Thread regarding Dell Inc. layoffs

@dm lol no, they absolutely do not...

At the time, back in April or so I was having very severe back pain and it genuinely was difficult to drive an hour to the office. I emailed my manager explaining the situation and he then submitted an HR ticket. I have no idea what he said in that ticket but, I was NOT required to show proof of any type.

He did not ask me any further questions, nor did HR contact me for more information. Manager/director submitted the HR ticket and it was approved a few days later. No questions asked. It was for up to 6 months which I've slightly exceeded at this point. I have my 1x1 with him in 2 days so am curious if he will bring it up...

TLDR: proof is NOT needed.

@fv Well, it's up to you or anyone who does decide to try and get a medical exemption from RTO but, not every medical condition needs or even has "proof." I'd say the only time they would want proof is if it's something LONG term. Essentially the way the RTO policy is laid out, if you need an exemption for less than 12 months then, it's up to your manager and an HR ticket isn't "technically" even needed - though, they will still submit one for written proof.

According to my director, If it's going to be over 12 months or ends up exceeding 12 months then an official HR ticket is required and, then proof MAY be needed. Though I'd still say it's unlikely they'd ask for any as that's bordering on some HIPA laws.

I mean yeah, don't go to your manager and ask for an exemption because you broke your finger or idk, have explosive diarhea or something lol...

Essentially, if the condition prevents you from driving and/or working in the office then you are good to go. Broken ankle/leg, severe back issues, ACL surgery to name a few.

I got mine due to a slipped disk that was causing severe sciatica pain. It was unbearable to sit in a car for more than 15 minutes or so. I was approved for 6 months with no questions asked. That 6 months is about up I believe so I'll be going back in to office very shortly. At which point won't matter much anyways because I unload all my PTO till end of year. I'll be working 3 days/week for the rest of the year so, I only have to go into office once/week to keep up with what my org wants.

Point is is that, they do not require proof. You could literally send your manager a message saying "i slipped and fell down the stairs and shattered my right ankle. It's impossible to drive because i kinda need my right foot to drive..." Bo-m.

@dm they don’t, actually. And you don’t even have to tell them what the disability is.

@rp hmm, so if they tell you go and clean up office sh.i.tters, you'll just go and do it?

@cv you sound jealous. Do you go to the office and fa-t around for 8 hours or do you actually work?

@k7 idk what position you have but yes, all job descriptions say "or other duties assigned." All that means is that the job you accepted may not ALWAYS or JUST involve the duties that you were hired for. That does not mean you are required to work after your official end of day time, nor does it mean you are required to be available...

In my org/department, there is no "second or third" shift. We all work from 8am-5pm.

@k7 I'm not "dead wrong" though, perhaps it depends on the manager? I/my team happens to run services/equipment that quite literally prevent employees from working if that service/equipment is not functioning correctly.

Not that it would ever happen now but back when I first started, it was two of us who managed these things. So if SHT hit the fan after 6pm and neither of us were remotely available, then too gd bad. He has a family of 5 and I have a family of a dog.
This happened once or twice and my manager had to tell the Sr. Director "sorry but, my guys can't get to it tonight."

My contract states that my working hours are 8am-5pm with the possibility of after hours work. There is nothing that says I need to be available after 5pm nor that I HAVE to be available but, simply that my job MAY require after hours work.If I know in advance that I'll be working at say, 7pm for xyz then I plan for it. If something randomly pops up at 7pm and I'm out on a date or a bar, then they can go f themselves.

My working hours END at 5pm and anything after that is if I'm AVAILABLE or choose to be available. I do have a very social life outside of work, I date, and I am part of clubs that I attend. Sorry but, I'm not leaving anything to drive home and fkn work on a problem that can wait until the morning.

If the entire network is down then OK, sure. That's an exception but if it's a few people who can't get into the network - IC, Manager, VP, SVP - then they can go f themselves and wait till the morning. Not catering to the execs who feel their work is more "vital" than my personal life.

