Anonymous
Post 01/21/2024 10:37     Subject: Is it just me thinking wfh is abused?
Anonymous wrote:If you get your work done, what difference does it make? All my deliverables are completed on time and sometimes early. I am not wasting time doing coffee talk or hanging around cubicles chatting endlessly about sports, politics, etc. like when I was in the office. I also work instead of wasting 2 hours commuting. It’s just different. I work the same not less.


It’s pretty funny that for yesrs the stereotype of an unproductive worker was the guy hanging around the water cooler chatting with everyone and now management insists that everyone come back to the office because water cooler conversations are critical to workplace. 🙄
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2024 10:37     Subject: Is it just me thinking wfh is abused?
Anonymous wrote:Most jobs are BS paper pushing anyway. If we're talking a lawyer missing filing deadlines, that's a different story.


Lawyers don’t have to miss deadlines to be a problem. I’ve seen more than one lazy gov lawyer tell their boss they are too busy to take on new cases, and then play candy crush all day. The new cases then go to the lawyers who already have a pile of work that they are actually doing.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2024 10:35     Subject: Is it just me thinking wfh is abused?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don’t know any parents skipping daycare but know several who gave up afterschool care (and they can definitely afford it). They also take an hour each day (outside of lunch) to pick their kids up at school and walk them home (but still log off at 5-5:30).

It’s frustrating to see as someone with kids who does the right thing, but I don’t work for their employers. If these are your coworkers, complain if it’s impacting you. Otherwise just smile politely when they complain about not getting raises or watch as their career stall.


Your kids must be hellions if they can’t come home and eat a snack and do their HW while you wrap on your workday. Sounds like you failed as a parent.


I raised my kids pre-pandemic and they are at top colleges now, so I think I did ok.

But I do believe 5-7 year olds need afterschool care and I don’t think they are hellions for requiring attention and stimulation after hours of setting at a desk in school.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2024 10:35     Subject: Is it just me thinking wfh is abused?
Anonymous wrote:I don’t know any parents skipping daycare but know several who gave up afterschool care (and they can definitely afford it). They also take an hour each day (outside of lunch) to pick their kids up at school and walk them home (but still log off at 5-5:30).

It’s frustrating to see as someone with kids who does the right thing, but I don’t work for their employers. If these are your coworkers, complain if it’s impacting you. Otherwise just smile politely when they complain about not getting raises or watch as their career stall.


I am sort of like this, except I start my day at 7 AM, frequently eat at my desk, and only take 20-30 minutes for pickup, so I'm definitely working a minimum of 8 hours a day. My 9 year old just wants to come home and veg on the couch until I'm done work. I don't see how this is abusing WFH. Maybe you don't see your coworkers logging on super early to make up time.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2024 10:34     Subject: Is it just me thinking wfh is abused?
Anonymous wrote:I think employers are afraid of lawsuits (even those without merit that still take time and money to defend).

Our company opted not to include any requirements for childcare in our telework policy that was updated towards the tail end of covid. When some flagged the omission as problematic, the lawyers pushed back saying it was intentional and not an oversight.

I thought the Feds required proof of childcare for those approved to WFH. Is that still true?


Definitely not true for my agency. Why would they even have to know if someone has kids? There are rules for teleworking and childcare, but no proof required as far as I know.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2024 10:33     Subject: Re:Is it just me thinking wfh is abused?
Anonymous wrote:My friend is a GS-15 fed and she will mention how she reads a lot of personal books during the work day. She isn't even taking care of kids; just does her own while wfh


This. Kids in the background during Zoom meetings is the least of it.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2024 10:33     Subject: Is it just me thinking wfh is abused?
Most jobs are BS paper pushing anyway. If we're talking a lawyer missing filing deadlines, that's a different story.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2024 10:32     Subject: Is it just me thinking wfh is abused?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DP but I have two co-workers who kept their infants at home for a full year while working full-time without any additional help (other than two WFH parents). One of them said she couldn't find childcare, the other one one said her mom was living with them (mom was definitely not living with them, we had mutual friends).


