#wfh

Things I learned today. We have 3 employees with a FTO designation. Never once been to the office in the 19 months since it was mandated for us. They say the RTO mandate was never intended for them. Their lives have been more difficult and they've faced more challenges than the rest of us. It gets better. They are part of some loose knit group who conveniently believe minority women cannot be their best unless they work from home. It's important for their children to see them as they set the standard for their coworkers. I have questions, but the most pressing is, how is it I get warned twice about a 15 minute blip on the presence report, and this concerted effort to thwart RTO exists for 19 months? Make me understand.

Ive heard executives for the last few years have been trying to figure out how to end fully remote work. Has anyone else heard if this is true or not? Are they really trying to get people back into the office after they’ve been doing real estate reductions?

Converse employees were told to work from home this week. Layoffs and restructuring are expected at the brand. Converse CEO Aaron Cain sent a note to employees about the changes. The Boston-based brand reported a 30% drop in quarterly sales. These actions are part of Nike CEO Elliott Hill's turnaround plan.

https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2026/02/layoffs-expected-at-nikes-converse-brand.html

For the employees located in South Jersey/Burlington who have been working from home the last 6 weeks due to renovations to make room for CFS in July, how is everyone feeling going back in tomorrow? I am not going to lie, dreading it.. Not only just the mere fact of going back into the office after being in a better place mentally from WFH, but like alot of people, seating arrangements are not great, alot doesn't make sense, I feel like it will be just another giant cluster*u-k.. I know we should be grateful about having a job, but I know plenty of people that are wishing they were one of the ones laid off--all we can hope for is that another round comes in the summer..

I know a few folks who are still working from home all five days with zero consequences. What makes them so special? Why do we have to honor the official mandate and they don't?

I have about 2 months to go due to an agreement to allow for a backfill to be familiarized with the role. RTO was the deal-breaker but not for the reason the whiners complain about. Prior to Covid my team came to the office 1 day each month. Not the same day. I've been on this team for 13 years and I had never seen the entire team in the office until our 5 day RTO began 16 months ago. RTO has shown me that I work with some of the laziest people in all of AT&T. WFH hid all of that. 2 weeks ago I decided retirement would be the only change that would provide me with an immediate quality of life improvement. There is not much within AT&T that is not broken, some beyond repair.

How many CATA's have we had between 2015-2020 VS. 2020-2025????

CATA's have doubled since Covid and the hybrid schedule! Wake up!!!!!

Get everyone back to the office or weed out the lazy complacent ones that don't put forth the effort from home! It's not rocket science. I know the mandatory 4 days is coming but it needs to happen now! Stop worrying about feelings and daycare! That's half the problem. Some work from home and save on daycare but spending more time dealing with kids than working. VZW has this data already and they know as do the shareholders.

As much as people are fighting it now, the reality is we'll adapt. We always do. The strong feelings about WFH will soften, and showing up at the office will go back to being the unremarkable default. It's inevitable. Sad but very much true.

Since people working in Charlotte were told to work from home Monday, does that count as one of our in office days? I had appointments scheduled midday Thursday and Friday since I was planned to work from home and there's no way I can make 8 hours in office those days.

I am sure the majority of people in Burlington are enjoying their time WFH while smaller desks, and cramped quarters will be taking effect in the building for our return. I can speak for myself when I say my mental health has been so much better for the last 5 weeks, however knowing this is our last week WFH (fingers crossed it gets extended) my anxiety is creeping about returning to the office..

Just got email from emergency response telling us to wfh tomorrow.
Good news.

Every WFH request has to be reviewed now and approved by our CEO himself. Little baby Lord Farqaad throwing a tantrum because his servants didn’t want to risk their lives coming into the office. Heard there were multiple injuries be they didn’t bother to treat the parking lots. Pathetic.

We all did the five-day commute for years without this much fuss. Yeah, WFH is nicer, but going to an office is what we all signed up for originally. I don't get why it's such a shock to the system now. It's just a return to normal.

No, major companies are not shifting towards greater WFH options/number of days. Home Depot is the latest major employer to confirm this.

"...On Wednesday, the Atlanta-based company confirmed to media outlets that it would lay off 800 staff and make corporate employees return to the office for five days per week in the interests of “in-person engagement..."

Most of us are required to be in office at least 8 hours a day. How exactly is time in office tracked?

Heard a few people got exemptions to work remotely after building closed. How many out there has this happened to?

What do we think is going to happen with existing HBAs? For instance, I heard over 50% of the home office are HBA. I think it would be incredibly difficult to bring everyone back and hire the needed talent primarily out of St. Louis and Tempe. But I’m wondering what your guys thoughts are?

