Received mandate that all virtual workers in my org have to report to office 5 days a week. I'm a Caregiver to family member who can't be left alone for long periods of time. Office is over 130 miles away. I've been full time remote since 2015 (first teleworker, then Virtual worker designation. they changed me to FTOW last week) I simply cannot report to an office. What are my options? Is there any benefit to letting them fire me for non-compliance ? better to retire? (i can legally retire because of age and service) thanks in advance.
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something that requires a background check.
That is not how background checks work. The company will not share the circumstances of your separation with any external inquiry, as it can leave them vulnerable to lawsuits. This is black letter HR policy. Your vested pension cannot be taken away. You get the same health care options either way. The only downsides to getting fired for cause that I can see are you will be tagged as non-rehireable (although this probably is meaningless if they need your skillset) and you will not get the garbage retiree discount that pretty much no one uses. Getting fired also gives you a pretty good shot at filing for unemployment, which makes it a no-brainer. I say OP should just not show up to the office, but do their job remotely and wait out the termination.
Retire. It is your best option unless you can find a caregiver. Unfortunately it is not the company’s responsibility to allow you to work from home “ so you can be a caregiver”. Retire and thankful you were allowed this benefit/luxury for as long as you did
Can anyone explain to me how this is any benefit at all? Does this only apply to people with grandfathered pension systems? It seems to me the only difference between retiring and being fired is you don't get a cheap set of luggage for a retirement gift.
Not everyone who retires is too old to want to pursue other things. Not necessarily another career but still something that requires a background check. Most people who have been with the company long enough to retire would like to preserve some record of success. There is no shame in being surplused or retiring but being fired is not really something to be proud of. However, if you never plan to work again and think the retiree discounts are worthless then there is no benefit. Who needs another set of cheap luggage.
Retire instead of being fired if using T for medical and under 65: don’t get Cobra if fired
“You are a primary reason RTO has been implemented and initial 5x8 is necessary. WFH/virtual designation was never intended to serve full time daycare or family caregiving needs. You earn a salary allowing for in-home help.”
You’re an embarrassment to yourself and others around you for making such a statement. Seriously wtf is wrong with you? Shame on you and learn to sympathize with people if you even have that ability that is…
Tell your manager you can’t comply and would like severance. If they refuse, retire.
retire in good standing
Can anyone explain to me how this is any benefit at all? Does this only apply to people with grandfathered pension systems? It seems to me the only difference between retiring and being fired is you don't get a cheap set of luggage for a retirement gift.
"Except you're really not. Thinking that being a longterm caregiver was an allowed justification for virtual status proves you were one abusing the system for years. See the door."
what a stupid jack___ you are for saying this. you know nothing about his/her performance during that time. It does not matter when someone clocks in if they get their work done when it's supposed to be done by.
Take some family care time if you can’t rto and they need your help.
I hope you are able to work something out that truly works for you and your family. Just for clarification, the office you are being mandated to RTO to is 130 miles from your home; however; even as a remote worker you should have been assigned to an office as your base location. Are you now being assigned to a T office that is significantly further away than your previous assignment. In other words did your designated office change in Webphone. Your house typically doesn’t count as your T location when you WFH. If you are being asked to RTO to the same office which was in Webphone prior to RTO it wont be considered as following the job / work. I agree with others if HR nor your supervisor can accommodate don’t wait to be fired ask your supervisor if you can volunteer for surplus or retire in good standing.
"I'm an example of exactly why remote- work works."
Except you're really not. Thinking that being a longterm caregiver was an allowed justification for virtual status proves you were one abusing the system for years. See the door.
Like stated above if it is more than 50 miles the rule use to be they can't force you to that location. Not to say they will force you to some other location less than that. Take the severance and retire if you can. This is total low morality for what Stankey is doing from an AT&T suppose leader with this RTO BS. Good Luck!
The 50-mile rule relates to your assigned location in Webphone not your home location. My assigned office was also over100 miles from my home (I was a full time TW when I chose to live where I do). I asked to be moved to a location closer but it was not a Hub so the answer was no (Response may be different for another Org . RTO resulted in retirement and no severance. Like most people post, AT&T does not care.
thank you all so much for all the valuable input. let's see what HR comes back with. I should have not put the caregiver info-that's a separate issue- by "caregiver" I just meant, I have to be on site - to make sure no one burns the house down. they don't need full time care, someone just needs to be on site and be available for things that come up. I've been a top performer for over 10 years working from home full time. I'm an example of exactly why remote- work works. The irony is I support the network that makes full time remote work possible...
