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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Why go? You are a 15. Wait it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Why go? You are a 15. Wait it out.

Wait what out?

If your boss tells you to get back to the office then you really have no choice.

[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.

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)

I don’t see how maxiflex survives under this. The whole idea was you could fill gaps in the office with TW. I plan to just work earlier hrs and make my husband take kids to school. Thankfully mine will be in middle school next year and we’re walkers to all schools so unless it’s bad weather he’ll walk to and from home. And I’ll work 7:30-4. Sucks but has to be done. And they won’t get a single telework second out of me at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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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?

Why not just claim the extra hour as a credit hour on day one, the use the credit hour on day two to cover leaving early. That way it will reflect 8.5 hours of time that day as well. 7.5 worked (including the unpaid lunch) + 1 hour credit taken, 8.5 entered on the time sheet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Why go? You are a 15. Wait it out.

you should have been notified this morning. DoD finally got the message- all telework and remote is canceled. 30 days to comply. you can fill out paperwork for situational TW so you can work from home on a snow day (not sure why anyone would so this?)

[Anonymous]

I dont understand the space issue.

Way back Charles Schwab in the late 90s rolled out 9/80s. worked your 80 hours over 9 days and got every tenth day over. The tenth day off was spread evenly hence freeing up 10 percent more office space.

One company even did 10 hour work days spread hour freeing up 20 percent office space and employees got one day off each week.

Or do hoteling, hot desks, get rid of offices, cubes move to long tables, shift work.

My last in-person company the floor was designed in 1980s with big private offices, large cubes, lots of conferences rooms, large lobby area. It sat 350. We got rid off all but one conference room, got rid of nearly every office, got rid of cubes and went bullpen style. At the peak we had 800 people in that space for 350 no problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Why go? You are a 15. Wait it out.

you should have been notified this morning. DoD finally got the message- all telework and remote is canceled. 30 days to comply. you can fill out paperwork for situational TW so you can work from home on a snow day (not sure why anyone would so this?)

Heck no. No telework allowed when I actually need it, no telework agreement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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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?

Why not just claim the extra hour as a credit hour on day one, the use the credit hour on day two to cover leaving early. That way it will reflect 8.5 hours of time that day as well. 7.5 worked (including the unpaid lunch) + 1 hour credit taken, 8.5 entered on the time sheet.

DP. Your office has to offer credit hours as an option under Alternative Work Schedules. Mine doesn’t.

[Anonymous]

All, check out the new memo on CHDOC. May cause some agencies to slow down a little bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All, check out the new memo on CHDOC. May cause some agencies to slow down a little bit.

How so?

[Anonymous]

What is CHDOC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All, check out the new memo on CHDOC. May cause some agencies to slow down a little bit.

how did you read that memo and interpret that things should slow down?

[Anonymous]

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/latest-memos/

Looks like remote work is truly over for the most part

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All, check out the new memo on CHDOC. May cause some agencies to slow down a little bit.

how did you read that memo and interpret that things should slow down?

+1. I read it as full steam ahead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Why go? You are a 15. Wait it out.

you should have been notified this morning. DoD finally got the message- all telework and remote is canceled. 30 days to comply. you can fill out paperwork for situational TW so you can work from home on a snow day (not sure why anyone would so this?)

You do it so you don't have to take annual leave.

My command basically told us that if you don't want to do situational telework then you will take admin leave if the office is closed.