The Great Resignation?

[LivingAlmostLarge]

It certainly can vary by position and situation. At my place, the staff gets a 30-minute break. It is inappropriate for them to stay out for 35 minutes because other people are covering their work while they're gone as well as waiting for them to return so they can take their break. Only one person can be on break at a time.

On the other hand, we (the providers) technically get a 30-minute break but we can never actually take it. I mean, we can, but the work just piles up while we're on break, so we shoot ourselves in the foot if we take the break. It would just result in us having to stay later to finish the work. So we typically munch at our desks while we're working, never actually taking a break, even on a 12-hour shift.

Trust me my cousin was complaining about coming in to manage people, she can't do it remotely and have them come in. But those workers don't work at home so the work very obviously doesn't get done and state workers means she can't fire them. So she was whining about coming in because her workers won't work. I understand she can work from home but the people below her can't. So she has to go in. It's a catch-22. Trust me my DH said it's coming to roost even for white collar tech workers. There are many who don't work. And those who don't? If a recession comes they are on the block about to be chopped. It's becoming more apparent.

A friend's son was told he needs to go into the office 3x/week. He moved 4 hours away and doesn't want to. He's gotta figure it out now.

[disneysteve]

There are many who don't work.

Sorry but I don't care if you are remote or in-person. If you aren't doing your job, your butt should be fired. I've got no tolerance for people like that.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Big government has lots of those people LAL is talking about, I know because I work with many. They think they are entitled and they act like it's their God given right to have the job. We are 24/7 and assist a vulnerable population. I supervise 6 workers. Pre-COVID we were stationed at law enforcement precincts, currently 100% permanently remote WFH. But when we were at law enforcement precincts for instance 1 woman in her 50's would snore for hours. I would ask her to not sleep on the job and she told me "F-off." I wrote her up for insubordination. She transferred to another dept. Another one never would show up at her police dept. My administrator and I once knew she was not at work so one day we waited for hours for her. Eventually I called her asking where she was and I told her we were at the police station waiting to see if she would show up. She made all kinds of excuses from having a flat tire to saying she was in the building the entire time. She retaliated complaining to Dept Heads but in the end she too requested a transfer to another Dept. Also, between the time of writing up these 2 workers and their transfers, multiple meetings at HR along with their union representation and our HR admins and legal counsel had met for grievance meetings. It was very time consuming and took me away from actual work but was necessary. It's not easy to terminate a public sector worker but I was able to fire 1 bad worker. I learned a lot in the processes. Now I have all good workers but if needed I have the skills now to take on the baddest of the baddies, lol.

[ua_guy]

QMM...pickin' up the slack!

[disneysteve]

union representation
It's not easy to terminate a public sector worker

I am not anti-union, but far too many times I've heard how terribly difficult it is to fire a union employee even if they are totally worthless at their job. Makes me glad that I don't work in a unionized industry. And even then, it's hard to fire a bad employee. They need to get warnings and write ups and reviews and have everything well-documented before terminating them to avoid wrongful termination suits. So it can take 3-6 months to get rid of someone.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I am not anti-union, but far too many times I've heard how terribly difficult it is to fire a union employee even if they are totally worthless at their job. Makes me glad that I don't work in a unionized industry. And even then, it's hard to fire a bad employee. They need to get warnings and write ups and reviews and have everything well-documented before terminating them to avoid wrongful termination suits. So it can take 3-6 months to get rid of someone.

My cousin would say it's really hard to write someone up. She needs definitive proof. So it's hard with remote work. Another friend had a person show up once every 30 days to "work" during this pandemic and she couldn't fire them because they worked one day then the cycles of her tracking their "lack" of work would restart. They knew how to game the system. So she left to a new job and is sure the same person is still doing the same old crap.

Until they figure out more remote work it'll be this way. People will slack without measuring stick. But one way to stick it to remote workers will be the lack of raises or promotions and suddenly their income is in line with COLA if they are lying where they live or if they are slacking. They won't be thrilled as it stays the same the compensation. But will they actually quit? Who knows.

[SueInBoston]

This just happened at my work yesterday, a guy was caught double dipping. WFH with us and with another company. I hope he's fired from his other job too, it's people like him that gives WFH bad name.

[disneysteve]

This just happened at my work yesterday, a guy was caught double dipping. WFH with us and with another company. I hope he's fired from his other job too, it's people like him that gives WFH bad name.

We've discussed that particular issue before. As long as the guy is getting both jobs done effectively and doesn't have a contract that specifically prohibits this, I don't have a problem with someone hustling like that. Good for him if he can manage it.

[disneysteve]

Until they figure out more remote work it'll be this way. People will slack without measuring stick.

I don't think that's unique to remote workers. Plenty of people slack in person, too. There needs to be oversight. There need to be goals and targets and reviews and a means of measuring performance at any job.

[SueInBoston]

We've discussed that particular issue before. As long as the guy is getting both jobs done effectively and doesn't have a contract that specifically prohibits this, I don't have a problem with someone hustling like that. Good for him if he can manage it.

We have to do an annual acknowledgment that we don't do outside competing work. Any volunteer position utilizing our intellectual property must be approved by a senior director.

[disneysteve]

We have to do an annual acknowledgment that we don't do outside competing work. Any volunteer position utilizing our intellectual property must be approved by a senior director.

Yeah it’s not okay then. I’ve also got a clause in my contract that my time is exclusive to my employer.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I'm very pro-union. The big government union I'm with is so powerful. During COVID they got increases in pay, COVID sick pay if needed was 80 hours during the height, now 40 hours. 2 or 3 new holidays were added, Cesar Chavez day, Junteenth, might be something else but I'm drawing a blank. I gladly pay the union dues for the benefits that I would not be able to negotiate on my own. I guess it depends on the union as well. When I was with the plumbers union (or any trade for that matter), they are very powerful. The work day was 7 am thru 3:30 pm. Before work everyone would have coffee or breakfast. No one would be working before 7 am. If you started at 6:55 am, all the plumbers would call you back telling you not to work until 7 am. At 3:30 pm just like Fred Flintstone everyone stopped what they were working on and ended the day even if it you'd finish the job at 3:35 pm. Pay day was every Friday at noon. Once noon had passed with no pay stubs. The union rep showed up and called everyone off the job but just as everyone was about to get into their cars and leave they got the employer to write the checks and maybe by 2 pm everyone was given the okay to return to work. Learning from that experience if my work phone rings 2 minutes before my start time, I don't answer it until my official clock in time. Same with ending work. If I have to work OT, I'm claiming it even if it is just 15 minutes. But I don't mind giving a few extra minutes sometimes, lol.

[disneysteve]

At 3:30 pm just like Fred Flintstone everyone stopped what they were working on and ended the day even if it you'd finish the job at 3:35 pm.

What type of work setting are you referring to? If I had a plumber working in my home and he cut out at 3:30 with the job unfinished I'd be pretty pissed.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I see. New construction. And 3:30 pm is with lunch box in hand exiting gate. 3:15 pm putting away tools and washing hands is still considered working. Most in home repairs are non-union so yes work until completion. Different stories, lol.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Good catch disneysteve, I wouldn't be in business very long if I told the customer sorry it's Friday at 3:30 pm so I'll be back Monday, rent a hotel for the weekend, lol.