Anyone know if they are expanding RTO still? Has anyone been able to get an exception?
24 replies (most recent on top)
@eg please share how this person you know got this. Because I am out of ideas
First they are leaning toward having a state of the art command center with AI and this will allow them to get rid of most of their US based employees. The CEO of Optum allready said this is what they are planning. They have a team of 9 people who manage this product and those left will work more as a concierge so why do they need to enforce work from home.
@10t Exit will NEVER be implemented in the US. Reason, Fire codes. You can't lock people INTO a building requiring them to use a "key" to leave.
I work in facilities in Hartford, and know this for a fact.
@rq wrong. Stop trolling
@10t Many companies use license plate readers. I tells you who the car is registered to, not who owns the car.
@ke no they aren't. They don't have your license plate unless you gave it to them. And it would be an illegal use of law enforcement resources to try to track you down that way. They'll know they can track you going out as if they start requiring you to scan your badge to exit. Which they aren't doing yet.
I manage people, and have never received the report that includes departure times. Actually I have never received a report on arrival times either, I just know that I can look it up if I ever want to. And I don't because I don't care
@rj Search for the return to office policy on Sparq. Then report back here what you read. 100% based on 30 minute commute time. I know because I live 22 miles from the Optum campus and I was not on the list. That is due to high commute times from my home to the Optum campus.
@rq Optum never went in and replaced all of the cubicles with sit/stand desks.
When the RTO mandate was announced, I used actual data to show how few team members and other co-workers even lived in the Twin Cities. Our group lead - who lives in California and was completely unaffected by the RTO herself - ignored the solid case I had built, thanked me (in advance) for complying with the mandate and provided no other guidance about expectations. I honestly think she was hoping I would quit. But I made sure to meet the somewhat vague RTO requirements ("Be in the office an average of 4 days a week") by badging in late at night and on weekends. I got RIF'd in February, but since I had played along, I got severance. Condolences to anyone still there.
@rg every desk is a sit/stand desk....
@ke doubtful
@gr this wrong. It's based on miles, timing is nebulous, in the city 5 miles could take an hour, in the country 50 miles may take an hour. It's 100% based on miles.
@e8 false. They give them all the time
I got one. I told my Dr's nurse, though my primaries portal, that sitting at a desk all day caused me to have back and neck pain and she emailed a letter that said I needed a "stand up desk". Didn't even need to go in or anything. The office budget didn't allow for a custom desk, so BAM... Exemption.
I was able to get a disability exception for my autoimmune disease. If you have a reason that you can get a doctor to sign off on (and explain to your boss with a straight face), HR will approve it. I had Copilot write my justification for me and it was fantastic - Copilot even came up with more reasons that I hadn't thought of. My experience was that HR didn't question it once I had my doctor's signature on the form.
@ke there aint no f'n way. What if you walk, bike, uber, bus
@k5 I believe they're tracking in AND out using license plate scanners. They threatened to use reporting to management to track attendance but who knows if it's being enforced.
If Optum wants to me to take 2 hours out of every work day to drive to the office scan my badge and immediately drive home again I can do that. It's a pretty stupid way to spend time, and will do nothing for productivity, but if that's their choice then that's their choice. It's what a lot of people are doing now already, just to meet the re--rded quota.
@gr then it's 40 minutes.
@gq Interesting since the current rule is NOT based on miles. It is based on 30 minute commute time in peak traffic. Be better.
I heard today that they are looking into expanding the radius from 30 miles to 40 miles.
@e8 not true. I know someone who got remote status in MN
No information on the expansion. I have not heard of any exceptions from actual HR, your manager may be able to give some flexibility but HR will not budge in moving your location from the office back to telecommute if you are in radius from my experience. My manager has tried.
I just ignored it from the beginning and nothing has happened so far