Anonymous
Post 01/27/2025 14:55     Subject: What is your federal agency telling you re: RTO? (No other rants/comments!)

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Still nothing as of 0900 on Monday - I work for Army/DoD at the Pentagon- I have had 2 days of TW a week. Sorry to see that go, but writing seems to be on the wall. There are not enough desks for my office if every person came back 5 days a week - we already share offices and have cubicles - I am a GS15 - so they will have to get creative with that.


Why go? You are a 15. Wait it out.


you should have been notified this morning. DoD finally got the message- all telework and remote is canceled. 30 days to comply. you can fill out paperwork for situational TW so you can work from home on a snow day (not sure why anyone would so this?)

You do it so you don't have to take annual leave.

My command basically told us that if you don't want to do situational telework then you will take admin leave if the office is closed.

Annual not admin. Bascially if you don't do the telework agreement then you're burning your own leave.


I don’t think they can make you take leave if OPM is closed.


Yes they can—if it’s a snow emergency and OPM is closed, daycares are closed, you can’t get emergency care, your options are to take leave or…take leave. It sucks.


If you have a signed telework agreement in place. All of the current ones are now void and no new ones have been drafted. If it snows next week, then it's weather admin time because no new agreements will be in place yet

Is that the hill you really want to die on with your supervisor?

I supervise people and I treat people like adults and don't clock watch or do any of the crazy stories I read about on here. But if someone wants to play that game with me and push hard on telework when they've been work from home for years then I can play that game too and treat people like children if that's how they are going to act over the new President's policies.


This is actually a legitimate response though - not childish. If I don't have a valid telework agreement in place, my equipment isn't covered. I shouldn't be taking it home.


The Treasury Secretary has already stated that it is a questionable security practice to have people telework. So that sounds like we should never telework for the safety of the nation.

They can't have it both ways.


Also we are apparently unproductive and inefficient at home. I fail to see how snow on the ground would suddenly change that. We must be in an office to do work.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2025 14:46     Subject: What is your federal agency telling you re: RTO? (No other rants/comments!)

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Still nothing as of 0900 on Monday - I work for Army/DoD at the Pentagon- I have had 2 days of TW a week. Sorry to see that go, but writing seems to be on the wall. There are not enough desks for my office if every person came back 5 days a week - we already share offices and have cubicles - I am a GS15 - so they will have to get creative with that.


Why go? You are a 15. Wait it out.


you should have been notified this morning. DoD finally got the message- all telework and remote is canceled. 30 days to comply. you can fill out paperwork for situational TW so you can work from home on a snow day (not sure why anyone would so this?)

You do it so you don't have to take annual leave.

My command basically told us that if you don't want to do situational telework then you will take admin leave if the office is closed.

Annual not admin. Bascially if you don't do the telework agreement then you're burning your own leave.


I don’t think they can make you take leave if OPM is closed.


Yes they can—if it’s a snow emergency and OPM is closed, daycares are closed, you can’t get emergency care, your options are to take leave or…take leave. It sucks.


If I have no telework agreement and the office is closed, I am on admin leave (weather and safety leave) because my employer is the one that made working impossible. If your supervisor said something else, I'd ask HR to clarify.


our supervisor doesn’t want to clarify because they know what the answer will be
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2025 14:43     Subject: What is your federal agency telling you re: RTO? (No other rants/comments!)

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Still nothing as of 0900 on Monday - I work for Army/DoD at the Pentagon- I have had 2 days of TW a week. Sorry to see that go, but writing seems to be on the wall. There are not enough desks for my office if every person came back 5 days a week - we already share offices and have cubicles - I am a GS15 - so they will have to get creative with that.


Why go? You are a 15. Wait it out.


you should have been notified this morning. DoD finally got the message- all telework and remote is canceled. 30 days to comply. you can fill out paperwork for situational TW so you can work from home on a snow day (not sure why anyone would so this?)

You do it so you don't have to take annual leave.

My command basically told us that if you don't want to do situational telework then you will take admin leave if the office is closed.

