So people on my team are trying to say they have to stay remote because they don’t want to pay childcare…..or it’s too hard with kids… blah blah…I wasn’t ever given that option when I had my two kids. Most of us werent! How is that a reason to stay remote? We need to make RTO fair to everyone!! If three days are required - then let’s come in three days. Not that tough.
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Not all kids can be vaccinated yet so there’s a risk involved for them and for unvaccinated coworkers. The truth is no one knows what’s going to happen when we RTO so assume the plan will change.
People will try every possible reason to avoid coming into the office. This thread is about "Don't want to pay for childcare", but even before covid I had employees say "I don't want to pay for parking so I should work from home full time", "I don't want to ride public transit", etc.
There will be every possible excuse and reason offered. And it will all be futile in the end. This executive team has made it very clear that when they introduce new standards on anything, they will be monitored and enforced. So you can take your chances if you want to be a rebel, but in the end they will enforce.
Before I had kids I was right there with the whiners complaining that working parents expected to be treated differently at work.
Well, guess what. Then I had kids. If you position your job above your children...I feel sorry for your kids.
You'll see another mass exodus of incredibly talented parents (mostly mothers because the primary responsibility for kids typically is the mother's) because we've learned that most responsible employees with kids CAN do their jobs remotely and are better employees because of it.
They'll be loyal, hard-working, and dedicated. They just may not work the same schedule you do.
I feel sorry for all those who are bitterly assuming working parents get unfair treatment. Your lives must feel pretty miserable if you let something like this bother you...
Live and let live (aka - mind your own business)
I don’t personally give a damn if you have kids. The government is giving you $250 to $300 a month for the next six months, depending on their ages, per kid. What do you think that stimulus is for? It’s not for a Disney vacation. It’s for CHILD CARE. Get your kid in daycare, and get back to the office if you’re called in.
I realize that may sound harsh, but as someone who doesn’t have kids, I REFUSE to throw myself under a bus for you. No one ever asks to be born. The fact that your children exist at all isn’t their fault. It’s yours. You made that decision. You need to live with the consequences. Your peers aren’t going to carry your load or look kindly on preferential treatment based on the number of dependents you have. How did you manage before the pandemic?
I’ve been on calls where I had to listen to Not now honey. Mommy’s busy now honey. Mooooomeeeeeee. Just wait a minute honey. I’ll be right there honey.
In what universe is this okay? I don’t really care if you do your work after the kid is in bed. But your co-workers are not your child care buddies.
I’ll be happy to return to the office if it means no more screaming kids in meetings.
To the person who says they never hear kids in background while on calls-count yourself lucky. I’ve had calls where workers have admitted their 3 year old is on their lap and we can hear them or the 2 year old screaming in the background. I could go on and on. If I have to go in so YOU can stay home instead of paying daycare I should be compensated for gas and parking.
@1pam that’s correct. the wfh agreement outlines there are to be no small children while you work. They have to be self sufficient
I’m childless and single and I really don’t care if my colleagues with kids stay home because frankly a lot of them bring school kid germs to work. As long as they’re not screaming on phone calls and I’m not caught up short because parents aren’t delivering, I don’t care. It might actually get me out of a lot of kid small talk, so really it’s a win all around. All I know is it looks like my schedule is actually going to be more flexible post-Covid than previously so I’m psyched about that. Im always been happy about deciding to not have kids so really what parents do is their own concern because I’m so glad I didn’t choose that life when I read about the stress it causes. Good luck people
As usual it’s the people with kids asking for special treatment, and calling people who don’t agree that they’re entitled to it selfish.
Do you have a problem with someone getting their work done at home, in an environment where wfh has been successful, while they can keep an eye on a child? For a self styled liberal you it’s strange that your concern is someone wanting to make enough money to buy christmas presents for their children and being able to work from home.
This thread is so curious. I’m a working parent and pretty liberal and I don’t consider my work an inconvenience to my parenting. Are you the person that used to complain on Teamwork’s comments about Wells Fargo not paying you enough to buy Christmas presents for your child?
My kids have been back in school for the last semester with appropriate precautions so the only thing I’ll miss about WFH is the quiet.
Yes, you’re currently being treated equitably because you have the exact same wfh privileges they do, and they are being paid for doing their job same as you. Do you need Tucker to spell that out for you too?
Raising children isn’t a crime, but making the choice not to overburden a planet with more human beings or to want to be treated equally isn’t selfish either.
My compassion for the children ran out when everyone kept telling me to have compassion for the children instead of taking responsibility for their life decisions. You already get my tax dollars and I’m not relying on your snowflakes for my retirement. Can I at least get equitable treatment at work?
No one else is responsible for them. They’re raising their children with the income they’ve earned and getting their work done, the end.
You’d be surprised how often people with kids try to use that to explain away work not getting done or reasons they should get raises, promotions, etc. I’ve seen it as a manager many times. And yeah, it is annoying when it’s clear on a conference call that someone is parenting rather than listening or when people without children are expected to abide by rules that people with aren’t. That’s called family status and favorable or discriminatory treatment based on that is illegal, period.
