#flexibility

This company feels like a team stuck with bad coaches who refuse to adapt, and the scoreboard proves it. You don’t win by wearing out your players. You win by putting them in a position to succeed.

Employees aren’t asking for less accountability. They’re asking for flexibility, which most of the market already offers. If five day RTO actually drove performance, we would see it in execution, morale, retention, and the stock. We don’t. We see burnout, attrition, and continued underperformance.

In sports, when coaches pile up losing seasons, blow money on bad deals, and lose the locker room, they don’t get more time to tighten discipline. They get fired. And we already have a losing record. Years of bad acquisitions, billions written off, talent walking, and a stock that can’t keep pace with the league.

Good coaches listen to feedback and adjust. Bad coaches double down, blame the players, and keep losing. Flexibility is the fix. Rigid RTO is the mistake. Until leadership accepts that, this team isn’t turning the season around.

This entire 5 day RTO mandate isn't going to go well at all, and no, it's not JUST about having to go in the office. It's about how this is clearly a blanket solution to solve 1 particular problem within the company. A "solution" which will undo decade(s) of progress seemingly overnight.

Before COVID, we thrived on our 2-3 days in-person. That flexibility is why many of us joined and stayed. During COVID, we continued to thrive on remote work. And again, that flexibility is why many of us stayed. In return, many of us (without additional compensation mind you) gave back to the company by being available virtually 24/7. Fast forward to this day in 2026 and that mutual contract is broken. What does that mean?

Mandating 5 days in the office while continuing to expect 24/7 availability from most employees isn't sustainable. It's a recipe for burnout and resentment. Furthermore, claiming we've always been in-person and have been suffering due to our current arrangements completely contradicts the recent earnings report for 2025.

Look, this isn't another post by someone yelling into the void. This is a post from someone who cares. Believe it or not many of us do, which is why the following needs to be said:

This decision will hurt the company. In more ways than just one. It will damage morale, push out amazing talent, and ki-l the very culture that made this place what it is today. Locals are upset, news channels are reporting, employees feel disrespected, the list goes on.

I’ve been an employee for a long time. I honestly felt that I have been treated well and fairly throughout my career. I felt like management cared about me as a person. Having the flexibility and working in the office three days a week helped me to get a little more sleep as I wasn’t commuting every day. It helped me to balance doctors appointments for me and my family. I was able to take care of a chronically, ill family member. It made me happy to go above and beyond because I felt Pnc was going above and beyond with the work/life balance.

With the announcement today, I just can’t understand what is happening at PNC. With other employees around me being on calls all day long, I’m not sure what type of interaction they expect me to get. I can sit at my desk all day and not one person talks to me because they are on conference calls. I have nothing in common with any of them. We don’t do the same job. Not even close. The only thing that this is doing for me is costing me more money. Money that I don’t have. I don’t have the luxury of having paid parking downtown and although I appreciate the discount in the northside, it adds an additional 40 minutes onto my commute daily. (20 minutes each way, not to mention I’m getting up way earlier to come into the office to begin with.) I can’t afford to park downtown every day like some of the higher paid employees at the bank. I can’t afford to pay for someone to help a chronically ill family member. Through a program that is offered to us, It would cost me $125 a week. The chronically ill family member did not have an illness prior to Covid so I didn’t have to worry about this. Wtf 2 days a week helped me tend to their needs on my lunch time, and after work, but now I’m not able to do that as i’ll be downtown all day and will be getting home significantly later in the evening due to all the traffic for my commute home.

I’m honestly hurt by this decision and cannot believe we are not being given some flexibility for our families. We only have one life to live and we are just passing by on this earth. My family will always be my priority. Nothing will come before my family.

So no flexibility for me??? Great, no flexibility from me when there are system problems. At 5pm, I’m off the clock. I will leave my laptop in my locker. That’s all folks!

Due to family reasons, I can’t move out of Calgary. Has anyone asked if there is any opportunity to work remote rely from Calgary, or do fly-in fly-out to Kearl or Cold Lake or Norman Wells??