Annual not admin. Bascially if you don't do the telework agreement then you're burning your own leave.


I don’t think they can make you take leave if OPM is closed.


Yes they can—if it’s a snow emergency and OPM is closed, daycares are closed, you can’t get emergency care, your options are to take leave or…take leave. It sucks.


If you have a signed telework agreement in place. All of the current ones are now void and no new ones have been drafted. If it snows next week, then it's weather admin time because no new agreements will be in place yet

Is that the hill you really want to die on with your supervisor?

I supervise people and I treat people like adults and don't clock watch or do any of the crazy stories I read about on here. But if someone wants to play that game with me and push hard on telework when they've been work from home for years then I can play that game too and treat people like children if that's how they are going to act over the new President's policies.


This is actually a legitimate response though - not childish. If I don't have a valid telework agreement in place, my equipment isn't covered. I shouldn't be taking it home.

But it is childish. There will be a teleowork agreement in place for certain circumstances. If you don't sign it then you're being childish.


Dude - no one has a telework agreement right now. The PP said if it snows next week, I'm not working because there is no telework agreement in place. And they are absolutely correct. You're right - when my management sends me a NEW telework agreement detailing the NEW telework posture I will sign it. Right now there is nothing.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2025 14:37     Subject: What is your federal agency telling you re: RTO? (No other rants/comments!)

Commerce intends to get rid of situational telework.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2025 14:28     Subject: Re:What is your federal agency telling you re: RTO? (No other rants/comments!)

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Did new employees in the probationary period receive Fridays email about RTO?



That's a good question. I have several staff who didn't receive Friday's email and I am wondering why. Did they exclude certain people from that email?


I haven’t received any emails, except the “HR” test ones. And I just finished my probation today.


🎉🎉🎉
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2025 14:27     Subject: What is your federal agency telling you re: RTO? (No other rants/comments!)

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Still nothing as of 0900 on Monday - I work for Army/DoD at the Pentagon- I have had 2 days of TW a week. Sorry to see that go, but writing seems to be on the wall. There are not enough desks for my office if every person came back 5 days a week - we already share offices and have cubicles - I am a GS15 - so they will have to get creative with that.


Why go? You are a 15. Wait it out.


you should have been notified this morning. DoD finally got the message- all telework and remote is canceled. 30 days to comply. you can fill out paperwork for situational TW so you can work from home on a snow day (not sure why anyone would so this?)

You do it so you don't have to take annual leave.

My command basically told us that if you don't want to do situational telework then you will take admin leave if the office is closed.

Annual not admin. Bascially if you don't do the telework agreement then you're burning your own leave.


I don’t think they can make you take leave if OPM is closed.


Yes they can—if it’s a snow emergency and OPM is closed, daycares are closed, you can’t get emergency care, your options are to take leave or…take leave. It sucks.


If you have a signed telework agreement in place. All of the current ones are now void and no new ones have been drafted. If it snows next week, then it's weather admin time because no new agreements will be in place yet

Is that the hill you really want to die on with your supervisor?

I supervise people and I treat people like adults and don't clock watch or do any of the crazy stories I read about on here. But if someone wants to play that game with me and push hard on telework when they've been work from home for years then I can play that game too and treat people like children if that's how they are going to act over the new President's policies.


Some people have already answered you better than I could, but since you are a supervisor, you could all band together to flex your employees yourselves. Nobody squeals. Everyone covers for everyone. There are people there all the time... rotating. And you just gaslight the ninnies who are babysitting at the top if there even are any. "Oh, Susan? She's definitely here today. She must be in the restroom."


Sounds nice conceptually, but agencies are 100% going to be monitoring network activity, badge swipes, etc.


I don’t understand what can be accomplished by network traffic. What if you are meeting with someone in their office? What if you a reading a hard copy? What if you leave your computer at work and it checks email while you are at home? Network traffic seems useless.



Hate to break it to you, we already do!
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2025 14:25     Subject: Re:What is your federal agency telling you re: RTO? (No other rants/comments!)

