Does anyone thinking about leaving fed job (or taking a break) if forced to RTO 5 days a week?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will be willing to RTO but I will not work a minute early or a minute later than scheduled if I do. And, no laptops will be taken home at night or for snow days.

If they want to go back to 1990, then we go back to 1990.

This. I will check my boxes and nothing more. Need me to stay late? No, sorry, I have an appointment. Log on at home for call with out west coast colleagues. Sorry, I have an appointment.

I do all that now as I View that as a trade off for my flexibility. But that will end immediately upon RTO.

[Anonymous]

This feels pretty depressing and frustrating for me, in the context of having worked all weekend so far on a litigation filing due Tuesday. We are currently 3 days in office, two at home, which works well for me. I guess I will see how the new administration changes the substance of my work (TBD, as it is not clear how our work will be viewed - we are not DEI, the environment, civil rights etc.). Overall, I think there is a stronger chance that I will not like the way things go, and move on, but RTO is just one piece of a many faceted issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This feels pretty depressing and frustrating for me, in the context of having worked all weekend so far on a litigation filing due Tuesday. We are currently 3 days in office, two at home, which works well for me. I guess I will see how the new administration changes the substance of my work (TBD, as it is not clear how our work will be viewed - we are not DEI, the environment, civil rights etc.). Overall, I think there is a stronger chance that I will not like the way things go, and move on, but RTO is just one piece of a many faceted issue.

I think this is a good point that gets lost in the RTO discussion. It’s not just Feds being whiny about going into an office. It’s that we are upset about the overall vitriol toward us, and that our employment is being changed for punitive reasons. How many people would be happy if their company was bought out and the new leadership bragged about how miserable they want to make all the existing employees so they’ll quit?

If I’m asked to spend more time in an office because of a workload need that is an entirely different story than what is going on now. But being made to upend my life (commute time, paying for extended childcare hours, less time to exercise or see friends/family etc.) because a bunch of mouth breathers who watch too much Fox News are foaming at the mouth for it just feels gross and demoralizing.

I’ve been around for a while now and have worked through the Obama pay freezes and without a paycheck during multiple shut downs. I step up to take on extra workloads that are important and make a difference in the lives of the public (although they will never know my name or what exactly I’ve done for them) for no extra pay. But working for an antagonistic administration like this is soul sucking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will be willing to RTO but I will not work a minute early or a minute later than scheduled if I do. And, no laptops will be taken home at night or for snow days.

If they want to go back to 1990, then we go back to 1990.

This. I will check my boxes and nothing more. Need me to stay late? No, sorry, I have an appointment. Log on at home for call with out west coast colleagues. Sorry, I have an appointment.

I do all that now as I View that as a trade off for my flexibility. But that will end immediately upon RTO.

Get 'em tiger. Way to be a team player. You are soooo cool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
This is a common set-up: two parents out of the house 10 hours a day, scrambling to provide care for their own children. We make it work because we have to.

And what benefit is there to society in making more people have to deal with this?

So your question (why should I have to suffer like you, essentially) comes across as a bit… privileged to those of us who do essential in-person jobs.

Nice try. Answer the question. What benefit is there to society in making other people’s lives worse?

You mean: What if we are all as self-serving as you?

Who is going to teach your children? Who is going to provide after-school activities and childcare for you? Who is going to be at the urgent care when you or your child get sick?

See, it’s really tiresome for those of us who work for the betterment of society (which often has to be done in person) to hear the woe-is-me from somebody who may have to experience a bit of what we do. It’s hard to feel sympathy when your argument is “well, you’re suffering, but thankfully I don’t have to!”

Nailed it.

Exactly - so self serving!

Are you enjoying talking to yourself? How about answering the question you keep ignoring. What benefit is there to society in this? It should be simple to explain. Why can’t you?

read much?? It was already answered. The benefit is that companies get their full time attention and work product back from the folks who have not been putting in 40 hours and full attention while wfh. No, I don't want to pay to do your kids homework, or laundry during meetings or workout between calls. I want you to earn your freaking paycheck. Go work somewhere else if you cant understand this,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
This is a common set-up: two parents out of the house 10 hours a day, scrambling to provide care for their own children. We make it work because we have to.

And what benefit is there to society in making more people have to deal with this?

So your question (why should I have to suffer like you, essentially) comes across as a bit… privileged to those of us who do essential in-person jobs.

Nice try. Answer the question. What benefit is there to society in making other people’s lives worse?

You mean: What if we are all as self-serving as you?

Who is going to teach your children? Who is going to provide after-school activities and childcare for you? Who is going to be at the urgent care when you or your child get sick?

See, it’s really tiresome for those of us who work for the betterment of society (which often has to be done in person) to hear the woe-is-me from somebody who may have to experience a bit of what we do. It’s hard to feel sympathy when your argument is “well, you’re suffering, but thankfully I don’t have to!”

