#worklifebalance

"If you're working, you're not working hard enough. And if you are working hard enough, you're not working long enough. And if you are working long enough, you're not passionate enough. And if you are passionate enough, well, you're not hustling enough. And if you are hustling enough, you're not loyal enough. And if you are loyal enough, you're not focused enough. And if you are focused enough, well, then you can kind of see how this goes..." J. Fluke

I think C-Suite Executives consider replacing engineers with AI as being the equivalent of replacing humana cashiers with automated checkouts.

Well, all of you engineers know that the good ones know how to not just how to handle the “normal” mold fit scenarios but also how to handle scenarios that do not fit the mold and find innovative ways to come up with solutions that most others, including AI, would.

From what I have seen, AI even struggles handling the most basic tasks and processes without an abundance of handling by their human creators. So, as to the non-conforming mold fit processes, forget about it!

Why am I posting this? Because I am so sick of all the AI hype being shouted on the roof tops. Please, can we now start having real honest conversations as to the very limited scenarios for which AI maybe can be used?

Based on Slack numbers we're down like 450 or something actives, beginning with around 26,000-something.

I guess maybe the 20% is over the course of a couple years but IDK

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/general/business-has-lost-the-trust-of-a-generation-i-hear-about-it-at-my-dinner-table/ar-AA2bgHZp?ocid=BingNewsSerp

Pretty straightforward chronicle of how Stankey and his fellow RTOstans are creating the very Gen Z and Gen Alpha attitudes they constantly whine about. I sure as he-l know that I wouldn’t tell my kid to go for a corporate job after my experience in this world.

Do you miss us yet?

For as cr-ppy of a place to work as this place has become, I have seen a few people boomerang back, which made me curious. If you left and regretted it, what changed your mind? And for those who came back, what made you return?

I will deduct it from my 40 hours on Friday. By lunch on Friday I will have my 40 hours and head home. Gotta love the culture Stank created!

Everyone staring at their Outlook like…
⊙_⊙

Any tips on making our daily commute to Tuas more pleasant? I don’t know what to expect

When we’re on a PIP, is it necessary to put in the effort to meet the goals, or is it not worth it? Should we just do the bare minimum and leave it at that?

Source: M. Gray

1. Learn Storytelling

Storytelling is the highest intangible ROI skill you can learn

Sales, hiring, marketing, it's all storytelling.

Start with basic storytelling frameworks (e.g. the Hero's Journey) and the 7 fundamental emotions.

And watch how listeners turn into believers.

1. Rethink Health

Everything changed for me when I came across Symbiotic Success:

Your health directly affects achievement, even if you can't see it.

Now I prioritize meditation, lifting weights and nutrition.

Success is a game of longevity and health is your competitive moat.

1. Work Like a Lion

Society has conditioned us to work like we're cows grazing.

Low focus.
Long hours.
Minimal output.

Instead, work less, but work like a hunting lion.

Sprint. Rest. Repeat.

1. Find Your Peak Energy State

Optimal hours, environment, and work style differ for everyone.

Keep experimenting until you find your most productive state, when you don't have to fight yourself to get stuff done.

Once you find it, energy flows where your focus will be.

1. Learn to Communicate Concisely

Most people's emails and messages are full of fluff:

'Hope you're well!'
'I just wanted to ask...'
'Could we circle back on...'

Stop.

Be concise and get to the point, your value increases with the effort your readers save.

1. Be Happy for Other People's Successes

It's a positive-sum world out there; there are 22 million millionaires in the US alone.

Recognize that one person's success isn't your failure and offer genuine congratulations.

Joy for others manifests future accolades for you.

1. Be Boring

A lot of success comes from just saying no to cheap dopamine.

And instead, focusing on the mundane:

• Maximizing sleep
• Guarding time for workouts
• Not eating out in favor of your nutritious diet

Boring's the secret the successful don’t want you to know.

The traditional five-day office week was sold to us for decades as some kind of sacred law of business. Executives insisted that without people physically sitting in a cubicle, collaboration would fall apart, productivity would tank, and "culture" (whatever that means) would just evaporate.

Then 2020 happened. In a matter of weeks, half the working world moved to their kitchen tables, and it turned out the whole thing was less about performance and more about control.

Here's how the forced remote work experiment kind of blew up the core myths of office culture.

1. The Productivity Mirage

The big scary warning was always: unsupervised employees will slack off. Turns out that was backwards. Multiple studies during the pandemic showed productivity held steady or even went up when people worked from home. No more open-floor-plan noise, no more soul-crushing commutes — people actually got hours of real, focused work done. Turns out showing up isn't the same thing as producing anything. Output matters, not butt-in-seat time.

2. The Collaboration Cult

Leadership loves to say innovation needs "watercooler moments" and everyone breathing the same recycled office air. And sure, in-person brainstorming has its place. But the pandemic proved you don't need five days a week of shared oxygen to collaborate well. Teams got good at async work fast — people had time to actually think before responding instead of just performing enthusiasm in a meeting room. Real connection comes from intentional communication, not a shared zip code.

3. The Real Estate Sunk-Cost Problem

When companies push hard for a full return-to-office despite everyone hating it, the stated reasons rarely add up. A lot of these orgs are locked into 10-15 year commercial leases, and an empty building is just a giant unrecoverable cost sitting on the balance sheet. So forcing people back to their desks is often less about "performance" and more about justifying an expensive real estate bet nobody wants to admit was a mistake.

