New OPM memo on RTO

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I didn't have school aged kids before telework so what did people do? Did people put their kids in before/aftercare/camps/school for 10 hours a day? How did people find time for extracurriculars if elementary kids are in aftercare until 5:30-6?

My kids were not yet school aged when COVID started so they were still in daycare/preschool. But even before COVID DH and I both teleworked multiple days per week so that at least one of us was home. Usually the commuting spouse would do morning drop off since they had to head out anyway and then the teleworking parent would do pickup so the kids didn’t have to be there past 5.

I think a lot of parents of school aged kids teleworked at least hybrid before COVID. It’s not like March 2020 marked the invention of WAH. For those who need longer hours, they use aftercare, but staffing has gotten harder in the childcare sector so spots are limited with long waitlists. Or maybe if you’re lucky you can find a martial arts type place that has a van to do school pickup and take them to do activities.

I also think a lot of the parents were just not in the workforce or were underemployed. I guess this administration thinks that is preferable to go back to.

My kids a now in extracurriculars starting as early as 4:30/5. To keep them in we’d have to take leave some days, use carpools, stagger hours, not really sure yet … thankfully my DH’s private sector job has been remote since 2018 and his colleagues are scattered across the country with no office to go to, so I guess he would have to take on more of the kid shuffling at home if I go back 5 days (holding out hope my agency’s CBA holds). I would try to jump ship out of government quickly though if forced to commute 5 days/week.

The schedule and juggling you describe is very normal. My husband is 5x/week and I am remote and do more juggling, but I can’t do it all while working during the day, so we have a nanny who helps after school with driving while I am working. Millions of people do this and it is not fun, but it is the norm.

Let me guess, either you don’t live in the DC area, or your husband is a high earner in the private sector. My husband and I are both feds and would not be able to afford a nanny to drive our two elementary aged kids to activities.

As others have mentioned camps alone offer garbage hours and after care to add on another $200 to a camp week that already costs $500 is cost prohibitive.

Our kids were 2 and 5 when Covid hit and we sucked it up and maintained our work performance and duties even though it felt impossible. We had no help. This feels like a real “f you” after we have been dedicated career civil servants over many years for different administrations.

We don’t have a problem with returning to the office, but, the extremism is the issue. Why strip people of flexibilities they had prior to Covid? Why suggest total eradication of telework? If we can even keep 1-2 days per week that will help most people feel like they can stay a little sane and manage all of their work/life balances and priorities.

Its tone deaf to act like this is a brand new and insurmountable problem. Many people are working in person for the last few years, many of them have kids, and many of them are not high earners.

Before and after care exists for a reason. If you cant flex your schedule you use it. And stop signing up for activities that start before 6pm.

By elementary school, every family I knew had a spouse who worked part time or SAH (or was a teacher). That’s what you have to do to avoid having kids in aftercare till 6 or to manage any after school activities.

Exactly. It’s what I did, and honestly I took a major career hit. And apparently a bunch of government employees never had to take this hit because they’re paid while they watch their kids. And now it’s ending.

We don’t watch our kids!!! They are in school and we pay for after care.

My fed office moved during Covid. It went from a 20 minute commute to what is now a 40 minute commute on a good day. I already do not full time telework.

But if I go in 5 days per week along with every other gov person my commute will likely be 1 hour plus.

We have no family locally. My spouse and I have always made it work.

But making our lives harder just for fun is stupid.

My spouse is a veteran as was my late father. We have spent our lives serving our country in various capacities. Riddle me this—is this admin, and its supporters are all pro family pro life, why is it against supporting actual families that exist?! That currently serve the American public??? Make it make sense!!

They are pro family with a working father and SAHM.

I truly hope it chaps their a$$ to know that I am a woman who will be leaving my federal govt job where I can get my kids off the bus and moving to biglaw where I’ll have to hire some stranger to watch my kids instead. I’ll make lots of money, though. Sorry MAGAs.

I truly love how every single Fed lawyer is convinced that they can seamlessly make the transition to BigLaw, and succeed.

