Some in Congress have been low-key against, but tolerated telework since its inception. It became a flashpoint once it got intertwined with remote work during the pandemic. And the main point of all of this is to try and squeeze and push enough buttons of Federal workers so you'll quit voluntarily or retire so they can reduce the size of the workforce.
They basically forced us to telework where i am at so they could downsize space long before the covid epidemic and now we are expected to find space to go back in full time. It's a clown show.
Washington DC can't handle the massive increase of commuters from MD and VA. DC mayor built bike lanes everywhere to reduce and limit vehicular traffic. 😂
It doesn’t matter when the contracts were signed. The fact of the matter is, once signed, they are legally binding. Trump can’t just break legally bound contracts because he doesn’t like the law. And for the record, Biden had nothing to do with those contracts, they’re between the agency and the union.
There needs to be a distinction drawn between telework and remote work. Some people were hired on to a remote position. No office is available for them to go to.
@ I’m not saying he distinguishes between the two. I’m saying that within the agency’s collective bargaining agreements, they are two totally different categories. Executive definitions? I don’t know what that is.
@ Not true. There’s a huge difference. Remote work is for persons with disabilities who have reasonable accommodations. There’s a totally separate set of laws governing them than the CBAs governing telework.
DoD Civilian here with 25 years of service ,… Telework is the least of my concerns,… I am more concerned with my agency getting shutdown in its entirety (every one getting fired). Thank you so much for keeping us informed.
Thousands of DoD employees find all the above concerning, including trying to force people out because of remote and telework agreements. This administration is trying to overall the government, destroy it, install ideological loyalists, and transfer duties to rich private corporations
@ thanks for letting me know. I am truly concerned. I am the only bread winner in my house with a 13 years old son. Not much communication from our agency leadership. Just getting emails from OPM with subject like “A fork in the road”. Anyway, thanks again 👍
They don't realize TW has been in effect way before COVID. They made us a mobile workforce after a snowstorm in DC that shutdown the city for 2weeks. COVID solidified that we could work and be effective while on TW. I have TW'd from many facilities across the country, sometimes overseas while on travel. It is effective, two days per week seems to be the proper mix imho.
Congress spent a lot of time and money in the early 90s studying whether telework was advantageous to the government. It was determined that for many reasons, having as many employees work off site as possible was best for the government and the environment
they dont care. forcing ppl back into the office full time causes some to quit. that's their entire goal. this is why so many companies have been doing it. Instead of them being seen as the "bad guy" for laying ppl off, you're seen as "lazy" for wanting to come back to the office. Ppl with jobs that can't telework will also join in on backing them up to attack teleworkers and remote. Vivek said on a podcast he thinks ending telework will force 25% of govt workers out. It's a game
Big difference between telework and remote work. The fork message refers to remote work specifically. This order refers to telework and I don’t believe the intent was to use these terms interchangeably
Wonder if they will mess with AWSs. Telework at my organization is part of the COOP plan. People in my department only teleworks on average 6-12 times a year and mostly ties to inclement weather conditions. The government actually gets their moneys worth. Nonetheless, we are all back 100% on site. No worries.
@@Foxie635The problem with request is the fact that they have collective bargaining agreements that are legally binding. There’s nothing he can do about it.
@CarlosRodriguez-ox3b Yes, there are multiple agencies that have exempted certain occupations, and some occupations are flat out exempt from the offer as written. I want to say a few subparts of DHS, the DoD and a few others are exempt. I want to say I read that the TSA is as well. Best of luck to you in this challenging time.
I'm not sure many people see the deferred resignation as a carrot. IMO they should have first looked at improving efficiency and holding employees accountable for poor performance, and then after streamlining things and removing underperforming employees they could have looked at a reduction in force based on the improved efficiency that made some jobs less important.
The bottom line is, clearly the intent is that your made miserable enough to quit, resign, retire, etc. I am hybrid, 5/8s, telework 3 days a week, in the office two. Now I’m going to have to be on the road 3hrs a day 5 days a week. Work/life balance will be gone. Sucks but it is what it is. I’m not going anywhere.
This guy has seen many tides over his career he understands the laws and he is doing his best to explain things in plain language. I am not sure why you may think he is getting happier about things. Most of what is going on is basically the execution of executive power, I think most of this is being guided thru the Office of Budget and Managment.
