Did you see Mary's email?
*Your attendance is being tracked.
*You will attend work physically Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
*Your attendance "behaviour" will impact your performance rating.
*People weren't coming in to their liking.
*They have "data" to backup the need for this.
*Senior leaders working remote will continue to laugh at you.
*"Work Appropriately" no longer exists.
*If this transition su-ks for you and you decide to quit, you get no severance.
Interesting article from Forbes:
Imposing harsh return-to-office mandates on employees was like taking candy from a baby. But CEOs will have to answer to their own bosses–investors
https://fortune.com/2023/12/08/imposing-harsh-return-to-office-mandates-employees-bosses-investors-careers-work-gleb-tsipursky/
Investors are side-eying corporations' flexibility (or lack of) with work requirements:
"Companies that follow hybrid models, which blend remote and office work, are also showing their prowess, outpacing fully in-office companies by a growth margin of 3%."
GM, always desperate to be relevant ("we're a tech company!") will just boast that we are "hybrid" even though the Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday requirement is anything but flexible.
But the reality is that the auto industry is facing a slowdown and a large number of employees in Michigan who haven't seen a negative business cycle are about to see just how brutal and petty things can get. All the noise from the business press will go out the window fast when the sales are down and managers are desperate to demonstrate worth.
Something about that story smells.
There was this one time….
I walked into a bathroom, and this middle eastern gentleman, believe it or not, had his pants dropped, was bent backwards awkwardly and was washing his “pie hole” in the sink.
I personally didn’t stick around, and just avoided that area of the building.
Everyone might want to think twice before sticking there hands underneath to activate the water.
I've seen people fall asleep in class, or in meetings. Management more than anyone else.
If they can sleep in a conference room, someone else can take a bath in the sink.
Wait until you see people washing their feet in the sinks and toilets. Ah, the good old days of 2019.
Can we report people with bad Body odor using speak up for safety?
Sitting in a first come, first serve open cube is one thing; being surrounded by bad smells as bad as mustard gas is something totally different.
Is that what Mary would call: “going #2” with simplicity?
Use your left hand and you won't need those things
Vending machines with priced toiletries, air fresheners, and soap coming to a building near you!
Man, sounds like GM is going to be cutting back on soap and toilet paper in the bathrooms.
Good luck on getting a clean external keyboard and a sterile office chair!
Low class indeed. Not like Mary B and I. I went to the Denny's once to use the restroom. It turned out to be the kitchen. I say...blue collareds everywhere!
But he works cheaper than you.
"Having worked for this company for over 30 years - I still consider myself lucky to get Monday and Friday at home"
Thanks for this comment and attitude. It really helped me get over my initial anxiety over this decision.
You know what’s really going to su-k?
Some people in other groups do not always shower all the time.
This one guy smelled so bad, he actually smelled 1000 times worse coming back after taking a dump.
My manager was so terrified from the smell, he called the person’s manager and told him that he was going to Socrates and report the horrible smell as a safety concern.
Not sure if any soap of shampoo was expensed that day, but, I would not wish that experience on anyone….
“ I'm thinking there's a country song you could write from that.”
Thanks!
I might just write it and include a reference to the angry boomer who doesn’t understand what a VPN is.
"Sitting in a Denny's in Ypsilanti" has a classic 80s autoworker vibe. I'm thinking there's a country song you could write from that.
@3exj+1pVgjHf4
"Tears are coming down my face realizing how difficult your life is if you have to physically go into the office."
You missed the point entirely, which isn't surprising. The concern isn't about going to the office. The concern is about being moved into an area with half the seating and then being told that everyone needs to report. if this doesn't affect you, great. But it affects several orgs across the company. You'll find out soon enough.
"Maybe instead of doing your GM work at Denny's - you will need to start actually working for Denny's."
The Denny's location was an example. That the VPN is the same regardless of the location. You really should educate yourself on how a VPN works before you pontificate and further embarrass yourself.
