MegaCorp return to the office...boo!

[kgtest]

I received an email that my "new" badge could be picked up anytime the next week. BOO! DOUBLE, TRIPLE BOO!!! I do not want to go back. DW says she wouldn't mind if I went back a couple days a week (she offices out of the home and makes home visits to her patients/clients throughout the day). Not looking to the 1.5hrs of commuting each day away from the home, on top of the extra wear and tear and gas trips for the V8.

I might actually end up looking for a fully remote job in the near future. When I was hired I was told I wouldn't be going back until end of Q1 and only 2 days a week. Who wants to bet either half of that, or all of that was a lie to get me to accept the offer

Promises, broken promises all over again. I honestly haven't felt like my work suffered at all during this remote pandemic working arrangement. Before the pandemic, at my last MegaCorp (I had a few jobs during the pandemic) my boss had told me about a week before chaos hit that he really only needed me in the office once or twice a week. That boss eventually let me go lol...but it was time.

I was able to a temporary arrangement, and now what I thought would be a decent longer term deal with the latest MegaCorp, but if they make me go in anymore than 2x a week I will have to get a new job. 37 mile commute each way, so 74 miles each day I go in. That's an extra 148 miles I wasn't driving for almost 2 years now. My insurance never went down as much as it should have in relation to the actual miles I stopped driving, but who wants to bet they will start jacking rates again now that everyone is slowly driving more and more again.

I loved my 100% remote life. Lots of extra time to pursue other interests, no stress commuting, and that extra family time has been incredible. I don't get it. Is collaboration honestly THAT much better when in person? I often found myself wasting tons of time when at the office with too many pointless sidebar conversations about bobs ski trip, or sally's second cousins sisters wedding, or bobby's pet armadillo. Sometimes those wasted minutes irked me when I had looming deadlines and were downright annoying, time consuming and frustrating. Okay another rant. My bad

 

[ivinsfan]

What happens if you just say this doesn't work for you and you will continue to work remotely.

DD did just that, two people in her office just flat out quit and a few others said they wouldn't work in person. The company responded by saying never mind just carry on from home

 

[badatmath]

They sent us back in July but on a random limited schedule depending on the whims of your manager. It is . . . not fun. But I haven't been in for several weeks now so there is that.

 

[RetiredHappy]

Just go get a new remote job. The current job wants you to go into the office and it is incompatible with how you want to work. Employment is a 2-way street, the arrangement must work for both sides.

 

[kgtest]

What happens if you just say this doesn't work for you and you will continue to work remotely.

DD did just that, two people in her office just flat out quit and a few others said they wouldn't work in person. The company responded by saying never mind just carry on from home

I might actually hold my ground and state that its not the best option for my family considering a few circumstances. If they want to know why I will be blunt and tell them it would prevent me from seeing my extended family who have health concerns already related to COVID, and jeopardize the safety as well as putting my wife's own career at risk. If they put up a fuss I will hit the job market hard for that next remote gig!

 

[kgtest]

Just go get a new remote job. The current job wants you to go into the office and it is incompatible with how you want to work. Employment is a 2-way street, the arrangement must work for both sides.

I might have to do that.

 

[Aerides]

IIRC you were recently promoted and are now a manager of sorts? You'll learn quickly the rules no longer apply to you. Your boss wants to see your face. It doesn't matter if things are better in person or not, your VP and your SVP think they are, most likely. You also need to re-establish yourself with your new peers and their bosses. The higher up the chain you go (or that you need in your corner) the greater the need for a good amount of in-person stuff will be felt.

To be honest, especially in your first year or two, it will be easier for you to manage your new team with some more in-person stuff. WFH works, but having a standing day or two when everyone is together is helpful while you are gelling with them (even if you already know them, it's different now given your new role). I was a remote director for my last 4 years. But my first 2-3 in that role would have been a disaster if I wasn't there, didn't know and learn my team and all the politics.

If you want to shop yourself around, great, go for it, but your short tenure in your current role won't translate well to prospective employers. If you wanted to go back to a non-leadership role, then you have more flexibility.

I had an 80 mile roundtrip commute so I get it.

 

[kgtest]

For some odd reason I feel like this might end up with a trip to the virtual "HR" department, and we all know how well that usually works. I will try and make my case with my boss first though

 

[kgtest]

IIRC you were recently promoted and are now a manager of sorts? You'll learn quickly the rules no longer apply to you. Your boss wants to see your face. It doesn't matter if things are better in person or not, your VP and your SVP think they are, most likely. You also need to re-establish yourself with your new peers and their bosses. The higher up the chain you go (or that you need in your corner) the greater the need for a good amount of in-person stuff will be felt.