I wonder where is your compassion for the children. They had lost so much in the pandemic, especially the smaller ones, who weren't even affected by the virus itself. Many children were deprived social contacts, school. Thank goodness they have not been abandoned by their working parents who continue to make them a priority.
For those lacking compassion - maybe the reason to appreciate children is in the knowing that they would be those contributing to the economy while you'll be sucking your money out in retirement. So there is every benefit in supporting working parents and allowing them supporting their children. How sad there were so many selfish individuals in there who can't look beyond their own desk/chair.
If they can get their work done then who cares? If they can't, then it will be apparent and send em packing, they should be held to the same standard as anyone else. If the company doesn't have to pay for the cost of having a workspace for them, even better.
This is very black and white, despite how many of you want to dream up these bizarre excuses for judging someone for the crime of raising children. Gah, everyone who isn't me is lazy, dead wood, social butterflies, on welfare, etc
The point was that you were supposed to be doing your work, not raising your kids and working at nap time.
This is exactly what the people squawking about how they don’t want to pay for child care think they are entitled to do. I can’t believe they are even stupid enough to say it out loud.
I had to sign a telecommuter agreement and in that agreement it stated that we had to maintain an office in our residence, rules on securing documents (outdated now as we can't print) and files (outdated with USB disabled).
There was also a section that if we had children we were to have suitable child care arranged. The point was that you were supposed to be doing your work, not raising your kids and working at nap time.
This was in telecommuters agreements I signed with both Wachovia and Wells Fargo.
But also within the telecommuters agreement it stated that management can end this arrangement.
I call BS. I am in meetings every day with different groups and I have never heard kids in the background.
Even if there were kids, whoever is not speaking is on mute until they need to say something so we don't hear breathing, keyboards clacking.
1pam+1bRlX4J1 Nonsense. Plenty of people have in- home child care.
I’ve been WFH for about 8 years, both in the business and then in tech and have never heard that before.
I have a question. I know in the past year the exception was made but my understanding has always been if you had a work from home position you had to sign an agreement that you could not have any children around that weren't self-sufficient. Was that the case pre-pandemic?
It’s pretty clear most of you are not paying attention. You think there will be exceptions for sucking up? Only if those giving them out want to get tossed.
The executive leadership is already back in the office in several hubs. No way they are going to turn a blind eye on an initiative they are themselves abiding by. Your immediate manager may be a legacy WF Buddy Club President but the eyes on them no longer are.
The new regime puts it right out there, in writing no less, these are the expectations. Either live up to them or move on. The new HR hire is all about analytics so even if your boss gives you an offline pass you’ll both be asked to explain the behavior in retrospect, when an excuse will get you dismissed.
Welcome to management by F**k Around and Find Out.
I have to wonder if half or more of the complainers about losing their “free childcare” because of RTO are the same ones I inevitably get stuck in meetings/calls with who’s response is vital but all we get is “hello? Karen? Are you still with us? Karen? Your input is vital? Did we lose her? No she’s still green in Skype. Karen? I think I heard some mouth breathing child crying in the background earlier. Might have been hers. Hello Karen? Well I guess well follow up with her later! In the meantime those kids should go play in traffic.”
Is it discrimination to make those of us without children come into the office while those who have children WFH?
If I've learned one thing, WF sincerely has the worst people on the planet working here. Just all around, at every level, truly awful.
Yes. Awful, selfish people who refuse to pick up the slack for others who think they’re entitled to special treatment because they chose to reproduce.
They’re posting in bad faith to give credit to the idea that people aren’t actually working from home. Don’t respond to them.
@eji do you offer discounts for coworkers??
I think the bottom line is really people just want it to be fair to all. That SHOULDN’t be asking too much.
So currently i run a daycare for my neighborhood, while wfh. This new arrangement likely isn’t going to work, do we know yet how flexible the management discretion will be?
Based on your question, if you don’t have kids you should be fine
News flash to my co workers with kids- you can work from home and hire a babysitter/daycare etc.
Will i be able to bring my emotional support animal with me to the office?
@amt logic
Paying someone else to watch my children so I can be paid less than I pay the person watching my kids is a good choice.
Being paid to watch my children and opening a job up for someone who can actually experience positive cash flow in that job is a bad choice.
Just curious - is it truly fair that those without children have to come to the office while those without children do not? I would love to WFH forever but I do not have children.
If you don’t want to return to the office because you don’t want to pay for daycare, you are basically admitting that you want to be paid to stay home and take care of your child.
"So now, the plan is we will go to our hub locations to still meet over video chat?"
That's the plan. Max voluntary attrition is the objective. Once we grasp that, every decision makes perfect sense.
I think people without kids are understanding this as parents never wanting to return. I think most are more than willing to return to normal office business once their kids have been vaccinated. That was my hope. Shouldn’t be more than another 3-6 months. From this working parents with kids still at home- trust me, I want to come back (life is easier when it’s back to normal) but I won’t do that at my children’s expense before they can be vaccinated.