Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many people don't want to pay for childcare like everyone else did before covid, they want to pocket the extra money and also live far out to pocket even more money!

We have childcare*, but two parents commuting every day means we will have to find a daycare with even longer hours. And pretty much impossible to have dinner together as a family.

* People like to throw around accusations of parents not having childcare, but I literally don't know anyone who was working from home while taking care of a young child.

Hahaha how many times was I on a Zoom call and heard a baby crying

Anonymous wrote:It’s funny bc this thread appears to have been started by a non-Fed who is upset that the feds RTOing mean more traffic.

My DH is a Fed who has always been in the office and he absolutely is complaining about the traffic. RTO has wider regional effects.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many people don't want to pay for childcare like everyone else did before covid, they want to pocket the extra money and also live far out to pocket even more money!

We have childcare*, but two parents commuting every day means we will have to find a daycare with even longer hours. And pretty much impossible to have dinner together as a family.

* People like to throw around accusations of parents not having childcare, but I literally don't know anyone who was working from home while taking care of a young child.

Plenty also only need intermittent childcare and don't know what to do.

We're dual feds. DH is often called to crises out of town. Normally I work 6-3:30 and get the kids from school, dh takes them to school. What can I do when he's out of town? Just take 2.5-3 hours of annual leave a day? There isn't an option for before school care that you pay per day and I don't need it daily. It's also currently full.

Schools just aren't set up for working parents and previously our works took the full brunt of that. Now both school and work are unfriendly to everyone. I like working in the office, but the complete lack of any flexibility is killing me.

Yes but this isn’t a new problem. Intermittent childcare has always been a need and has never been available.

Right. And the new inflexible policy (intended to punish and traumatize feds) now means that instead of the worker being able to continue working from home with a sick kid, they have to take sick leave and do no work.

How is that a good thing for government efficiency?

Back in the late 90s my parents left my siblings and I home alone when we were sick starting when we were 10. There is a pretty narrow window when you have to stay home with a sick child who is self sufficient and doesn’t need you.

A whole 10 years is not a “narrow window” (and I’m not leaving my 13 year old home sick either.) Even when my younger kid was sick there was time to work during naps and in the AM and evening when the other parent was home.

You missed my point. A sick child under 7 is not self sufficient and you need to take care of them while working. A child who is 7, 8, or 9 is fairly self sufficient and you theoretically don’t need to check in on them as much and disrupt the workday. A sick child under 7 should be watched and taken care of and you shouldn’t be working while taking care of a sick baby, toddler, or preschooler.

Kids thise ages need cared for, so do teens.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have such empathy for you, but I think your expressing any unhappiness at being arbitrarily forced to commute hours each day because a convicted criminal wants to dismantle the government is very selfish. Some women raised kids in a cave while surviving off herbs and berries.

I also feel very bad for all of the men and women who commuted for the past five years while you didn’t because any number of reasons.

I don’t agree with anything the trump administration is doing but requiring people to go to an office in kody circumstances (some situations not withstanding) seems like one of the least bad things. Since you’re so passionate, I would love you if you protested in front of Goldman Sachs, Whole Foods, Friendship Heights Animal Hospital, Sibley, GDS, etc. about these organizations not allowing WFH for staff. It’s important for everyone to know that families are being impacted by their decisions.

Some jobs require you to be on site. Some don't. People who pick an onsite job know this and should not complain if other people pick jobs that can be completed from a remote location.

The RTO for feds is simply another way to get people to quit. There is no legitimate reason to require EVERY SINGLE fed to RTO. There are tons of reasons not to. Traffic is just one.

Feds have every right to complain. If you don't like it, don't participate in this thread.

RTO makes a working caregiver's family responsibilities much harder to meet. Granted.

BUT, most of us Fed families should be more worried about being able to support our families at all if the !@#$ing chainsaw lands on us. Priorities, people!!! We have very bad men (and a few bad women) in power trying to destroy our stability and democracy. Can we please focus the messaging on the actual dire crisis? Working from home is the least of the promises once made to Federal workers getting broken these days.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many people don't want to pay for childcare like everyone else did before covid, they want to pocket the extra money and also live far out to pocket even more money!

We have childcare*, but two parents commuting every day means we will have to find a daycare with even longer hours. And pretty much impossible to have dinner together as a family.

* People like to throw around accusations of parents not having childcare, but I literally don't know anyone who was working from home while taking care of a young child.

Plenty also only need intermittent childcare and don't know what to do.

We're dual feds. DH is often called to crises out of town. Normally I work 6-3:30 and get the kids from school, dh takes them to school. What can I do when he's out of town? Just take 2.5-3 hours of annual leave a day? There isn't an option for before school care that you pay per day and I don't need it daily. It's also currently full.