"maybe, just maybe the company is telling YOU that your services really aren't needed"
Nasty, low class attitude. I sincerely doubt GM can get by with half of the engineering staff, but you seem to be an expert on these things. Good luck in the future. One day soon, you'll remember this conversation.
Different area = different building below.
What the person answered is if you have to video call to the other group, no, you’re not collaborating. However, if you walk to the other building to physically collaborate, that is a totally different thing.
In the cold winter time, that really does not sound to appealing walking back and forth buildings throughout the day. Keep in mind you will have to remember to lock your personal items up before leaving(not that they would disappear or anything if you left them out unattended).
“Sadly, no. Because you are not in the same area you need to be in to “Physically” collaborate with your org and other orgs you work with.”
“ What if we are in a different building, away from our neighborhood? If there’s nowhere to sit and there are many more seats in a different building, would the IP address count?”
Having worked for this company for over 30 years - I still consider myself lucky to get Monday and Friday at home. What a difference that flexibility would have made in my work/life balance earlier in my career. I loved working remote, but must admit the camaraderie suffers. I have also learned that GM has no issue laying off, dropping teams and destroying careers. Those that thrive either adopt or leave. Staying and complaining is unproductive for your sanity, health and friendships.
"They are monitoring IP address login locations. They started collecting this data Q2 2023 to present day."
That's funny. If I'm at an Ypsilanti Denny's, at home or on the top floor of a random GM building, I'm logged into a corporate VPN which has it's own IP address. SMH If you knew anything about IT, this would be obvious. The door scanners have very specific information as to who went where and when. The IP address has no useful information about location (because of the >>>VPN<<<). File this under, "guessing with authority" or "failed troll".
"Sadly, no. Because you are not in the same area you need to be in to 'Physically' collaborate with your org and other orgs you work with."
If Miss Leatherqueen purposefully moved my group from 75 seats to an area with 30, forcing me to sit in the cafeteria or find an empty conference room, I'm not sitting physically with my org, am I? A second grader could spot the logic fail here.
This scenario was manufactured. It was designed to frustrate and humiliate their own employees. It will fail so miserably for General Motors as a company... How do you make a product in that kind of environment?
“ What if we are in a different building, away from our neighborhood? If there’s nowhere to sit and there are many more seats in a different building, would the IP address count?”
Sadly, no. Because you are not in the same area you need to be in to “Physically” collaborate with your org and other orgs you work with.
What if we are in a different building, away from our neighborhood? If there’s nowhere to sit and there are many more seats in a different building, would the IP address count?
@2fzm+1pVgjHf4 it is not badge swipes they are monitoring. They don't have to do that. They are monitoring IP address login locations. They started collecting this data Q2 2023 to present day. Push your "luck" all you want to by not coming into the office, but I have heard they plan to use 2024 data compared to 2023 data during the next set of headcount cuts.
Freep: "But that doesn’t mean GM will enforce this policy by keeping track of badge swipes into its facilities, Kelly said.
“It’ll be up to the individual leaders to enforce the policy"
Translation: they won't pull the badge swipe data for managers but will expect them to. There's no other way with the lack of seating in most team's neighborhoods. Unless a mgr sets up a check in /out sheet near his/her space.
The people who live more than 50 miles are going to become scape goats during their year end review.
GM is probably going to find some deranged loophole in labor law and tell them to relocate and move closer to their place of work.
And then, of course, cut them shortly afterwards.
We are back to being demoralized by GM.
Do they expect good work from people?
I don’t see how.
The more they demoralize, the more I don’t care about… anything.
Best practices? Who cares?
GM “behaviors”? They treat us like children.
It’s just a check now, and there’s no pride in anything I do. It’s a shame but this is a problem of their making. Not out of negligence or ignorance but deliberate design. They want us to quit but they are going to have to get their hands dirty. Don’t give it to them!
it is interesting that you are an automatic "be on site" employee if you live less than 50 miles away but if you live more than 50 then they want to talk things over with ya (aka find an excuse why the rule doesn't work in your favor)
Having gone through the 08 downturn, they start with laying off D performers, then C, B, A. If you make it to A, you will be shocked at the caliber of people being let go.
