A guy was shocked when I called him a fool after he bragged about not taking a day off in 20 years. He sees it as something to aspire to, a mark of character. Talk about messed up priorities and fu---d up culture that encourages that kind of thinking. I feel sad for the families of people who have succumbed to corporate indoctrination to think that way. There is nothing noble about putting work above your health, your family, and your life. Nothing.
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that Person who never takes PTO = Prime suspect for embezzling, fraud and other malfeasance.
It is in California.
That’s not how pto at wells works….
There are people on my team who have reached their PTO accrual max and are losing their PTO. Since we have moved to a 2-week Sprint they are worried they will miss important info while they are out. One has even canceled appointments if a meeting gets set up at same time that he feels he needs to attend.
@1tdg+1bq4N53x Not saying nobody at Wells is truly busy. Just questioning the need to constantly declare it like it’s a competition. It leads to unhealthy behaviors like some folks here are describing.
Believe it or not, when I ask someone how they are doing I’m not necessarily that interested in their workload, since there’s a lot more to life than that. And if “busy” is their answer every, freaking day I start to wonder why they feel the need to brag about it, and how poor their time management and efficiency might be.
It’s OK to just answer “Fine, thanks”. No one will assume if you are fine, you must be slacking.
@efh+1bq4N53x, the reason people answer "busy!" all the time is that others will:
try to get you to do their work
talk about you to co-workers about how you don't pull your weight and give you a bad reputation
complain to the manager and get you extra work assigned
First of all, you should read the research on mortality rates for individuals that gain purpose through work and then stop working and die shortly thereafter. The human animal needs a sense or purpose to thrive. Second, who are you to tell someone else how they should feel about this? Thought police much? Some people define themselves through their hard work and their crafts. What's it to you? If all WF were "that guy" we'd likely be much more successful as a company than we are.
Agreed
@1zkg+1bq4N53x I have learned that if I take a day or two, or three, or even a week, nothing will be done while I’m gone. It will all be waiting when I return.
If I take two weeks some work will be reassigned. I actually come back to less of a mess than if I take a long weekend.
My situation is a bit different. When they thinned the staff nearly a year ago I became leery of taking time off due to the avalanche of work when I return. Before the thinning of the staff I did have someone who knew how to back me up. It will take time for someone to get up to speed to become a suitable back-up. My PTO suffers as it stands now.
I have seen people who “worked late” just about every night who actually spent the time after most of the staff went home watching videos and eating popcorn.
They were reachable at their work number if their spouse called, but working? No.
Agree with @zri+1bq4N53x, he must have meant he’s never called in sick. If he’d truly never taken a day off, he’d have stopped accruing years ago. That said, competing on who is busiest is an annoying part of WF culture. It’s really common for folks to answer the question “how are you” with “busy” or even “ sooo busy”. In fact, a former boss answered that way day-in, day-out. I don’t think she ever once just said “fine, thanks” like a normal person. So ridiculous. I’ll never understand why running around like a chicken isn’t seen as a bad thing. I realize it may not be true everywhere in the bank, but it’s absolutely true in digital.
Anytime i respond to an email while on PTO my boss makes sure to tell me to not check emails while on PTO. When he’s on PRO, he never checks in and expects all of us to do the same.
We're encouraged to take PTO, but everyone on my team works during time off because they're afraid of being left out of the loop. Not sure if it's just people in my org or if it's part of the WF culture overall.
Wells Fargo isn't a supporter of this type of behavior, my boss bugs me to take time off, they know its not healthy. This place gives like 10 holidays, 2-3 personal days, plus like 23-30+ vacation days. One of the only reasons i stay here is because of the generous time off. If your not using your PTO that's on you for being foolish.
Most likely he meant never called in sick versus using PTO. I am sure he used his PTO for his appointments.
You'd think people would realize that PTO is part of your compensation. You'd be foolish not to use it. You're just giving money away.
I heard a female manager brag about how she hardly ever saw her children, as she was too busy with work. This was pre-pandemic, and she said how she went on long business trips and left them behind. She was explaining that she was leaning in, and when you are dedicated to your career this is what you do. She moved up the food chain.
I thought it was sad, and remembered how much I missed my parents when one of them was away. It was time that you will never get back. I just don’t understand some people’s priorities.
I have overheard conversations, a coworker barking at his wife over the phone. Spoke to her in mean tone of voice, saying he was busy. I thought that he will end up alone in old age, she will stop viewing him in a positive light, and eventually divorce him.
Family should come first, as you can get another job. But if your kids grow up away from you, you will never have the same relationship later on when you think you will have more time for family. They will have moved on, and you won’t be part of their lives.
Society is becoming colder, families are breaking apart. Wells Fargo is not worth the loyalty.