Schools just aren't set up for working parents and previously our works took the full brunt of that. Now both school and work are unfriendly to everyone. I like working in the office, but the complete lack of any flexibility is killing me.

Yes but this isn’t a new problem. Intermittent childcare has always been a need and has never been available.

Right. And the new inflexible policy (intended to punish and traumatize feds) now means that instead of the worker being able to continue working from home with a sick kid, they have to take sick leave and do no work.

How is that a good thing for government efficiency?

Back in the late 90s my parents left my siblings and I home alone when we were sick starting when we were 10. There is a pretty narrow window when you have to stay home with a sick child who is self sufficient and doesn’t need you.

A whole 10 years is not a “narrow window” (and I’m not leaving my 13 year old home sick either.) Even when my younger kid was sick there was time to work during naps and in the AM and evening when the other parent was home.

In 5 years they're legally an adult and you're not comfortable leaving them home sick? Yikes.

Those are five pretty developmentally significant years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many people don't want to pay for childcare like everyone else did before covid, they want to pocket the extra money and also live far out to pocket even more money!

We have childcare*, but two parents commuting every day means we will have to find a daycare with even longer hours. And pretty much impossible to have dinner together as a family.

* People like to throw around accusations of parents not having childcare, but I literally don't know anyone who was working from home while taking care of a young child.

Plenty also only need intermittent childcare and don't know what to do.

We're dual feds. DH is often called to crises out of town. Normally I work 6-3:30 and get the kids from school, dh takes them to school. What can I do when he's out of town? Just take 2.5-3 hours of annual leave a day? There isn't an option for before school care that you pay per day and I don't need it daily. It's also currently full.

Schools just aren't set up for working parents and previously our works took the full brunt of that. Now both school and work are unfriendly to everyone. I like working in the office, but the complete lack of any flexibility is killing me.

Yes but this isn’t a new problem. Intermittent childcare has always been a need and has never been available.

Right. And the new inflexible policy (intended to punish and traumatize feds) now means that instead of the worker being able to continue working from home with a sick kid, they have to take sick leave and do no work.

How is that a good thing for government efficiency?

Back in the late 90s my parents left my siblings and I home alone when we were sick starting when we were 10. There is a pretty narrow window when you have to stay home with a sick child who is self sufficient and doesn’t need you.

A whole 10 years is not a “narrow window” (and I’m not leaving my 13 year old home sick either.) Even when my younger kid was sick there was time to work during naps and in the AM and evening when the other parent was home.

In 5 years they're legally an adult and you're not comfortable leaving them home sick? Yikes.

Leaving a tween home with a fever or cough for 10 hours is not alright. They often are too weak to get water or understand when their symptoms worsen.

Anonymous wrote:Traffic will get better as more Federal employees are laid off and less Federal money is given to non-profits in the DMV. Also, Federal headquarters will begin moving out of the DMV, further reducing the population. I hope this drives all the lawyers and lobbyists away once they realize that the Fedreral gravy train is cut-off.

Wow, you really don’t know why the lawyers and lobbyists are here? It’s not for the Federal employees and non-profits. I’m littlest guffawing.

The train is just switching tracks, an underground illegal one dug by the Boring company

It’s funny bc this thread appears to have been started by a non-Fed who is upset that the feds RTOing mean more traffic.

Fed here. I too am fed up with listening to people complain about RTO. We’ve (we meaning the non remote people) all been 50% since 2022. Still a massive change to go to 100% with zero telework even in dire situations. I think the lack of emergency telework is the hardest. Yet even though we’re back 100%, my still remote coworkers are complaining the loudest. They need to read the room. They don’t even have to go in yet and they’re complaining to people who are in! They won’t even have long commutes.

Just stop complaining people. Just push the misery down and do your jobs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many people don't want to pay for childcare like everyone else did before covid, they want to pocket the extra money and also live far out to pocket even more money!

We have childcare*, but two parents commuting every day means we will have to find a daycare with even longer hours. And pretty much impossible to have dinner together as a family.

* People like to throw around accusations of parents not having childcare, but I literally don't know anyone who was working from home while taking care of a young child.

My husband and I are non feds and we have dinner together as a family three times a week. Four times a week I give our kids dinner and my husband and I eat after the kids go to bed. We’ve done this since March 2022 when five days in person became the norm. I empathize with you on this but know that this is the norm for lots of families.

Yea, we should strive for this not to happen

So what have you done about this cultural phenomenon until it personally impacted you? When I call my reps my focus areas are: 1) Ukraine 2) endangered species and EPA 3) PBS and NPR 5) DOGE and RIFs 6) Signal gate 7) freedom of speech. Stopping feds from commuting to the office because it marks the destruction of the American Family is never going to crack the top 10 for non feds. Feds on DCUM have also taken a fairly entitled attitude on this topic on DCUM. If someone commutes to and from the office they either make more $$ so therefore have no reason to complain or are not as accomplished and therefore couldn’t be a fed and don’t have the same claim on WFH. In both scenarios feds are victims and every other RTO is justified.

