New OPM memo on RTO

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I Don’t envy the HR dude who has to go through 2 million badges and confirm that each employee indeed was in the office and cross reference those hours to time cards. Then if something doesn’t foot, initiate an investigation and determine what happened.

Sounds like a lot of work.

We won't have HR anymore - they're all remote and quitting!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a newer employee, rto will provide way more mentoring opportunities which is exciting. I hate how people
Hid from mentoring others while wfh. Now we can be more easily trained and ask questions in person.

Good for you!

I learned so much when I first started in the Fed by being physically with my coworkers. A lot can be picked up outside of formal meetings and phone calls.

[Anonymous]

My organization provides industry oversight and the expertise is hard to come by. Some of our industry partners that sit on the other side of the table are consultants who charge $500 per hour. Our team has been joking for years that we all need to quit and start our own consulting company. This may be the impetus we need to make it happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My organization provides industry oversight and the expertise is hard to come by. Some of our industry partners that sit on the other side of the table are consultants who charge $500 per hour. Our team has been joking for years that we all need to quit and start our own consulting company. This may be the impetus we need to make it happen.

No DOGE will cut the consulting spending too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a newer employee, rto will provide way more mentoring opportunities which is exciting. I hate how people
Hid from mentoring others while wfh. Now we can be more easily trained and ask questions in person.

Good for you!

I learned so much when I first started in the Fed by being physically with my coworkers. A lot can be picked up outside of formal meetings and phone calls.

My new employees are all in a different state. We will still be remote from each other...just less likely to talk since we will be disturbing those around us with teams calls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Ding ding ding. Here was the reasonable answer- make it easier for middle managers to monitor and fire under performers

We definitely don't have many of those at DOJ, at least in terms of attorneys.

Also a DOJ lawyer here. I don’t know anyone in my component who works less than 50 hours a week. Many work considerably more. We are allowed to telework twice a week, but in practice no one actually does because we have to many in person obligations.

I worked, in person, through an illness that I later learned was causing acute Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome. My supervisor admonished me for going to the emergency room and had zero sympathy when I was hospitalized for five days. This idea that federal employees are slackers is a fiction.

How come the “rotten apples” theory should be considered the exception not the rule when it comes to law enforcement or gun control?

So sorry! Hit the wrong “quote button”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m really annoyed. If people had just gone in 3 days a week like they wanted us to, I think they wouldn’t have gone to such extremes.

I feel the same.

Yes. I blame Biden. He didn’t come down hard enough. Heck even his own EOP offices were TW more than we were. He let agencies get away with hardly complying with RTO and well here we are.

I'm tired of Democrats getting blamed because Republicans are cruel. Republicans have been attacking feds.for decades, Biden isn't responsible for this.

Agree. Plus it isn’t like other sectors aren’t teleworking. I know tons of remote and telework people who work with private companies.

Agree. I will be the only one going in full time. Most of my private sector neighbors cant fathom my current 3 times a week in the office.

Seriously. I am the only person on my street who goes to an office of any kind. Even my Trump supporting neighbor works remotely.

Here’s the thing - this isn’t most of the US. Even where I live in the DMV most of my street is blue collar, or in medical, law enforcement, etc. jobs. They’ve been in-person the entire time and spare absolutely zero tears for feds complaining about having to do what they’ve been doing all along.

And yes you can say, “but I’m more productive at home!” Or “my job doesn’t require me to be in the office” but people outside of your bubble don’t care. And they spoke with their vote.

Now they may change their mind when their commutes are miserable with that many more cars on the road, sometimes the dog chases the car and then doesn’t know what to do with it. But next time let’s ensure the Dems have a viable candidate.

You are crazy to think that federal remote work was the motivating issue in the last election.

Definitely not, but everyone on my street - nurses, professors, attorneys, business executives, etc. have been back in the office a minimum of 3 days/week for years, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed that my Fed neighbors walk their dogs, pick up and drop off their kids, cut their lawn, etc., regularly, during the work day. Additionally, many of them “work” remotely from vacation destinations for multiple weeks of the year. I know of no other large group of workers - blue collar or professional that are able to abuse the system in that way.

Academia, City, state and local government, all of Northern California, Rte 128 in MA, the K St. firms etc. all work from home regularly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I Don’t envy the HR dude who has to go through 2 million badges and confirm that each employee indeed was in the office and cross reference those hours to time cards. Then if something doesn’t foot, initiate an investigation and determine what happened.

Sounds like a lot of work.

We won't have HR anymore - they're all remote and quitting!

This is absolutely happen. As awful as our HR staff are, we're not going to be able to replace them at the salaries we offer. Separation paperwork is going to back way up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a newer employee, rto will provide way more mentoring opportunities which is exciting. I hate how people
Hid from mentoring others while wfh. Now we can be more easily trained and ask questions in person.

Good for you!