4. The Illusion of Culture

"Culture" got used as a guilt trip to drag people back to their desks — like camaraderie only exists within four walls. But most people figured out pretty quick that real culture isn't free snacks and a ping pong table. It's psychological safety, respect for your time outside of work, fair pay, and people actually communicating clearly. Once the office perks got stripped away, you could see they were just distractions from bad work-life boundaries the whole time.

The Bottom Line: Outcomes Over Attendance

The whole remote work experiment showed that the five-day office mandate was more of a leftover habit than an actual business requirement. Hybrid setups are a fine middle ground for teams that need occasional in-person time, but the idea that full-time office attendance is non-negotiable just doesn't hold up anymore.

Work isn't a place anymore — it's a thing you do. Companies that don't get that are gonna keep losing their best people to competitors who actually care about results instead of just watching who's in their seat at 9am.

Every time I bring up an idea my supervisor has someone else work on it and then pretends like it was their idea. How am I ever going to assess well when the feedback is always that you have to do more than your job description?

My supervisor is unbearable for about a week every 28 days. It is like clockwork. Is this some sort of management technique? Why would she be mostly agreeable and then a total monster out of nowhere?

Here’s hoping the RTO scares off the fossils so the rest of us can finally grow

Anyone still around in US timezone after the latest round is executed, be prepared to work during IDC timezone in addition to the regular hours that you already do as you all will be reporting into IDC.

IDC VPs have figured out there are no jobs in US . So IDC experience and work hours can be rolled out to every one left in US.

Is anyone else hearing whispers of five days a week next year?

In Corp Risk and a few people have mentioned hearing that rumor over the past few days.

For most of us, we're going into office full time. I am not in an office that requires people to go in office every day (yet).

Just remember, stay safe. This is just a job. Jobs are not worth our lives. Be careful driving in the parking lots.

I'm sorry this is happening.

BTC seems to have been told to aggressively schedule early morning meetings. No respect for working hours marked in Outlook.

Did Centene ever re-hire the people they fired for not getting the jab like the military did? If so…..NO THANKS, we learned that our life is way better off without working for Centene.

Can we buy PTOs middle of the year?

We've reached the point where even the laziest people, those who work maybe 2-3 hours a day, are leaving for better opportunities. When that's happening, you know things are truly dire. If even the coasters are jumping ship, what's left for the rest of us? Seriously?

How do you think this whole RTO debacle will go? Do you think it’s going to crash and burn and Fidelity will admit their mistakes and return to at least some WFH time? Or do you think they will force us to put up with the terrible conditions until enough people quit that will satisfy their reduced headcount need? I need to see a brighter side to all of this nonsense.

@VP Why does VZ waste money promoting internal employee videos, newsletters, emails on internal website, most employees do not have time to watch list, read, listen but do their 8 hour work.Personally, I work on my feet, not at a desk,yet local manager sends out emails I don't read until days, weeks later, unless I take my lunch.

How long are we staying in the office, if there is a badge-out system?

Is there a “minimum number of hours required”?

Does anyone know the “rules”?

It is so subjective, isn't it? Use the information that you have and do what is best for you and your loved ones. Clinging to the notion of getting severance has caught up more than a few. Then, surprise, your severance is lost due to a relocation of your work to another division or company such as Cognizant. The only move to make is the one that gives you a semblance of peace in the current environment. Semblance, not actual peace.

Was just informed that my designated working area is over capacity by 10-15 heads. “Expect some flexibility” I’m sorry but who decided it was okay for someone to not have a seat to DO THEIR WORK IN. I shouldn’t be surprised anymore but here we are. If I don’t have a seat, and am expected to work in the cafe off one tiny laptop screen, I’m politely turning around and driving home. If HR comes knocking, I’m claiming harsh working conditions because this is absolutely ridiculous.

At this point, its literally mental abuse. How I am supposed to work if I don’t know what I am doing is even relevant if I get laid off. This is so frustrating

Anyone have experience getting approved to work remotely to help a family member with medical issues? My mom lives with me and broke her hip a while back. She’s coming home from rehab soon and I need to work from home for a while to be safe. She’s fine with her walker so I don’t need to help her all day. With WPE changes, wondering if it’s even worth my time applying.

Once we are full RTO, planning on having lunch in my car with a few IPAs.

When is Plano going to 5 days week in office?

Another day, more stressing. I hate this place.

But assigning me things I've never been trained on and expecting magic? That's the kind of stress I can't handle. I'm out of here as soon as I find something, even if it involves less pay.

Just for now, of course. But it's something.

Some of the replies here really make me feel uneasy. If I hated a place as much as some of you do AEP, I'd be long gone. Life is too short to stay somewhere that's making you so miserable. You know that's an option, right? Walk away and find something where you'll be happier. It's that simple.

All retail is becoming part-time, open availability, and no benefits. Even fast food pays better now.

So I am currently at Cigna, Social worker role in medical department, our entire department is being let go as Cigna is exiting the IFP/Affordable Healthcare act market. I'm currently trying to beef up my private practice in hopes of going full time so I can avoid corporate world again- BUT I have noticed openings for BH roles at Aetna. I want to hear from anyone in the BH deparment- what's it like? outrageous caseload? toxic environment? poor management? Because Cigna BH department took a massive nose dive into he-l in the last year and there is nothing in the universe that would make me go back to the BH department of Cigna. I fear it's much the same at Aetna, but if I can't get my private practice to full time then I need to have a job.

How much worse off can you be than staying here if they show you the door and send you off with a nice severance package? Honestly?

I put in years of nights and weekends because Nike always came first. Then one day I realized I was missing my life. When did it become harder to scale back than it was to keep going? I'm still trying to figure that out, but make sure not to repeat my mistake.