So what was the point of today's Coronavirus update from Scott Powell? They did not change the date, it's still out until "at least 11/1/2020". And WHY didn't it change? I don't feel safe going back to the office in less than 6 weeks, nothing has improved.
And before the branch people/other essentials slam me, let me say I work in a huge, filthy office with a horrible HVAC system.
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@3nra+170o6W43 sounds like you all are some filthy M—fers and don't ever wash your hands.
@3nra+170o6W43 OP here - sorry your job s—s. Maybe work on fixing your problems (oh idk, like refusing to work in a branch where 63% of employees have the plague.) Or you could always just snarl at fellow employees on this board, that's helpful too.
Regular updates during a pandemic, even if nothing new is announced, is one of the few actual good things management here is doing.
No one is going back to the office anytime soon, the virus is driving the bus.
Stay safe.
@nmk+170o6W43, thanks for the insight.
The CDC just announced the best protection against the virus is wearing a mask more so than a vaccine. Also the person that put in the INdia type seating for slaves needs to get fired and will be a cause for the pandemic to increase. They need to be fired too. I can probably clean house for Charlie with all the incompetence we are seeing there. Making him look ignorant and look like an id–t.
I wont get that vaccine as i wont be the guinea pig, nor get the flu one and never had the flu.
I will run my business while in the office or out of the office; so their tactics must be for themself.
Chill out, 25% of you posting will be gone anyways, worry about getting canned before that date, then go from there.
wow. I don't agree with WF on most things but you all sound crazy. Lots of people back to work already at various companies. Lots of people cannot go back to work due to closed schools and you all are feeding right into that. I dont want to go back ever either but it has nothing to do with covid.
All it will take is a couple of people to get the virus and then they’ll have to shut the offices down again.
If you have a cubicle with a wall to yourself you’re doing great. Our newly renovated downtown SF “open concept” office doesn’t even have cubes. Just shared tables with absolutely nothing between you and the person next to you.
And that’s if you have an assigned space.
To OP and @xxr: Same here regarding our building being absolutely filthy. Bathrooms and small kitchens are disgusting. Look dirty, smell dirty, feel dirty. Cleaning staff’s water and rags that they wipe surfaces down with are filthy. The ice machines levers that everyone puts their dirty glasses up to: Uggh! I think whoever is in charge of caring for the building is actually located in a different state. They have been such cheapskates in anything related to building maintenance, I would never trust anything about the quality of the building’s HVAC system. Nor anything they tell us about any supposed improvements regarding air filters or fresh air being filtered in. Even if we are spaced 6 feet or more apart, which I think they are going to be proud of themselves for focusing on, you’re still breathing in the closed environment air/Covid aerosols. Windows don’t open. No way.
Not sure how it will all play out, but the company’s past terrible decisions regarding surprisingly negligent building maintenance is coming back to haunt them. They have a bad reputation in this space. Who is going to trust their ability/willingness/oversight to do it properly now? Not me. Not when my health/life is on the line. Nope.
well fargo good company werk for
Why should I work in the office? My Agile team has several members in India, and others in different time zones and cities. No one to “collaborate” with, except voices over the phone. No one is together in the same building. May as well work at home.
I will sit alone in my cube of the day, only spending less time working, since I have to sterilize it for 1/2 hour each morning. Then I can sit alone in my cube for lunch since they closed the cafeteria and break areas.
Then go get in the socially distanced line waiting for my turn on the elevator, only 2 or 3 at a time.
And they wonder why morale and engagement are so low. Bet we won’t have any Gallup poll asking us our thoughts anymore!
On the news, we see both JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs bring back people, and then had a corona virus outbreak. Despite how they said they had enhanced cleaning protocol, air filters, etc. Modern office buildings have no way to open windows, the air is recirculated like on an airplane. You will be breathing in concentrated virus air. If the cleaning and air filters work so well, why do we keep seeing office outbreaks?
Same here. Don't feel safe. We have three bathroom stalls and probably over 250+ mostly male employees. That restroom is a cesspool, period.
There are plenty in Washington pushing to include legal protection for businesses if employees contract COVID-19 at the office. You can bet lobbyists for big banks right out in front of that effort.
It is absolutely true that Charlie & his cronies want to make the place so miserable that people quit. I work in downtown SF – it's no secret they want to exit the city. They need to displace 60K people. Imagine the severance they save if people opt-out before they have to pay them to leave.
Charlie has accomplished nothing in the run-up to his one-year anniversary except to stuff the place with white men from his JPM/BoNY days so he has to be under pressure. The asset cap has not been lifted. No major MRAs have cleared. He looks like a fool if he can't accomplish the right-sizing effort on top of that too.
I really find it difficult to believe that executives want to try to force people into the office to make them uncomfortable and quit. Assuming it’s true, it’s quite stupid.
