Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will the decision be overturned?

https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2026/01/trumps-return-to-office-memo-doesnt-override-telework-protections-in-union-contract-arbitrator-tells-hhs/

They will probably appeal it on the same frivolous grounds they asserted in their RTO order. Can't win on the substance so drag it out forever at the FLRA.

Anonymous wrote:Telework will eventually return. Change is rarely this sudden. Pendulum swung too far and will swing back.

It also simply doesn’t make any sense and is inefficient. RTO in general is a mechanism to get people to quit, which doesn’t make sense because I’d want to choose who leaves as opposed to have it based on commutes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I saw on reddit one agency is increasing its ad hoc allowance from 80 to 240 hours per year. Thats a noticeable improvement and is a little more than one day per pay period.

which agency?

Anonymous wrote:No telework except we're required to telework or take leave during weather closures.

Anonymous wrote:Will the decision be overturned?

https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2026/01/trumps-return-to-office-memo-doesnt-override-telework-protections-in-union-contract-arbitrator-tells-hhs/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I saw on reddit one agency is increasing its ad hoc allowance from 80 to 240 hours per year. Thats a noticeable improvement and is a little more than one day per pay period.

which agency?

Anonymous wrote:I saw on reddit one agency is increasing its ad hoc allowance from 80 to 240 hours per year. Thats a noticeable improvement and is a little more than one day per pay period.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, and it is terrible. We had been going in 2x a week and 1x a week, respectively, so one parent was always home to walk the dog and pick up kids. Now our children are in beforecare as well as aftercare and we have a dog walker so we can be on Zoom or Teams meetings all day in our offices.

So who watched your kids while you were teleworking? You can’t supervise kids who belong in daycare and work at the same time. So you either ripped off the taxpayer with illegal childcare, or neglected your kids.

Well considering their kids are in before and after care, it sounds like they are school aged and not being supervised all day. Relax, most parents don’t want to work and care give. We did that during COVID and it was awful.

However, a school day is generally ~7 hours. With the bus, our kids are out of the house 8:15-4:00. With no commute and 2 parents teleworking, we were able to stagger hours and our kids didn’t have to spend extra time in childcare. I used to work 7:30-4. DH would work 8:30-5. Occasionally we’d mix things around if one of us had a meeting/deadline/doctor’s appt or whatever.

The beauty of telework is being able to flex your schedule. I would often get up and work like 5-7 am, get the kids off to school, and then work 830 or 9 to 3 or 330 pm. Kids get home at 4 so I never needed before or after care. I'd do something similar on days I had doctors appointments or school events or whatever, but started even earlier in the morning so I didn't even need to take any leave unless I left town. My agency got so much work out of me. People are just jealous of that kind of flexibility is what it comes down to.

Right. as long as you are being reasonable with the flexing and not refusing to meet after 3pm.

This is a management issue, not a telework issue. I’ve never heard of a worker refusing late meetings when there is a genuine reason for them— time zone issues, etc.

If you leave at 3 you’re going to get left off a lot of projects and conversations that happen within normal work hours.

Let’s be real. 99% of the projects and conversations happening now are stupid. Hopefully none of them come to fruition, so it’s best to be left off.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HHS is going back to pre-COVID telework and DOL is having people return to remote if they were hired that way. It’s definitely coming back.

I don’t think all of HHS is returning to pre-COVID telework. Correct me if I’m wrong but I think only FDA is offering telework, as they don’t want to lose their highly specialized workforce.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, and it is terrible. We had been going in 2x a week and 1x a week, respectively, so one parent was always home to walk the dog and pick up kids. Now our children are in beforecare as well as aftercare and we have a dog walker so we can be on Zoom or Teams meetings all day in our offices.

So who watched your kids while you were teleworking? You can’t supervise kids who belong in daycare and work at the same time. So you either ripped off the taxpayer with illegal childcare, or neglected your kids.

Well considering their kids are in before and after care, it sounds like they are school aged and not being supervised all day. Relax, most parents don’t want to work and care give. We did that during COVID and it was awful.

However, a school day is generally ~7 hours. With the bus, our kids are out of the house 8:15-4:00. With no commute and 2 parents teleworking, we were able to stagger hours and our kids didn’t have to spend extra time in childcare. I used to work 7:30-4. DH would work 8:30-5. Occasionally we’d mix things around if one of us had a meeting/deadline/doctor’s appt or whatever.

The beauty of telework is being able to flex your schedule. I would often get up and work like 5-7 am, get the kids off to school, and then work 830 or 9 to 3 or 330 pm. Kids get home at 4 so I never needed before or after care. I'd do something similar on days I had doctors appointments or school events or whatever, but started even earlier in the morning so I didn't even need to take any leave unless I left town. My agency got so much work out of me. People are just jealous of that kind of flexibility is what it comes down to.

Right. as long as you are being reasonable with the flexing and not refusing to meet after 3pm.

This is a management issue, not a telework issue. I’ve never heard of a worker refusing late meetings when there is a genuine reason for them— time zone issues, etc.

If you leave at 3 you’re going to get left off a lot of projects and conversations that happen within normal work hours.

Let’s be real. 99% of the projects and conversations happening now are stupid. Hopefully none of them come to fruition, so it’s best to be left off.