AskABoss: 'Do I have to cover for my remote colleague just because I’m back in the office?'
Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images As companies that went remote last year slowly reopen, a lot of employees are finding work is just different now — from adjusting to offices that are still half empty to dealing with new setups where no one has an assigned desk anymore. Here are some more questions from people who are trying to navigate this strange “new normal.
A lot of companies are only just starting to grapple with this, and many haven’t figured out how they’ll handle it. As a result, on-site employees are getting stuck not only with their own responsibilities, but with pieces of their remote colleagues’ jobs as well. While that burden may only be small things — taking a meeting, opening and scanning off-site workers’ mail, and so forth — but when you’re doing it repeatedly and for multiple people, it can add up.
‘My remote employees say our in-office perks are unfair’ I manage a team of nine, and we’ve given people the choice of whether to return to the office or not. My team has split pretty evenly, with about half deciding to return and half staying at home. This is fine with me!The problem is that the employees who have chosen to stay at home seem resentful of the things we’re doing to ease the return to the office for the others.
To your employee who’s livid about not getting a stipend for business clothes, you could say, “There’s a burden associated with coming back to the office, as you probably recognize since you chose to stay home. We’re doing what we can to make the return easier on people who choose to come back. So, yes, people at the office might have meals or social activities that people working remotely don’t get, just as you’ll have perks that they don’t enjoy.
Yes! Because this is connected to a disability, the federal Americans with Disabilities Act requires your employer to work with you to come up with an accommodation that meets your needs. An easy accommodation could be creating a quiet section that you have a permanent desk in. I have now gone through a few phone screenings and first-round interviews. I prep for these calls and interviews and answer their questions, but at the end of the conversations when I can ask my own questions, I find out that they are remote with no concrete plans of returning to an office. It ends up being a waste of everyone’s time.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon share memories of working together as teensThese two go further back than we realized!
Read more »
‘This Is How I’m Going To Die’: Officers Recall Harrowing Jan. 6 Experiences At HearingEnraged MPD officer Michael Fanone took aim at “disgraceful” lawmakers who “continue to deny the events of that day.”
Read more »
Column: Dubious property tax appeals are costing L.A. County millionsL.A. County Assessor Jeff Prang says bulk appeals by tax agents cost his office $2.2 million a year and may mean $15 million lost in annual revenue.
Read more »
Ricky Gervais worries he will be left wheelchair-boundRicky Gervais' 30-year back problem is getting worse and he worries that it will leave him no longer being able to do 'stand-up' but 'sit-down'
Read more »
Normani Says 'Wild Side' 'Saved Me' as Her Mom Battles Breast CancerThe singer opened up to Power 106 about working on the song amid her mother's breast cancer battle and what it meant for her family.
Read more »
Iran: Group linked to Israel spy agency Mossad busted, arms seizedIran arrests members of a group linked to Israel's Mossad spy agency amid ongoing protests over water shortages in country’s southwest, local media say
Read more »