I learned so much when I first started in the Fed by being physically with my coworkers. A lot can be picked up outside of formal meetings and phone calls.

lol. As if anyone is going to mentor. They’ll be resentful and angry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you all read this to mean that no telework whatsoever is allowed? I'm trying to figure out if we can have people on call overnight from home, or if we need to go to 24/7 shifts in the building.

yep. Turn off the computer at 5:30 pm and no more work until 8:30 am.

This is going to make meetings with overseas employees very interesting. lol.

+1, I take those from home because there's no way I can be in the office at those hours. Guess I'll miss them.

The whole point is to starve the beast. If your program is made less effective and thereby more likely to be eliminated eventually, so much the better as far as the oligarchs are concerned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're not legalesing you're way out of this people. It's back to the office. 5 days per week. So many snowflakes when the grocery store worker has to go in everyday or the mechanic fixing your car does too. Big whoop, you have to click a computer mouse for a few hours per day in the office so you can't sleep at home and use time on the clock to babysit your kids. Welcome to the real world like the rest of America.

Sorry to ruin your party but most of us have union contracts that protect for years to come...and I do not have kids at home. I work.

Post the language here so we can see it.

Oh, what will you do with the info?

Then I will believe it. I want to see a CNA that actually guarantees telework because mine does not.

Why don’t you post the language from yours?

Np. The HHS NTEU contract (signed 2023 and good for 5 years) says “Regular and recurring telework may be performed for up to eight (8) days per pay period (e.g., Monday-Thursday or each week), unless the employee is approved for remote work. Employees on routine telework must normally report to the official duty station (ODS) at least twice per pay period..”

that’s not the operative language. There’s almost certainly another section spelling out that the employee’s requested telework schedule can only be denied for a narrow set of reasons. “Up to” just means that it’s not all-or-nothing.

Correct. It says that the employer may terminate participation in the telework program, with 7 days notice, for cause, which can include, among others, “organizational exigencies that impact on the mission of the employer, and require the employee to perform work at the official duty station.” Don’t you think they’re going to hang their hats on this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're not legalesing you're way out of this people. It's back to the office. 5 days per week. So many snowflakes when the grocery store worker has to go in everyday or the mechanic fixing your car does too. Big whoop, you have to click a computer mouse for a few hours per day in the office so you can't sleep at home and use time on the clock to babysit your kids. Welcome to the real world like the rest of America.

Sorry to ruin your party but most of us have union contracts that protect for years to come...and I do not have kids at home. I work.

Post the language here so we can see it.

Oh, what will you do with the info?

Then I will believe it. I want to see a CNA that actually guarantees telework because mine does not.

Why don’t you post the language from yours?

Np. The HHS NTEU contract (signed 2023 and good for 5 years) says “Regular and recurring telework may be performed for up to eight (8) days per pay period (e.g., Monday-Thursday or each week), unless the employee is approved for remote work. Employees on routine telework must normally report to the official duty station (ODS) at least twice per pay period..”

that’s not the operative language. There’s almost certainly another section spelling out that the employee’s requested telework schedule can only be denied for a narrow set of reasons. “Up to” just means that it’s not all-or-nothing.

Correct. It says that the employer may terminate participation in the telework program, with 7 days notice, for cause, which can include, among others, “organizational exigencies that impact on the mission of the employer, and require the employee to perform work at the official duty station.” Don’t you think they’re going to hang their hats on this?

They are definitely going to hang their hats on this. Things like this situation are why that language is in there. Unions will fight it but in the meantime, it is very likely it will be implemented while the grievance process or any litigation plays out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a newer employee, rto will provide way more mentoring opportunities which is exciting. I hate how people
Hid from mentoring others while wfh. Now we can be more easily trained and ask questions in person.

Good for you!

I learned so much when I first started in the Fed by being physically with my coworkers. A lot can be picked up outside of formal meetings and phone calls.

lol. As if anyone is going to mentor. They’ll be resentful and angry.

I’ve been a mentor as remote for many new staff and had a positive impact with many getting promoted. Between commute and getting my work done in core hours so I can get back to my family, you bet I’m not helping anyone including gen Z who voted for this trash. Enjoy your MAGA mentoring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a newer employee, rto will provide way more mentoring opportunities which is exciting. I hate how people
Hid from mentoring others while wfh. Now we can be more easily trained and ask questions in person.

Good for you!

I learned so much when I first started in the Fed by being physically with my coworkers. A lot can be picked up outside of formal meetings and phone calls.

Don't expect much. Young people aren't applying due to the 4.4% pension contribution and morale is going to be in the gutter due to all the hostility. People aren't really going to sign up to be mentors and a lot of people aren't going to be interested in $20 coffee breaks to chat

[Anonymous]

I actually don’t mind going in to the office more. But this will significantly affect my kids. They’re in aftercare now, but we’ll be now utilizing it to the max resulting in really long days for them. And we’ll have to limit extracurriculars. I left big law and took a total mommy track job with the Feds for the lifestyle. I’m good at it, work hard, and wholeheartedly support my agency’s mission. I’m so tired and sad right now.