In light of the announcement from G.E. About WFH and AWA… does anyone work fully remote with an approved exception? Or do you know of anyone who does?
45 replies (most recent on top)
"I weep for the degradation of one’s ability..."
D-mb it down. Strip nuance. KISS. Okay, noted.
WTF hope you don't work with this mo--n, easy to spot big EGO in the office.
I weep for the degradation of one’s ability to be concise in the use of language to articulate a thought without needing to defend multiple interpretations.
Mastery of the basic literacy in no way means you know how to use it effectively to convey meaning.
Thou jest in vain
Not sure if the snippet is meant to support or disprove my counterpoint, but there it is. I said that executives are "more in tune", and was accused of saying that ICs have no pulse on the business.
This is a common tactic and trait of the outraged. Read what you want into something, and run with it. It's shoddy thinking.
"And of the two, the executive is arguably - and by necessity - more in tune with the business than is the IC."
I did not say that the front line does not have a pulse on the business. Please at least make an effort to try to read accurately.
Executives have to have a broad understanding of the business, from the understanding of the flows of money through the organization, to the pressures that face every aspect of the company. This includes not only direct things like the complex financial entities that make up the org, but things like social pressures, political considerations, license to operate, etc.. At the front line not only is your focus narrower, your visibility is poorer. Your scope is contained. It is the nature of the scope that makes an executive more broadly aware and the front line more tightly focused.
The rest of your post just showed you didn't get the point. I don't know why you suggest ICs would be unnecessary when I clearly said that the jobs are highly divergent, and either side could grind the company to a halt if they exited.
I weep for the degredation of basic literacy.
Why does Greg make wfh policies? Hmmm, my guess would be because he’s the ceo. Just guessing though.
Not many corporations just allow free rein to set hr policies at the manager level, can’t think of a single one. Go ahead and find one though and go work there.
And your argument around an IC not having a pulse on the business and only execs know shows your bigotry and bias towards executive culture.
Its reeks of the entitled attitude and further proves the point that execs do not value IC.
Your title in a company does not make you an expert in an industry.
Sorry
If that makes as the case why even hire ICs
Just give chat gpt and copilot to all executives and save bazillions of dollars on labour
Then why do so many execs, c level and others meddle in the jobs below them?
You just proved everyone’s point again!
Why does GE get to set the tone for WFH. Why he is meddling with decisions that should be made by managers below whom truly have the knowledge of wha workers need to be present in an office because they know how the work is being completed.
Your argument is digging your hole further.
I don't say any of that. You decided I said those things and ran with it.
What I pointed out is that the two jobs - front line vs. c level - are wildly divergent. And of the two, the executive is arguably - and by necessity - more in tune with the business than is the IC.
The problem is lots of ICs think the important parts of the company begin and end in their sphere of influence, and everything else is wasteful fluff that gets in the way.
There is no worse manager than one who intimately knows the job of their reports, and spends their time meddling.
But just like if all of the ICs put down their tools at once the company would stall, if the executives quit en masse the company would grind to a halt. Might take a bit longer, but it would be no less devastating. And much harder to restart.
And you just proved the point everyone else is making.
Our C-Level has no clue or connection to the business they are running nor to the common worker.
And it shows if this message board is any indication of how well they are doing.
All you did is say that C Level suite don’t need to know the business they are running which is sad and it’s just a numbers game and quarterly earnings.
Bravo, sir
So why are they in charge of decisions for a company when their sole concern at their level is stock price and dividends?
Do you not know that the C-level of a corporation is simply a different job than the front line? I guess the question is how do you NOT know that?
The hierarchy is not a dependency tree. You don't need to master the one below. Nor is it necessary to know how to do the one above.
" The very last thing a company the size of Enbridge needs is executive leaders who would do well as ICs. That's not their job. I want to know that they can make strategic decisions denominated in millions of dollars."
You got a little something brown on your nose their pal, come see me in my office for your promotion.
If the worth of a CEO is based on making strategic decisions, why do we let humans do it.
I guarantee a LLM will make much better decisions than a CEO.
To all my fellow executives you should replaced by AI. I bet no one would even notice …
Welcome back to the IC life su-kahs … are you still for RTO now leadership …. ROFL
Why were the companies mentioned not even our competitors?!?
Why do we always do what our customers and competitors do? Why can’t we be leading and do something different to make us an employer of choice?
The very last thing a company the size of Enbridge needs is executive leaders who would do well as ICs. That's not their job. I want to know that they can make strategic decisions denominated in millions of dollars. If I find out they're spending one minute engaging at the very front line, they should be fired immediately.
Do you pick your financial planner on the basis of whether or not they can service a broken ATM?
It's a company run by privileged geriatrics. If you place any of them as an IC, they will fail miserably and will not recognize the level of productivity has increased since their time working as an IC. We need a radical change; we need a complete rehaul of the senior leadership and re-assess the constant business jargon BS is not helping the company but dampening it.
Still don’t get the big deal on RTO.
We are hitting financial targets set by management, strategic acquisitions were completed, and as far as I can see there is no safety issues. M
I don’t get the comment about office being the ‘way WE work’
I signed a contract for employment - not to share the values of CEO. Are the shareholders unhappy - none of our execs actually created this company - they were just installed as managers for generational corporate wealth.