Anonymous wrote:I have such empathy for you, but I think your expressing any unhappiness at being arbitrarily forced to commute hours each day because a convicted criminal wants to dismantle the government is very selfish. Some women raised kids in a cave while surviving off herbs and berries.

I also feel very bad for all of the men and women who commuted for the past five years while you didn’t because any number of reasons.

I don’t agree with anything the trump administration is doing but requiring people to go to an office in kody circumstances (some situations not withstanding) seems like one of the least bad things. Since you’re so passionate, I would love you if you protested in front of Goldman Sachs, Whole Foods, Friendship Heights Animal Hospital, Sibley, GDS, etc. about these organizations not allowing WFH for staff. It’s important for everyone to know that families are being impacted by their decisions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many people don't want to pay for childcare like everyone else did before covid, they want to pocket the extra money and also live far out to pocket even more money!

We have childcare*, but two parents commuting every day means we will have to find a daycare with even longer hours. And pretty much impossible to have dinner together as a family.

* People like to throw around accusations of parents not having childcare, but I literally don't know anyone who was working from home while taking care of a young child.

Plenty also only need intermittent childcare and don't know what to do.

We're dual feds. DH is often called to crises out of town. Normally I work 6-3:30 and get the kids from school, dh takes them to school. What can I do when he's out of town? Just take 2.5-3 hours of annual leave a day? There isn't an option for before school care that you pay per day and I don't need it daily. It's also currently full.

Schools just aren't set up for working parents and previously our works took the full brunt of that. Now both school and work are unfriendly to everyone. I like working in the office, but the complete lack of any flexibility is killing me.

Yes but this isn’t a new problem. Intermittent childcare has always been a need and has never been available.

Right. And the new inflexible policy (intended to punish and traumatize feds) now means that instead of the worker being able to continue working from home with a sick kid, they have to take sick leave and do no work.

How is that a good thing for government efficiency?

Back in the late 90s my parents left my siblings and I home alone when we were sick starting when we were 10. There is a pretty narrow window when you have to stay home with a sick child who is self sufficient and doesn’t need you.

A whole 10 years is not a “narrow window” (and I’m not leaving my 13 year old home sick either.) Even when my younger kid was sick there was time to work during naps and in the AM and evening when the other parent was home.

In 5 years they're legally an adult and you're not comfortable leaving them home sick? Yikes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The restaurants, coffee shops, and flower vendors are starting to flourish again. There are some great things happening, too. I guess you have to take the good with the bad.

Dumb take. I live in DC and spend the exact same amount of money, only downtown instead of in my neighborhood. In fact I spend less money on things like entertainment and eating out because I am losing 2 hours out of my day and don’t have time for that. The only entity I am paying more is Metro.

And everyone does exactly what you do because it's all about you lol

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many people don't want to pay for childcare like everyone else did before covid, they want to pocket the extra money and also live far out to pocket even more money!

We have childcare*, but two parents commuting every day means we will have to find a daycare with even longer hours. And pretty much impossible to have dinner together as a family.

* People like to throw around accusations of parents not having childcare, but I literally don't know anyone who was working from home while taking care of a young child.

Plenty also only need intermittent childcare and don't know what to do.

We're dual feds. DH is often called to crises out of town. Normally I work 6-3:30 and get the kids from school, dh takes them to school. What can I do when he's out of town? Just take 2.5-3 hours of annual leave a day? There isn't an option for before school care that you pay per day and I don't need it daily. It's also currently full.

Schools just aren't set up for working parents and previously our works took the full brunt of that. Now both school and work are unfriendly to everyone. I like working in the office, but the complete lack of any flexibility is killing me.

Yes but this isn’t a new problem. Intermittent childcare has always been a need and has never been available.

Right. And the new inflexible policy (intended to punish and traumatize feds) now means that instead of the worker being able to continue working from home with a sick kid, they have to take sick leave and do no work.

How is that a good thing for government efficiency?

Back in the late 90s my parents left my siblings and I home alone when we were sick starting when we were 10. There is a pretty narrow window when you have to stay home with a sick child who is self sufficient and doesn’t need you.

A whole 10 years is not a “narrow window” (and I’m not leaving my 13 year old home sick either.) Even when my younger kid was sick there was time to work during naps and in the AM and evening when the other parent was home.

You missed my point. A sick child under 7 is not self sufficient and you need to take care of them while working. A child who is 7, 8, or 9 is fairly self sufficient and you theoretically don’t need to check in on them as much and disrupt the workday. A sick child under 7 should be watched and taken care of and you shouldn’t be working while taking care of a sick baby, toddler, or preschooler.