What is your federal agency telling you re: RTO? (No other rants/comments!)

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:For supervisors, how are you handling discussions around this with your employees? I find it challenging to balance toeing the company line for risk of being fired with being sympathetic to how disruptive this will be to people’s lives (though I feel some of the DCUM responses are a bit entitled also)

My employees know that I like flexible workplace policies—I don’t plan to sugarcoat anything for them. This is what it is. Show up or it’s your job, same as for me. We are all adults and can make our own choices.

This. There is nothing more I can tell them so leave your sob stories at home. You only have two options, come in quit or retire.

There's a ton of unknowns still, even with some directive to come in 5 days/week. Those unknowns may be things that provide more flexibility to staff with different circumstances. You could say that those are still things that could be eventually available.

But you sound like a bad boss.

My agency already said they will allow situational telework. I'm wondering if they eventually include ad hoc in that... probably not, but it could be very helpful for many.

There's also flex schedules, even ones that require coming to the office 5x/week, that could help people with childcare pickup/dropoff hours. Or even just allowing accruing credit hours one day and taking those credit hours the next (ie., no formal agreement for flextime). There are still options that fit within a 40-hour-in-office requirement, but allow some flexibility.

Yes. This. The problem is that the EO said full time at your duty station but I do think some agencies will still allow people to flex around so long as you’re present during core hours every day and with that I have zero problems. It’s basically what I already do three days a week.

but full time = 40 hours/week. I would definitely be 40 hours at my duty station if I did (say) 9/7/9/7/8.

I think you forgot about the mandatory unpaid lunch.

LOL. You're right, my mandatory unpaid lunch would make that all be 42.5 hours in office, so 9.5/7.5/9.5/7.5/8.5. Wouldn't want to let down the taxpayers!

You’ve got a good point. I might do something like that bc there are going to be some days I need to leave early ha but I’m worried if my time sheet doesn’t reflect 8.5hrs each day evenly, I could be tapped and then terminated. I do have maxiflex though and this technically is allowed-question is will maxiflex exist in this new regime or will OPM get rid of it?

I have this same question. Maxiflex (even if none of it can be telework) would be much better than a mandatory 8.5 every day.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:For supervisors, how are you handling discussions around this with your employees? I find it challenging to balance toeing the company line for risk of being fired with being sympathetic to how disruptive this will be to people’s lives (though I feel some of the DCUM responses are a bit entitled also)

My employees know that I like flexible workplace policies—I don’t plan to sugarcoat anything for them. This is what it is. Show up or it’s your job, same as for me. We are all adults and can make our own choices.

This. There is nothing more I can tell them so leave your sob stories at home. You only have two options, come in quit or retire.

There's a ton of unknowns still, even with some directive to come in 5 days/week. Those unknowns may be things that provide more flexibility to staff with different circumstances. You could say that those are still things that could be eventually available.

But you sound like a bad boss.

My agency already said they will allow situational telework. I'm wondering if they eventually include ad hoc in that... probably not, but it could be very helpful for many.

There's also flex schedules, even ones that require coming to the office 5x/week, that could help people with childcare pickup/dropoff hours. Or even just allowing accruing credit hours one day and taking those credit hours the next (ie., no formal agreement for flextime). There are still options that fit within a 40-hour-in-office requirement, but allow some flexibility.

Yes. This. The problem is that the EO said full time at your duty station but I do think some agencies will still allow people to flex around so long as you’re present during core hours every day and with that I have zero problems. It’s basically what I already do three days a week.

but full time = 40 hours/week. I would definitely be 40 hours at my duty station if I did (say) 9/7/9/7/8.

I think you forgot about the mandatory unpaid lunch.

LOL. You're right, my mandatory unpaid lunch would make that all be 42.5 hours in office, so 9.5/7.5/9.5/7.5/8.5. Wouldn't want to let down the taxpayers!

You’ve got a good point. I might do something like that bc there are going to be some days I need to leave early ha but I’m worried if my time sheet doesn’t reflect 8.5hrs each day evenly, I could be tapped and then terminated. I do have maxiflex though and this technically is allowed-question is will maxiflex exist in this new regime or will OPM get rid of it?