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Did new employees in the probationary period receive Fridays email about RTO?



That's a good question. I have several staff who didn't receive Friday's email and I am wondering why. Did they exclude certain people from that email?


I haven’t received any emails, except the “HR” test ones. And I just finished my probation today.


Those are the emails PP is referencing.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2025 14:24     Subject: Re:What is your federal agency telling you re: RTO? (No other rants/comments!)

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Did new employees in the probationary period receive Fridays email about RTO?



That's a good question. I have several staff who didn't receive Friday's email and I am wondering why. Did they exclude certain people from that email?


I haven’t received any emails, except the “HR” test ones. And I just finished my probation today.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2025 14:22     Subject: Re:What is your federal agency telling you re: RTO? (No other rants/comments!)

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Did new employees in the probationary period receive Fridays email about RTO?



That's a good question. I have several staff who didn't receive Friday's email and I am wondering why. Did they exclude certain people from that email?


That’s what I’m trying to figure out. It seems that both bargaining unit and nonbargaining unit personnel who have been at our agency for a while received the email, but a handful of newer employees on probationary period did not. That’s the only trend I’ve been able to parse out so far
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2025 14:16     Subject: What is your federal agency telling you re: RTO? (No other rants/comments!)

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Still nothing as of 0900 on Monday - I work for Army/DoD at the Pentagon- I have had 2 days of TW a week. Sorry to see that go, but writing seems to be on the wall. There are not enough desks for my office if every person came back 5 days a week - we already share offices and have cubicles - I am a GS15 - so they will have to get creative with that.


Why go? You are a 15. Wait it out.


you should have been notified this morning. DoD finally got the message- all telework and remote is canceled. 30 days to comply. you can fill out paperwork for situational TW so you can work from home on a snow day (not sure why anyone would so this?)

You do it so you don't have to take annual leave.

My command basically told us that if you don't want to do situational telework then you will take admin leave if the office is closed.

Annual not admin. Bascially if you don't do the telework agreement then you're burning your own leave.


I don’t think they can make you take leave if OPM is closed.


Yes they can—if it’s a snow emergency and OPM is closed, daycares are closed, you can’t get emergency care, your options are to take leave or…take leave. It sucks.


If you have a signed telework agreement in place. All of the current ones are now void and no new ones have been drafted. If it snows next week, then it's weather admin time because no new agreements will be in place yet

Is that the hill you really want to die on with your supervisor?

I supervise people and I treat people like adults and don't clock watch or do any of the crazy stories I read about on here. But if someone wants to play that game with me and push hard on telework when they've been work from home for years then I can play that game too and treat people like children if that's how they are going to act over the new President's policies.


This is actually a legitimate response though - not childish. If I don't have a valid telework agreement in place, my equipment isn't covered. I shouldn't be taking it home.

But it is childish. There will be a teleowork agreement in place for certain circumstances. If you don't sign it then you're being childish.


It is not childish to not want to sign an agreement that does nothing but punish an employee. It is not for our benefit. We’ve been told we are not working when teleworking, that’s it not a valid form of work, so it is now the duty of the government to provide a space for us to work in person. If they cannot reasonable provide that due to safety concerns, than there is no valid place for pjs to work since telework is not valid work.


NP and I would probably still sign it. What about times when OPM has a delayed opening? I wouldn't want to deal with the roads which may or may not be ok by me. Also if school opening is delayed at least you can hop oit to take them to the bus instead of scrambling for a place to put them.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2025 14:16     Subject: What is your federal agency telling you re: RTO? (No other rants/comments!)

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Still nothing as of 0900 on Monday - I work for Army/DoD at the Pentagon- I have had 2 days of TW a week. Sorry to see that go, but writing seems to be on the wall. There are not enough desks for my office if every person came back 5 days a week - we already share offices and have cubicles - I am a GS15 - so they will have to get creative with that.


Why go? You are a 15. Wait it out.


you should have been notified this morning. DoD finally got the message- all telework and remote is canceled. 30 days to comply. you can fill out paperwork for situational TW so you can work from home on a snow day (not sure why anyone would so this?)

