I received an e-mail from a colleague today saying I cannot schedule a meeting for certain periods during the weekday, because they have RTO'd and will be commuting during those specific time periods. This was a guy who typically would have been available 9 or 10 hours a day. You really have two choices: 1. Complain to the employee's boss that they are not available, which will probably cause them to help you even less, especially in the future; or 2. Suck it up and realize that many people are not going to be as productive and flexible as the were before this RTO business. People keep saying how much more productive many will be in the office. I really doubt it.
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I couldn't schedule a meeting because my colleague was on a Costco run.
Sure, connection awards can be five figures, but if you put in 25% or 50% more hours to deliver, it isn't worth it for a 10% or 15% one time payment. It is worth it if you can get one working normal hours.
Stankey has it figured out, he just got an 18% bump for nothing but abject failure.
"However, if you are an exempt manager, you don't get paid by time. You get paid by deliverables, whether it takes you 2 hours, 8 hours or 12 hours a day to complete. There is no financial reward for delivering "more". Salary is salary. Out of cycle bonuses (Connection awards) generally aren't generous enough to make up for working obscene hours."
We have always been told in our org that exempt employees are expected to put in a minimum of 40, and should regularly be more like 45. Of course, we all have multiple roles and projects, and there is always work to be done. If I can't work on one thing because I'm waiting on an udpate or another group, or a coworker to do something, I have other action items I can work on.
Oh, and some of those awards can be okay; I've heard some are 5 figures for lower level management.
"Really? What if I can efficiently do my complete job in 4 hours per day while others take 8? "
Most of my work directives are yearlong initiatives, so you're not done until the numbers are met for the year. They are not tasks which have a short window and can be "completed" on a daily basis. It not: you have 50 tickets, or 50 installs to do today and you can quit for the day when your done because there will be no more tasks for you to complete until tomorrow. And you can't even say, I have to do 1200 widgets for the year, so that's 25 a day. Therefore, if I do 25 today by lunch I'm done. Or if I do 100 by Tuesday I don't have to work the rest of the week. A lot of jobs have a more ongoing work load. If you only have enough work to keep you busy for 20 hours a week, guess what--you're expendible. Likewise, if it take you 50 or 60 hours to do what others do in 40 or some think they can do in 20, then you, too, are expendible.
From an hourly worker's perspective. I get the "put your 8 hours in" sentiment, because you are getting paid for your time.
However, if you are an exempt manager, you don't get paid by time. You get paid by deliverables, whether it takes you 2 hours, 8 hours or 12 hours a day to complete. There is no financial reward for delivering "more". Salary is salary. Out of cycle bonuses (Connection awards) generally aren't generous enough to make up for working obscene hours.
A lot of people on here are very backward looking. I see a lot of people saying you need to give 8 hours or you are committing theft. Really? What if I can efficiently do my complete job in 4 hours per day while others take 8? Working to time is a Communist worker ideology, and it has never worked, because you are holding people to work toward the time the weakest person takes to perform the task at hand. A more appropriate and growing ideology of workplace isn't workplace at all. It is work to task. This was the direction that many moons ago my Computer Math teacher said we were headed for. It was supposed to be a rising tide that raised all ships. Tasks that took 8 hours would instead take 2. Somewhere, companies would be able to make greater use of the efficiencies, but workers were also supposed to gain time back and improve quality of life. Even the most ardent people on this board do not work 8 hours. Rarely will a person work to any task for 8 hours. If they do, it is something important, and they are usually working more than 8 hours to accomplish the 8 hour task. This place is not a manufacturing facility in the 1920's where the expectation is to do a repetitive assembly line task for 8 hours. Few jobs are. One of the few jobs that are like this in AT&T are call center jobs, which require agent availability over a set time. A lot of "How We Work" depends on what the actual job is that we are doing.
Bunch of babies!
" If you go in and talk on the phone all day but not network in person then you’re not doing what leadership desires."
What our "leadership" desires and what it gets can be pretty far apart. Exhibit A is a long string of failed initiatives starting with Tmobile and finishing with TW. Unless you thing they wanted to fail.😄
"We have been told to optimize commute times and log on from home before or after the commute."
There is not a chance that I will log in before or after my commute. The company wants to disrespect my time, then my time is extremely limited to 8 hours and zero seconds. Emergencies, call someone else. Good luck!
"We have been told to optimize commute times and log on from home before or after the commute."
