#worklifebalance

Why is it that more than half the employees on my floor come in for 2 hours then leave? Do you think Executives don’t know you’re trying to manipulate the data they are collecting for RTO? I’d be careful. It’s not worth it to lose your job over it, is it? Of course, the choice is yours. I need my job.

when you optimize for one thing, you usually suboptimize something else.

so now we spend energy on trivial stuff like badging, attendance, and proving people are physically present, while less time goes into the actual work. the work is still there. it just gets buried under another layer of compliance theater.

wells fargo has always had a problem with truth and trust. in good times, people work around it. in tough times, it gets harder to hide.

that’s when the cracks show.

I used to think that liking your job was a normal expectation, something that most people could reasonably hope for. After spending so much time in this place, I am genuinely not sure anymore. Is there an assumption that we are all just supposed to tolerate our work and find our fulfillment elsewhere, or am I actually supposed to enjoy what I do for eight hours a day?

No raises and no promotions for years, so now I do the bare minimum and they get exactly what they pay for.

No promotions for people who are already here. No balance between work and life. No chance to move into a different role internally. What we do have is plenty of favoritism toward friends and family.

Best advice I got when I was laid off a few years ago was to treat job hunting like a full time job. Job hunt and interview for the full work day, but constrain it to work hours. Take breaks, meet people for lunch, and most importantly sign off at a reasonable time. Enjoy your evening best you can.

Bumping this from @b0+1kr24ryf6, more people should read it.

I'd expect more people running for the door considering the current situation at SAS, but the fact is that the only reason turnover is low right now is that the job market is a disaster. People are not staying because they love it here. They are staying because they have nowhere else to go.

Relocating to Dallas this summer and thinking of moving close to Hosp Elementary school in Frisco. I have kids in elementary schools and wondering if anyone is in this situation to commute from Frisco to downtown Dallas and what times you usually start your commute and manage the 9 hours at office. I am unsure if there are any closer areas to cut down the commute for present HQ and upcoming HQ

With how often we have layoffs, all of us have two choices. Run ourselves into the ground and hope for the best, or just kiss up to our boss and call it job security. One is a gamble. The other is gross but effective. Pick your poison.

The work life balance is so toxic it feels like they're trying to ki-l us off slowly. You either burn out or get pushed out. There's no in between anymore.

How many of you will stay (or leave) if the eliminated the pension plan?

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-05-20/ceos-at-novo-nestle-push-work-cultures-into-results-mode

I have been calculating my commute time lately, and the numbers are depressing. I spend about ninety minutes in the car every day, which adds up to more than an entire workday each week just sitting in traffic. I am curious what everyone else's numbers look like. How much of your life have you lost to driving since we were forced back into the office?

What are the odds they make me actually work the 2 weeks (not a direct competitor or operator)? Any advice on how “best” to leave?

To reframe an old adage for the ongoing disasters being inflicted on our companies:
“We the unwilling, led by the uninformed, guided by the blind, are kept busy by those incapable of recognizing value-adding results.

A good project for a long holiday weekend would be to create FIS Bingo cards. What are the endless terms, names, even phrases that have been used to beat employees to death in meetings and emails. Or meetings that should have been emails. Go ahead, do your worst.

If Abby is making us go into the office every day, then, maybe that’ll let people not have to go into the office sometimes? Like if someone has to see a doctor, they can be allowed to work from home that day? Eventually, maybe they’ll realize they NEED to give remote work exceptions, like to people who are primary caretakers or have illnesses?

Just a wishful thought. Probably not gonna happen. I don’t know, man.

Is buying PTO a real thing? Can you do in middle of year if you are new ?

Paying $7 a gallon for gas, to spend $40 a day for parking, to sit in a cube and speak to no one in person. Meanwhile, other people in comparable roles, living slightly farther away are forced to work remotely with impact to their raises. This is nothing like pre-COVID because no one I work with is in my walled-off neighborhood, and everyone in my neighborhood is incredibly bitter to be there. Not too hard to see why, when this week there was an armed guard overseeing the parking entrance, asking people where they worked prior to being able to take an entrance ticket. How is this effective or responsible - fiscally, environmentally, productively, strategically, or in regard to safety? Why even have salaried employees if you intend to treat them like hourly employees? It disincentivizes them from being in the field or going above and beyond in any capacity that isn’t tracked by IP. What happened to, “We put people first,” in a culture of “do the right thing”? If the MC thinks this is the “right thing” it does not speak very highly on their behalf. Obviously, we all know they don’t really care about their team’s actual lived-experiences, but they could do a much better job of making their mandates make sense. The Talk to Us Surveys, employee banking, and PAC solicitations, in an iron-fist culture, are ironic (if not insulting) at this point. By the numbers annually: approximately 440 more hours of commuting and nearly $6,000 spent on parking alone, for a job that can be done more effectively remotely, with zero reasonable reasons given other than, “because we said so.” Bonuses are very nice, but after taxes and annual RTO hard cost expenses, the math is not mathing on the take home pay. At the bare minimum the bank could negotiate fair parking contracts in all HUB markets - public transit is not safe for many.

