New OPM memo on RTO

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USOPM/bulletins/3ce821e

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Yes, but it was inefficient.

[Anonymous]

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

No. The wording says they think we’re trash. Instead of the highly educated and specialized workforce that we are. HR would be involved if our management spoke that way to us usually. It’s just unprofessional. I feel like an idiot for blindly following our SES and trusting them. I should have left as I’ve had higher job offers.

I’m at a subagency that is the darling of Trump as well and this is how we’re treated??

We’ve been made the whipping boy of this administration, but let’s turn the focus to Congress. So many of the issues with Feds stem from the truly awful Statutes we’re working under. (And for the uneducated- Congress writes statutes and Feds write regulations). Congress doesn’t fund us appropriately and then we’re sued nonstop for our inability to fully carry out the poorly written laws.

Feds teleworking 1-2 days a week was never the issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Pre-telework, everyone at my agency had a desktop computer. Everyone now has laptops. I dare you to tell me how federal workers would be more efficient at meeting organizational missions by taking an entire day off than an hour of sick leave, dropping their kids off to school, and working from home that day (now that they’re fitted with laptops).

[Anonymous]

Just because that’s how it “used” to be doesn’t mean it’s the right way, right now. This is the stupidest argument ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Ok, but how far back are we going? I've been with the government for over a decade, and even in a job that didn't allow any regular telework, we were able to work from home if we had appointments midday or far away. This sounds like a "before we gave you laptops" policy.

[Anonymous]

I am curious -- do different agencies have different timesheet systems? Ours does not allow us to indicate entry and exit times -- just a number of hours worked -- We are required to work core hours of course, but there is always the possibility of flex by some amount (e.g starting at 9:30 and working till say 6.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Yes, but it was inefficient.

As someone who has been in the Fed for 40 years, we really aren’t that much more efficient now than we were in the 80s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

No. The wording says they think we’re trash. Instead of the highly educated and specialized workforce that we are. HR would be involved if our management spoke that way to us usually. It’s just unprofessional. I feel like an idiot for blindly following our SES and trusting them. I should have left as I’ve had higher job offers.

I’m at a subagency that is the darling of Trump as well and this is how we’re treated??

We’ve been made the whipping boy of this administration, but let’s turn the focus to Congress. So many of the issues with Feds stem from the truly awful Statutes we’re working under. (And for the uneducated- Congress writes statutes and Feds write regulations). Congress doesn’t fund us appropriately and then we’re sued nonstop for our inability to fully carry out the poorly written laws.

Feds teleworking 1-2 days a week was never the issue.

No they wouldn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

No. The wording says they think we’re trash. Instead of the highly educated and specialized workforce that we are. HR would be involved if our management spoke that way to us usually. It’s just unprofessional. I feel like an idiot for blindly following our SES and trusting them. I should have left as I’ve had higher job offers.

I’m at a subagency that is the darling of Trump as well and this is how we’re treated??

We’ve been made the whipping boy of this administration, but let’s turn the focus to Congress. So many of the issues with Feds stem from the truly awful Statutes we’re working under. (And for the uneducated- Congress writes statutes and Feds write regulations). Congress doesn’t fund us appropriately and then we’re sued nonstop for our inability to fully carry out the poorly written laws.

Feds teleworking 1-2 days a week was never the issue.

No they wouldn't.

Yes they would.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am curious -- do different agencies have different timesheet systems? Ours does not allow us to indicate entry and exit times -- just a number of hours worked -- We are required to work core hours of course, but there is always the possibility of flex by some amount (e.g starting at 9:30 and working till say 6.)

We only enter hours worked. But there are office hours (9 to 5:30), and unless you have other arrangements you are expected to be there during that time. Some managers watch this, some don't. Flexing has to be approved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

No. The wording says they think we’re trash. Instead of the highly educated and specialized workforce that we are. HR would be involved if our management spoke that way to us usually. It’s just unprofessional. I feel like an idiot for blindly following our SES and trusting them. I should have left as I’ve had higher job offers.

I’m at a subagency that is the darling of Trump as well and this is how we’re treated??

We’ve been made the whipping boy of this administration, but let’s turn the focus to Congress. So many of the issues with Feds stem from the truly awful Statutes we’re working under. (And for the uneducated- Congress writes statutes and Feds write regulations). Congress doesn’t fund us appropriately and then we’re sued nonstop for our inability to fully carry out the poorly written laws.

Feds teleworking 1-2 days a week was never the issue.

No they wouldn't.

Yes they would.

No.

Unless by "involved" you mean someone running to HR, and someone at HR having to sit there and listen. Then I suppose that would be "involved."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am curious -- do different agencies have different timesheet systems? Ours does not allow us to indicate entry and exit times -- just a number of hours worked -- We are required to work core hours of course, but there is always the possibility of flex by some amount (e.g starting at 9:30 and working till say 6.)

We only enter hours worked. But there are office hours (9 to 5:30), and unless you have other arrangements you are expected to be there during that time. Some managers watch this, some don't. Flexing has to be approved.

We have flexibility in setting a schedule but then must adhere to that schedule. We only put hours worked into our timesheet.

[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.

I agree.

One smart thing my agency did was just post an intranet link to the even more awful D.E.I. memo. No need to email the words.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

No. The wording says they think we’re trash. Instead of the highly educated and specialized workforce that we are. HR would be involved if our management spoke that way to us usually. It’s just unprofessional. I feel like an idiot for blindly following our SES and trusting them. I should have left as I’ve had higher job offers.

I’m at a subagency that is the darling of Trump as well and this is how we’re treated??

We’ve been made the whipping boy of this administration, but let’s turn the focus to Congress. So many of the issues with Feds stem from the truly awful Statutes we’re working under. (And for the uneducated- Congress writes statutes and Feds write regulations). Congress doesn’t fund us appropriately and then we’re sued nonstop for our inability to fully carry out the poorly written laws.

Feds teleworking 1-2 days a week was never the issue.

No they wouldn't.

Yes they would.

No.

Unless by "involved" you mean someone running to HR, and someone at HR having to sit there and listen. Then I suppose that would be "involved."

They would be involved because management is making objectively false claims (e.g., “The vast majority of federal office workers have not returned to in-person work”) to justify an adverse personnel action.