In context, my team I managed went from 120 to 13! Many of these people could not find consistant work for years. This is how bad things can get.
"standing over peoples shoulders to get power for their laptops, while on a teams call"
I said long ago on this forum that they will try to make us as miserable as possible to provoke us into quitting (just like 2006-2012). Mary mentioned in her letter (paraphrasing) 'no severance for those quitting'. Can it be any more obvious? The sh!t-show was manufactured.
I was looking at the jobs data at Trading Economics site this morning. The market is getting tighter and tighter. Hundreds of thousands of job postings have disappeared and people have almost no leverage whatsoever. "Job quits" are at pre-pandemic levels now.
https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/job-quits
Things are getting ugly.
My advice if you are well before retirement age and would have to move/travel long distances to maintain a job (anyone in manufacturing or engineering):
Show up. Shut up. Lean in. Be helpful. Be visible. Try to outlast the weak. This is the formula for success in this economic environment. The 'establishment' is lying about the economy but you can see with your own eyes that retail is collapsing all around you. You can see how you are treated when your employer is DESPERATE for you to quit. If you smile and lean in, you win. Don't let the negative people at work or online get to you. This is survival time. Don't buy anything you don't need. Save your money. Dress better. Smile more. Eat healthy. Call your mom.
So half of the people will be milling around looking for a seat, standing over peoples shoulders to get power for their laptops, while on a teams call. Coupled with the other half cramming into break rooms. And remains folks sitting on the floor next to the wall outlet with extension cords and power splitters looking like a hippie commune. Yup, defiantly work place of choice.
Zero, zero, zero.
Zero trust, Zero credibility, Zero morale.
50 miles is an arbitrary and capricious number.
"Never mind the poor strategy by SLT."
They will never successfully blame WFH for "the poor year". No one will believe it.
The truth is that the cat is already out of the bag.
Beyond that:
If your group has been told to report in January but has twice as many bodies as seats, there's only one way to look at it. They plan on cutting a LOT OF PEOPLE. My group is already running on fumes. I say "go for it".
...2024... Those who worked at GM from 2006-2012 have seen this movie before.
Buckle up buttercups!
If we do the math, 50% of employees will be setting on the laps of others. Nothing like a free lap dance at work i guess. This will attract new talents for sure.
Imo some of the reason for this change is Barra has had a poor year in terms of EV and Cruise results and has to show bankers she’s taking action. Who better to take action with than ‘those worker bee’ employees who haven’t been in the office. Paint the image that she’s trying to bring folks back because WFH must be the reason for the poor results. Never mind the poor strategy by SLT.
Either way if SLT wants us there, IMO, you don’t have much choice unless you want to risk a poor review with your boss. Word I’ve heard is that’s what has happened to others that don’t show up at other OEMs.
Have fun being packed into small workspaces during cold and flu season. Also, we learned during COVID that restaurants and cafeterias perfect to viral transmission. Going out to lunch or eating in the cafeteria amplifies your chances of contracting a virus.
Lets all not go in ... what they going to do...they can't fire all of us. And for those they do layoff for not going in sue for discrimination if they did not layoff all that did not go In.
It’s all okay guys.
Remember, most of you think GM su-ks to work for. No one could name somewhere better to work but forget about that for now. Many of you claimed to have leverage back in April though none that I’m aware of actually quit. Now we are facing an economic recession worse than the GFC. If you don’t find somewhere else to work soon it will be too late. Those opportunities will dry up. What are you waiting for?
I came to realize most of you just like to complain. If you hate working for us, I encourage you to leave. If you ask nice, I’ll write you a recommendation letter.
We don’t need bitter people while we are trying to achieve our goals during the transition to zero zero zero. It’s a tough business as it is.
Until the next round of layoffs frees up space, it's going to be crowded if everyone in the company will be in the office at the same time on those 3 days.