I'm not going to waste time going on and on about the same things but who is actually going in to work at 8/9 and staying till 5pm? Obviously RTO 5 days means working from the office all 5 days but there's no way in he-l the majority is willingly going to go from WFH to now commuting to an office just to sit there for 8 hours.
23 replies (most recent on top)
@1jc Thank you.
@1hn Chief Information Officer. There are several of them that work for either CK, VP, Kwap, or NC.
@1ak Maybe I should know, but what is CIO? I see that title a lot on here and it must mean something other than chief investment or information officer?
@1e1 I know; I get it. We’ve lived this way for FIVE YEARS…. They can’t expect young families and single parents to suddenly cough up hundreds or perhaps thousands of $$ over something so ridiculously unnecessary.
They’ll say “visit xyz.com for resources” or “work with you manager”. Guess what: your manager has NO authority to change it!
This stinks and I hope you (and everyone in these situations) can find a solution.
@1d0 and this brings me back to my previous point, do they expect parents to let their young children get on and off the bus alone? There HAS to be some type of flexibility, most people can't afford child care and some people do not have a support system here to help.
@18z And what’s next? “I have to get my kids off the bus” becomes “my spouse needs the car” or “my dog walker doesn’t come after 12:00 on fridays I need to get home”. They can’t allow any of this because of the avalanche of effort to avoid coming to the office. They will have no sympathy for these things. “Flexibility” is clearly defined in the FAQ as what it is not: a regular routine schedule of working from home.
So much turmoil created over something so unnecessary. I really wish Bill and team would reconsider this.
@1af I think a lot of CIOs and upper management think its bullsh-t and disagree with it, but unfortunately its out of their hands. I think it the flexibility is pretty clear too though judging from the Gold Lot A shuttle schedule email they sent out this week - that there will be a shuttle running all day in case people need to get back to their cars midday. I would be surprised if it was a strict your butt needs to be in a seat at 8am and you cannot leave until 5pm.
@18z That is exactly what our CIO is saying he is going to allow and says he will support his team 100% on that. I get the feeling he thinks this is all bull and is willing to fight people for it. He is also the same guy who went and saw the Cleveland operations center and said he was not going to force his people into a site that looks like garbage. Good on him. The rumor now is that people who were supposed to have to go there are now being given a reprieve until a number of issues are addressed.
They will probably fire him at some point for digging in, but I wish more execs were willing to stand up and fight for their people.
@18p What I am getting at is if people need to arrive at 9am and leave at 2pm to get their kids on and off the bus that should be allowed….. hence a partial WFH day.
@js Um, NO. Not saying that at all and not sure why you think I am. I’m saying that “flexibility” is intended to be an occasional occurrence and not a fixed routine. And the quiet part not said out loud is “that’s what OA is for, so use it”. Think whatever you want but the days of “I work from home on Wednesdays” are over.
@j2 Not sure why all the down votes. You’re right and another poster points out that “flexibility” is poorly defined and no one (NO. ONE.) is going to say anything in conflict with CEO. Maybe they’re downvoting the fact that you’re correct, but you ARE correct.
@16z 100% agree. “My manager told me….” isn’t gonna cut it! I’m becoming my father when I say GET IT IN WRITING, which you won’t be able to do.
@16y 100% agree with all of this. I actually raised this directly with my manager. The flexibility sounds reasonable on the surface, but the question I couldn’t get a straight answer to is whether that flexibility is HR-sanctioned. If a manager offers you a workaround and you take it, are you protected? Or are you just trusting a verbal arrangement that HR never signed off on? And I can almost guarantee your manager isn’t putting that flexibility in writing either. So you have an informal agreement, no HR backing, and nothing documented on your side. If your name ever comes up on a layoff list, that badge data tells the story and your manager’s verbal flexibility offer won’t save you.
RTO is a legitimate nightmare for both employees and managers. The employees dont want it and there is no public policy from HR that outlines what "flexibility" means. How could a manager write you up if theres no rules other than "wake up with the intent to come into the office and you cant have the same day every week to work remotely" its ambiguous. RTO out thr gate is inconsistent. We were told it was based on distance, but we all know now, thats not true. This creates an HR nightmare because, if someone does get disciplined, they could claim discrimination. What is more likely to happen is department heads will be looking at badge swipes and when they are asked to look at cutting staff, and they are and they will, those metrics will be taken into account.
@j2 so people with kids who can’t afford child care or have a support system here should just let their young kids get on and off the bus alone. Got it 👍🏻
Don’t be confused by the word “flexibility”!! It does not mean you create your own routines or “keep working from home on Friday”. It means “if on occasion you need to be away from the office that’s ok”. A lot of people are hearing what they want to hear….. not good.
@a4 I'm interviewing elsewhere. As soon as I have an offer in hand, that's my leverage. Officially drop this BS or I'm out.
@cg Weirdly he is a boomer. I gather his kids are grown up, but I have never seen anyone so focused on ensuring flexibility. I am guessing it is because he went through all the issues of sick kids and bus runs himself so he knows what it is like.
@bf Im willing to bet your CIO is not a boomer and actually realizes this is the year 2026. Its called moving with the times. So props to that CIO for seeing through the ancient boomer bullsh*t of mandatory in office work in a completely digital age.
I’m a manager. I haven’t been given any specific authority to grant anything to anyone. And “work it out” is just a recipe for abuse and disaster.
@ag Same for me. Our CIO has been very clear on flexibility and has said publicly he will come down on any manager that does not allow for flexibility. Maybe and my organization are just lucky here.
if you search RTO on the itraweb then first thing on the list - In office frequently asked questions for employees, has a section regarding flexibility. I am under the impression you just work with your manager.
someone else sent me a SS, idk where it came from, but somewhere internal about a work remote partial day review - again seems like a work with your manager type of thing.
i do not plan on being there the full 8 hours unless I am told otherwise. My manager is super cool and flexible.
These days companies are firing for violating the RTO policy. This is one of the excuse to fire you without severance.