Federal Government & Union spar over returning to office
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Colin Parkinson
Army.ca Myth
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The sight of the the two of you pissed out of your minds, hugging each other and then simultaneously barfing into the gutter, it would warm my heart...
Matching Yin and Yang tattoos as well with morning regret
Look I’m not saying I wouldn’t have beers with the guy, it would just be contentious.
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This moment gives me hope for Middle East peace….
Someone somewhere will still go to war over it…
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Is the root cause of this due to the increase of the PS by 40%?
Eaglelord17
Army.ca Veteran
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There is a solution to the problem, maybe the goal is to get enough to quit on their own to avoid severance.
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No, they are actively shrinking the current amount of workspaces and desks to save money, and that was a conscious decision that started a few years ago, which took into consideration the current number of PS. Makes perfect sense if you are doing hybrid work at 2 days in the office, with some fully remote, to not need desks (at something like $20k per year for each spot). It doesn't make sense with the RTO mandate, but they are barreling ahead anyway.
There are a number of leases coming up in the next quarter in the NCR that aren't being renewed, with no actual plan yet on where those people are going. It's compounded by the fact that the LRT broke Ottawa public transit, and was only being masked by COVID. Traffic should get better once the East-West run is done, but that is something like 2-3 years out.
The major office complex buildings in Gatineau where something like 25k or 30k PS worked out of used to be serviced by a lot of express buses, so a single bus (or one transfer) would get you to the front door. With the LRT, it's now numerous transfers and can take 2-3 times as long (when running properly), even though the trains aren't stuck in traffic. It's much worse during one of their frequent breakdowns.
If I took public transit, and got on the very first bus (at 0600), I wouldn't get into work any earlier than 830 (but likely after 9). If I put in a normal workday, that would put me home around 1930 or 2000. So, car it is.
All that is fine, but when you know you can do the job remotely most of the time, with almost no effective difference to what you can get done, it is a huge frustration, in an organization that is designed to impede actually getting shit done already. Nothing like going into the office to sit on a call with people in a different city, where you aren't by your team anyway because there aren't enough desks in the same area. I fully get people won't have any sympathy, but this is a pretty good example of government waste and inefficiency because some ass clowns wanted a 'buzz' outside their office. Frequently the buzz is people pissed off at how stupid it is and serious considerations for retirement or working elsewhere.
Based on an ATI, there was no actual performance data behind this, so this decision was pure politics, and leadership that sold it straight up lied to us. Curious to see if it will make a difference, as there were a few really safe LPC ridings in the suburbs that are now home to a bunch of really pissed off citizens, who are either PS, or people that are also stuck on the road.
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I think the point about not having enough desks is the key difference this time, and many folks who don’t see the problem don’t realize that part.
It is completely possible to show up to work, after your commute, to find out you don’t have somewhere to work. Then what…drive back home?
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Buy a sandwich at Subway, then drive back home.
FSTO
Army.ca Fixture
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Wednesday was a bit of a shitshow with traffic on Moodie backed up to the 417 off ramps. I just drove by all those cars in a single line and used the entrance on Carling. This morning there was a map. LOL!
Also we are finding out that people get violent if you zipper merge!
Also we are finding out that people get violent if you zipper merge!
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Zipper merge is the only way.
Use the entire merge lane. Merging early wastes road capacity and slows everyone down…
Use the entire merge lane. Merging early wastes road capacity and slows everyone down…
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It's really weird; logically shedding work spaces that weren't needed and could be managed with hoteling with hybrid work makes sense. But then continuing to do that, after ordering all CAF folks back in 5 days a week, and civvies 3 days a week, where you now don't have enough work spaces, it's just bizarre. They are mutually non-exclusive COAs, not concurrent ones.
And at the same time, can't get $800 to do some travel for a site visit for something that is my core job, it really is a lot of doublespeak. It might come through, but proably needed a few thousand in staff time, and at this point will also increase travel costs due to last minute bookings, so is the opposite of efficient and responsible use of taxpayer money. All of this flows down from top level TBS direction, so not even a DND thing.
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There is a great opportunity for malicious compliance by showing up and going home, with the excuse that there wasn’t a spot to work from.
40% or NDHQ doing that for a week or two should send the message…
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There are a few overflow desks, but they don't have proper chairs, docking stations or screens, and are besides the bathrooms. There are couches and some random chairs as well, but that is a terrible spot to work from all day
Even if you are working off wifi it apparently gets counted as 'working remotely' so if I'm going to get dinged either way I'll chose to drive home and at least have a proper sized screen and workstation.
I guess a visit to sick parade with back/shoulder/wrist issues from lack of proper workstation would be ultimate malicious compliance, but I have things to do.
This is being penny foolish though when you look at the salary and workload though, if I'm supposed to be professional would be nice to be treated accordingly by the organization; this all being 'pensionable time' is wearing a bit thin.
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DND being inefficient with travel management and approvals, creating significantly increased costs, is not novel.
IT sounds like poor city planning for the amount of people who work in the Office core, for transportation and transit.
Poor planning on the employers side for lack of desk space, office space and internet connections.
I have a good solution to all this. Move the jobs from Ottawa to Calgary. They have tons of office space, great transit, beautiful views of the mountains and close to tons of recreation.
Poor planning on the employers side for lack of desk space, office space and internet connections.
I have a good solution to all this. Move the jobs from Ottawa to Calgary. They have tons of office space, great transit, beautiful views of the mountains and close to tons of recreation.
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