In case people have not heard the directors of several LOBs have granted remote work during the time when everything in Minneapolis is going down.

That’s a low move if true. Wishing everyone affected a speedy move to a better job. I know being laid off is never easy, especially when times are tough, but leaving this place might not be the worst thing. The grass is almost certainly greener anywhere else.

The tri state era are allowed to wfh this week. If not, time to find a new job. Not worth it.

https://www.inc.com/leila-sheridan/kevin-oleary-loves-why-his-companies-will-never-force-a-return-to-the-office/91291726

Does anyone go to the office during snow storms (when schools are closed) with this RTO mandate or do you just WFH and take the % ding?

Enjoy

With this historic storm in Pittsburgh - I wonder if he and his minions are going to be in office tomorrow?? He said he hasn’t missed a day and the parking garages will be empty :((

We shouldn’t risk one day of no collaboration! Work from home is bad!!!!!

Got e-mail that we can WFH on Monday due to storm and there will be a relaxed office policy. Does this mean we can do only 2 days in the week and will be fine? Or do we still need to do 3 days in the week?

I remember when they announced the shift to 4 days in office, they said they would review individual roles and let us know in January which are confirmed as 4 days in office, which would stay 2 days in office and a select few that would be remote. Anyone been officially notified?

I am in OR hub, but if I am in MN hub, no way I am going to in.

Have they send out emails this month to nit go into office till the chaos dies down?

Will we get an email on Monday telling us to go in if we can?

For teammates that are required to be in office 5 days a week for work, are they required to work from home when inclement weather prohibits them from getting to the office? It would seem if in office teammates are unable to effectively collaborate with a Champion Mindset and build better lives and communities unless onsite, there is no need for them to worry about work if they can't get to the office.

It sounds like call center representatives are gonna get cut. They all jumped on the WFH angle, when asked to RTO, most refused. Now it’s time to go and let automation take over.

Is there any point going to office after giving 30 day notice resignation? I'm thinking of just working from home for my 30 day notice resignation?

These damn recruiters keep insisting on manager references and I keep telling them they won't provide a reference.

How have folks circumvented this? I'm in a catch-22 where I can't give them a reference, yet they keep insisting it's necessary, no matter how many times I tell them to go to theworknumber.com.

I've had to dig out references from years back from people who no longer work at WF, but that's slim pickings.

I just had an interview!! The job itself is remote and out of the hundreds of applicants, they chose my resume because they saw Wells Fargo on it. So just FYI, Wells Fargo still carries some power in the hiring world. 💅✅

All full time remote employees are being terminated by EOY by sc-mbags who put every one of us in a wfh status while keeping offices closed and sitting empty. We have been treated like we aren't employees here, segregated from everything and everyone, blocked from getting promotions and given false ratings on reviews which includes those not full time as well sc--wing all of us out of merit and jobs as well. Theres no way this is legal cause it goes beyond being “at will”. You dont have to go to these extremes in that case

I am starting my training on Feb 2nd working from home as customer service specialist! I’m so happy and blessed to have found another WFH opportunity! This will be my 4th employer that I have WFH for! I hope I can build here and take my learning to even bigger heights <3

How does the HR calculation work?
Is it considered only 4 days every week or can we do all 16 days together and get 4 days WFH in last week ?

How does it work in other locations ?

I'm curious.

I have been at 3 banks now, where I was hired fully remote and was eventually RTO5'd. All 3 happened after a large acquisition. Let me tell you, it's not fun. Here's the thing. Over the last 5+ years, these banks have hired great talent all over the country and have all done well. Look at PNC for example. YoY increase in profits, productivity, and stock price since being fully remote.
Here is what happens:
You drive ~1 hour round trip to commute (if you are lucky), with more expenses, less flexibility, and less sleep / mental well-being.
They haven't invested any money in the offices in years, so you sit in a run-down office with half of the amenities it may have once had.
You take team calls because your team and other teams you collaborate with are spread out all over the country, and do the same exact thing you did from home, but now from an office cubicle / open floor plan desk.
The objectively worse work environment + the lack of being able to take a mental break/reset eventually drives you mad.

This is not for collaboration or culture.
This is not going back to what it "used to be". As a matter of fact, most people in technology were hybrid long before Covid and NEVER worked 5 days in the office.
This is not "were going to see how this works out and maybe..."

Nope.

I don't know what the reason is. Maybe it's a soft layoff, and they want people to quit. Maybe it's from outside forces. Maybe it's because of the acquisition, and certain people want to continue to line their pockets more. It's probably all of the above.

