Oh, Well

[kaasirpent]

An email from corporate.

Dear [Company] Employees:

Your feedback via recent employee surveys and your representation on the [Company's] Employee Opinion Survey Committee (EOSC) recognized that Work-Life balance is a critical area that is of concern for many employees. In response to this feedback we launched Core Hours¹ late last year. We are now prepared to launch the [Company] Telecommuting Trial. We will move forward to expand the availability of telecommuting as an option for more employees utilizing a maximum of 2 days a week through the program trial period, which will be the remainder of FY12 (through March 2012). As we head into FY13 we will assess the success of the program and determine how we move forward as an organization.

[Our] leadership understands the need to continue to leverage the power of technology to enable a more flexible work environment that includes workspace outside of the traditional office setting and thus provides an increased opportunity for employees to manage issues pertaining to work-life balance, as well as work productivity. It is critical throughout this trial that the focus on data security and data integrity is maintained at the highest level whether working in the office or outside of the workplace.

The [Corporate] telecommuting policy will be trialed [sic] across the [entire company] organization. Employees that are approved, based [on] role eligibility and performance, will have the opportunity to work from home one to two days a week on an individual 90-day trial basis, with continued ongoing renewal opportunity based on manager approval.

Eligibilty [sic] for participating in the telecommuting trial includes :

• Working in a role eligible for telecommuting [Check!]


• Currently maintain a 3 or higher performance rating [Checkaroonie!]


• Having an appropriate workspace and work environment outside of the office to conduct your work. [ . . . well, crap.]


• Gaining management approval for participating in the trial [Not that it matters at this point, but check, I suppose.]


• Having proper company-provided hardware and software to ensure data security [Sure. Whatever. Check. Like it matters.]

I was golden right up to the 'Having an appropriate workspace and work environment' part. Damn you, HVAC! DAMN YOU TO HELL!

Ah, well. Maybe when the ambient outdoor temperature falls enough that it's not 85°F in my home office during the day. <sigh>²

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1. Core Hours means that the majority of employees should schedule their work day to be onsite during the hours between 9:30 and 4:30 so that groups who work together on projects and such are guaranteed 7 hours of overlapping time. It's supposed to keep people from coming in at 6 and leaving at 2:00 (unless the whole group does, mind you) or coming in at 10 and leaving at 6:00 (again, unless the whole group does it).
2. I have a window-unit. During the day, it struggles to keep it at 80 running full blast. My HVAC has been running 24/7 since June, and at night, it's quite comfortable in the house. During the day? Not so much.³
3. Note: In my office, where I am now sitting, it is a comfortable 72 to 74 degrees, depending on the time of day and the ambient outside temperature. Unfortunately, they turn off the AC at 7:00 PM and on weekends, and . . . it's no longer a comfortable 72 to 74 degrees. Which isn't normally an issue, except I've been working long hours lately.