The obsession with eliminating telework at the same time divesting office space seems conflicting. Why not just track key strokes, idol time, productivity if you think they aren’t working? This is 2025 not 1990… I think they’re only focusing on telework to get rid of the lazy people. Once they’re mostly eliminated I think it will come back to some extent.
If I recall correctly, a year ago I know that jobs were slowly transitioning their telework employees back to in person work anyway. But for some reason it was not progressing as it should have when we got through COVID to go back to normal. But I know personally from workers in dos private sector under executive branch were under pressure to have all their employees to return to work by the end of 2024. And this was way before trump nomination and during the last administration. Now I’m just speculating because I don’t have all the details but perhaps and it’s understandable but not an excuse. Health reasons prohibited but second in command should fill in
Has anyone got an ok from their agency that you can get free vacation or if you still have to work? Doesn’t Admin leave comes from agency, so that vacation cuts from overtime budget to pay others to do work for those who get free vacation? Ralph, please discuss this issue.
Will be interesting during Congress fighting out budget in Feb and March! Hope we don’t get thrown under the bus. They might make us work every day until Sept 30.
At a reported 72.6% reported democrat party donation by fed smith, it is hard for me to take any advice you give as anything other than partisan. As a matter of fact the individual in the video gives off an air of disdain. Further proved by some of the comments here. This is exactly part of the reason why we are in this situation. Telework/remote work policy aside, any organization dealing with dc is infested and we can not function as a government, society, country in this way.
I think, if a remote worker is protected then they loose salt enhancements. If one is allowed the flexability of where they worknfrom, than the spirit amd purpose of the enhancement is moot. It is not ethical to keep that, as you have elected not been directed by your employer to where you will work from.
@ That’s what I heard but then read somewhere referred to as “VERA-like”. Wondering if it’s separate from the deferred resignation or if both can be taken?
Yep I work for the government, we e gotten news from our top folks already...every agency is going about telework differently. We have no time line but we have been told to take care of our child care, elderly care in the mean time. Also in the mean time the union afge has filed suit currently to stop this. We have a contract for telework til 2029 signed in 11/ 24. By the union and fed
@@Erik-z5gmy union is also fighting against this. We have a telework contract until 2027, some of us don’t have the funds for daycare, before school and after school care and prices are just gonna go up. Sadly this is what they want. They want us to have to make the toughest decisions. I am going to ride this out see how it goes. I refuse to bow down and resign. I enjoy my job and working with the American people. 😢
What is happening is 200k Gov workers on unemployment, buckle up civilian jobs require real work no a mouse mover on computer at home while you go shopping.
@@Justme-c8othey’re so knowledgeable about the lies they’ve listened to over and over again without actually talking to government employees. We can tell you the truth. 😂 they just like to stay ignorant. If it don’t hurt them they don’t care. They like to see others suffer.
It is not guaranteed that people will be paid.. no one should take this. Esp since it’s the same message Elon send the people at twitter and then never paid them. 🤷🏼♀️
Change is needed. We can’t continue on the current track. This is all for the greater good. There is too much government waste. Trump is doing what he was elected to do.
No there’s not government waste as you state! I am a government employee, my job and my employer are always attacked by this administration. The people your parents and grandparents elected are wasting our money. They need to clean the house and senate, We need new blood. These people are all about filling their pockets and screwing everyday Americans. They don’t even know a single thing about our numbers or the work that is done! Had they done that, they’d have seen all the stuff to that has been accomplished and implemented. But yall don’t wanna hear it from the people who actually live it and work it. 😅 I am just stating facts from a legit federal employee. Namaste. 😊
When in God’s name did telework become such a big deal flash point?? We’ve been teleworking since 2010 and nobody ever had a problem with it! 😡😡
Exactly!!!! It’s just him bullying us and making it enticing to quit!
My agency started teleworking over 20 years ago.
Some in Congress have been low-key against, but tolerated telework since its inception. It became a flashpoint once it got intertwined with remote work during the pandemic. And the main point of all of this is to try and squeeze and push enough buttons of Federal workers so you'll quit voluntarily or retire so they can reduce the size of the workforce.
Classic narcissist.
@@tboneforrealall I can say to them is : Be careful what you wish for, folks!
They basically forced us to telework where i am at so they could downsize space long before the covid epidemic and now we are expected to find space to go back in full time. It's a clown show.
