Working Remote?

[bjl584]

Do you have this option going forward indefinitely?
I have been reporting to work, but many in the office have been remote.
There is now talk of keeping this arrangement going forward.
There could be some sort of hybrid model (TBD) but for now everyone remote is going to be allowed to continue to do so.

My company is scrambling to try to figure out how to make things more "fair" and what to do about compensation.

Just from my experience, there are some people who can work remotely no problem, but there are others who cannot. Not because they actually need to be in the building, but more because they have to heavily lean on people who are at work to support them and complete tasks for them. By them being at home they are increasing the workload of those who report to work.
If I were in charge there would have to be a rule that if what you are doing causes others to do more work, then you should probably come in to help complete that task.
Our Production manager said he wanted to be a team player, so he would do small tasks for remote workers here and there. Well, that turned into 45 people wanting him to do small tasks for him. His workload is now increased to the point where he can barely do his own job short of coming in on weekends.

Not sure if anyone else is experiencing growing pains or snags from the new work model.
Just figured I'd share.

[disneysteve]

We now have some providers working remotely, primarily doing telehealth visits M-F 9-5. I'm still doing in-person care. There is a bit of overlap if the telehealth provider feels the patient they're seeing needs to be evaluated in person, they will direct them to one of our physical sites. They will also send them to us for COVID testing. Overall, it doesn't really impact me.

What does impact me is that on weekends, there is no dedicated telehealth provider. The in-person providers at 4 of our sites, including the one I work at, have to handle telehealth as well as in-person visits. It is a tremendous pain in the butt. They really need someone handling those visits who isn't already swamped with physical patients who are sometimes waiting up to 2 hours out in their cars before being seen.

We also need someone (who could be remote) doing patient call backs with lab results because those of us working in person simply don't have time so patients aren't getting their test results in a timely manner. I feel really stupid when I call a patient 5 or 6 days after their visit, and patients aren't pleased either. I'm going to suggest at our meeting that they consider adding a remote person to handle that. The downside is that the remote person will leave a bunch of voice mails but give one of the physical location's phone numbers to call back, so we end up swamped with call backs sometimes.

[QuarterMillionMan]

My public sector job entire work remotely permanently since CWD and permanently.

[riverwed070707]

My company called everyone back to the office in June of 2020 and simultaneously rolled out a permanent work from home option for a pay reduction. Ultimately, there is an application process and the employees direct supervisor and VP have to sign off for them to be approved. There are a number of jobs in our org where WFH simply doesn't work and I assume supervisors are also taking into account the individuals performance and accountability. I can't imagine it would be a good idea for any business to make it an option for every employee. In your situation, it seems unfair that others are having to pick up additional work because they choose to stay in the office... the point of WFH is not to offload work onto others. What kind of tasks are they delegating? Is it an option to think outside the box and instead of "who else can do this" is there a different process that could be put in place to be able to fully do the work without physically being there?

[ua_guy]

DH joined a company that went 100% remote for the teams he leads. Long story short, the company is doing great, the vast majority of employees love it, and the company is trying to accommodate all needs. They've since sold their HQ, but have constructed various satellite offices to facilitate in-person meets and provide hotel-office space for those who need it. They've done a number of offsite meet-ups this summer at boutique locations....they're really having fun with this new model.

He left a major company that doubled-down on return-to-office and who will not allow 100% remote work for any of its employees. Too bad, so sad. Several key people have left for greener grass.

Me, I'm looking for my next adventure. My former employer went 100% remote but can't accommodate employees out-of-state. I don't think I can ever go back to an office regularly...being remote has done remarkable things for my mental/physical/spiritual health and I just don't think I can ever go back. Not unless it's hands-on work of some kind which doesn't have me in an office all day. But I won't ever go back to a cubicle farm.

[JoeP]

My company is supporting 3 modes: fully remote, hybrid, and full on-site. I chose the latter for routine, to absorb nearby conversations, and to collaborate more naturally as humans have for thousands of years. Many of my teammates have chose the other 2 options, and I fear productivity potential will never be met with some people being fully remote. Put another way, our company would perform much better if everyone were back in the office (assuming we could eradicate the virus).

Interesting side note, more applicable to IT and the like: Prior to the pandemic, the "worker bee" employees had little to no leverage when it came to being to work from home. Being non-union, you had to be a rock star and also get lots of approvals to pull it off. Us mortals would have been told to pound salt or go find another job. But now with remote work being pretty much the norm, ALL employees are getting the option of flexibility. Any employer who could/should support remote work and decides to mandate in-office attendance could find themselves at the short end of the deal, because there are plenty of opportunities out there for fully remote employees. There are people who could come in, but decide not to, not because of "germs" but because of economic reasons (commute being a big one, and big lunch tabs) and efficiencies with handling kid-oriented commitments.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I notice people choosing to go back to work. Unsure how that all works out. I am suspecting most will pick hybrid with flexibility. I think the flexibility will be key.

personally I'm working for myself and liking it a lot. I think i'm done with working for someone else.