DHS ends teleworking, requires employees to work in person

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:These headline grabbing articles are just that. There are exemptions for lack of physical space or employee’s inability to return. Let’s see how this plays out with actual DHS employees.

+1, the loopholes are actually huge.

They are using RTO as stealth layoffs, just like the private sector has the last few years. It's also a way to clear out older workers who probably should retire but have stuck around because their jobs are very easy for them at this stage and if they can do them at home with a flexible schedule, why not.

Managers are going to come back with exemptions for most of their other workers though. A lot of these jobs have no permanent offices to go back to. Some are highly skilled workers who are very hard to replace (and most replacements would also expect WFH allowances).

If you have an empty office somewhere that you never go to, are relatively easy to replace, and are a poor performer, you should either ready yourself to return to the office or look for another job.

I can't stand Trump but I support this specific policy. I've managed people a long time and there are lots of appropriate uses for RTO but there are also a lot of people who just abuse it to avoid working and you need mechanisms for rooting those people out.

I think agency heads are going to set policies for exemptions that will be too narrow for individual managers to circumvent. That's been my experience in my career to date.

This!
An administration that doesn’t believe in remote work and telework will make sure that many people don’t use exemptions to work around the EO.
They have a goal and will make sure they achieve.

True. The goal is to have people on the roads so that they buy gas and cars, then they spend 2-3 hrs in commute and are so tired that they end up eating out a lot, then when they are fat and unhealthy the pharmaceutical companies can make mind off of them.

This is no coincidence, billionaires want the plebes constantly working and tired, that’s how they make money. From fast foods to gas stations to big pharma to clothes retailers, we are supposed to enrich all of them off our backs. The tragedy is that billionaires exploit people by using them against each other, a tale as old as time.

Otherwise, what difference does it make to Trump whether Federal workers have a hybrid schedule or not, to him and his donors these people are the cogs in their money making process.

Teachers, doctors, nurses and so many other professionals have to go into work every day. Why should you all get to ‘work from home’ for years?

I’m a teacher and wish workers could still telework. Now I have to go in person every day and deal with insane traffic?

LOL teaching over telework while students have to go into he a classroom watching a zoom video IS WILD

I think you misread the post you’re quoting.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Help me follow the logic of anti-telework folks.
If a small number of people are abusing the system, is the argument everyone should lose the benefit? Or is the argument, my private sector job doesn’t allow telework, so your job shouldn’t either? I’m really trying to understand.

Neither. I think they've been pretty transparent about the goal being to make federal employment more miserable in order to drive high-performers to the private sector. They want government to be less effective.

Private companies are cutting back and hiring freezes. It could be a big recession on top if inflation.

So teleworking will be the "cause" of the next recession?

Private companies were rto at the beginning of the year. They are looking to fire too.

I don’t know anyone in a private sector role back five days a week. Most people are hybrid. That’s the norm.

People are pretty delusional about the state of the world. Look at the wildfires. My husband’s company, based in in LA, is feeling pretty good about diversifying their workforce and expanding nationwide hiring cause a lot of the LA staff aren’t focused on work lately.

There is no question we will have another pandemic. It makes sense to get used to remote work becoming a more regular thing.

Most white collar people are hybrid. Even at the height of the pandemic the majority of American workers were not working from home. Lots of jobs require you to be physically present for them to happen.

This is not an argument against telework. DH can telework, I can't. Our family runs much better and DH is much happier when he can telework. But the blindness to the sheer number of people who cannot telework (like me!) is part of what causes the irrational rage against teleworking feds.

you know, from now on you should have your desk moved right outside of your office and you should work under the scorching sun and 100 degrees in the summer and holding and umbrella under the rain or snow in the winter. Your blindness to the sheer number of people who cannot work in a comfy office but are forced to work outside (construction workers, roofers, produce pickers, road workers and so on) is part of the irrational rage against office workers so sorry but get a good coat for your day at the office tomorrow as it would be unfair to have you work inside when so many people, for the very nature of their work, cannot.

I've had those kind of outdoor jobs. That's why I studied hard, went to grad school, got a PhD, amassed a huge amount of human capital, so I could work indoors on a computer.

