After four years of work from home, since the beginning of the pandemic, we'll soon have to start going back in once a week. I know, that's a lot better than many people that have been forced into 5 days a week or similar bullshit, but it's definitely one more day a week than I want to go in. DC area, too, so you know traffic is going to be a nightmare, as always.

I'd even be willing to go in quarterly or whatever for special meetings. But weekly? We've proven we can do this.

They're pushing this whole "hybrid" working and "rethink how you work!" and "it's all about teams!" But they didn't require any sort of coordination on coming into the office for teams, or anything along those lines - it's a free for all. So instead of sitting at home on a call, we're going to be sitting in cubicles on phone calls. It doesn't make any sense.

And even if they had decided teams should coordinate in-office days, my area in particular works with so many different teams that we'd still be remote for most of them. Or in the office every day, which would not go over very well.

But I'm sure the Popeye's (fast food chicken place) across the street will welcome us back. The one that has survived over four years without us. No one I know has ever gone there.

We're going to lose a bunch of people as a result. And hiring is a disaster that isn't likely to be resolved any time soon. It's gonna be a fun few years...

Counting down the days until I can retire. Unfortunately, there are too many, I'll have to deal with this. Or find a completely remote job.

Boss calls me (the sole on-site IT person) on a sickday and tells me something important broke and I need to come and fix it (45 minute bus ride one-way). I know exactly what broke and I tell her if she goes into my office and turn my computer on then I can remote in and fix it in literally 5 seconds. She nearly screams at me saying that my contract doesn't allow remote work and I don't remember what exactly was said after this point but it was something along the lines of:

"It won't be fixed for another 5 days then because I'm not coming in today (Thursday, and I don't work Fridays or Mondays)."

"Ok bye"

"bye"

Guess it wasn't important

I'm not allowed to work from home and it seriously pisses me off. Whenever I complain about this to my boss, she always gives me shit like "you're a school bus driver".

Which is weird cause the savings in not comming in to center is a win for everyone.

...you shouldn't have to respond in home hours regardless. Any time you spend on work during your life outside of contract is them stealing your labour.

I'm on hybrid, but my entire team is all over the world, so I'm just as alone in the office as at home. The only difference is that in the office I'm bound by the train schedule, so I can't take out of hours calls. My coworkers and manager keep petitioning HR to let me work from home full time.

As a middle manager in a corporate hellscape, one of my few joys in life is setting logic traps for HR and making them choose between admitting company policy is bullshit or directly instructing me to violate labor laws.

The policy is you can only work from home when it benefits the company, not you.

A previous job of mine wanted people in my team to volunteer for being on call overnight for a week at a time.

No-one did, so they forced us. I emailed all managers involved including HR I said that I would like to opt-out for various reasons like family, mental and physical health, and also that the pay was in no way adequate for what they wanted. Again they pushed, so I replied with I'll do it but would be unavailable most afternoons and evenings with my kids and things they have on. That I also won't be able to answer after going to sleep because I take my mental health very seriously and need quality sleep to function.

So the first night I slept peacefully as I normally do as I have my phone set to go to DND automatically. I got called in because I didn't answer a call that came in last night, I asked when it was, about midnight, and said well that's because I was asleep.

Go to the next 2 mangers up, say the same thing and they say that I need to answer. I explain the email stating that I would be unable to answer calls at many times including when asleep and how no-one replied with that being a problem. One of the managers was like, wait up, you flagged this; yup; can you send me the email chain; yup. Got removed and told I wouldn't need to worry about doing it anymore.

It found a new job shortly after that.