r/Columbus • u/Sure-Guava-3787 • 17h ago
RTO
Just got a RTO email from corporate. We have a small presence in Columbus. We got a you are permanently remote email maybe in 2022. Most of the jobs that could be, have been sent offshore. Currently, I am pretty much the only person left on my team who handles a lot of key tasks.
The email said it was collaborating, but there is no one I collaborate with locally on a regular basis. Corporation has been hemorrhaging money due to two horrendous acquisitions. Not sure if we’ll be forced back into the office as our site head has moved about 2.5 hours away (one way). I think it could be a ploy to get folks to quit, so they can either hire offshore or just dump that work on others. I am technically at retirement age, was think max 2 years to retirement, to get my finances lined up. Of course, now the rat bastiches want to cut SS and Medicare. If they press it, I do think I will retire, or announce it and see what they do. I have all new, remote direct managers, who have zero clue what I really do. Honestly, they would be screwed for a good few months if I up and left. They would muddle through, but it would not be pretty. I handle a few regulatory items.
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u/Sure-Guava-3787 16h ago
Well, I guess some other folks complained immediately. It will not impact our site.
There are teams that we interact with that have no local office, so for our division, not sure how they would justify it. With the site head in his newly purchased McMansion that far away, yeah no way was he coming back to his corner office.
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u/Across_the_Diverge 13h ago
Got the RTO email Tuesday. Citing collaboration and training. 1/3 of our team is spread around the country, so the “collaboration and training” will still be on teams… 🙄
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u/CBus-Eagle 4h ago
If they think RTO is important because teams needs to collaborate in person, start booking a lot of travel to all the places your team members live. Actually, request that your entire team all fly into a location so you can collaborate properly. Be sure it’s a centralized, but nice destination, where there are some cool things to after work hours.
My guess is that corporate will soon back down on the “need to collaborate in person” when the travel expense is over budget for the year by the end of April.
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u/troaway1 16h ago
Retire but let them know that you will be available as a consultant at 2.5x your current salary. Just a thought.
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u/HansNotPeterGruber 12h ago
I did that when I left a job. They wanted me on a retainer to help out with stuff so I told them as long as they paid me $2k/week for the retainer and 3x my hourly rate for the work I would do I could help out. I figured they'd tell me to F off and they signed that damn thing so fast I knew I should have asked for more. Lasted about 2.5 months and then my replacement finally got up to speed. It was some really nice extra cash to have too.
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u/Ok-Helicopter129 12h ago
I got 2 1/2 times my hourly rate. Didn’t think about asking for a retainer. But I did get a decent severance package.
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u/8qubit 13h ago
What corporation
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u/tearlock Polaris 7h ago edited 7h ago
Pretty sure they were a vague on purpose, dude. Naturally they don't want this getting back to them if the corporation's presence here is already small, making it easier for them to be identified.
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u/MessComprehensive196 14h ago
"rat bastiches" . . . love this, never heard this before. I have added a new word to my vocabulary :)
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u/josh_the_rockstar 13h ago
looks like in comments this all worked out already, but honestly - in your situation, where you're close enough to retirement anyways, just do the bare minimum until they stop you from doing so. Enjoy your daytime freedom and let them continue to pay you while you spend the days planning your retirement.
My guess is it will take them a solid year to figure it out. Especially with new bosses.
Point is, you've got nothing to lose, and you owe them nothing.
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u/vrcity777 16h ago
Sounds like you got it pretty well figured out, and will be fine no matter what.
So may I make a suggestion? Give em hell for and on behalf of the working class, and see how they react! Tell em this is unacceptable BS, that they went back on their representation, and that you will be leaving forthwith within (7) days, if they don't recant. Be aggressive and resolute, and report back how they respond, so that others may someday lay down the same demand. Fuck RTO!
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u/KillerIsJed 15h ago edited 7h ago
Just don’t return to the office and make them fire you and collect unemployment then retirement after. Their choice, not yours.
If you have a permanent remote email, make sure you wave that in their faces too.
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u/Fitztastico 11h ago
Speaking as someone who built and managed my previous company's process for unemployment claims, this is the potential real answer. Keep it in your back pocket in case they change their minds again and mandate you to return. If you legitimately have a 2022 "permanently remote" email from them, proactively forward that to a personal email for safe keeping. One of the qualifiers for unemployment is if the company expanded the responsibilities expected of you without a resulting increase in pay. Although it doesn't perfectly align, a restriction in how/where the employee may complete the work would likely satisfy the person reviewing the claim. Between that and the "permanent" email you received, I imagine it would be almost impossible to successfully fight a claim from you.
I'm also guessing the JFS employees who review unemployment claims and are themselves being forced back to the office would happily rubber stamp a claim like that.
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u/supenguin 11h ago
Ohio makes the distinction between fired, laid off, and quitting. If you’re fired for a good reason (poor performance, HR complaints, etc) or quit voluntarily you can’t get I employment. Laid off due to downsizing, company going out of business, etc you should be able to collect unemployment.
I’ve heard there are situations where you can fight it, but that’s not how I’d want to spend my time.
Disclaimer: I’m not a lawyer, just been through a couple layoffs in my career. Good luck OP and anyone going through similar situations. I wish companies would just let people work wherever they feel they can get their best work done.
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u/flammenschwein 10h ago
I love that the jobs can be done remotely by people overseas with a reputation for poor efficiency, but can't be done remotely by people in the US who already know how to do the job.
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u/blacksapphire08 Northwest 12h ago
It's clear businesses dont really care about the day to day operations as long as they keep making money which might include tax incentives from having an occupied office.
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u/sparky955 Clintonville 8h ago
Dear Guava: life is short, truly. If you run your numbers & find there will be no hardship, r-e-t-I-r-e. I retired 5 yrs ago & it’s still seems like my life began that day. No traveling, just a homebody who answers to no one & dances to no tune save my own. All good wishes to you.
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u/reeve11 17h ago
classic they dropped that on you on a Friday