Anonymous
12/22/2025 10:29
Subject: Any other agencies increasing telework flexibilities?
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.
DP. When my kids were young, I didn't need after-school care because I finished my work hours before kids came home. I was never taking care of kids while working. But with an hour commute each direction, that's 2 hours of care to make up the difference, purely for commute.
When my kids got older, they didn't need "care" but they did need transport to/from school or camp. So RTO means they are sitting in aftercare for lack of a ride, instead of doing stuff on their own at home like any age 10+ kid can do without supervision.
Anonymous
12/22/2025 10:22
Subject: Any other agencies increasing telework flexibilities?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Split schedule is my dream. My oldest is having trouble at aftercare and is begging to be a walker. If I could just come home and telework 3-5pm that would be life changing. I have been debating quitting over it.
You will not be working between 3-5pm because you will take care of your kids. Split schedule just allows part-time with a full-time pay.
This is an ancient and boring debate. I always assume the people who start it didn't do much actual parenting of their own kids or they'd realize how dumb they sound.
Plenty of kids are old enough to be alone in the house but can't physically get there without a ride (we don't have a bus). Or they are fine to do homework if someone's in the house for accountability (e.g., an adult would hear the TV turn on) but don't need interaction.
"ancient and boring" does not mean it is not true. Your assumption is wrong.
DP and they are not wrong. In elementary school my kids went to aftercare and I picked them up after work. After the pandemic, they were in middle or high school. The middle schooler was at a school with no buses. With flexibility, I could pick them up at 3 to take them home and then go back to work. They just needed the ride, they didn't need me minding them. But I didn't claim to work 3-5, I worked 3:30-5:30 and sometimes later. I can get a lot done in the evening (night owl). I am also lucky that the commute from work to home and from the school to home were all short.
The issue with this is telework needs to be at the benefit of the taxpayer/government. It’s not there as a babysitting service. Too many people abused this and now we’re in the predicament we’re in now. Like you shouldn’t be cancelling childcare because you’re working from home, for instance. They can and will inspect your workplace, and if you have kids running around all day, you’re either neglecting them or neglecting your work, which is fraud.
So telework needs to save the taxpayer money, make work more efficient, etc. If you try to spin it as “well it’s easier for me to watch/pickup my kids” then you’re never going to get that back.
We demonstrated during the pandemic that telework is more productive (more hours worked, more people available at odd hours / able to get on an early or late call). Agencies have productivity metrics that proved this. Agencies also saved on utilities and janitorial, and had the chance to reduce footprint which is an enormous savings. There is zero plausible argument that telework doesn't save the government money.
What kills telework is that it ALSO helps the employee. So many Americans have a hard time with the concept of a win-win. They are sure that if it's good for the employee then it must be bad for the employer.
Anonymous
12/22/2025 10:15
Subject: Any other agencies increasing telework flexibilities?
Anonymous wrote:Yes, but only our bargaining unit because the union won in arbitration.
This gives me hope. Our arbitration got delayed by the shutdown, but the language in our CBA is pretty good so I'm hopeful we get telework back soon.
Our agency also lost something like a third of its senior managers. Lots of opportunities to move up, but no one is willing to do it anymore because they don't want to leave the bargaining unit.
Anonymous
12/22/2025 10:11
Subject: Any other agencies increasing telework flexibilities?
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.
Anonymous
12/22/2025 10:04
Subject: Any other agencies increasing telework flexibilities?
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.
Anonymous
12/22/2025 10:04
Subject: Any other agencies increasing telework flexibilities?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Split schedule is my dream. My oldest is having trouble at aftercare and is begging to be a walker. If I could just come home and telework 3-5pm that would be life changing. I have been debating quitting over it.
You will not be working between 3-5pm because you will take care of your kids. Split schedule just allows part-time with a full-time pay.
Plenty of kids are old enough to be alone in the house but can't physically get there without a ride (we don't have a bus). Or they are fine to do homework if someone's in the house for accountability (e.g., an adult would hear the TV turn on) but don't need interaction.
"ancient and boring" does not mean it is not true. Your assumption is wrong.
DP and they are not wrong. In elementary school my kids went to aftercare and I picked them up after work. After the pandemic, they were in middle or high school. The middle schooler was at a school with no buses. With flexibility, I could pick them up at 3 to take them home and then go back to work. They just needed the ride, they didn't need me minding them. But I didn't claim to work 3-5, I worked 3:30-5:30 and sometimes later. I can get a lot done in the evening (night owl). I am also lucky that the commute from work to home and from the school to home were all short.