It won't change anything, and there will still be the associates who still want to do everything by the book in hopes that ELT will spare them. But, what if June 1st the home office was damn near empty and everyone either called out sick or WAH for some emergency reason. Imagine the signal it would send to those d-mb bags of sh!+ that sit in the corner offices. I'm sure we would all be collectively punished or lectured, but we outnumber them. They can't fire all of us, and they need us more than we need them. The 80/20 rule. 80% of the GPs and directors could take a month off and nobody would notice. 20% of home office associates who actually do the work could walk out that door and the whole thing grinds to a hault and would make a media headline. So glad to be driving 4 days a week during and energy crisis, I thought this company was all about the environment and saving the planet?

Attending meetings this week and the energy and expectations is awful, it’s clear there’s no vision and I’m already so burnt out. Does anyone know if it’s possible to opt into the layoff?

Strong story doesn't save companies. Strong work do!

I like that and He's correct—companies survive on output, not narrative.

But that's a principle for stable times.

When the house is already on fire, "just keep working hard" starts to sound less like wisdom and more like a way to keep people holding the hose while the roof caves in. It won't save anyone.

Not sure how everyone is responding to the changes over the past year and some change. Seen a lot of people move on and out the company, rightfully so. I have been showing up and leaving when I feel like it. Granted my mgr understands my beef and is cool with it, if I show up at 9/9:15 and wanna leave at lunch or 3:30 to finish my day at home, I do that. I suggest you start taking power back in some form for yourself. Whatever that looks like for you, do it. I refuse to look back one day knowing there was more I could do to empower myself in my role and regret it because I was fearful or just doing what I was told, even though it made no sense. For those still showing up daily on site in sales for a 90% virtual role, ask yourself why you're still playing by the rules and not questioning things or creating your own environment for success. Your manager feels it too, but they're not gonna speak out. You have to do it for yourself. If you understand your latitude and have positive rapport with your peers and leader, suggest you create the workflow for your success rather than abiding by this cookie cutter nonsense. Respect to those who don't want to risk their livelihoods because times aren't great. But I encourage those who're disgruntled about the current work environment to take some power back and do whatever you want to do to meet the targets rather than what incompetent leaders try to mandate.

Is there a way to disable the stupid Bny default background. Having to reset our background every 20 minutes is annoying, wish they would let us at least have windows default backgrounds at least. Who the he-l wants to look at the pillars as their background.

Wow! Hope you’re blocking

How does it feel ?
I am a bit restless. Not used to doing nothing but can get used to it. Mostly relieved. Too bored to scan through the 20 page package.
Planning to chill and focus on exercise, kitchen, family and sign the paperwork in a few days.
Still figuring out. Anything else to do and add, chime in please.

Your manager doesn't matter at all. They don't do anything regarding whether you remain employed or not, they learn of you getting fired about an hour before they let you know...they are useless so don't worry about pleasing your management.

Trust me, after doing it for over 25 years for T just to be kicked out the door...don't do ANYTHING over the bare minimum for T, they won't recognize nor reward, they don't give a S about you, just remember that.

Just from an ethical perspective. People who feel entitled to clean out the snack bins are demonstrating the quality of their character. It is like the wait staff test - how people treat wait staff is telling you a lot about who they are.

Teradata used to pride themselves on work life balance and of caring about employees and families. We have always pushed people hard at least in the teams where I have worked but there was also concern for your well-being. The leadership has changed this culture completely. Now you are never doing enough. Never working enough hours. Never using AI enough. Is this to weed people out?

We already have a half day. I just cancelled all my meetings and I'm not working. Everyone else should do the same.

Does the power structure in this company understand that forcing people into the office on Thursday next week after having Memorial Day off feels like a punishment for having the audacity to acknowledge a federal holiday?

I know they don't care but really? Waste our money and time and the company's utility bills because we've just GOT to have 3 days in the office?

Zero benefit, only inconvenience and annoyance. I suggest everyone just chit chat all day and use the bathrooms as often as possible.

Amidst the firm forcing HO associates back in 4x per week and removing flexibility for hours in-office, I’m seeing a new LinkedIn marketing push today from those at Edward Jones, targeting FAs. It includes a picture saying “Flexibility + work/life balance”, and the content says the following:

“High-intensity sales roles often demand relentless travel, long hours, and constant availability. It's no surprise that many top performers are seeking more flexibility-without losing meaningful work.
Advisors transitioning from sales value having control over their schedule, fewer reactive cycles, and more time to focus on client relationships-not constant hustle.
If you're looking for a career that gives you space to breathe while still challenging you, this might be the right move.”

I get what they’re going for, but it feels like salt in the wound as a HO associate. But hey, I guess according to DC we should be grateful to have our jobs, right?

It’s really so simple. Once you start to care less is when the job gets better. Remember you will be replaced one day whether it is retire, die, or laid off. This company does not care about you more than the next person. Take care of yourself first. Words of wisdom from Les Brown “work harder on yourself than you do on your job!”

Everyone has said that the 3 day requirement is rolling. If that’s the case and I take two weeks off can I only go in 1 day the week before I’m off and one day the week I come back?

Don’t give me all that double talk about needing a job and all.
You are grown human beings. You should be able to do something else, and clear yourself of this mess here.

Why do you keep doing the same thing every day, yet expecting a different result? At this point you are beyond being able to justify why you stay here to anyone or yourself.

The pay is awful and they expect your whole life to revolve around this place. Days off don't mean much when they call you in anyway. Work life balance isn't a thing here. It's exhausting.