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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

This is what I did, just leave. 3 days RTO and then 5. At some points I was driving in during low traffic times, swiping my badge, and turning around almost immediately with the full visibility of my leadership team that's what I was doing and everyone else was too. No one I worked with was in my specific office and so there was no even perceived benefit from being in person. I left the job and am now almost entirely remote and only go in on days I coordinate with more local people to get together in person.

[Anonymous]

I told my job I was scared. That helped me get out of Mon/Fri alone in empty building

[Anonymous]

I had a job where I had to come into an empty hallway once a week. I locked my office door. It was scary. The hallway lights were the kind where they only turned on with motion. It was a horror movie.

Since I was the only one around, I would come in for 2-3 hours and then leave.

[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?

You don’t have to find it rationale. If that’s what they want to do, they can do it. You can either follow the rules they set or risk losing your job. Or proactively find something else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

That's how stupid these CEOs are. Do they really think people are as productive or work as many hours if you just tack on hours of commuting to their life? Duh.

Our PE firm has a jerk off who talks about impromptu ideas when people meet at the water cooler or pass in the hall. Sure, bro.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

That's how stupid these CEOs are. Do they really think people are as productive or work as many hours if you just tack on hours of commuting to their life? Duh.

Our PE firm has a jerk off who talks about impromptu ideas when people meet at the water cooler or pass in the hall. Sure, bro.

Informal interactions definitely have value.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

That's how stupid these CEOs are. Do they really think people are as productive or work as many hours if you just tack on hours of commuting to their life? Duh.

Our PE firm has a jerk off who talks about impromptu ideas when people meet at the water cooler or pass in the hall. Sure, bro.

Informal interactions definitely have value.

But they aren’t happening when you don’t work with anyone in your office building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

This. And tell no one!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

This. And tell no one!!

This is what I would do as well. Alternatively, I would come in later or leave early to beat the traffic and do any additional work at home if necessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

This. And tell no one!!

This is what I would do as well. Alternatively, I would come in later or leave early to beat the traffic and do any additional work at home if necessary.

That is what I do. I am more burned out from the commute than the job.

[Anonymous]

Original post indicated there ARE people in the office Mon-Weds. OP should do the 3x week in office on the first 3 days. Simple.

[Anonymous]

The answer to this is alaya going to be that if you need your job you follow the rules and if you don’t, then you can see where ignoring and flouting the rules gets you.

And as a PP said, if yo are looking for company, go in on the three days that there are people in the office.

[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?

By too old do you mean 28?

Go to the office or find a new job. Hopefully they to RTO the full week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

By too old do you mean 28?

Go to the office or find a new job. Hopefully they to RTO the full week.

Try early 50s.

[Anonymous]

NP. What I don't like in this case and other is the company changing its policy. I'm going to get it here that they have a right to do whatever they want and if you don't like it, get a job. Fine, but while any decent job brings in hundreds of resumes, it's not easy finding a good person who fits in.

But there is also another slant to this. People take jobs for a variety of reasons. If a company changes it's policies, it's a dirty trick. When does it cross the line?