Looking forward to seeing you all Monday as I return to the office because three days a week sitting on zoom calls in whatever cube I could find wasn't enough.
Looking forward to having my badge swipes monitored while my hba co-worker gets to hang out with their kids for summer break in between meetings, mine is in daycare that costs as much as my mortgage.
Looking forward to not only being second class to overpaid useless gps but now to the person who faked a panic attack and got an accommodation to sit at home and pretend to work.
Everyone who says it isn't us vs them is a mo--n. It is, hba is an advantage. They aren't getting badge swipes checked, no one is looking at how long they stay online. They need to get rid of hba if we are expected to be an office company now. Why have them at all? Throughout the day you see hba's "away" from their computer all the time. GPs, HBAs then the rest of us peons. We don't even get complimentary snacks.
8 replies (most recent on top)
@h0 Excellent post. Agree 100% as someone who is a soon to be former HBA. The infighting needs to stop and be redirected to the failures of ELT and PP. They hate us and need us to quit. They don't want us anymore, they want 10,000 cheap labor indians instead, OR kool aid drinking drones who don't ask questions, don't solve problems, but simply worship the next level of leadership above them. The GPs and ELT have spent way too much time over india seeing how the caste system spills over into their corporate culture and they want it oh so badly here. They don't want us to operate like a LP, they want us to operate more like a bug colony.
Funny enough you say all this as there is a system in place to monitor HBAs, which is the same one that monitors in-office employees outside of badge swipes. Maybe you should go re-evaluate if this is an issue with HBAs or ELT, because HBA’s didn’t ask for this, and most of them are very sympathetic, aware, and understanding of the morale that their colleagues are experiencing.
As an HBA myself, I honestly don’t foresee HBAs being a thing after 2028. They sent a home office survey to HBA grade 9 and above to see if they would move back. This tells me 1) they have the heads up of what is coming. 2) they gave the opportunity for higher ups to have their relocation paid for, and when they time comes they can pay to relocate back, or be ISPd. 3) Those HBAs grade 8 and below won’t get a choice to relocate paid, they’ll just be laid off with warning, no ISP benefit package.
Allow me to also add, as an HBA, I’m not sure where you think we get to do whatever we want all day, or everyone’s kids are home for summer, but that’s not the case. M-Th I’m often up and logged in at 6am, take a lunch around 12-1p and log off about 5p - if you add that up, it’s a 10 hour day. On Fridays I try to log off by 2p. Non stop zooms and work to be done. No chance to breathe. ER left many depts short staffed and over worked. ELT moved people to new functions and roles with little to no guidance on WTF they are supposed to be doing with lack of clarity to roles and responsibilities.
We are all feeling ELT’s BS, not just in office workers. Everyone just has a different reason to be pi---d. This isn’t HBA vs In office. This is employees vs ELT. Get your head on straight. This isn’t democrat Va republican. This is The People vs The Government. Wings of the same bird. ELT wants us mad at each other while they laugh with their millions, just like politicians and government officials.
@OP don’t be bitter because you didn’t get a medical exception. You could also move if you feel that strongly. Most HBAs do their job well - people are very aware how it looks and that they could be monitored. Plus HBAs aren’t the ones that required this mess-leadership did it. Go bi--h about them and leave the rest out of it. Put the blame where it belongs.
@c9 This. They will start making people snitch on their coworkers for only being in the cube 3 days a week instead of 4, or taking a 40 minute lunch instead of 30 min. These people who are miserable and turn on the people in their same pay grade are just giving ELT exactly what they want. A bunch of hall monitors and narcs that think snitching on their team will still save them from layoffs at the end of the day or somehow make them feel better about themselves. Penny is the head of the snake, followed by ELT, any division leader, and most GPs/Directors. They are the ones who have signed off on this disaster by being yes men or remained silent out of fear of being cascaded.
@c9 Yes, I agree. Please don’t turn on each other and keep it focused on the leaders behind the decisions. Being HBA seems like a nice perk today but will likely come with its own challenges tomorrow. ELT will target them next. Let’s stick together.
I am sorry you won’t be able to spend time with your kids and the daycare costs. That su-ks, and I honestly believe people do better work when they have their families nearby (what many of us work for in the first place). But the HBAs didn’t ask for this and are probably wondering if they’ll have to relocate to STL or AZ next year and how bad the digital surveillance on them will be. Point is, this su-ks for everyone who’s not a GP.
The cannibalism has already started. The ELT's plan is going exactly how the wanted it to.
HBA's now have the target on their backs. If they are outside the 1 hour drive they are safe for now, or if they have medical reason. But make no mistake, ELT knows HBA is a benefit to 99% of the people who have it, this is why it has been taken away. It is no different than receiving a pay cut or having your health insurance slashed. The malicious POS that run this place now, have made a calculation figuring that the more pain we have, the more we will quit. It's that simple. There is absolutely ZERO benefit (backed by data and studies) that says 4 days in office is better than 2 or 3. They are lying and they don't care. Every company just repeats the same BS talking points, we are no different now. There are surveys being sent out to HBAs level 9 and up basically getting a head count of who will be forced to either move or quit by 2028. Remember, we were a fully remote company from 2020-2024. We bragged about how well it was working, how much $ it saved us, how happy everyone was etc. From what I hear from you, it sounds like certain HBAs aren't pulling their weight, which means the TL needs to address this. Most HBAs are solid workers who put in more than 8hrs a day because they can and dont have the mental drain as in office peeps. I know this because I've been one for over 10 yrs. Monday I will also be joining you for 4 days a week in this new dystopian sh+thole setup we call "home office collaboration". You can be mad at the HBAs all you want, but never forget who created this toxic environment we are in now. They want us angry, stressed, depressed, obedient, and gone from the payroll. PP & ELT hate us, they hate our families, and they need as many of us to quit by 2028.
The worst type of person tries to bring others into their unhappiness. HBAs didn’t causse this so why throw them.under the bus. You can move and become an HBA. You're complaining, but most HBAs are worried about the "move near the home office, or lose your job" message that's probably coming.