The irony of listening to three people who comfortably work from home discuss how Federal workers should have to return to the office five days per week is only surpassed by the ridiculousness of one of those people saying something about the “crazy fancy” government office buildings. Seriously, Nellie, I love you, but have you ever BEEN…
The irony of listening to three people who comfortably work from home discuss how Federal workers should have to return to the office five days per week is only surpassed by the ridiculousness of one of those people saying something about the “crazy fancy” government office buildings. Seriously, Nellie, I love you, but have you ever BEEN inside a Federal office building? You know who reports to work five days per week at the Department of Labor’s hideous hundred year old eye sore building? Roaches the size of your thumb. And mice. And rats.
Most of us in the Federal workforce were expected to immediately, seamlessly pivot to work from home the minute it suited the political powers that be and the American people. Now we’re expected to immediately, seamlessly pivot back. Not because our work has suffered — there’s no evidence of that whatsoever — because because, once again, it suits the political powers that be (none more so than Bowser, the incompetent mayor of DC). Never mind the fact that we live in one of the most expensive cities in the U.S. and are vastly underpaid by industry standards — at the top of the Federal pay scale, with the DC pay adjustment, I make about the same amount that I would have as a starting associate at a law firm when I graduated *in 2009.* Never mind the fact that this choice to force a return to office will push the most qualified among us out of the Federal agencies. Never mind that it will disproportionately impact mothers, who are still expected to do more on childcare and have the flexibility to deal with sick children and preschool closures. Never mind that many of us were already teleworking before Covid, and it was not a political issue then. That’s fine. You all should definitely keep weighing in on this from the comfort of your home offices.
The irony of listening to three people who comfortably work from home discuss how Federal workers should have to return to the office five days per week is only surpassed by the ridiculousness of one of those people saying something about the “crazy fancy” government office buildings. Seriously, Nellie, I love you, but have you ever BEEN inside a Federal office building? You know who reports to work five days per week at the Department of Labor’s hideous hundred year old eye sore building? Roaches the size of your thumb. And mice. And rats.
Most of us in the Federal workforce were expected to immediately, seamlessly pivot to work from home the minute it suited the political powers that be and the American people. Now we’re expected to immediately, seamlessly pivot back. Not because our work has suffered — there’s no evidence of that whatsoever — because because, once again, it suits the political powers that be (none more so than Bowser, the incompetent mayor of DC). Never mind the fact that we live in one of the most expensive cities in the U.S. and are vastly underpaid by industry standards — at the top of the Federal pay scale, with the DC pay adjustment, I make about the same amount that I would have as a starting associate at a law firm when I graduated *in 2009.* Never mind the fact that this choice to force a return to office will push the most qualified among us out of the Federal agencies. Never mind that it will disproportionately impact mothers, who are still expected to do more on childcare and have the flexibility to deal with sick children and preschool closures. Never mind that many of us were already teleworking before Covid, and it was not a political issue then. That’s fine. You all should definitely keep weighing in on this from the comfort of your home offices.