PP. I came from BigLaw but keep the sass up bc I’m thriving on the hate.

Wow! Bad look. Sounds like you’re full of attitude. You probably couldn’t get rehired by BigLaw.

You can keep telling yourself that as I spent my night discussing the merits of my biglaw offer vs my in-house offer with my husband and how we will arrange for the extra childcare for our twins. Sorry if that doesn’t fit your MAGA narrative of fed lawyers heading to the breadline.

No one is saying that *no* fed lawyer will be able to successfully transition. And I am sure you are one of those who will, PP. After all, no one would stretch the truth on an anonymous forum to prove a point, would they? Of course not. You're an absolute ace.

The point, though, is that you are not the norm. Yet every fed lawyer (other than the curiously self-aware PP who recently posted) really believes that untold riches are awaiting in the private sector. Good luck to them, is all I can say.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hope some of the posts on this thread are a weird minority because I am blown away by the condescension and disrespect for federal employees. I sure hope they’re not representative of the defense bar I work accross from everyday.

I could stomach changing my life around to go into the office everyday if I felt like my job was respected. I am not going to keep my job just to be abused by an administration with an apocalyptic agenda.

And to the folks who seem to think biglaw is not an option, I spent nearly 10 years in biglaw. It’s not that hard to work yourself to death and look down on everyone outside of biglaw. Biglaw is also not the only option for an attorney with excellent credentials and extensive experience.

Yes, that is the point and how they are going to reduce the permanent status (eg not probationary) workforce

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope some of the posts on this thread are a weird minority because I am blown away by the condescension and disrespect for federal employees. I sure hope they’re not representative of the defense bar I work accross from everyday.

I could stomach changing my life around to go into the office everyday if I felt like my job was respected. I am not going to keep my job just to be abused by an administration with an apocalyptic agenda.

And to the folks who seem to think biglaw is not an option, I spent nearly 10 years in biglaw. It’s not that hard to work yourself to death and look down on everyone outside of biglaw. Biglaw is also not the only option for an attorney with excellent credentials and extensive experience.

Yes, that is the point and how they are going to reduce the permanent status (eg not probationary) workforce

Sorry, not asking a question - Yes, that is the point and THAT IS how they are going to reduce the permanent status (eg not probationary) workforce

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope some of the posts on this thread are a weird minority because I am blown away by the condescension and disrespect for federal employees. I sure hope they’re not representative of the defense bar I work accross from everyday.

I could stomach changing my life around to go into the office everyday if I felt like my job was respected. I am not going to keep my job just to be abused by an administration with an apocalyptic agenda.

And to the folks who seem to think biglaw is not an option, I spent nearly 10 years in biglaw. It’s not that hard to work yourself to death and look down on everyone outside of biglaw. Biglaw is also not the only option for an attorney with excellent credentials and extensive experience.

Yes, that is the point and how they are going to reduce the permanent status (eg not probationary) workforce

Sorry, not asking a question - Yes, that is the point and THAT IS how they are going to reduce the permanent status (eg not probationary) workforce

Yes we know. We don’t need to be reminded at every turn.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I guess it will be good for dry cleaners.

I expect that dress codes will be much more casual in RTO

I heard a rumor from an admittedly unreliable source that there are plans to impose a business formal dress code in some agencies for some roles.

I'll finally get some mileage out of my tux.

hahahha thank you

+1

[Anonymous]

What bothers me the most about all of this, even more than being called back into the office is the way the OPM memo was worded. And the fact that our senior leaders sent it out unchanged. It is cold, rude, callous and untrue. I feel let down by our senior managers when a month ago I would have said they were the absolute best. That memo read like a high schooler wrote it. And it was factually untrue! My entire office is in person 50% and they are talking about how our building is abandoned and no one is working. I don’t want fluffy language but that memo was a disgrace. Never in my 20 years as a Fed have I had such a nasty memo sent to me. If our senior leaders (feds!) want to send more like this, they can be guaranteed that they’ve lost the heart of their workforce. We all thought we’d be returning to the office but it’s an embarrassment how this is being handled.

