Firstly, I HATE that I am forced to get an accommodation. I have been telecommuting my entire career and no one has ever known I have a disability. Now, because of RTO, I am forced to disclose this. It sucked having to ask my doctor to "write me a note" and explain why this is needed after working at the same company for a long time. I may not have to disclose to my manager or my team the exact nature of my disability, but now it is something that makes me stick out. It is essentially process of elimination to determine why I am full-time remote, so pretty much everyone knows I have an accommodation. It is really frustrating and embarrassing. At least once a week, it somehow comes up in conversation with my team or teams I work with where I feel like I need to explain/justify why I WFH.
I have co-workers who are really struggling with RTO, and I know there is some resentment that I "get to" work from home. I feel pretty bad about this - and it makes me feel uncomfortable and even more isolated from the group.
FRTO.
23 replies (most recent on top)
Agreed. Intermittent leave shouldn't even be a thing. Just have the insurance co pay them and keep them at home. If you can't schedule someone or depend on them working the hours scheduled there is NO point in them coming in. All it does is damage the morale of the rest of the team who sees an employee doing whatever they want, whenever they want, while getting treated with kids gloves and connecting paychecks while the rest of the team does the heavy lifting. Not talking about you op, referencing the comment below.
I hope this is ok because I’m about to be very honest with you. Brace yourself.
I’ve gathered via the posts below you work in tech?
If so, you WFH shouldn’t affect anyone else on your team so they can buzz off. Clearly they themselves are lazy and are jealous. The fact that your disability isn’t obvious though will cause much more resentment than if it was obvious though. I’m sorry to tell you that, but others will always perceive that as you found a way to game the system.
I work in branch banking though and will say that an accommodation that an employee has can basically be the bane of every other employee work there’s existence. This depends on what it is of course - I’m mainly talking about FMLA accommodations where someone can miss work intermittently a certain number of days per month (I’ve seen as seen as 9 which is nearly 50% of the days).
From a staffing perspective that makes it nearly impossible to run a business. I’ve also never seen someone with that type of accommodation care about anyone but themselves.
The post that said inner city doctors hand out accommodations like candy: it’s so true and there’s something that needs to be done about it.
This serves as a reminder too that people need to learn manners. Stop asking people it's none of your business. Talk to your manager. And managers - stop your people from asking and enforce personal privacy! Learn to grey rock and change the subject instead of asking rude questions. If they won't stop say "speak to my manager".
The people who resent your accommodation are jealous that they have to go in themselves. They want to know the nature of your disability to see if it is one that might apply to them as well. From a personal perspective, I am happy for anyone who is able to continue to work from home.
For anyone that wants a medical accommodation, find a doctor in the inner city.
I used to live in the city. We had street parking. My next door neighbor complained whenever she couldn't park right in front of her house. If you've ever lived in the city you'd know that happens all the time. She'd harass whoever had parked in front of hers because someone else was parked in front of their house.
So she had her husband go to an inner city quack and get a disability diagnosed to get the city to put a handicapped parking sign in front of her house.
The best part was her husband didn't drive. He'd walk multiple blocks to stand and wait for the bus every day.
If you've ever lived in the city, you'd also see how many of a certain group have handicapped tags that they only put up when parking at a store and would take them down when they left so they could get the best spots. Inner city doctors hand them out like candy.
Get yourself an inner city doctor to write up a BS letter to get a medical accommodation.
I have severe allergies to as-----s and bullsh-t. Do you think that will get me an accommodation? Both are everywhere in the office I’m assigned to.
I'm literally in a similar situation. I started my current dept last year while we were all still working from home so I had never met my team.. well they started returning to office in April, except me because of a medical accommodation and literally so many people from my team have messaged me randomly asking me why I'm not in office (first of all they could at least say hi, I know we haven't met or talked but how are you doing or something) but nope, all they want to know is why/how I'm home. . So I'm forced to say "well I have a medical accommodation" .. then they ask omg are you ok, how long will you be staying home, how did you do it to get approved and ish like that. I just hate that they know something is wrong with me.
No one cares how you received the wfh arrangement. We are all trying to find a way around rto. It is too bad you are being paranoid about it. Just do your job and appreciate you don’t have to come in.
If OP has to RTO then he should just work elsewhere. There are thousands of jobs offered that are strictly WFH
@yki+1iRPNNlr Are you kidding me. They would have to have some pretty good reason other than that because quite frankly as long as you are doing a good job and meeting expectations you are safe then most =
Here is why there is an Accommodation process. People THINK that oh they say i have an immune disorder and i could not get the vaccine (the persons doctor would not sign it because t was fake) so everyone is under the same requirement whether you follow it or not. In the office x number of days or go through the accomodation process. No most people don’t know i have a disability by looking at me but i have a permanent disability under ADA and i had to allow HR to work with my doctor to see what the best solution was and could they possibly accommodate me in the office. So i am honest if my team knows that i WFH. However i offer no information. However, occasionally i need a note taker in a meeting so it helps. Bottom line is some groups may be very strict but right now i have not seen most people in technology in the office even 3 days a week. Much to do about nothing. If you don’t feel you can follow the HR guidelines than you have to follow the protocol and return to the office. Don’t expect anyone to take your word for it. They won’t nor should they. Bottom line is most people that don’t want to return to the office will come up with any reason to not go. People say they will quit if they have to go to the office. I consider those BS threats. The smart people that really believe that quietly get ahead of the market on the good jobs and get one and not sit there and expect WF a company to care what you do. You get paid.
OP, I think we have the same accommodation. Why don't you go first and I'll tell you if that is what I was thinking.
OP, you may be making more out of it than any of your colleagues are. And if anyone is, they’re an a__hole. It’s no one’s business, so don’t make it their business. If someone asks, it’s simply “I have an accommodation”. If someone asks why - the answer is “why would you want to know personal information like that?” That pretty much shuts down even the most insensitive id--t.
ID: @bty+1iRPNN
Not all disabilities are visible or evidenceable by observation of someone’s behaviors.
So, no, coworkers wouldn’t just “know” by having worked with someone over time.
Some of these responses are ignorant and insulting. Not all medical issues are viewable. I had to get a medical accomodation afyer years of WFH with no issue and hate the fact I now stick out on my team. I don't buy for one second that WF won't use my medical issue to cut me, despite my being a top performer. This IS discrimination. Period.
What if we all just said ‘no… I can do this from home.’
What is the accomodation?
If you truly need a medical accommodation to work from home, wouldn't it be apparent to your team? Or have you never met anyone in person?
One more ally in the war on RTO. We don't discriminate in this team. We love everyone equally, so long as they oppose this nonsensical policy!
This is a side of RTO / med accommodations I honestly hadn't thought of prior to your post.
I also recently found out that you have to "renew" medical accommodations periodically. So, I empathize with having to deal with the whole debacle repeatedly instead of it being a once-and-done process.
The whole thing is really unfortunate for all sides.
You aren't disabled. You are handi-capable.
Just another example of the toxicity and inhuman practices this bank promotes.
I appreciate you posting this. I work with someone who lives in my city who has not returned to the office. I didn't think about the possibility that they might have an accomodation. I just assumed it was some sort of grandfathered arrangement.