Will RTO be relaxed ever?

[Anonymous]

It’s hard OP. RTO for me meant a 90 minutes each way commute to a place I’d never worked before and turned my family’s life upside down.

It is very, very tough. While on one hand, yes I am physically able to get to the office and “work” each day, it is destroying my productivity and physical and mental health, affecting my relationships with my kids and family, and just making life absolutely miserable. But the people in charge now do not care about those things. They want us to be miserable and quit. Many of us are stuck between a rock and a hard place. My kids are teens; it would be devastating for them to have to pick up and move to a new area, and near impossible to find a good enough paying other job in this market.

So I do like many women have for thousands of years: put up with it, put my own physical and mental needs behind those of others, and just hope it will get better before I drop dead.

I’m also not sure it is worth it to stay in the fed workforce just because of the pension.
If I could, I would quit, move far away to lower COL area, and just start over in a new job, but that would really hurt my kids.

[Anonymous]

Its hard to say, many private companies are RTO too. It sucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s hard OP. RTO for me meant a 90 minutes each way commute to a place I’d never worked before and turned my family’s life upside down.

It is very, very tough. While on one hand, yes I am physically able to get to the office and “work” each day, it is destroying my productivity and physical and mental health, affecting my relationships with my kids and family, and just making life absolutely miserable. But the people in charge now do not care about those things. They want us to be miserable and quit. Many of us are stuck between a rock and a hard place. My kids are teens; it would be devastating for them to have to pick up and move to a new area, and near impossible to find a good enough paying other job in this market.

So I do like many women have for thousands of years: put up with it, put my own physical and mental needs behind those of others, and just hope it will get better before I drop dead.

I’m also not sure it is worth it to stay in the fed workforce just because of the pension.
If I could, I would quit, move far away to lower COL area, and just start over in a new job, but that would really hurt my kids.

You think it doesn't impact men too? I don't get why women make it just about women.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I doubt it will get better while Trump is President. You might want to consider moving closer.

Yeah I can’t do that, I do have bonafide medical conditions and could ask for a RA, I’m just not sure if that would make a bad impression right off the bat. I guess I could tell them that before accepting the job. I literally can’t do that kind of commute.

OP, if you literally can’t do that kind of commute, then what do you have to lose by requesting an RA? If you literally can’t do it, why are you worried about a “bad impression”?

+1. I would discuss the RA after you get an offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Its hard to say, many private companies are RTO too. It sucks.

Hybrid is by far the most common arrangement in the private sector.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn’t stay in public service. I’d GTFO.

[Anonymous]

Hybrid schedules would allow for “face time” and team building and engagement but also give flexibility, work-life balance, and focused time for projects that are easier done in a quiet home office.
But the people in charge aren’t interested in anything reasonable that might improve things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You could become a MAGA political appointees. They are rarely in the office.

+1 also you can work for DOGE. They are at our agency from 10am-3pm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In Manhattan NYC pretty much everyone commutes one hour 15 minute one way every day from suburbs and do it for 30-40 years. It is not a big deal.

Office key card data data says this is not true. Also I dont know anyone there who says their commute is “not a big deal.”

[Anonymous]

This is OP. Why do people on this board feel the need to opine on all kinds of other things other than what I asked? I have a few potential job options. This is one I’m considering but the commute would be horrible.

Also, why do people think it is somehow admirable to be stuck in traffic for 1.5 hours twice a day? I really don’t understand that. My job very literally has no benefit from my being in person. Ever. In fact it is 95% conducting hearings virtually and I have no colleagues who do the same job I do. You think I should “make the sacrifice” to say hello to people I don’t work with?

[Anonymous]

OP, I am a fellow fed and if you asked me a week ago, I would have said no way RTO would be relaxed until at least 2029. However, just recently, management at my agency made some comments about needing to match private sector hybrid that gives me hope. Might be false hope but I think there are sections of the govt that might change. I think it will largely depend on how many people have left the agency, how desperate the agency is to hire again, and how competitive the agency is with private sector. So highly highly agency dependent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was going to become a firefighter but they wouldn’t let me WFH.

Not clever.
GTFOOH.
-not OP

NP, but it actually WAS clever

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. Why do people on this board feel the need to opine on all kinds of other things other than what I asked? I have a few potential job options. This is one I’m considering but the commute would be horrible.

Also, why do people think it is somehow admirable to be stuck in traffic for 1.5 hours twice a day? I really don’t understand that. My job very literally has no benefit from my being in person. Ever. In fact it is 95% conducting hearings virtually and I have no colleagues who do the same job I do. You think I should “make the sacrifice” to say hello to people I don’t work with?

Why are you assuming everyone commutes by car? My hour and 15 minute commute was a train and a subway

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I doubt it will get better while Trump is President. You might want to consider moving closer.

Yeah I can’t do that, I do have bonafide medical conditions and could ask for a RA, I’m just not sure if that would make a bad impression right off the bat. I guess I could tell them that before accepting the job. I literally can’t do that kind of commute.

Sure you do

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I doubt it will get better while Trump is President. You might want to consider moving closer.

Yeah I can’t do that, I do have bonafide medical conditions and could ask for a RA, I’m just not sure if that would make a bad impression right off the bat. I guess I could tell them that before accepting the job. I literally can’t do that kind of commute.

Sure you do

Um. Why would I say that on an anonymous board?