Whatever it is, this is not what the employees wanted. Don't believe me? Check out the results from the end of year survey.

I am already hearing "this is what people wanted.", "The people who have already RTO have loved it.", "This is just an experiment, and no one knows what's going to be the outcome.", "People have been doing this for years before covid with no issues."
It's all BS.

What some of the downvoted comments on here have said are correct. If 5 days in isn't for you, then look for a new job or simply don't comply and get fired / inevitably laid off. Or suffer until one of the above happens.

I would really love to think that we the working people can do something to change this but it is painfully obvious that they do not care or have ulterior motives, so they are probably not going care about any counter efforts. They want some employees to stay and some employees to leave.
If the ones who they don't want to retain leave - great!
If the ones who they do want to retain leave - well, they can always be replaced.

We all want WFH just like we all want paid more, and how many companies have ever paid their employees more out of the kindness of their hearts?

They do not care about us and it's not just PNC it's 99% of all companies in this country.

This is what I would say…respectfully of course.

Your employees have stood behind you helping PNC stay successful. Without us, it could not be done. Every single one of us contributes in some way. You are getting a lot of heat regarding your decision. Is this the legacy that you want to be remembered by? A CEO who didn’t care about his employees? I know you have heart, Bill. I’ve seen it.

You were so upset about not being able to reach several direct reports. If your directs can’t be reached, I’d be upset too. But hold them individually accountable, not the entire bank.

Your children are grown, I believe. If I’m wrong, I apologize. This company has alot of single moms struggling to support their children. In most families with two parents, they both have to work. Trying to juggle getting them to school and back home, daycare costs and keeping food on the table has become more challenging than ever. Most of us don’t make enough money to hire a nanny. We want to have enough time with our children to raise them well. Our children are the future businessmen and women of this country. Nothing can replace that valuable time with our children to help them grow into successful adults, make good decisions and always be open to other people’s perspectives. To always be respectful to everyone, because you never know what they may be dealing with. And when you can help someone less fortunate, you should. Be loving, be kind, be supportive.

Those that are happy with the return to office decision are ones who can afford to do so. We aren’t pushing back because we’re lazy people or big babies! Maybe there is a very small percentage that seem to take advantage. Hold those people accountable, not the employees who produce and do their jobs effectively.

Put yourself in our shoes for 1 day. Partner with a single mom for a day and see the challenges. Having to choose between paying the gas bill or putting food on the table. Do you know what that feels like? The cost of commuting whether by bus or car 5 days a week is expensive.

You’ve said how successful we’ve been before & after covid, now all of a sudden it’s hurting the company to work from home. It’s contradictive. We know there are other reasons behind your decision.

I’m asking you to consider coming out and saying you have heard how your employees feel, and maybe have us come in 3 days a week. Inform your management team not everyone can’t wtf mondays and fridays. It should be well coordinated for coverage purposes. For department meetings, everyone in person. That little bit of flexibility will go along way, Bill. Going back on a decision doesn’t make you a weak leader, Bill. It shows everyone that you are a human being who cares about his employees. That you recognized after the fact, this decision was going to cause more hardships than you anticipated. I guarantee if you did that, your employees would be much happier and so appreciative. When employees are happy at work, they tend to go above and beyond more.

To all the people on here complaining about RTO—you are wasting precious time and energy. Don’t waste your efforts whining on here to a group of people who, to be honest, 90 percent don’t give a damn about your problems and the other 10 percent is glad you got you got ‘em. Don't live with the dogma of other people's thinking. You decide what your limits are, or if you have any limits at all.

My cousin’s company issued an RTO mandate a while back. Do you think he took to an internet message board to complain and seek pity? Nope. Not a chance.

He mocked up a concept for a small mechanism for his desk. I think it was a printed circuit board with a slot for his work access badge, connected to a small remote radio unit (it was a cheap RRU from the web) and some kind of signal repeater with a diffuser which made the system think he was on site 24/7.

When they asked him about it, he played d-mb. Then instead of complaining, again he went and improved it with an integrated I/O switch, a battery backup unit with uninterrupted power supply (BBU/UPS), and a linear encoder so the signal output run time was limited to a max of ~65 hours weekly. He tweaked the battery size and a few other design features so that he only has to go into the office once a month for routine maintenance.

My point is sometimes it is better to tap into your creative side than it is to moan and whine on the internet. With the time and effort some of you guys have invested complaining and ruminating here, you could have had 2 or 3 prototypes assembled and tested.

Update: They made him a partner/principal at the firm about 2 years later.