The issue with this is telework needs to be at the benefit of the taxpayer/government. It’s not there as a babysitting service. Too many people abused this and now we’re in the predicament we’re in now. Like you shouldn’t be cancelling childcare because you’re working from home, for instance. They can and will inspect your workplace, and if you have kids running around all day, you’re either neglecting them or neglecting your work, which is fraud.
So telework needs to save the taxpayer money, make work more efficient, etc. If you try to spin it as “well it’s easier for me to watch/pickup my kids” then you’re never going to get that back.
Anonymous
12/22/2025 09:59
Subject: Any other agencies increasing telework flexibilities?
Anonymous wrote:Yes, but only our bargaining unit because the union won in arbitration.
What agency won in arbitration?
Anonymous
12/22/2025 09:16
Subject: Any other agencies increasing telework flexibilities?
Yes, but only our bargaining unit because the union won in arbitration.
Anonymous
12/22/2025 09:13
Subject: Any other agencies increasing telework flexibilities?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We (mid-size federal regulators) got great news that they will be increasing telework flexibilities starting in the new year. Woo hoo! Not to our pandemic, or even pre-pandemic levels, but it’s something. And who knows if we will still continue to get sh(* on by the current administration in other ways, but this is good news for now, especially for those of us that made it through 2025 (just barely in my case).
Anyone else?
do you have any more detail beyond "increasing flexibilities"? As in, will you get once a week telework? Or just what we have, which is five optional telework days per year for personal reasons, and then additional telework on occasion if you are waiting for a repair person or whatever.
Split schedules to telework in mornings/evenings and limited telework for health appointments.
I would love a split schedule - go in for the morning (I get in early), commute at lunch, and finish at home.
Ugh. If you do this then you also need to use the flexibility to make yourself available for meetings outside your normal work schedule. It’s already hard enough to coordinate with team members who leave at 3pm.
I leave at 3:00 now because there's no telework. I can't join your 4 pm meeting because I'm commuting. If I could commute at lunch I'd be online till 5 or later, just like I was before RTO.
No, now you would be MIA at an even more inconvenient time (presumably 11-12 because you would be commuting home). And then probably honestly not that reachable after 3. At least you would be forced to actually take your lunch 1/2 hour instead of claiming you are working through it.
Why could someone not be available after 3 just because they came into the office in the morning vs if they telework the whole day?
My DH is private sector and mostly works from home. But sometimes he commutes in for some morning meetings / half day conference or whatever. Then drives home at lunch and wraps up his day as usual teleworking. Seems like nbd, no different than popping out for some lunch time errands and coming back home.
But his boss only cares if he shows up for meetings and gets his work done. He makes more than my fed attorney salary and isn’t micromanaged re: his leave use or where he works. He’s a director now but even before that he was given a lot of flexibility.
Many private sector jobs don’t micromanage time the way federal government does. My DH is private sector and no one cares if he works 37 hours one week and 47 hours the next as long as he gets his work done. He also isn’t forced to take a 30 minute lunch.
That’s very different from the feds who work from 6:30-3 and refuse to take meetings after 3. Even if we need to talk to people in different time zones.
Good for them. Draw the line. Why should the Fed employees be flexible when the admin has removed all flexibility that benefits the employee?
In the example above, that private sector worker has flexibility. So sure, he’s willing to be flexible when it benefits his employer and take the later meeting.
I used to be that way too - flexible when needed - when we had telework.
We have Maxiflex and comp. It’s just a d*ck move to have unusual work hours and then not have the courtesy to use the flexibility we actually do still have.
Where do you have maxi flex and comp? Staff at my agency are on fixed schedules—even those that telework part of the day. And all staff are required to work 8 hours between certain time of the day. I do not want or need people to work more than 8 hours a day but I do expect them to actually work during those 8 hours, or at least be available to work! Beyond that is a management issue—deadlines that require overtime aren’t the employee’s problem.
It’s not overtime. It’s maintaining a schedule that allows you to have normal contact with your coworkers and external parties. Which means no, you cannot sign off at 3 and refuse to do anything after that point. most of these 3pm people are also dishonest about their lunch period. I’m fine with people having an early schedule for family or commute reasons but for ffs, if we get telework back, yes I do expect them to get on Maxiflex and be available for calls at 3pm from time to time.
