Just curious how many will report in three days every week now (Directors and above), how many are planning to leave/retire and how many are just going to continue to work remote and tell them to go sc--w themselves? I already know of three hard working very knowledgeable Directors that have already left because of this in-office mandate. What a brain drain this lame brain idea is going to be.....
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@nw In our area, it is the resources that are friends with the manager getting the exceptions (secretly) while others the manager could care less about are told regardless of any conditions, they must report into the office the required number of days. Works similarly to the merit raises - Who gets 3 and 4 percent merit raises versus who gets between 1 and 2 percent merit raises.
How many Managers/Directors are getting exceptions to this requirement? I’m curious and am wondering how obvious it would be if some were basically getting a free pass. Or if some are required to get them to quit while others they want to keep get to keep wfh.
As someone who has delt with a workplace violent incident elsewhere and had to then attend active sho-ter training with my colleagues, I specifically chose a Remote position. At the interview I was told I would not have to come in because my everyone was in different states. I am partially convinced that the RTO is an attempt at getting people to voluntarily quit. I won’t be quitting, however I am completely demotivated to work for a company who broke their word and can’t be trusted.
@jk I am really sorry to hear that you feel you are not safe at working surrounding by males who are speaking a language you cannot understand and you mention their body language and being the only female.
I would pack up and go home and put your concerns in writing to you manager, their manager and HR and not return until you can be assured you are safe.
@fx I'm the same as the NYC person plus the fan person who has asthma plus I have significant ergonomic needs that would require a special seat cushion, a headrest, and various braces for my joints. I also need ACE bandages, icepacks for pain, and low light to prevent or cope with migraines (fluorescent light and people's perfume is a trigger). We're talking about hauling in a wagonload of stuff. Not only that, I suffer from fatigue so I can't wait to load/unload it all again and again. Who's going to watch my expensive stuff while I use the restroom so it doesn't get stolen? Do I need to put it all in the wagon and take it to the bathroom with me? Is there somewhere I can lock up my stuff? The people around me are strangers. I might as well be working in a public place.
@gr, it matters because I am the lone female amongst a dozen males and it’s highly uncomfortable not knowing what’s being said. The body language is decidedly not friendly. These are IT leaders. They’re not “fixing my laptop.”
@gr Wow. Aren’t you an a-s kisser. How’s that kool-aid taste?
1 hour commute
1 packed lunch
Gas $
0 Added Collaboration
=
Much frustration
It's managers too. I drive an hour each way and the team I manage is across the entire state. It's pointless and annoying. I get more done at home than I ever do at the office.
Pre-COVID I was going into the office 5 days a week and had a better work/life balance. When I left the office I didn't turn the laptop back on except for an emergency. I plan to do the same now. They will get fewer hours out of me. I do not have a company provided phone so as long as I resist the urge to look at email after I leave I think this will be a good thing.
This is just one persons opinion. I know others are in different situations.
@gr The policy is stupid. The policy also states that I should pull a report if people in the office and figure out how to collaborate with them. That is a hard fu--ing no. Not getting paid enough for “extra” duties. If leadership truly wants this to work then they will come up with ways to help guide the collaboration they want to see. This policy is a cop out. It’s just because they don’t want to come into the office but expect everyone else to. Fu-k you guys.
@gn Definition of meaningful collaboration -WHAT DOES NOT COUNT PER POLICY - so if you are doing the below you are not following policy - discuss it with leadership and get guidance from them. Everyday
*Sitting in your cubicle all day on video calls or email.
*Coming in just to satisfy a headcount or attendance quota without engaging anyone.
FYI - what do you care if IT is talking to each other in their "native language" - they aren't talking to you - WOW nor should they be unless they are fixing your laptop which I assume they would speak to you in YOUR native language
I don’t know how on the world they expect me to collaborate. No one from the functions I support are in my office. Everyone is on their own little world while at their cubes, and the IT resources in the break room are speaking to their co- workers exclusively in their native language.
@fx You are so wrong! Makes it obvious that you are not going to any PulsePoint. I have to take a fan with me because the office gets so hot in the afternoons, not to mention the air quality gets so bad in the afternoons, I have trouble breathing with my asthma condition. We have NO cafeteria so hauling in food is a condition for many of us. I have to haul everything included in the post by @g0. Treat us like temporary employees and that is how we will start acting....
@fx The cubicles are not useable for a large portion of my work. I should not have to conduct sensitive conversations with leadership or with my team in an open cube where everyone can hear everything.
If they want us to work in office then leadership needs to supply work stations that will effectively allow us to do our jobs.
VPs get offices, but if a VP is talking to a director, the conversation will be public knowledge in open workspaces.
@fx Umm, no — this is exactly what we have to carry when commuting from NJ, NY, and CT into the NYC office. And yes, it’s lugging around. It gets very heavy.
We’re carrying things like:
• A laptop and charger
• Headset and headset charger
• phone chargers
• Breakfast, lunch, and snacks
• A sweatshirt or cover-up in case the AC is too much
• An umbrella
• A water bottle
On top of that, most of us are dealing with a walk-and-train commute — not driving in. There’s no easy way to lighten the load, and during these summer thunderstorms, we often arrive at the office drenched.