It’s like you are sad that two moms actually got to spend time with their infants!
No work is as important as this. And if they left work they would have a hard time going back because of policies that are hostile to mothers (and to everyone frankly with all the endless interviews).
I am glad infants are getting quality care instead of being in daycares


DP. If these women had the arrangement cleared with their employers, I would have zero complaints. But if they are taking advantage of the system, they are hurting all women in similar positions. We need longer parental leave, but the answer isn’t being paid for work while caring for a child.

Also infants get quality care in daycare. It would be amazing if we had longer parental leave, but don’t make parents feel like their child isn’t cared for in a quality daycare setting.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2024 10:31     Subject: Is it just me thinking wfh is abused?
Anonymous wrote:I don’t know any parents skipping daycare but know several who gave up afterschool care (and they can definitely afford it). They also take an hour each day (outside of lunch) to pick their kids up at school and walk them home (but still log off at 5-5:30).

It’s frustrating to see as someone with kids who does the right thing, but I don’t work for their employers. If these are your coworkers, complain if it’s impacting you. Otherwise just smile politely when they complain about not getting raises or watch as their career stall.


Your kids must be hellions if they can’t come home and eat a snack and do their HW while you wrap on your workday. Sounds like you failed as a parent.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2024 10:29     Subject: Is it just me thinking wfh is abused?
Anonymous wrote:I don’t know any parents skipping daycare but know several who gave up afterschool care (and they can definitely afford it). They also take an hour each day (outside of lunch) to pick their kids up at school and walk them home (but still log off at 5-5:30).

It’s frustrating to see as someone with kids who does the right thing, but I don’t work for their employers. If these are your coworkers, complain if it’s impacting you. Otherwise just smile politely when they complain about not getting raises or watch as their career stall.


Maybe it’s time to reevaluate priorities and see that a walk with your kids is more meaningful than achieving some made up goals at work.
Unless you are a doctor or teacher or someone like that, your job can wait
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2024 10:28     Subject: Is it just me thinking wfh is abused?
Anonymous wrote:Outside of the original mandatory quarantine at the very beginning of the pandemic, I don't know anyone that works from home without childcare.


+1 or when kids are home sick, due to snow and school closures last week etc.

Anonymous
Post 01/21/2024 10:27     Subject: Is it just me thinking wfh is abused?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You really think you’re original, eh? Couldn’t take two seconds to type your grievances into the Search field and find 5,000 threads on this topic?

You’ve not made one original point. Boring!


Then don't bother responding to this thread if you've seen it thousands of times before.


+1

You are a jerk. I guess you don’t understand the internet or forums. Don’t respond if you don’t like it. Kepler scrolling. Duh!
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2024 10:26     Subject: Is it just me thinking wfh is abused?
I don’t know any parents skipping daycare but know several who gave up afterschool care (and they can definitely afford it). They also take an hour each day (outside of lunch) to pick their kids up at school and walk them home (but still log off at 5-5:30).

It’s frustrating to see as someone with kids who does the right thing, but I don’t work for their employers. If these are your coworkers, complain if it’s impacting you. Otherwise just smile politely when they complain about not getting raises or watch as their career stall.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2024 10:26     Subject: Is it just me thinking wfh is abused?
Anonymous wrote:DP but I have two co-workers who kept their infants at home for a full year while working full-time without any additional help (other than two WFH parents). One of them said she couldn't find childcare, the other one one said her mom was living with them (mom was definitely not living with them, we had mutual friends).


It’s like you are sad that two moms actually got to spend time with their infants!
No work is as important as this. And if they left work they would have a hard time going back because of policies that are hostile to mothers (and to everyone frankly with all the endless interviews).
I am glad infants are getting quality care instead of being in daycares
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2024 10:25     Subject: Is it just me thinking wfh is abused?
Anonymous wrote:If you get your work done, what difference does it make? All my deliverables are completed on time and sometimes early. I am not wasting time doing coffee talk or hanging around cubicles chatting endlessly about sports, politics, etc. like when I was in the office. I also work instead of wasting 2 hours commuting. It’s just different. I work the same not less.


I think it really depends on the age of the children. Infants and toddlers require a lot of time. My 4th and 6th graders are pretty self sufficient - we stopped doing camp for days off during the school year (we will for sure still do summer camp though).