You do it so you don't have to take annual leave.

My command basically told us that if you don't want to do situational telework then you will take admin leave if the office is closed.

Annual not admin. Bascially if you don't do the telework agreement then you're burning your own leave.


I don’t think they can make you take leave if OPM is closed.


Yes they can—if it’s a snow emergency and OPM is closed, daycares are closed, you can’t get emergency care, your options are to take leave or…take leave. It sucks.


If you have a signed telework agreement in place. All of the current ones are now void and no new ones have been drafted. If it snows next week, then it's weather admin time because no new agreements will be in place yet

Is that the hill you really want to die on with your supervisor?

I supervise people and I treat people like adults and don't clock watch or do any of the crazy stories I read about on here. But if someone wants to play that game with me and push hard on telework when they've been work from home for years then I can play that game too and treat people like children if that's how they are going to act over the new President's policies.


This is actually a legitimate response though - not childish. If I don't have a valid telework agreement in place, my equipment isn't covered. I shouldn't be taking it home.


The Treasury Secretary has already stated that it is a questionable security practice to have people telework. So that sounds like we should never telework for the safety of the nation.

They can't have it both ways.


There’s what…a snow day a year? 😂 This response is literally so childish it’s what my children actually do. “Oh well if you’re going to do that then I’m going to do <insert something very benign>”


Well, I can think of many other circumstances aside from snow days where it would be more productive to allow some telework. For example, late meetings and meetings with other time zones. I regularly have those. I guess I need to get situational telework for each one? But is that even going to be allowed? I'm not staying in the office for 7pm calls.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2025 14:14     Subject: What is your federal agency telling you re: RTO? (No other rants/comments!)

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Still nothing as of 0900 on Monday - I work for Army/DoD at the Pentagon- I have had 2 days of TW a week. Sorry to see that go, but writing seems to be on the wall. There are not enough desks for my office if every person came back 5 days a week - we already share offices and have cubicles - I am a GS15 - so they will have to get creative with that.


Why go? You are a 15. Wait it out.


you should have been notified this morning. DoD finally got the message- all telework and remote is canceled. 30 days to comply. you can fill out paperwork for situational TW so you can work from home on a snow day (not sure why anyone would so this?)

You do it so you don't have to take annual leave.

My command basically told us that if you don't want to do situational telework then you will take admin leave if the office is closed.

Annual not admin. Bascially if you don't do the telework agreement then you're burning your own leave.


I don’t think they can make you take leave if OPM is closed.


Yes they can—if it’s a snow emergency and OPM is closed, daycares are closed, you can’t get emergency care, your options are to take leave or…take leave. It sucks.


If you have a signed telework agreement in place. All of the current ones are now void and no new ones have been drafted. If it snows next week, then it's weather admin time because no new agreements will be in place yet

Is that the hill you really want to die on with your supervisor?

I supervise people and I treat people like adults and don't clock watch or do any of the crazy stories I read about on here. But if someone wants to play that game with me and push hard on telework when they've been work from home for years then I can play that game too and treat people like children if that's how they are going to act over the new President's policies.


Some people have already answered you better than I could, but since you are a supervisor, you could all band together to flex your employees yourselves. Nobody squeals. Everyone covers for everyone. There are people there all the time... rotating. And you just gaslight the ninnies who are babysitting at the top if there even are any. "Oh, Susan? She's definitely here today. She must be in the restroom."


Sounds nice conceptually, but agencies are 100% going to be monitoring network activity, badge swipes, etc.


I don’t understand what can be accomplished by network traffic. What if you are meeting with someone in their office? What if you a reading a hard copy? What if you leave your computer at work and it checks email while you are at home? Network traffic seems useless.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2025 14:13     Subject: Re:What is your federal agency telling you re: RTO? (No other rants/comments!)

Anonymous wrote:Did new employees in the probationary period receive Fridays email about RTO?