[Anonymous]

It’s Ok. We had a long run from March 2020 until almost March 2025.

[Anonymous]

So I’m technically within the 50 mile commuting distance but due to the route, transit options, and traffic, looking at potentially 4+ hours each day spent in traffic or on Metro. I cannot reasonably do this and still eat, do minimal self care tasks, and get enough sleep, let alone take care of my kids in the late evenings and mornings. I am putting in for RA to continue based on mental health and other diagnoses I’ve received in the past, but I am not optimistic.
I’m not even at a targeted agency and we’ve already been exempted from Fork. I guess we will just see what happens.

[Anonymous]

The vast majority of feds are incredibly dedicated to their agency’s mission. That dedication means people will deal with the slog to the office and other things. The sense of pride in being a public servant will sustain many of us. That’s something that the administration and its corporate flunky’s mindset will never understand, because they are all about “me first.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The vast majority of feds are incredibly dedicated to their agency’s mission. That dedication means people will deal with the slog to the office and other things. The sense of pride in being a public servant will sustain many of us. That’s something that the administration and its corporate flunky’s mindset will never understand, because they are all about “me first.”

that sounds great, do you have any data to back that up

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s Ok. We had a long run from March 2020 until almost March 2025.

are you suggesting no one teleworked before march 2020???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The vast majority of feds are incredibly dedicated to their agency’s mission. That dedication means people will deal with the slog to the office and other things. The sense of pride in being a public servant will sustain many of us. That’s something that the administration and its corporate flunky’s mindset will never understand, because they are all about “me first.”

that sounds great, do you have any data to back that up

Do you have data that contradicts it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s Ok. We had a long run from March 2020 until almost March 2025.

You guys- it’s not the returning to the office that’s an issue- it’s the no telework whatsoever that’s the issue. My best employer has a broken leg (true story! He’s had multiple surgeries now) and can’t drive. I really don’t want him to be on short term disability because he’s not allowed to telework. He can’t drive though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s Ok. We had a long run from March 2020 until almost March 2025.

You guys- it’s not the returning to the office that’s an issue- it’s the no telework whatsoever that’s the issue. My best employer has a broken leg (true story! He’s had multiple surgeries now) and can’t drive. I really don’t want him to be on short term disability because he’s not allowed to telework. He can’t drive though.

this! I wish people would call it a telework ban, not RTO.

[Anonymous]

I've seen our components draft telework policy update. Situational telework will still exist if you break a leg or go to the doc and want to stay home the rest of the day.

[Anonymous]

DH is at at DHS agency and they are back at work starting Monday. Not enough offices so they said some will need to sit in the cafeteria and conference rooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s Ok. We had a long run from March 2020 until almost March 2025.

You guys- it’s not the returning to the office that’s an issue- it’s the no telework whatsoever that’s the issue. My best employer has a broken leg (true story! He’s had multiple surgeries now) and can’t drive. I really don’t want him to be on short term disability because he’s not allowed to telework. He can’t drive though.

So arrange a carpool to help him. It takes a village!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So I’m technically within the 50 mile commuting distance but due to the route, transit options, and traffic, looking at potentially 4+ hours each day spent in traffic or on Metro. I cannot reasonably do this and still eat, do minimal self care tasks, and get enough sleep, let alone take care of my kids in the late evenings and mornings. I am putting in for RA to continue based on mental health and other diagnoses I’ve received in the past, but I am not optimistic.
I’m not even at a targeted agency and we’ve already been exempted from Fork. I guess we will just see what happens.

You are not the taxpayers charity case, find another job or move closer in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s Ok. We had a long run from March 2020 until almost March 2025.

You guys- it’s not the returning to the office that’s an issue- it’s the no telework whatsoever that’s the issue. My best employer has a broken leg (true story! He’s had multiple surgeries now) and can’t drive. I really don’t want him to be on short term disability because he’s not allowed to telework. He can’t drive though.

Can he not get a reasonable accommodation during his recovery?

Will your agency not give a waiver?

My agency is allowing situational telework and I'm pretty sure would bless a short term arrangement for an employee like you describe.