Anonymous
12/22/2025 08:54
Subject: Any other agencies increasing telework flexibilities?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We (mid-size federal regulators) got great news that they will be increasing telework flexibilities starting in the new year. Woo hoo! Not to our pandemic, or even pre-pandemic levels, but it’s something. And who knows if we will still continue to get sh(* on by the current administration in other ways, but this is good news for now, especially for those of us that made it through 2025 (just barely in my case).
Anyone else?
do you have any more detail beyond "increasing flexibilities"? As in, will you get once a week telework? Or just what we have, which is five optional telework days per year for personal reasons, and then additional telework on occasion if you are waiting for a repair person or whatever.
Split schedules to telework in mornings/evenings and limited telework for health appointments.
I would love a split schedule - go in for the morning (I get in early), commute at lunch, and finish at home.
Ugh. If you do this then you also need to use the flexibility to make yourself available for meetings outside your normal work schedule. It’s already hard enough to coordinate with team members who leave at 3pm.
I leave at 3:00 now because there's no telework. I can't join your 4 pm meeting because I'm commuting. If I could commute at lunch I'd be online till 5 or later, just like I was before RTO.
No, now you would be MIA at an even more inconvenient time (presumably 11-12 because you would be commuting home). And then probably honestly not that reachable after 3. At least you would be forced to actually take your lunch 1/2 hour instead of claiming you are working through it.
Why could someone not be available after 3 just because they came into the office in the morning vs if they telework the whole day?
My DH is private sector and mostly works from home. But sometimes he commutes in for some morning meetings / half day conference or whatever. Then drives home at lunch and wraps up his day as usual teleworking. Seems like nbd, no different than popping out for some lunch time errands and coming back home.
But his boss only cares if he shows up for meetings and gets his work done. He makes more than my fed attorney salary and isn’t micromanaged re: his leave use or where he works. He’s a director now but even before that he was given a lot of flexibility.
Many private sector jobs don’t micromanage time the way federal government does. My DH is private sector and no one cares if he works 37 hours one week and 47 hours the next as long as he gets his work done. He also isn’t forced to take a 30 minute lunch.
That’s very different from the feds who work from 6:30-3 and refuse to take meetings after 3. Even if we need to talk to people in different time zones.
Good for them. Draw the line. Why should the Fed employees be flexible when the admin has removed all flexibility that benefits the employee?
In the example above, that private sector worker has flexibility. So sure, he’s willing to be flexible when it benefits his employer and take the later meeting.
I used to be that way too - flexible when needed - when we had telework.
We have Maxiflex and comp. It’s just a d*ck move to have unusual work hours and then not have the courtesy to use the flexibility we actually do still have.
Where do you have maxi flex and comp? Staff at my agency are on fixed schedules—even those that telework part of the day. And all staff are required to work 8 hours between certain time of the day. I do not want or need people to work more than 8 hours a day but I do expect them to actually work during those 8 hours, or at least be available to work! Beyond that is a management issue—deadlines that require overtime aren’t the employee’s problem.
Anonymous
12/22/2025 07:52
Subject: Any other agencies increasing telework flexibilities?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We (mid-size federal regulators) got great news that they will be increasing telework flexibilities starting in the new year. Woo hoo! Not to our pandemic, or even pre-pandemic levels, but it’s something. And who knows if we will still continue to get sh(* on by the current administration in other ways, but this is good news for now, especially for those of us that made it through 2025 (just barely in my case).
Anyone else?
do you have any more detail beyond "increasing flexibilities"? As in, will you get once a week telework? Or just what we have, which is five optional telework days per year for personal reasons, and then additional telework on occasion if you are waiting for a repair person or whatever.
Split schedules to telework in mornings/evenings and limited telework for health appointments.
I would love a split schedule - go in for the morning (I get in early), commute at lunch, and finish at home.
Ugh. If you do this then you also need to use the flexibility to make yourself available for meetings outside your normal work schedule. It’s already hard enough to coordinate with team members who leave at 3pm.
I leave at 3:00 now because there's no telework. I can't join your 4 pm meeting because I'm commuting. If I could commute at lunch I'd be online till 5 or later, just like I was before RTO.