Do you guys not understand what a caregiver is when it comes to working from home? You’re not tending to the person needing assistance 24/7. It’s not a full time job. You’re helping them to the bathroom and putting lunch on the table for them. Imagine thinking this hinders productivity more than spending 3 hours in the car a day and another 20 minutes trying to find parking. Please, for the love of God, grow a brain and a heart.
AT&T isn't going to come do a home visit/study to determine that. Anyone who says that they "don't have to do much' to care for their pre-school child is either full of cr-p or negligent. My spouse thought I could 'do laundry' while I WFH until the calculation showed that anything more than one load of towels or sheets would take 10-15 minutes per hour to sort, start, transfer to dryer, hang up half after a few minutes, fold, etc. Helping to the -bathroom? My 80YO father sh--s 4-5 times a day. That time adds up.
Do you guys not understand what a caregiver is when it comes to working from home? You’re not tending to the person needing assistance 24/7. It’s not a full time job. You’re helping them to the bathroom and putting lunch on the table for them. Imagine thinking this hinders productivity more than spending 3 hours in the car a day and another 20 minutes trying to find parking. Please, for the love of God, grow a brain and a heart.
Pick your 'poison.' These are two separate issues. If you are being asked to report to an office that is 130 mi one way, then you are essentially being asked to relocate since it is outside of the commute radius. So you will be laid off with severance for not following the job.
Totally separate issue is the caregiving. Even if the office was next door, you would be expected to be there in the office and not at your house, thereby leaving the family member unattended. You can ask, but it will likely be denied, for an exception. They will expect you to have someone else doing the caregiving, not you, not while you're being paid by AT&T. Former Bells might have given you that option if caregiving is absolutely minimum and the family member is otherwise completely self-sufficient, but so very few people are getting approved.
See Paragraph 1. Regardless of Paragraph 2, is sounds like you would have to choose not to follow the job.
Job accommodation is for the employee medical need not a family member. You will not be approved for a job accommodation for a family member. If you are retirement eligible you should retire vs being fired. If fired you will lose retiree medical and retiree discount.
Like stated above if it is more than 50 miles the rule use to be they can't force you to that location. Not to say they will force you to some other location less than that. Take the severance and retire if you can. This is total low morality for what Stankey is doing from an AT&T suppose leader with this RTO BS. Good Luck!
Your caregiver should be there to watch your family member. You are supposed to be working. Work from home is not child/family care.
I believe this is a phony post by the bootlickers to rile everyone up, as if everyone that ever worked from home was running a full time day care or primary caregiver situation.
File under: Phony Baloney
People are getting hung up on her caregiver story. It really has nothing to do with anything in this case. They are essentially being asked to relocate. They had virtual status before, and are now being told their work location has changed to an office 130 miles away. They should be given the option of refusing the work location change and being retired (laid off) with their severance.
I get that you're upset with them playing caregiver at home while working but that is neither here nor there.
Work from home was never intended for you to take care of your family during the day. The policy was pretty clear. You got away with it this long. Count your blessings.
Milk it as long as you can. Sick leave, paid caregiver leave then make then fire you
Posted my Milkman
You are the reason we all have to RTO.
Just make it clear you refuse the work location change and make them retire you (lay you off) with severance...they changed your work location; this is covered in the severance policy. It's no different from those that were given the option to follow their job to Dallas or Atlanta, or be laid off with severance.
If it is 130 mile one way commute, and you were remote, and they are now telling you that you have to be FTO--- you can refuse and they will have to lay you off with severance based on how things are today. They have changed your work location somewhere greater than 50 miles away. There is language in the severance policy that covers this (for now at least).
“You are a primary reason RTO has been implemented and initial 5x8 is necessary. WFH/virtual designation was never intended to serve full time daycare or family caregiving needs. You earn a salary allowing for in-home help.”
You are a fu--ing terrible person. Have the day you deserve!
Retire now!!!
For once, this is the time to talk to your manager and let them know. You may get laid off with severance. Good luck.i never want to be preached to about ethics by them ever again.
You are a primary reason RTO has been implemented and initial 5x8 is necessary. WFH/virtual designation was never intended to serve full time daycare or family caregiving needs. You earn a salary allowing for in-home help.
Better to retire then be fired.
Work remote as long as you can. See if you can work the system for a little bit and then when they get more forceful, retire. Also, you do get caregiver time which I would use and vacation to use.
Best bet is to retire now while you have the option. They are not letting anyone out from under this edict anytime soon.
Go to the office?