That's a good question. I have several staff who didn't receive Friday's email and I am wondering why. Did they exclude certain people from that email?
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2025 14:13     Subject: What is your federal agency telling you re: RTO? (No other rants/comments!)

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Still nothing as of 0900 on Monday - I work for Army/DoD at the Pentagon- I have had 2 days of TW a week. Sorry to see that go, but writing seems to be on the wall. There are not enough desks for my office if every person came back 5 days a week - we already share offices and have cubicles - I am a GS15 - so they will have to get creative with that.


Why go? You are a 15. Wait it out.


you should have been notified this morning. DoD finally got the message- all telework and remote is canceled. 30 days to comply. you can fill out paperwork for situational TW so you can work from home on a snow day (not sure why anyone would so this?)

You do it so you don't have to take annual leave.

My command basically told us that if you don't want to do situational telework then you will take admin leave if the office is closed.

Annual not admin. Bascially if you don't do the telework agreement then you're burning your own leave.


I don’t think they can make you take leave if OPM is closed.


Yes they can—if it’s a snow emergency and OPM is closed, daycares are closed, you can’t get emergency care, your options are to take leave or…take leave. It sucks.


If you have a signed telework agreement in place. All of the current ones are now void and no new ones have been drafted. If it snows next week, then it's weather admin time because no new agreements will be in place yet

Is that the hill you really want to die on with your supervisor?

I supervise people and I treat people like adults and don't clock watch or do any of the crazy stories I read about on here. But if someone wants to play that game with me and push hard on telework when they've been work from home for years then I can play that game too and treat people like children if that's how they are going to act over the new President's policies.


This is actually a legitimate response though - not childish. If I don't have a valid telework agreement in place, my equipment isn't covered. I shouldn't be taking it home.

But it is childish. There will be a teleowork agreement in place for certain circumstances. If you don't sign it then you're being childish.


It is not childish to not want to sign an agreement that does nothing but punish an employee. It is not for our benefit. We’ve been told we are not working when teleworking, that’s it not a valid form of work, so it is now the duty of the government to provide a space for us to work in person. If they cannot reasonable provide that due to safety concerns, than there is no valid place for pjs to work since telework is not valid work.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2025 14:12     Subject: What is your federal agency telling you re: RTO? (No other rants/comments!)

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Still nothing as of 0900 on Monday - I work for Army/DoD at the Pentagon- I have had 2 days of TW a week. Sorry to see that go, but writing seems to be on the wall. There are not enough desks for my office if every person came back 5 days a week - we already share offices and have cubicles - I am a GS15 - so they will have to get creative with that.


Why go? You are a 15. Wait it out.


you should have been notified this morning. DoD finally got the message- all telework and remote is canceled. 30 days to comply. you can fill out paperwork for situational TW so you can work from home on a snow day (not sure why anyone would so this?)

You do it so you don't have to take annual leave.

My command basically told us that if you don't want to do situational telework then you will take admin leave if the office is closed.

Annual not admin. Bascially if you don't do the telework agreement then you're burning your own leave.


I don’t think they can make you take leave if OPM is closed.


Yes they can—if it’s a snow emergency and OPM is closed, daycares are closed, you can’t get emergency care, your options are to take leave or…take leave. It sucks.


If you have a signed telework agreement in place. All of the current ones are now void and no new ones have been drafted. If it snows next week, then it's weather admin time because no new agreements will be in place yet

Is that the hill you really want to die on with your supervisor?

I supervise people and I treat people like adults and don't clock watch or do any of the crazy stories I read about on here. But if someone wants to play that game with me and push hard on telework when they've been work from home for years then I can play that game too and treat people like children if that's how they are going to act over the new President's policies.


This is actually a legitimate response though - not childish. If I don't have a valid telework agreement in place, my equipment isn't covered. I shouldn't be taking it home.

But it is childish. There will be a teleowork agreement in place for certain circumstances. If you don't sign it then you're being childish.


What certain circumstances? My agency has yet to state one circumstance that would make telework OK other than weather/office closures.