I have this same question. Maxiflex (even if none of it can be telework) would be much better than a mandatory 8.5 every day.

Yup. Keeping maxi flex and allowing situational/ad hoc telework will make all the difference compared to 8.5 on site every day.
I assume those details will be coming this week.

[Anonymous]

We still have not heard anything despite last weeks deadline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For supervisors, how are you handling discussions around this with your employees? I find it challenging to balance toeing the company line for risk of being fired with being sympathetic to how disruptive this will be to people’s lives (though I feel some of the DCUM responses are a bit entitled also)

My employees know that I like flexible workplace policies—I don’t plan to sugarcoat anything for them. This is what it is. Show up or it’s your job, same as for me. We are all adults and can make our own choices.

This. There is nothing more I can tell them so leave your sob stories at home. You only have two options, come in quit or retire.

There's a ton of unknowns still, even with some directive to come in 5 days/week. Those unknowns may be things that provide more flexibility to staff with different circumstances. You could say that those are still things that could be eventually available.

But you sound like a bad boss.

My agency already said they will allow situational telework. I'm wondering if they eventually include ad hoc in that... probably not, but it could be very helpful for many.

There's also flex schedules, even ones that require coming to the office 5x/week, that could help people with childcare pickup/dropoff hours. Or even just allowing accruing credit hours one day and taking those credit hours the next (ie., no formal agreement for flextime). There are still options that fit within a 40-hour-in-office requirement, but allow some flexibility.

Yes. This. The problem is that the EO said full time at your duty station but I do think some agencies will still allow people to flex around so long as you’re present during core hours every day and with that I have zero problems. It’s basically what I already do three days a week.

but full time = 40 hours/week. I would definitely be 40 hours at my duty station if I did (say) 9/7/9/7/8.

I think you forgot about the mandatory unpaid lunch.

LOL. You're right, my mandatory unpaid lunch would make that all be 42.5 hours in office, so 9.5/7.5/9.5/7.5/8.5. Wouldn't want to let down the taxpayers!

You’ve got a good point. I might do something like that bc there are going to be some days I need to leave early ha but I’m worried if my time sheet doesn’t reflect 8.5hrs each day evenly, I could be tapped and then terminated. I do have maxiflex though and this technically is allowed-question is will maxiflex exist in this new regime or will OPM get rid of it?

I have this same question. Maxiflex (even if none of it can be telework) would be much better than a mandatory 8.5 every day.

FWIW, our timesheets only report hours worked, we don’t have to report the unpaid lunch, though we do have to take it.

(I’m also worried about time sheet stuff)

[Anonymous]

Still nothing as of 0900 on Monday - I work for Army/DoD at the Pentagon- I have had 2 days of TW a week. Sorry to see that go, but writing seems to be on the wall. There are not enough desks for my office if every person came back 5 days a week - we already share offices and have cubicles - I am a GS15 - so they will have to get creative with that.

[Anonymous]

DAF sent an email saying they’re “disseminating the verbiage” from acting SECDEF’s memo, and we should receive a signed copy of the memo at some time this week.

[Anonymous]

Can someone please explain BU? My spouse is at FDA, trying to figure it out.

[Anonymous]

Still crickets at my mid-size agency, except an email that attached dump truck's EO.

[Anonymous]

New OPM memo dropped. More time provided.

[Anonymous]

BU = Bargaining Unit

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BU = Bargaining Unit

= represented by the union

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone please explain BU? My spouse is at FDA, trying to figure it out.

FDA has the NTEU union, if your spouse is eligible (not a supervisor or other excepted position) then they’re represented by that union.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New OPM memo dropped. More time provided.

lol Amanda.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New OPM memo dropped. More time provided.

I read it differently, it’s not giving employees more time, it’s establishes a date (Feb 7) for agencies to submit their plans for carrying out RTO.

Things like steps agency will take to determine permanent worksite for all eligible employees, provide process for determining exceptions, etc.

[Anonymous]

Here's a free presentation from some DC area employment lawyers on the RTO stuff: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/navigating-trump-era-changes-a-free-workshop-on-federal-employee-rights-tickets-1217082258799?aff=oddtdtcreator