The way it works for us is, if anything truly hits the fan then my manager is notified via text. Depending on the severity he will then send me and the other dude a text asking if we are able to get on. Depending on what we consider vital determines if either of us WILL get online to help, or if we are even able to at all.

So no, i'm not "dead wrong." To reiterate... my contract states my working hours with the possibility of after hours work. It does NOT state that I HAVE to work after hours nor does it state that I HAVE to be available.

A union would be nice.

@fn - I typically don't work after 5 or 6p unless supporting global initiatives, but you're dead wrong about your manager not being able to "make" you do it. All of us workers in the US have "other duties as assigned" in our job descriptions. This plus not listing working hours is for a reason.

"leadership" could decide the needs of the business require you to work 2nd shift or they can decide they want you doing a job completely different than your day to day. You can put your foot down all day and say that isn't in your "contract". Dell will PIP you and show you the door. We have 0 leverage as employees in today's employment market. I agree about setting boundaries, but you also have to accept the consequences, which can include termination for putting your foot down.

@dm :

I offered documentation for mine, and they said they didn’t need it. I’m in TX, if that makes a difference, but I’d be surprised if it did.

That said, I don’t recommend making anything up. If they change their policy, or otherwise discover fraud, I’m imagining that would be a fireable offense.

They have no "policy" in place. This so called "policy" is incredibly vague and even directors have no fkn idea what it truly incorporates.

Managers/directors have been told it's up to their own discretion but yet, it's also not up to them. They have been told xyz and xyz and then told otherwise days/weeks later.

The "policy" is whatever tf the VP's want it to be, honestly... And more specifically what JC wants it to be, which can change on a whim.

@dj Yeah well, that time has come and gone. My work day is 8am - 5pm. I'm expected to be in office - or badge in at the very least - and well, once that 5pm hits, I'm out of office and unavailable. NOTHING in my contract states that I MUST be available to work outside of my designated working hours so, I shall abide by that.

Any work I do or am asked to do after hours is me volunteering and nothing more; but I 100% do not have to work past 5pm if I choose not to. Which I do often enough but I don't really mind.

@b5 One of my coworkers has a vision problem that makes driving under certain conditions difficult. He was told that was too bad.

Having an actual policy would indicate that they actually have a plan on what they want to do and how they want to do it, so of course there isn't one.

@b5 They absolutely do require documentation for a medical exception. That’s nonsense.

@bv - there typically aren't contracts for employment in the US except for executive positions or people in union areas. People on salary are generally exempt from overtime and the company "expects" more hours out of them. You work until the work is done or you hit your own boundaries. For hourly roles, there typically is a limitation on hours since Dell has to pay overtime if you work more than 40.

Read in the voice of the comic book guy from The Simpsons makes this sound more absurd than it already does:

I don’t get paid to work 8 hours a day, I get paid to complete my work. If I complete my work early it means I’m efficient and good at what I do. So I’ll leave early and logon from home.

@bn are US contracts so flexible? Here in Europe our Dell contract normally states the amount of hours per week we are required to work.

I don’t get paid to work 8 hours a day, I get paid to complete my work. If I complete my work early it means I’m efficient and good at what I do. So I’ll leave early and logon from home.

@am I mean... even when you go into office, you can literally leave whenever you want and for whatever reason so, yes. You absolutely do get paid for going to the dentist.

yes, and it basically says you have to be "in office" every day. Unless you have a medical exemption or exyz...

PS... They don't ask for proof for medical exemptions. Tell your manager a s-b story - a reasonable one - and they submit an HR ticket and bo-m bam done. now you have 6 months of WFH.

it is on your offer letter

@am bit late in the season to mow your lawn.

8 hrs per day, 5 days per week it's a job, you're not getting paid to go to the dentist,mow your lawn, go for a run.

@a4 NO - there is no policy. There is constatnly updated Q&A website. No documented policy as in word or pdf file fulfilling legal definition of document.

Man you must really be quiet quitting. Certainly one on Inside Dell. Whether it answers your particular questions, maybe not

I can be summarized with "go to work"