was on two calls all day, no one who cares even saw me there, I did not advance any project that required being on site... all I did was spend money on gas. I paid for this nonsense. Are others doing the same thing or have their employees finally realized this is ridiculous. I understand fed orgs are dealing with this, but what about contractors/others in the private sector who enforced onsite requirements?

Yeah, it's ironic, the meeting sizes grew such that they don't have space to accommodate everyone, so half the people are in the office on a web cam attending the meetings. Worst case scenario.

Even before it was easy and convenient with teams, I spent substantial amounts of time in the office "teleconferencing".

It's frustrating for those of us that are able to be remote all day. Though, I don't have the luxury of a vanity office or a parking space, so I don't feel so bad. In theory I could go in the office, but I'd be in a janky "free desking" cubicle. So, like I have no qualms about leaving asap.

[Anonymous]

You are there to prop up their CRE investments and/or CRE sunk costs. To a lesser degree it may be a way to reduce headcount through attrition.

There are (potential) job-relevant benefits to working on site, but no company has ever cared about them. It's literally all CRE, attrition, and a little bit of optics for a certain type of manager.

[Anonymous]

At least 2 days a week I go to the office and literally sit alone in my office on video calls with people in another state. I do not interact with anyone in person at all those days (other than the security guards or in the kitchen).

The other three days I average 1-2 in person meetings a day and I usually have lunch or go for a walk with a friend 1 or 2 days.

I actually like being in the office when I am interacting with people, but I have a team that is split between 2 locations, and the ones that are in DC sit in a completely different part of the building from me, so I often don't see them all day.

[Anonymous]

On principle, I don’t mind going to the office. I very much dislike attending meetings via Teams instead of gathering in the conference room. Such an odd practice.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I realized last week that I could drop dead at my desk and no one would know. The cleaning team would find me laying on the floor that evening.

[Anonymous]

we are ALL frustrated, feds and contractors alike....to come into the office just for TEAMS meetings all day with no effort to gather the commuters together for said meetings is dumb but this is where we are until the tide turns, if it ever does.... sigh....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just commuted an hour each way to literally sit in an office alone all day long. One colleague showed up for the morning, two other people from another department were across the floor in another section, and that was it. None of our managers who enforce the 3x per week onsite requirement were there, and everyone else on our team of about three dozen were working from home or supposedly at other buildings to fulfill their "onsite" requirement. I don't understand why fulfilling this stupid requirement is imperative. I did not collaborate, I was on two calls all day, no one who cares even saw me there, I did not advance any project that required being on site... all I did was spend money on gas. I paid for this nonsense. Are others doing the same thing or have their employees finally realized this is ridiculous. I understand fed orgs are dealing with this, but what about contractors/others in the private sector who enforced onsite requirements?

You don't have to. That's not part of the requirement.

[Anonymous]

On my two main in person days I DO NOT schedule Remote or Teams meetings. I only meet with people in office that day. And I go to lunch outside building, try to meet up old co-workers, go to lumch with current co workers, stop by peoples desk to say high, chat at coffee maker. I make in person ALL about INPERSON

my remote days are Monk Head down days. I also have people like you who come to work and refuse to talk to anyone in office then complain why did I come here. They think it is pointless. Well that is fine, you do you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On my two main in person days I DO NOT schedule Remote or Teams meetings. I only meet with people in office that day. And I go to lunch outside building, try to meet up old co-workers, go to lumch with current co workers, stop by peoples desk to say high, chat at coffee maker. I make in person ALL about INPERSON

my remote days are Monk Head down days. I also have people like you who come to work and refuse to talk to anyone in office then complain why did I come here. They think it is pointless. Well that is fine, you do you.

OP here. I'm not refusing to talk to anyone. There is no one to talk to. I walk in and it's dark because the motion-detecting lights aren't picking up activity from a living creature. And exactly, on the rare occasion there are other colleagues there, I try to do all the same things you do to make the commute worthwhile. But what else can I do otherwise? Find a volleyball and start talking to it?

[Anonymous]

You do a lot of things that are required by your employer, but for some reason you feel like this is optional and ridiculous. You can always feel free to find a fully remote job instead of starting yet another thread about how in office requirement is so unfair. I'm getting tired of these whiny posts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On my two main in person days I DO NOT schedule Remote or Teams meetings. I only meet with people in office that day. And I go to lunch outside building, try to meet up old co-workers, go to lumch with current co workers, stop by peoples desk to say high, chat at coffee maker. I make in person ALL about INPERSON

my remote days are Monk Head down days. I also have people like you who come to work and refuse to talk to anyone in office then complain why did I come here. They think it is pointless. Well that is fine, you do you.

OP here. I'm not refusing to talk to anyone. There is no one to talk to. I walk in and it's dark because the motion-detecting lights aren't picking up activity from a living creature. And exactly, on the rare occasion there are other colleagues there, I try to do all the same things you do to make the commute worthwhile. But what else can I do otherwise? Find a volleyball and start talking to it?

I am right there with you, OP. For my in-person days I do not see another colleague or even another human being other than the guard at the front desk. I sit alone in our area. I could also drop dead at my seat and no one would notice until the after-hours cleaning crew came through. Sigh. So dumb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You do a lot of things that are required by your employer, but for some reason you feel like this is optional and ridiculous. You can always feel free to find a fully remote job instead of starting yet another thread about how in office requirement is so unfair. I'm getting tired of these whiny posts.

Working alone in an office for hours on end makes sense if you're a security guard. Or if you work in a data center with only a handful of other people. Or a park ranger stationed in a lookout tower watching for wildfires. In those situations, being onsite, and alone, is part of the job. Why does writing reports, creating presentations and jumping on Teams calls require sitting at a desk in an empty office for hours on end? Will the building foundation crumble if at least one human body is not in a cubicle?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At least 2 days a week I go to the office and literally sit alone in my office on video calls with people in another state. I do not interact with anyone in person at all those days (other than the security guards or in the kitchen).

The other three days I average 1-2 in person meetings a day and I usually have lunch or go for a walk with a friend 1 or 2 days.

I actually like being in the office when I am interacting with people, but I have a team that is split between 2 locations, and the ones that are in DC sit in a completely different part of the building from me, so I often don't see them all day.

Can you grab a conference room over near them and just work together for a bit? That's what I would do to make it worthwhile. If I'm going all the way into the office I'll go a little further to find coworkers instead of camping out where my office happens to be.