Frankly they should be using a scalpel to get rid of bad apples instead of this bulldozer. Give us managers better options to fire or manage our employees. Fire people who are only “fully successful” on their performance evals. Going into the office isn’t going to get rid of bad apples.

[Anonymous]

The wording is intentional and necessary. It says they are not playing around.

[Anonymous]

Clarification on OPM website indicates situational telework will be only for weather and emergencies declared by the agency.

So I guess that means ANY time I have a doctor's appointment, or one of my kids does, I'll be taking an entire day of SL? Is that even allowed? I've heard some policies saying you can't take more than a half day. But the last train into DC leaves from my city at 7 AM, and I'm sure not buying a second car just to drive an hour to the end of a metro line after appointments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What bothers me the most about all of this, even more than being called back into the office is the way the OPM memo was worded. And the fact that our senior leaders sent it out unchanged. It is cold, rude, callous and untrue. I feel let down by our senior managers when a month ago I would have said they were the absolute best. That memo read like a high schooler wrote it. And it was factually untrue! My entire office is in person 50% and they are talking about how our building is abandoned and no one is working. I don’t want fluffy language but that memo was a disgrace. Never in my 20 years as a Fed have I had such a nasty memo sent to me. If our senior leaders (feds!) want to send more like this, they can be guaranteed that they’ve lost the heart of their workforce. We all thought we’d be returning to the office but it’s an embarrassment how this is being handled.

Frankly they should be using a scalpel to get rid of bad apples instead of this bulldozer. Give us managers better options to fire or manage our employees. Fire people who are only “fully successful” on their performance evals. Going into the office isn’t going to get rid of bad apples.

They don’t want to get rid of bad apples; they want to take down the tree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hope some of the posts on this thread are a weird minority because I am blown away by the condescension and disrespect for federal employees. I sure hope they’re not representative of the defense bar I work across from everyday.

The goal is to make federal employees into "the enemy". Just like Fauci received death threats during the pandemic. To the extent that government workers are forced to quit and various jobs of the Federal Government are privatized (VA, SSA, etc), some very rich people will get even richer. The end result will be fewer services at a higher cost to taxpayers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The wording is intentional and necessary. It says they are not playing around.

No one who hopes to retain skilled workers speaks to their employees like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Clarification on OPM website indicates situational telework will be only for weather and emergencies declared by the agency.

So I guess that means ANY time I have a doctor's appointment, or one of my kids does, I'll be taking an entire day of SL? Is that even allowed? I've heard some policies saying you can't take more than a half day. But the last train into DC leaves from my city at 7 AM, and I'm sure not buying a second car just to drive an hour to the end of a metro line after appointments.

Cn you please provide a link? I looked but wasn't able to find this. THank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The wording is intentional and necessary. It says they are not playing around.

No one who hopes to retain skilled workers speaks to their employees like this.

For the last time, they don’t care about retaining skilled workers. If they could come into your office and slap you in the face, they would.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Clarification on OPM website indicates situational telework will be only for weather and emergencies declared by the agency.

So I guess that means ANY time I have a doctor's appointment, or one of my kids does, I'll be taking an entire day of SL? Is that even allowed? I've heard some policies saying you can't take more than a half day. But the last train into DC leaves from my city at 7 AM, and I'm sure not buying a second car just to drive an hour to the end of a metro line after appointments.

That’s what annual leave is for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Clarification on OPM website indicates situational telework will be only for weather and emergencies declared by the agency.

So I guess that means ANY time I have a doctor's appointment, or one of my kids does, I'll be taking an entire day of SL? Is that even allowed? I've heard some policies saying you can't take more than a half day. But the last train into DC leaves from my city at 7 AM, and I'm sure not buying a second car just to drive an hour to the end of a metro line after appointments.

That’s, of course, how it worked pre-telework. If going in to the office doesn’t work with the appointment, you take the entire day off.