No, now you would be MIA at an even more inconvenient time (presumably 11-12 because you would be commuting home). And then probably honestly not that reachable after 3. At least you would be forced to actually take your lunch 1/2 hour instead of claiming you are working through it.
Why could someone not be available after 3 just because they came into the office in the morning vs if they telework the whole day?
My DH is private sector and mostly works from home. But sometimes he commutes in for some morning meetings / half day conference or whatever. Then drives home at lunch and wraps up his day as usual teleworking. Seems like nbd, no different than popping out for some lunch time errands and coming back home.
But his boss only cares if he shows up for meetings and gets his work done. He makes more than my fed attorney salary and isn’t micromanaged re: his leave use or where he works. He’s a director now but even before that he was given a lot of flexibility.
Many private sector jobs don’t micromanage time the way federal government does. My DH is private sector and no one cares if he works 37 hours one week and 47 hours the next as long as he gets his work done. He also isn’t forced to take a 30 minute lunch.
That’s very different from the feds who work from 6:30-3 and refuse to take meetings after 3. Even if we need to talk to people in different time zones.
Good for them. Draw the line. Why should the Fed employees be flexible when the admin has removed all flexibility that benefits the employee?
In the example above, that private sector worker has flexibility. So sure, he’s willing to be flexible when it benefits his employer and take the later meeting.
I used to be that way too - flexible when needed - when we had telework.
We have Maxiflex and comp. It’s just a d*ck move to have unusual work hours and then not have the courtesy to use the flexibility we actually do still have.
Anonymous
12/22/2025 07:50
Subject: Any other agencies increasing telework flexibilities?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We (mid-size federal regulators) got great news that they will be increasing telework flexibilities starting in the new year. Woo hoo! Not to our pandemic, or even pre-pandemic levels, but it’s something. And who knows if we will still continue to get sh(* on by the current administration in other ways, but this is good news for now, especially for those of us that made it through 2025 (just barely in my case).
Anyone else?
do you have any more detail beyond "increasing flexibilities"? As in, will you get once a week telework? Or just what we have, which is five optional telework days per year for personal reasons, and then additional telework on occasion if you are waiting for a repair person or whatever.
Split schedules to telework in mornings/evenings and limited telework for health appointments.
I would love a split schedule - go in for the morning (I get in early), commute at lunch, and finish at home.
Ugh. If you do this then you also need to use the flexibility to make yourself available for meetings outside your normal work schedule. It’s already hard enough to coordinate with team members who leave at 3pm.
I leave at 3:00 now because there's no telework. I can't join your 4 pm meeting because I'm commuting. If I could commute at lunch I'd be online till 5 or later, just like I was before RTO.
No, now you would be MIA at an even more inconvenient time (presumably 11-12 because you would be commuting home). And then probably honestly not that reachable after 3. At least you would be forced to actually take your lunch 1/2 hour instead of claiming you are working through it.
Why could someone not be available after 3 just because they came into the office in the morning vs if they telework the whole day?
My DH is private sector and mostly works from home. But sometimes he commutes in for some morning meetings / half day conference or whatever. Then drives home at lunch and wraps up his day as usual teleworking. Seems like nbd, no different than popping out for some lunch time errands and coming back home.
But his boss only cares if he shows up for meetings and gets his work done. He makes more than my fed attorney salary and isn’t micromanaged re: his leave use or where he works. He’s a director now but even before that he was given a lot of flexibility.
Many private sector jobs don’t micromanage time the way federal government does. My DH is private sector and no one cares if he works 37 hours one week and 47 hours the next as long as he gets his work done. He also isn’t forced to take a 30 minute lunch.
That’s very different from the feds who work from 6:30-3 and refuse to take meetings after 3. Even if we need to talk to people in different time zones.
Not a fed anymore, but I think this is reasonable. The federal government is a no frills employer. The medical benefits have degraded to average at best, the working conditions are rock bottom, the pay is below market. You cannot expect extra effort from employees when people have crappy conditions and are also continuously told that their work is meaningless and harmful.
It’s not reasonable because it’s always just 1-2 gran members who disrupt the schedule for everyone else. And I doubt they are truly working at 6:30 am.
Anonymous
12/22/2025 07:32
Subject: Any other agencies increasing telework flexibilities?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We (mid-size federal regulators) got great news that they will be increasing telework flexibilities starting in the new year. Woo hoo! Not to our pandemic, or even pre-pandemic levels, but it’s something. And who knows if we will still continue to get sh(* on by the current administration in other ways, but this is good news for now, especially for those of us that made it through 2025 (just barely in my case).
