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Federal workers are being rushed back to the office. It’s causing chaos.
Washington Post ^ | February 15, 2025 | Aaron Wiener

Posted on 02/15/2025 4:35:54 PM PST by ransomnote

Some need to win a coin flip to use a desk. Others say they’re killing time when workstations aren’t available.

As the Federal Emergency Management Agency prepared for its full workforce to report in person this month, it faced a situation many agencies are confronting as they scramble to comply with President Donald Trump’s return-to-office mandate: There weren’t enough workspaces for everyone.

As a result, employees would have to “share workstations on a rotating basis,” the agency announced in guidance shared with employees last week. The guidance, obtained by The Washington Post, stated: “Supervisors will resolve workplace availability conflicts using the following criteria in the order listed below.”

Topping the list was “full-time employment status,” followed by seniority and pay-scale criteria. But if none of those settled the conflict, supervisors were directed to turn to the sixth item on the list: “flip of a coin.”

This is the new reality some government employees are facing as they seek something as basic as a desk to work at.

SNIP

With the administration also working to terminate leases on federal offices nationwide, some agencies are already requiring most workers back.

SNIP

Her office has 14 working desks for 40 people, he said, so they take turns at the desks and spend the rest of the day killing time and chatting in the halls.

SNIP

To deal with overcrowding, the agency’s management barred full-time on-site contractors from using the garage. According to the employee, no exceptions were made for disabled contractors with handicap placards, many of whom are veterans.

SNIP

A DHS spokesperson said in a statement that the department’s parking policy “aligns with pre-pandemic guidelines, which did not permit contractor parking,” and that “this policy is being reintroduced to prioritize parking for federal employees.”


(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: chaosnarrative; concerntroll; concerntrollcouncil; concerntrolls; gaslightmedia; narrative; thechaosnarrative; thegaslightmedia; thenarrative
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According to WAPO, the Navy has 17,000 employees returning to onsite work, but only 5000 parking spaces. Employees are being directed to metro stations and distant parking (via gov shuttle). I have to ask - how did these people function before the Plandemic? Has Biden hired so many new and part-time staff that, with Trump in office, the feds can't conceive of sufficient accommodations for working on site? Pre Trump, did junior employees have to take the metro until they made seniority? I dunno. Note that federal contractors displaced many employees in the parking garages; how many 'Federal Contractors' did Biden hire? Is this 'onsite' requirement partly to expose the excessive workforce?

When the power went out at the company, we went outside (under shelters if raining) and used covered balcony railings, cars, elevated cement planters etc. or sat indoors on the ground near the windows throughout the building (e.g., dining hall, entry hall, etc.) to hold meetings and work on contracts. We took turns using conference rooms for calls or walked to a location where we could have a private conversation. It wasn't convenient at all, but work advanced. The feds could disperse throughout the building(s) and call each other - they are used to remote work. I understand computers are an issue, but this situation is temporary.

When our company network went down hard, we dragged out the old paper process and began routing work in the old style routing folders. The feds who are standing around killing time are not acting like they want their jobs very much. Is that another reason to move them on site (a test)?

Sometimes we improvised- when a lot of furniture had not returned post-renovations, some of us brought in folding chairs or lawn furniture because we wanted our jobs. I wasn't impressed with the company for putting us in that situation, but I could look for work elsewhere if it was not acceptable or was expected for us to function that way long-term. But then, I wasn't sitting back dreaming of the federal class action lawsuit/lawfare angles I could pursue if RIF'd.

WAPO, CNN and others have it so easy; they no longer make an effort to hide that their work is entirely fabricated, attributed to 'anonymous sources' 'government officials' and 'persons with knowledge of the meeting'. Since Trump took office, those 'anonymous' excuses for fabricating hit job stories now carry the ominous wording 'remained anonymous to avoid retribution.' Sometimes this fear mongering excuse for fake news specifies 'job' retribution. Okay so what kind of 'retribution' do they mean when 'job' is not specified? I have to ask, prior to Trump, why did these fake news MSM's cite 'anonymous sources' if there was no fear of retribution? Even 'job' retribution? Drama much?