I am not a troll. I am out of options and desperate.

Morale is trash. Collaboration did not magically appear. Engagement is still imaginary.

That one remote day wasn’t a “perk.” It was the only day people could handle doctor follow-ups and real-life admin that only exists during business hours. Apparently that was too much autonomy.

Now we’re all back, paying for snacks and sodas that aren’t even stocked, drying our hands on air because there are no paper towels, and playing musical chairs with conference rooms because no one books them. Had to kick someone out of a room for my own meeting. Peak teamwork.

Nothing says “we value our people” like taking away flexibility, providing fewer basics, and expecting gratitude. I feel so engaged. I feel so motivated. I feel absolutely compelled to give more than the bare minimum.

If productivity drops, good. If people disengage, expected. If turnover spikes, deserved.

You wanted butts in seats. Congrats.
You got bodies. You lost trust.

If 2024 and 2025 proved anything, it’s that forcing people into offices five days a week didn’t fix culture, didn’t improve performance, and didn’t magically make the stock take off. What it did do was burn people out, drain morale, and push good talent out the door.

As we head into the new year, leadership has a choice. Keep doubling down on a policy everyone knows isn’t working, or finally admit that flexibility, trust, and results matter more than badge swipes and presence reports.

People want to do good work. They want balance. They want to feel respected. That’s not radical, that’s the modern workforce. Companies that get this are winning. Companies that don’t are watching their best people leave.

If 2026 is just another year of pretending RTO equals culture, nothing will change. If leadership actually listens and resets to a realistic hybrid model, there’s still a chance to rebuild trust.

New year. New opportunity. Same question.

Are we going to keep repeating the mistake, or finally learn from it?

Everyone, I’m joining citi in Canada. The main office is in Mississauga, located in west end of the city. They do have an office in a relatively well connected Downtown Area. Will they let people work from the DT office? Can people in Canada chime in? Thank you!!

Any word if flexible schedules will be eliminated 2026? It’s one of the biggest incentives the company currently offers.

Ah yes, the latest RTO decree—marketed as “structure,” experienced as punishment with better lighting. It’s the corporate equivalent of saying “We care deeply about your well-being” while handing you a cage and a feathered costume.

Associates now shuffle back like coal-mine canaries, expected to chirp cheerfully while inhaling the fumes of hollow empathy. Leadership insists this is about “connection” and “culture,” but the only culture anyone feels is the petri dish of distrust spreading across every floor.

The irony? The very employees they’re chasing—the masters of remote camouflage—will simply relocate their hiding skills to cubicles. Instead of dodging Teams calls, they’ll dodge eye contact in open-plan seating. Mission accomplished, Executive Committee.

Meanwhile, the rest of us lose the flexibility that actually fueled productivity. Remember that quaint concept? It thrived when associates weren’t commuting two hours to sit in meetings that could have been emails. But optics matter more than outcomes. Nothing screams “strategic leadership” like forcing everyone to show up for the illusion of collaboration while trust remains missing in action—buried alongside the latest batch of layoff casualties.

And empathy? It rings so hollow it could double as an empty Christmas stocking. Every memo drips with “we understand” and “we value your contributions,” yet translates to “we don’t trust you unless we can watch you suffer in person.” Associates have cracked the code: empathy here is garnish, sprinkled on punishment to make it LinkedIn-ready.
BNY Mellon has perfected optics-as-strategy. The Executive Committee beams about “rebuilding culture,” while associates quietly wonder if culture is just another word for surveillance—or HR justification for not paying severance. HR and PR polish the fantasy, posting glossy updates about “thriving together,” while employees mutter, “thriving where, exactly?”

So yes, structure without trust is punishment. Punishment dressed up as empathy is satire. The Executive Committee may think they’re leading a renaissance, but associates know the truth: they’re just the canaries, feathers ruffled, waiting for the next puff of corporate smoke.