If a lot of people who have no choice or no other option get sick, it’s the bank that pays the medical bills. Wells is self insured, it’s not Aetna footing the bill.
The best people with highly marketable skills will leave for greener pastures. So you’re left with a bunch of sick and grumpy people. It’s really not a sane strategy by any measure, if it is a strategy.
I'm a DR to WF exec. It is 100% to make things uncomfortable for employees (not team members anymore) to achieve desired "organic" attrition.
We had an empassioned argument about it, with those opposed saying it was a legal nightmare due to lawsuits related to increased cases (huge risk).
The response? They don't care. They have to find ways to get people to quit and that overrides the risks (and already voluminous mountain of lawsuits – what's does more matter?). In short, massive RIF leads to bolstered share price, which leads to more attractive businesses to sell off and shut down WF. Period.
I wish everyone could hear these things firsthand. It's abysmal.
JPMorgan has already had to send traders home who they just brought back for testing positive for covid. Didn’t work out so well for them so far. https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/jpmorgan-chase-traders-sent-home-positive-coronavirus-test
The whole reason they started bringing people back was due to declining productivity of “younger” workers at home. You can bet every firm is monitoring productivity as well.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/jpmorgan-young-employees-working-home-093148510.html
Personally, I’m cool as long as they give employees a choice. If people want to go back, and I know people who do, give them that ability. If employees don’t feel safe and/or have preexisting conditions, and they have been performing their job well at home, then let them continue to work at home. Wells Fargo is going to have to be somewhat in line with the rest of corporate America, or they risk another PR nightmare. Surely they will take in to account national and local infection rates, status of vaccine etc. They have been great so far, hopefully they don’t start forcing people back before it is largely considered safe to do so.
This is an outlier, I know, but I have a family member who works for a utility company. Their office workers have been given the return to work date of September 2021. Yes I typed that correctly, 9/21.
Their philosophy was to give families the ability to plan ahead for child care, schooling etc. Rather than setting a date and then pushing it back month by month. I understand the pros and cons to both strategies.
Regarding JPM forcing senior employees of theirs sales and trading operation back by September 21, 2020. If they have made all the changes necessary to keep staff safe and no one gets sick: more power to them. If they have not, and people start getting sick due to lack of safety measures: I hope someone sues the hell out of them.
It's best to keep in mind that it's not one size fits all. There are some business areas where people desperately want to come back because being in the office creates competitive advantages and other companies have people back already. For other areas, it makes no sense, because, to your point, nothing is changing before 11/1. Interpret that as an inside date for the people whom it is appropriate for. Even if it ends up being the start date for the enterprise, and it might not, it will not be for everybody. Not even most people. But there are more configurations of roles in a company of WF's size than you can imagine and it makes sense for some. Don't just view it from your seat.
I personally don't have any intentions of returning to the office on whatever date they want to release. I am being asked to potentially risk my life. For what? A paycheck? Definitely going to happen.
I understand if you need the income to survive but I have other streams. If forced to go into a filthy office full of people that don't know what personal space is, I will gladly resign in protest. Its not like I will be missed. In fact, I am starting to suspect all this talk about going back to the office may be a strategy to force people out.
@egy: I wouldn’t describe it as “being brave”. I would describe it as being educated as to where the risks are associated with COVID-19. I don’t know if you intended for your response to come across this way, but to me, it reads as being dismissive.
I'm ready to go back. My neighbors think I'm slacking because they see me home all the time. Enough.
After being a remote employee for many years I've been warned that I should not count on that continuing - despite my demonstrated success. Chuck doesn't like it apparently.
At some point, everyone has to be brave and go in. Either that or look for a stay at home job.
JPM is much more successful than WF. I am looking forward to the results and success those folks bring us.
They need to get rid of SVB and all his JPM cronies. WF is behind the times and continues to be behind the times with SVB heading up IT. Remote is the way to go. It is ridiculous to want employees on site. The employees aren't going to be working with any of their teammates anyhow. So, they are still "remote"!
I am so tired of SVB and gang acting like they are implementing something new and beneficial. They have no clue. They just need to act like they are working and getting something done. And all they are doing is what they know from JPM. They aren't innovators or forward thinkers. They are dead weight and just stale and old and the list goes on and on...
What ever JPM does, WF will copy.
There was no change because the corporate culture is against remote work. It's happening everywhere, the backlash has started. No company wants to pay for huge office leases of empty space. That's against efficiency goals.
Lol because our buddies over at JPM are sending people back and we’d love to start too..
I wish they would just say January and call it a day! Many other banks have done that...if not even later dates into 2021.
Damn I missed this one due to being out of office...anything else major ?
I am not going back into the office in November.