Why do the few so called elite ( and they are considered elite because they have money - not because they are truly elite in the world ) make the the decisions on society?
Did the shareholders and owners force this?
"If my previously approved WFH agreement is now void, do I get a severance package when I refuse to come back? A deal is a deal until it’s not.
I have email approvals allowing me to work from home in another jurisdiction (where ENB has offices). I also have seniority and actually do work."
If you have seniority you probably were hired pre-Covid. Your legal fallback is what is in your employment contract. See your offer letter. If it is unspecified, but work in the office was prevalent when you were hired, the WFH would likely be considered a temporary measure, subject to revocation.
If you were hired during or post pandemic, you may have a better bargaining position, as the circumstances were different. Again, see your letter.
Permission to WFH by email during employment is not a contract, deal, or agreement. It has no weight at all regarding the future.
Dashboards? Explain more please
If you have a decent director, ask about today’s meeting. Dashboards galore. Colour me surprised. Wait, no I’m not. Welcome to your box.
My work group will get wiped out.
Some were hired during covid, and do not even work in a state / province where Enbridge does business.
I was a remote employee even before covid. The closest regional office (for me) is 150 miles away. I have never been there.
One team member had an exception, in writing, which was done prior to a house move in 2021. Now they have to start over and resubmit.
If we need to go get new jobs, that's fine, whatever, but there will be a loss of 100 years institutional knowledge.
Best of luck to our replacements & remainders
A colleague of mine and I were talking about that yesterday. I’d be willing to bet (I certainly don’t know) that they whittle us down from two days WTF to one day and finally down to zero days. And it’ll probably all happen over the course of the next two to three years….to reduce the shock and anger. I say keep your resume up to date, your head on a swivel, and make the best decision you can for your family and your career.
How long do we expect until wfh is completely gone? There was mention of directors and above being exempt from wfh, I feel like this will be used in the email in late 2025 indicating how well we work together face to face with our teams which will lead to full time office in 2026.
GTM IT has been infected by these gifts from VPs to their school buddies and girl friends who have no clue about gas business and destroy existing teams working to support business for years. business folks rarely interject and they too deserve a blame. tis is rotten at the head and needs big cleanup from top down. who is the fall guy for the failed innovation lab?
Post from TheLayoff.com
Are you referring to the useless souk-patched di--head in GTM who's only at an E600 level because his useless buddy g(r)ifted him that role? The one who left as a contractor then got his contractor role back when he came back with us tail between his legs? They guy who doesn't actually know what a pipeline is?
My experience in my area of the business is people work during the commute time and attend early and late meetings. That will now stop and people will be saying sorry time to drive home see you tomorrow
Debate this: Accountability to what? Explain your reasoning around accountability being derived from direct supervision?
If that is your measure of accountability then whom is supervising the direct supervisors and so forth up the chain?
How do we know GE is really working and not playing Galaga?
Discuss.
Not sure about the debate. 5 days a week in the office, under direct supervision, holds true accountability.
listen, heres the thing.
they did a financial analysis and they noticed that we experienced absolutely no productivity hit with regards to WFH... Or the flexwork policy.
theyre doing this to see how many people they can get to voluntarily leave before they announce the next round of layoffs. then they'll start looking at the badge-in counts (which they have- heard this from a supervisor). Luckily im not in a spot to have my badge-ins checked because my facility is still old-fashioned lock and key with alarm system and im a field employee. so most likely no/little data on me.
if your job is to work in an office and you hadnt been honoring the old agreement, them forcing you to choose between WFH and flexwork is the little slap on the wrist/collective punishment that they chose to assert it.
that all being said, if you gotta pick between the two, WFH is the wiser option as it saves you 2 trips to/from the office as opposed to 1. also saves you 16 hours of not having someone peeking over your shoulder as opposed to 8
Earlier Poster: I am glad they are finally holding people accountable now
What in your estimation are we holding people accountable for? You seem to have insider knowledge on your colleagues I guess. Please describe failures in accountability - have you encountered a situation where you were not adequately able to complete your job duties because someone was not working 5 feet from you.
For people who are for RTO, I would like to hear how these WFH schedules are affecting our ability to do their jobs.
The Ebel email was fluff, beyond "this is how we work" ... there was no tangible reasons for the heavy handed treatment.
Would love to hear how people in the company have been negatively affected by WFH.
And no ... just becuase you personally like the office and routine of commute > office > commute is not valid.
I'd suggest if you approval in writing I'd see a lawyer about a constructive dismissal claim. And they terminate with severance definitely talk to lawyer
If my previously approved WFH agreement is now void, do I get a severance package when I refuse to come back? A deal is a deal until it’s not.
I have email approvals allowing me to work from home in another jurisdiction (where ENB has offices). I also have seniority and actually do work.
I am out of Calgary and work from home full time. The "2025 rule" does not apply to me. I asked about it and that's what I was told.
I work in Edmonton and I know someone who has the approval to fully WFH even after January 1st.
After Jan 1, exceptions will require approval from the direct report to CEO in your reporting chain.
If your exception is not approved by your VP and managed In workday like other flex work policies, it is not legit.
I know people who think they have an approved exception lol
Yes