How many agencies have already gotten rid of most of their office space and couldn't deal with having everyone return to the office?
Washington DC can't handle the massive increase of commuters from MD and VA.
DC mayor built bike lanes everywhere to reduce and limit vehicular traffic. 😂
Maybe Elon is gifting everyone electric bikes lol.
@@KAZHE63 😆
It doesn’t matter when the contracts were signed. The fact of the matter is, once signed, they are legally binding. Trump can’t just break legally bound contracts because he doesn’t like the law. And for the record, Biden had nothing to do with those contracts, they’re between the agency and the union.
There needs to be a distinction drawn between telework and remote work. Some people were hired on to a remote position. No office is available for them to go to.
Trump does not distngiush between the two. They are the same in the executive definitions
There is a very clear distinction between the two inside of the flexiplace agreements that federal workers have.
@ I’m not saying he distinguishes between the two. I’m saying that within the agency’s collective bargaining agreements, they are two totally different categories. Executive definitions? I don’t know what that is.
It's a distinction without a difference if the end goal for both is that you have to work in-person in an office 5 days a week.
@ Not true. There’s a huge difference. Remote work is for persons with disabilities who have reasonable accommodations. There’s a totally separate set of laws governing them than the CBAs governing telework.
DoD Civilian here with 25 years of service ,… Telework is the least of my concerns,… I am more concerned with my agency getting shutdown in its entirety (every one getting fired). Thank you so much for keeping us informed.
Thousands of DoD employees find all the above concerning, including trying to force people out because of remote and telework agreements. This administration is trying to overall the government, destroy it, install ideological loyalists, and transfer duties to rich private corporations
I think the DOD is supposed to be exempt. We are still onboarding people at my agency.
DoD is the safest department in the Federal government. There is no way either party will shrink the size of DoD.
@ thanks for letting me know. I am truly concerned. I am the only bread winner in my house with a 13 years old son. Not much communication from our agency leadership. Just getting emails from OPM with subject like “A fork in the road”. Anyway, thanks again 👍
@ I really hope so 🙏
Truly appreciate your video updates!
They don't realize TW has been in effect way before COVID. They made us a mobile workforce after a snowstorm in DC that shutdown the city for 2weeks. COVID solidified that we could work and be effective while on TW. I have TW'd from many facilities across the country, sometimes overseas while on travel. It is effective, two days per week seems to be the proper mix imho.
Yep. My team has been 100% remote for well over 10 years.
Congress spent a lot of time and money in the early 90s studying whether telework was advantageous to the government. It was determined that for many reasons, having as many employees work off site as possible was best for the government and the environment
they dont care. forcing ppl back into the office full time causes some to quit. that's their entire goal. this is why so many companies have been doing it. Instead of them being seen as the "bad guy" for laying ppl off, you're seen as "lazy" for wanting to come back to the office. Ppl with jobs that can't telework will also join in on backing them up to attack teleworkers and remote. Vivek said on a podcast he thinks ending telework will force 25% of govt workers out. It's a game
They know it’s been around for a long time before Covid, they just don’t care.
I started Teleworking in 2016 had nothing to do with COVID
The infantile, unprofessional language this administration uses shows just how incompetent and adolescent they are.
Ignore it. We serve the public. Not Trump or Elon
As juvenile as you think it is, it still maintains power over you and whether or not you get to eat doesn't it?
I’m glad that someone else realizes this.
Unprofessional? Maybe. Incompetent? Not really. They knew just where to cut and how. And so far they are getting everything they want.
There’s a 19 you recent high school grad and several H1B Visa holders on Musk’s team. They are very adolescent lol.
I appreciative your video. It's very informative. 🙏
Lot of wrongful termination lawsuits coming, lawyers going to benefit.
Lawyers are making bank the next 4 years
Big difference between telework and remote work. The fork message refers to remote work specifically. This order refers to telework and I don’t believe the intent was to use these terms interchangeably
Either way, they said five days per week.
Wonder if they will mess with AWSs. Telework at my organization is part of the COOP plan. People in my department only teleworks on average 6-12 times a year and mostly ties to inclement weather conditions. The government actually gets their moneys worth. Nonetheless, we are all back 100% on site. No worries.
@@Foxie635The problem with request is the fact that they have collective bargaining agreements that are legally binding. There’s nothing he can do about it.
Ralph Smith has never talked about employees that telework 2 days a week max, like most agencies. Only 10% of govt employees are fully remote.