1 posted on 02/15/2025 4:35:54 PM PST by ransomnote
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To: ransomnote

I doubt anyone actually stopped working remote and came into the office. Just another BS story.


2 posted on 02/15/2025 4:38:46 PM PST by BobL
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To: ransomnote

I thought they used the DC Metro.

Mass Transit. Isn’t that what they want all of us to use, out here in the hinterland?


3 posted on 02/15/2025 4:39:01 PM PST by Steely Tom ([Voter Fraud] == [Civil War])
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To: ransomnote

“There weren’t enough workspaces for everyone.”

Then there are too many employees.


4 posted on 02/15/2025 4:40:10 PM PST by Openurmind
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To: ransomnote

What THE hell did these people do in 2019?


5 posted on 02/15/2025 4:41:03 PM PST by grobdriver (The CDC can KMA!)
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To: ransomnote

They used to pretty much promote and require carpooling. Many agencies did. Not only because of space, but to be greener. Libs promoted this stuff. I suggest they do it again.


6 posted on 02/15/2025 4:42:16 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: ransomnote

How did they do this before COVID?


7 posted on 02/15/2025 4:48:20 PM PST by roving (Deplorable MAGA Garbage )
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To: ransomnote

Let them just sort it out.
There may be some temporary disfunction, but better than not doing anything!


8 posted on 02/15/2025 4:50:23 PM PST by AZJeep
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To: Steely Tom

BINGO. My brother is a construction supervisor for a large university and they design new buildings with zero parking spaces to force people to use mass transit. This is done to save the planet and such.


9 posted on 02/15/2025 4:51:06 PM PST by Dan Zachary
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To: ransomnote

Seems pretty obvious that there is some severe over staffing ... some friends, relatives, etc. should be easily identified and cut.


10 posted on 02/15/2025 4:54:32 PM PST by RetiredTexasVet (Trump has arrived and it is awesome to have a real President.)
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To: BobL

Real b-itch when you have to wait in line to play your tik tok videos and porn.


11 posted on 02/15/2025 4:55:33 PM PST by RetiredTexasVet (Trump has arrived and it is awesome to have a real President.)
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To: ransomnote

Aaron Whiner


12 posted on 02/15/2025 4:58:14 PM PST by montag813
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To: ransomnote

Hmmmmmmm....... The author is Aaron Wiener. The mind wonders.


13 posted on 02/15/2025 4:58:42 PM PST by Ronaldus Magnus III (Do, or do not, there is no try)
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To: Openurmind

Great point. Easy to rectify that problem.


14 posted on 02/15/2025 4:59:03 PM PST by Judge Bean
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To: BobL

?

That was the substance of the applicable EOs.

Who has the authority to defy them?


15 posted on 02/15/2025 4:59:54 PM PST by one guy in new jersey
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To: Openurmind

Are those who failed to show up in person as required now being fired for insubordination?

Because that would seem to be the logic of the applicable EOs.


16 posted on 02/15/2025 5:02:13 PM PST by one guy in new jersey
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To: grobdriver

As usual LSM thinks we are dumb and actually still believe their lies.


17 posted on 02/15/2025 5:04:20 PM PST by Skwor
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To: ransomnote

Rushed? Really! They are going with “rushed”!

Almost everyone else from the Covid WFH period went back to the office ages ago. Yes, there have been a few private companies who allowed the practice to continue, but federal workers should have been the first workers to return to the office.


18 posted on 02/15/2025 5:04:26 PM PST by CFW
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To: ransomnote

Hopefully more will quit. Government is bloated.


19 posted on 02/15/2025 5:06:35 PM PST by cp124 (Bring back the Constitution.)
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To: ransomnote
As a result, employees would have to “share workstations on a rotating basis,” the agency announced in guidance shared with employees last week.

I would think this is mostly BS. I also think it is likely ALL people working from home would have government laptop computers and related hardware and VPN software. I doubt their office IT infrastructure changed all that much over the last 5 years. If staff got new computers it might take some time to register the new computers on the office local area network. Also if these people were working from they likely had a government phone that allows internet hotspot access for the laptop.

20 posted on 02/15/2025 5:14:13 PM PST by EVO X ( )
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