The least that could be done is assigning us desks. It’s a brutal commute, and we’re making the effort. Meanwhile, the VPs and Staff VPs don’t have to worry about any of this — they already have dedicated offices.
@d4 The only equipment anyone should have to "lug" into an office is their laptop and possibly a wireless mouse, if that's what they prefer. Pulse Point offices have monitors & other required equipment in the cubicles.
Run as fast as you can!
@cb this is what gets me. The people making these decisions either have dedicated office space or have permanent exemptions to work from home. If they were the ones facing lugging all their sh-t back and forth three times a week, having no privacy for calls with teammates across the country, sitting in a different (completely open) spot each time around different people with whom they do not work, having to take their stuff with them to lunch because they neither know nor entirely trust the random unknown associates sitting around them that day, this RTO sh-t would not be happening.
Fun fact: one of my first days back in the office, before peripherals were supplied, my mouse was stolen while I was in the restroom.
This is a good read
https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/new-data-shows-workers-are-mostly-ignoring-return-to-office-orders/91202144
Long term here - my team and myself were sent home years ago because they needed the space - since that time - we have had to wait endlessly on backfills, then mass hire at the end of the year for new business that started in January that the new staff were not ready to deal with since training does not prepare you and it takes a good 6 months to a year to figure things out.
Since that time mass hiring were people "within a pulse point", other staff were allowed to move to another state for a variety of personal reasons - now flip the script and we need to come in to collaborate with strangers who don't have a thing to do with what we do
Meantime, people that were allowed to be too far from a pulse point (especially managers) are afraid they will lose their jobs if they don't move closer to a pulse point so they are looking
Lastly - Many Directors and SVP are getting a pass - regardless of where they live - nothing makes sense and the double standards continue with Leadership. And yes if you leave you will be missed for "a minute" then forgotten -but before you left you were VITAL - nothing but doublespeak, and lies
@c6 The company thinks they are running fine. The tank in stock price isn’t leadership fault, it’s those pesky headwinds. SLT puts such a positive spin on everything it will take a lot for them to ever admit things are bad. We can see the ship is sinking, they will just get other life-rafts and watch everyone else drown.
@c1 I don’t think RTO is inevitable. I just think uninspired leadership has run out of ideas and they think RTO will fix things. It won’t. People with jobs that don’t depend on being in a specific physical location don’t want to be forced to RTO because some investor is gonna lose money on their office building. Or Elevance Health is gonna lose out on tax incentives. It’s time to be innovative but that is not something our leaders possess. So here we are This will bite them in the a-s eventually. And not all companies are RTO.
They’re asking you to RTO to an office configured nothing like what it was pre Covid. We used to sit together in assigned cubes that offered a chance to settle in with others you worked with regularly and have some form of privacy. This is a sea of open space, zero or low walled customer service sized seating where you can’t leave your stuff and never know who you’ll end up seated with each time you come. They must know this is not a collaborative environment. They would have designed the offices to ensure successful RTO if they truly wanted people to be successful vs miserable. Misery is the goal so you’ll quit.
@by "The company will continue to run just fine." Where do you work because Elevance Health isn't running just fine. Have you noticed the accounts we have lost and continue to lose? Have you been following the stock price? Are you aware of the general morale of the employees overall?
@by This is well said, no one is irreplaceable. Some are tougher to replace than others. You have to decide if this is working for you; RTO is inevitable. I was also hired remote over a decade ago, long before COVID. This su-ks, I have some decisions to make, but I am updating my resume regardless.
I know returning to the office can be tough, but for those who can manage it, give it a real shot. If you find yourself completely miserable, that’s a clear sign it’s time to start applying elsewhere.
In some ways, this shift might actually be a good thing. It can push many of us to finally take that next step and explore better opportunities. Yes, the job market is challenging, and landing a remote role might take time, but staying stuck and doing nothing won’t help.
This also gives us a chance to honestly assess whether we can tolerate office life.
Eventually, it might go back to 5 days a week so if 3 days already feels like too much, now you know it’s time to plan your next move.
It will take some adjustment, but we need to stay strong and focus on what’s right for us.
The company will continue to run just fine. That’s how the industry works.
So take care of yourself, advocate for what you need, and most importantly, take action. Doing nothing is the worst option.
Sadly most companies are going back to Return to Office....if you just quit without having another job well...good luck. Keep looking while you have your job...enhance your skills and resume. IF you are fortunate to find a good paying job that let's you work from home then count your blessings (and let the rest of us know which companies are still hiring)
I was doomed because I don’t have any off-ramp like +60 minute drive or 50+ miles from office. On plus side happy to see friends I haven’t talked to in long time. Good to make face to face connections again
Resume is cleaned up...
@bm I will be leaving for retirement soon once I get a few more things lined up. I was just curious how many people will be following me out the door or just refusing to report into offices three days every week when nobody they work with are at that location. Driving an hour plus to a PulsePoint when I was hired 100 percent remote isn't tolerable, especially based on that last merit and AIP.
@OP curious where you went that is work from home? Seems like RTO is the new norm for many companies. Currently looking to do the same.
Former director here. I resigned because of the new hybrid policy. None of my direct reports were at my Pulse Point and my commute was an hour of stress each way. The whole this is just d-mb and I don't miss it at all.