What's going to happen with remote employees that aren't close to their respective duty stations?!
They will have to report to the closet govt office, from the memo I've seen.
Be proactive and see what office you could go to. Tell your supervisor
Is U haul a publicly traded company?
@@tomfoolery6576or reassigned
@@deepblue523flthey don’t know anything, has to come down from higher
Hasn’t been two weeks…
He doesn’t discuss the 2025 budget’s CRA that expires in March and the statuary limit of admin leave (10 day max).
That’s what concerns me most.
Thank you
If your going to retire this year. Take the offer. Get out and be happy
@@DexterTheDuck yep
I wish I could. My Agency says we cannot take it or the VERA
@CarlosRodriguez-ox3bg your agency is lying to you. Send the resign email. If they try and stop you they will get in big trouble
@CarlosRodriguez-ox3b
Yes, there are multiple agencies that have exempted certain occupations, and some occupations are flat out exempt from the offer as written. I want to say a few subparts of DHS, the DoD and a few others are exempt. I want to say I read that the TSA is as well. Best of luck to you in this challenging time.
@Justme-c8o everyone is eligible the agency is lying if they say you arent
I'm not sure many people see the deferred resignation as a carrot.
IMO they should have first looked at improving efficiency and holding employees accountable for poor performance, and then after streamlining things and removing underperforming employees they could have looked at a reduction in force based on the improved efficiency that made some jobs less important.
Thanks
The bottom line is, clearly the intent is that your made miserable enough to quit, resign, retire, etc. I am hybrid, 5/8s, telework 3 days a week, in the office two. Now I’m going to have to be on the road 3hrs a day 5 days a week. Work/life balance will be gone. Sucks but it is what it is. I’m not going anywhere.
When I started my career, there was a thought to being a career employee vice career-conditional. Does this have meaning with what is going on?
Feels more like a "Fork in my 🐴" instead of road at this point
😂
This guy gets happier and happier
You noticed too!
What's up with that??
This guy has seen many tides over his career he understands the laws and he is doing his best to explain things in plain language. I am not sure why you may think he is getting happier about things. Most of what is going on is basically the execution of executive power, I think most of this is being guided thru the Office of Budget and Managment.
I suspect it's because he's either naive about what the administration is doing or because he is conservative and supports all of it.
@@mrjumbly2338But it's not though. It's being made to appear that way but it's really not OPM.
The obsession with eliminating telework at the same time divesting office space seems conflicting. Why not just track key strokes, idol time, productivity if you think they aren’t working? This is 2025 not 1990… I think they’re only focusing on telework to get rid of the lazy people. Once they’re mostly eliminated I think it will come back to some extent.
Probationary employees will be the hard working and want to prove themselves. It's crazy.
If I recall correctly, a year ago I know that jobs were slowly transitioning their telework employees back to in person work anyway. But for some reason it was not progressing as it should have when we got through COVID to go back to normal. But I know personally from workers in dos private sector under executive branch were under pressure to have all their employees to return to work by the end of 2024. And this was way before trump nomination and during the last administration.
Now I’m just speculating because I don’t have all the details but perhaps and it’s understandable but not an excuse. Health reasons prohibited but second in command should fill in
I worked in dos and yes it put out by bidens administration to return to work…
I’m so sick of this
Same!! So draining and losing sleep 😏
Only 4 more years to go. 😊
@@jasonweishaupt1828three for me but now I’m gonna have to commute 3 hours per day. And still not be in the same office with anyone that I work with!
It appears FedSmith is getting some enjoyment from the suffering of federal employees.
@@bluepond ??
I get the same feeling from his videos
he's already retired. "i got mine" is how boomers think
Suffering? Please explain how fed workers are suffering? 😂
Agreed
The thing is...OPM is not giving this guidance. You have no idea what's really going on do you?
Elon is running OPM now... I heard he put in sleeping sofas at OPM like he had at Tesla a number of years ago. Google OPM Musk sleeping sofa.
💯
The emails has been coming from opm…..
@@reshay3764 Not exactly. They are coming from people who infiltrated OPM.
Has anyone got an ok from their agency that you can get free vacation or if you still have to work? Doesn’t Admin leave comes from agency, so that vacation cuts from overtime budget to pay others to do work for those who get free vacation? Ralph, please discuss this issue.