Anyone else?
do you have any more detail beyond "increasing flexibilities"? As in, will you get once a week telework? Or just what we have, which is five optional telework days per year for personal reasons, and then additional telework on occasion if you are waiting for a repair person or whatever.
Split schedules to telework in mornings/evenings and limited telework for health appointments.
I would love a split schedule - go in for the morning (I get in early), commute at lunch, and finish at home.
Ugh. If you do this then you also need to use the flexibility to make yourself available for meetings outside your normal work schedule. It’s already hard enough to coordinate with team members who leave at 3pm.
I leave at 3:00 now because there's no telework. I can't join your 4 pm meeting because I'm commuting. If I could commute at lunch I'd be online till 5 or later, just like I was before RTO.
No, now you would be MIA at an even more inconvenient time (presumably 11-12 because you would be commuting home). And then probably honestly not that reachable after 3. At least you would be forced to actually take your lunch 1/2 hour instead of claiming you are working through it.
Why could someone not be available after 3 just because they came into the office in the morning vs if they telework the whole day?
My DH is private sector and mostly works from home. But sometimes he commutes in for some morning meetings / half day conference or whatever. Then drives home at lunch and wraps up his day as usual teleworking. Seems like nbd, no different than popping out for some lunch time errands and coming back home.
But his boss only cares if he shows up for meetings and gets his work done. He makes more than my fed attorney salary and isn’t micromanaged re: his leave use or where he works. He’s a director now but even before that he was given a lot of flexibility.
Many private sector jobs don’t micromanage time the way federal government does. My DH is private sector and no one cares if he works 37 hours one week and 47 hours the next as long as he gets his work done. He also isn’t forced to take a 30 minute lunch.
That’s very different from the feds who work from 6:30-3 and refuse to take meetings after 3. Even if we need to talk to people in different time zones.
Good for them. Draw the line. Why should the Fed employees be flexible when the admin has removed all flexibility that benefits the employee?
In the example above, that private sector worker has flexibility. So sure, he’s willing to be flexible when it benefits his employer and take the later meeting.
I used to be that way too - flexible when needed - when we had telework.
Anonymous
12/21/2025 23:12
Subject: Any other agencies increasing telework flexibilities?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Split schedule is my dream. My oldest is having trouble at aftercare and is begging to be a walker. If I could just come home and telework 3-5pm that would be life changing. I have been debating quitting over it.
You will not be working between 3-5pm because you will take care of your kids. Split schedule just allows part-time with a full-time pay.
DP.
I kind of agree but, it can work with certain employees—others completely abuse it and are nowhere to be found after they leave for the day. But, I guess that’s what IT logs are for—FAFO.
I prefer full day telework with 3 days in the office per week. Which is what I had for years, way before Covid. The 6 hours a week I gained back from commuting were really valuable.
What are we even doing? I’m so tired of all of this.
Pp here. I’m a senior manager. I could work 6-2:30 which I do frequently. It’s not popular considering I work with west coast on occasion. I’m a high performer and don’t even need to pick my kid up, they walk home. I’ve never not worked when I said I was working. That being said- you’d think managers would have access to IT logs during telework. But nope.
Anonymous
12/21/2025 23:01
Subject: Any other agencies increasing telework flexibilities?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Split schedule is my dream. My oldest is having trouble at aftercare and is begging to be a walker. If I could just come home and telework 3-5pm that would be life changing. I have been debating quitting over it.
You will not be working between 3-5pm because you will take care of your kids. Split schedule just allows part-time with a full-time pay.
Plenty of kids are old enough to be alone in the house but can't physically get there without a ride (we don't have a bus). Or they are fine to do homework if someone's in the house for accountability (e.g., an adult would hear the TV turn on) but don't need interaction.
"ancient and boring" does not mean it is not true. Your assumption is wrong.
DP and they are not wrong. In elementary school my kids went to aftercare and I picked them up after work. After the pandemic, they were in middle or high school. The middle schooler was at a school with no buses. With flexibility, I could pick them up at 3 to take them home and then go back to work. They just needed the ride, they didn't need me minding them. But I didn't claim to work 3-5, I worked 3:30-5:30 and sometimes later. I can get a lot done in the evening (night owl). I am also lucky that the commute from work to home and from the school to home were all short.