And now, the holiday “grace period.” The EC retreats to lavish resorts and second homes while commoners aka associates are told to recharge, believe the theater, and stop chirping about RTO.

Spoiler alert: the canaries aren’t fooled.

Given the extremely low temperatures outside, we are aware that the Store Support Center is cooler than normal, and temperatures are fluctuating across the building.

As you know, we have been working with NSG and Corporate Real Estate to update and improve our building's heating and cooling systems; however, these repairs are still underway and will take time to complete.

As you prepare for today, we recommend the following to help maintain your personal comfort:

Dress in layers to adapt to fluctuating temperatures.

If your workspace is located on the south side of the building, keeping window blinds closed can greatly assist in temperature control.

Cover vents along the windows.

Leverage Archibus to reserve workspace on the 13th floor, if needed.

Avoid using space heaters as this can lead to tripped breakers and power outages.

We are aware that the impact is being felt more significantly on some floors. Talk to your leader about exercising flexibility, if needed, based on your floor's conditions.

Thank vou for vour understanding and cooperation

I’m seeing a lot of anti-HBA sentiment on this board. As a leader who has both St Louis and HBA folks on my team, I thought I’d share some insight.

It’s not that great being an HBA. Though there is flexibility, they take a hit on compensation. The merit increases are based on St Louis cost of living. St. Louis is much more affordable than most other metros. So, what that means is HBAs have not seen any real salary increase. Every year, they fall further behind due to their local cost of living.

My manager came up to me yesterday and said, “I’ve noticed you haven’t been here for the full eight hours. People are talking. Leadership’s watching badge logs. I can’t have you leaving at 2 or 3.”

They’re building a list of everyone not clocking the full eight hours. Anyone on that list moves straight to the front of the line. Three warnings, she said, and you’re out.

I have to pick up my kids and they are not even being flexible for families. What the heck is going on? My husband wants me to find another job.

Google “Chevron Benefits” and navigate to the India section. You’ll see that employees there are offered the option to work from home on Mondays.

When you compare this to the far more limited flexibility given to U.S. Payroll employees, it paints a clear picture: Chevron is providing its offshore teams with more favorable working arrangements than its U.S. workforce.

Clearly a plan to force US Payroll employees to resign without severance.

Just saw Truist is calling back all employees to 5 days a week. It’s getting harder and harder to find flexible work options https://www.bankingdive.com/news/truist-rto-employees-in-office-5-days-banking/805291/

Has anyone gotten in trouble for using too much in office exemption time - Whether that is weather related, or for the adhoc flexibility option.

Specifically referring to upper management less direct management.

When the only thing that “matters” is quarterly performance, leadership starts trimming everything that isn’t a number that moves the stock. Pay. Comfort. Flexibility. Those are the first to go.

Directors and VPs play it safe. They tighten rules not because they believe in them, but because they’re scared to stick their neck out. Fear trickles down faster than trust ever does.

Associates being able to collaborate across time zones and optimize their productivity with flexible hours is especially relevant for global organizations.

Work-from-home can indeed reduce commute time, improve work-life balance, and potentially increase efficiency—provided the right communication and collaboration tools are in place.

Most of my connect weeks, I rarely stay the whole day... I usually do half days and then leave when the office clears out. I work 12pm-11pm est and think it's ludicrous to be sitting on a floor with one other guy at 9pm lol.

I was just told by a friend at my office that his manager told his team you're not required to be in office if you work this shift, because half of the shift is when the office is technically closed. He said it's an actual policy but it's hush hush. Has anyone heard of anything like this? He has rarely gone into the office and has never heard anything of it. I have also never heard anything for usually leaving around 6-7pm est... knock on wood.

My manager is also very lax about the office requirement and just says to do what you can lol.

Since I know Fiserv leadership has watchers on this board...let's make this an option next year. Just finished reading an article that researchers found employees would accept a lower wage in exchange for remote work. Fiserv could save some coin on merit increases if they allowed employees to exchange some % for remote work flexibility. What would you exchange for more remote work?