Will be interesting during Congress fighting out budget in Feb and March! Hope we don’t get thrown under the bus. They might make us work every day until Sept 30.
Wait a minute. I thought decisions by the President, lame duck or not, were inviolate.
Only if it is your fav pres #45 or #47
EO can be revoked from last Prez, Trump is the CEO
Was he elected King?
He’s the CEO of the government. Federal employees work for him
At a reported 72.6% reported democrat party donation by fed smith, it is hard for me to take any advice you give as anything other than partisan. As a matter of fact the individual in the video gives off an air of disdain. Further proved by some of the comments here. This is exactly part of the reason why we are in this situation. Telework/remote work policy aside, any organization dealing with dc is infested and we can not function as a government, society, country in this way.
I think, if a remote worker is protected then they loose salt enhancements. If one is allowed the flexability of where they worknfrom, than the spirit amd purpose of the enhancement is moot. It is not ethical to keep that, as you have elected not been directed by your employer to where you will work from.
Any details on the VERA OPM is authorizing?
All agencys will allow VERA. Over 50 20 years
@ That’s what I heard but then read somewhere referred to as “VERA-like”. Wondering if it’s separate from the deferred resignation or if both can be taken?
Postal?
@ Supposedly authorized to all federal agencies.
@@JP5411not postal.
Whatever Trump says, challenge him in court.
Wait until retirees health insurance skyrockets. Small group higher premiums
Would it safer to lay low? Or Trump will pick the easy one first, like those non-bargains?
😭
Why do you keep deleting my comment to Leoprieto74 about DOD employees concerns?!
Don't trust this guy. Get you info elsewhere.
Yep I work for the government, we e gotten news from our top folks already...every agency is going about telework differently. We have no time line but we have been told to take care of our child care, elderly care in the mean time. Also in the mean time the union afge has filed suit currently to stop this. We have a contract for telework til 2029 signed in 11/ 24. By the union and fed
@@Erik-z5g by November 7, 2028, this nightmare will be over.
@@Erik-z5gmy union is also fighting against this. We have a telework contract until 2027, some of us don’t have the funds for daycare, before school and after school care and prices are just gonna go up. Sadly this is what they want. They want us to have to make the toughest decisions. I am going to ride this out see how it goes. I refuse to bow down and resign. I enjoy my job and working with the American people. 😢
How much is Musk paying you?
Trump can't do it.
Duck Trump
The language doesn’t use retroactive agreements.
What is happening is 200k Gov workers on unemployment, buckle up civilian jobs require real work no a mouse mover on computer at home while you go shopping.
You don’t have a job bum
You sound stupid.
Thanks for your valuable input and expertise on the level of knowledge required for the vast positions in the government
@@Justme-c8othey’re so knowledgeable about the lies they’ve listened to over and over again without actually talking to government employees. We can tell you the truth. 😂 they just like to stay ignorant. If it don’t hurt them they don’t care. They like to see others suffer.
Thanks for keeping us updated. Many should take the offer
No one should take the offer
It is not guaranteed that people will be paid.. no one should take this. Esp since it’s the same message Elon send the people at twitter and then never paid them. 🤷🏼♀️
Feds, you know you can always go apply for jobs in the private sector if it is so bad. Job hopping is quite common.
Hush
I'm sure the people doing meanifull work they are safe and the people doing a b.s. job they should worry
There are a lot of BS jobs in the gov. Lots of redundancy as well.
I’m in aviation safety- is that an important job - especially considering the past few days?? We all got Elon’s mail!
Change is needed. We can’t continue on the current track. This is all for the greater good. There is too much government waste. Trump is doing what he was elected to do.
No there’s not government waste as you state! I am a government employee, my job and my employer are always attacked by this administration. The people your parents and grandparents elected are wasting our money. They need to clean the house and senate, We need new blood. These people are all about filling their pockets and screwing everyday Americans. They don’t even know a single thing about our numbers or the work that is done! Had they done that, they’d have seen all the stuff to that has been accomplished and implemented. But yall don’t wanna hear it from the people who actually live it and work it. 😅 I am just stating facts from a legit federal employee. Namaste. 😊
Name the waste created by government workers working remotely…
trump is the waste he's uneducated his entire administration ARE a bunch of incompetent cronies you sound nuts but, you support TRUMP another crony.
Take a look at our debt it's time to tighten our belts just like any other business