To be honest, especially in your first year or two, it will be easier for you to manage your new team with some more in-person stuff. WFH works, but having a standing day or two when everyone is together is helpful while you are gelling with them (even if you already know them, it's different now given your new role). I was a remote director for my last 4 years. But my first 2-3 in that role would have been a disaster if I wasn't there, didn't know and learn my team and all the politics.

If you want to shop yourself around, great, go for it, but your short tenure in your current role won't translate well to prospective employers. If you wanted to go back to a non-leadership role, then you have more flexibility.

I had an 80 mile roundtrip commute so I get it.

Yeah about that "manager" role I landed. Its turned out to be less manager and more individual contributor. I think they sold me on a title that was never actually meant to be. I am titled as a "Lead" for now. Sort of a miscue on either the recruiters part, or there part as they told me when I interviewed this would be a management position. Basically, I was lied to.

 

[ivinsfan]

My DD is a manager too but had been in that role long before Covid

 

[Aerides]

Yeah about that "manager" role I landed. Its turned out to be less manager and more individual contributor. I think they sold me on a title that was never actually meant to be. I am titled as a "Lead" for now. Sort of a miscue on either the recruiters part, or there part as they told me when I interviewed this would be a management position. Basically, I was lied to.

So are you at a brand new company? In that case, jump. I thought this was an internal promotion.

But in that case, you have more flexibility with location than a manager, so try to play it.

 

[kgtest]

Lol, DW just received an email that they are pushing out their return to an office until April. Again, she offices out of our home and meets with patients throughout the day, but being in Human Svcs MegaCorp they are taking a much more cautious approach citing the increased COVID Case count. This will be interesting for sure.

 

[kgtest]

So are you at a brand new company? In that case, jump. I thought this was an internal promotion.

But in that case, you have more flexibility with location than a manager, so try to play it.

Yes, brand new to the company. I don't have much to lose if I leave tbh. I am not loyal to one company. Working in the software engineering field, had I not left my positions ever few years I would have never been in a position to ER. At MegaCorp I was getting maybe 3 to 4% raises at best. Everytime I leave to a new company I earn at LEAST a 10% pay bump. Its the only way I've increased my salary 400% over the past 15 years. I would have never been able to do that had I stuck around forever. DW is a lifer and I think she has only increased her salary 30% in that same period.

 

[nhcycling]

//

 

[nhcycling]

Ugh! Same here, all teleworking agreements are null and void per the CEO as announced today if you live less than 50 miles from campus, Sites or an iHub. I’m not going in. Retirement date just got pushed up to the day this becomes effective.

Plus MegaCorp called back all workers at least 2-3 days a week and really expect them to be in. They’re watching badge swipes.

 

[youbet]

I don't have much to lose if I leave tbh. I am not loyal to one company.

I understand your OP is more of a rant than a question, but I'll answer anyway.

The COVID epidemic greatly accelerated the trend towards working remotely that had already begun. With "fixes" for COVID limping into place, the great reconciliation regarding how to now handle each work situation has begun.

Employers, employees and even some of the self-employed have decisions to make regarding their situations. In your case, you have decided that you definitely don't want to go back to working in the office. (It doesn't matter why or even if your employer is being smart or not in demanding that you do so.) Let your employer know your position, possibly have a backup plan such as going in two days a week (if acceptable to you) and see what their response is.

If something is worked out, great. If not, no big deal. You were looking for a job when you found this one and in your field another one will pop up quickly.

Situations similar to yours are being negotiated/resolved by the zillions all across the country and I'm betting it takes most of 2022 to get the majority of them worked out. Don't take the situation personally and I'm glad we're here to hear your rant. Good luck!

 

[RobbieB]

If you don't like it then quit and find another job that let's you work from home.

 

[youbet]

If you don't like it then quit and find another job that let's you work from home.

You said that so much more simply than I did RobbieB! Excellent.

 

[KrisQuit]

I had planned my escape for October of this year, and announced five months ahead of that to give time for the company to search for my replacement (management) — when I left, the position was still open. The job market is good for job seekers, right now, so likely you will find something if you choose to leave.

In September, I was called back to campus to work in my office alone with the door shut, and on Zoom calls all day (so that made a lot of sense). Those three weeks back in person helped me clarify that I had made the right decision. I walked out on October 1: retired.

Suck it up, commute for now until you find another job, or adjust to this new twisted reality of work.

Good luck!