Which is fine if you are available to take calls during that commute. Otherwise, it is time clock theft (even if you are salaried instead of hourly.)
We have been told to optimize commute times and log on from home before or after the commute.
If you’re going into the office to collaborate then you do need to clear your schedule out some. If you go in and talk on the phone all day but not network in person then you’re not doing what leadership desires.
This post like most unfortunately on this “ATT Layoffs” site is a complete lie.
"People tend to work longer and less distracted when working from home."
I like to work from home so I can smash any time I want.
Always some folks taking advantage of the system. Sure some wfh people slack off and don’t do as much, others actually are willing to do more because it’s easier to work a bit later or earlier since I don’t have to drive in. It’s also means I don’t need much time for lunch because I can walk to my fridge, fix something and eat at my desk. I’m also more efficient at home because I have my own desk, chair, quiet office space, a nice big monitor that works, better internet, better everything. When I go into an office, I have to try and reserve a place to sit or find an open spot some place, the monitors never work so I work from my tiny laptop screen, the internet sucks, it’s loud, I have to run out to get food or if I bring something have to sit in the break room since we can’t eat at our desks and yeah I’m going to be out of there by 5 at the latest and don’t expect me to login before 9. And once I log out, don’t expect me to be checking emails after hours or finish that request, that’s going to wait until 9am tomorrow.
Phony study to support the lie that working from home is productive. The truth is just slacking off at home and not working.
The “overachievers/brown nosers” will continue to be just that. They are running their mouths and encouraging others to slack or quit.
And yet given the opportunity they will do WHATEVER it takes to keep wearing those knee pads.
People have been spoiled so long they think that drive time is part of the 8hrs. It never has been and it won’t be in the future. It’s an additional 1 to 2 hours of your day.
So y’all are scheduling meetings outside of your shift? Your doing it wrong
“I used to still be hard at it this time of day. Not anymore!”
I’m glad that your me time is helping you out…
I know a lot of top performers who have willingly told me their days of going the extra mile are over. I was on a call last week where a project timeline was pushed out due to RTO. People are fed up. I used to still be hard at it this time of day. Not anymore! I just got a raise. I’ve got about 10 extra hours a week “me time” thanks to RTO.
I can tell you for a fact people are less productive in the office. I see so many people wasting time. This is all so corporations don't lose their shirt on commercial real estate holdings.
Who is the employee? He or she should receive performance counseling for not supporting a key company initiative. If the behavior isn’t ncorrected in a timely manner the employee should be placed on a PIP.
"Just mind your own business."
It is his business; he's trying to set up a meeting with Commuter Carl.
D-mb question: What time is said meeting scheduled (with time zone)?
There’s a special place in he-l for people that schedule meetings at the end of the day.
Complain to their boss? Really? People like you are the worst. Just mind your own business.
It all depends if your exempt or non-exempt.
If you people were to start a new job anywhere in corporate america and you were told the hours are from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, would you automatically assume that you are required to be onsite at 8 and not leave until 5, of course you would! Then why create a hostile work environment by protesting your RTO request and just get back to business as usual!
Not enough information for me to form an opinion. Was the meeting scheduled for 7 am? Or 9 am? (In their time zone).
Have heard some say they are counting their commute as part of their workday. At home, log on by 8, log off at like 5. Now leaving house at 8, arrive by 9 (if lucky), work til 3:30 or 4 to be home by 5. That won't fly long, as now they're working less than 40. Good way to get fired with cause.
This employee needs to leave for the office earlier in the day. If office hours are 8am-5pm...you are expected to be IN the office...not on the way. Definitely reach out to their management team for a resolution. The employee is protesting the RTO work order.
This RTO plan has nothing to do with productivity, as stated it's to enable the company to "create an effective and supportive culture and win in markets". Greater Possibility!!
The whole “it can wait” will now be tested. Oh the collaboration and productivity will be soaring. Way to go T!!!
Yes get back on the office and work. You've had enough personal time at home.
Why just why would you go to their boss? They are giving you the courtesy to work around for a solution instead of straight up decline. Really!!!
@ovw+1n6jEFzF I would NOT take a teams call from my car. Ain't happenin'
All the studies ever done show people are more productive at home! Everyone knows it! Don’t work more than 8 hours in the office, ever. Don’t answer your phone once you leave the office.
maybe carplay/android auto with teams?
"People" saying how much more productive many will be - being who?
- I don't think anyone has stated this is for productivity reasons. They say for culture.
- Are lizards classified as people now?