Nailed it.

Exactly - so self serving!

Are you enjoying talking to yourself? How about answering the question you keep ignoring. What benefit is there to society in this? It should be simple to explain. Why can’t you?

read much?? It was already answered. The benefit is that companies get their full time attention and work product back from the folks who have not been putting in 40 hours and full attention while wfh. No, I don't want to pay to do your kids homework, or laundry during meetings or workout between calls. I want you to earn your freaking paycheck. Go work somewhere else if you cant understand this,

People are working at home. We know YOU can’t do it. But the rest of us are. Now, explain what the benefit is of removing WFH for people who do their work just fine that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will be willing to RTO but I will not work a minute early or a minute later than scheduled if I do. And, no laptops will be taken home at night or for snow days.

If they want to go back to 1990, then we go back to 1990.

This. I will check my boxes and nothing more. Need me to stay late? No, sorry, I have an appointment. Log on at home for call with out west coast colleagues. Sorry, I have an appointment.

I do all that now as I View that as a trade off for my flexibility. But that will end immediately upon RTO.

Get 'em tiger. Way to be a team player. You are soooo cool.

You think daddy Trump will notice you post enough of this garbage?

[Anonymous]

I will leave my agency if Drump’s EO is vague or returns to pre-Covid TW and my agency decides to go all in and force 5 days RTO. We went above and beyond for Biden’s RTO (all in 3-4 days a week) when we didn’t need to because we want to show we’re the best at RTO. I don’t want to be best here, but am worried my agency will go all out with this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
This is a common set-up: two parents out of the house 10 hours a day, scrambling to provide care for their own children. We make it work because we have to.

And what benefit is there to society in making more people have to deal with this?

So your question (why should I have to suffer like you, essentially) comes across as a bit… privileged to those of us who do essential in-person jobs.

Nice try. Answer the question. What benefit is there to society in making other people’s lives worse?

You mean: What if we are all as self-serving as you?

Who is going to teach your children? Who is going to provide after-school activities and childcare for you? Who is going to be at the urgent care when you or your child get sick?

See, it’s really tiresome for those of us who work for the betterment of society (which often has to be done in person) to hear the woe-is-me from somebody who may have to experience a bit of what we do. It’s hard to feel sympathy when your argument is “well, you’re suffering, but thankfully I don’t have to!”

Nailed it.

Exactly - so self serving!

Are you enjoying talking to yourself? How about answering the question you keep ignoring. What benefit is there to society in this? It should be simple to explain. Why can’t you?

read much?? It was already answered. The benefit is that companies get their full time attention and work product back from the folks who have not been putting in 40 hours and full attention while wfh. No, I don't want to pay to do your kids homework, or laundry during meetings or workout between calls. I want you to earn your freaking paycheck. Go work somewhere else if you cant understand this,

People are working at home. We know YOU can’t do it. But the rest of us are. Now, explain what the benefit is of removing WFH for people who do their work just fine that way.

There is zero benefit and it just clogs the roads and the before-after care programs. It makes society a little worse.

[Anonymous]

I go in every day anyway, but I'm very concerned a few of my best employees will leave if they try to enforce 4-5 days in the office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will be willing to RTO but I will not work a minute early or a minute later than scheduled if I do. And, no laptops will be taken home at night or for snow days.

If they want to go back to 1990, then we go back to 1990.

This. I will check my boxes and nothing more. Need me to stay late? No, sorry, I have an appointment. Log on at home for call with out west coast colleagues. Sorry, I have an appointment.

I do all that now as I View that as a trade off for my flexibility. But that will end immediately upon RTO.

Get 'em tiger. Way to be a team player. You are soooo cool.

The government has below market rate compensation, expensive health benefits, and a pension plan that (in the case of people hired more recently) is possibly worse than no pension at all. If they also remove all flexibility and start treating employees like crap, this will be the response. And in reality, they've been clear that they want this response and indeed are attempting to make the workplace so inhospitable that people leave.

[Anonymous]

I thought federal civil servants had good health insurance? Its "expensive"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought federal civil servants had good health insurance? Its "expensive"?

It's not bad, but isn't any better than other professional jobs. The employer contribution to self-only premiums is lower than a lot of jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I go in every day anyway, but I'm very concerned a few of my best employees will leave if they try to enforce 4-5 days in the office.

I can go in but my mentee, She'll definitely quit. She does the work of 2.5 people, writes brilliantly. The only reason we have her is the work/life balance so she was able to balance the job and having young twins.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I go in every day anyway, but I'm very concerned a few of my best employees will leave if they try to enforce 4-5 days in the office.

I can go in but my mentee, She'll definitely quit. She does the work of 2.5 people, writes brilliantly. The only reason we have her is the work/life balance so she was able to balance the job and having young twins.

We are also going to likely lose some high performers.