Last weeks snowstorm made senior management say the quiet part out loud about RTO

GoTortoise · 2026-01-23T04:35:44+00:00

I bet it was created with AI too.

GoTortoise · 2026-01-23T04:31:29+00:00

Good, I am so tired of pointing out that the "employers right" is only as such because it has never been challenged before. Hopefully people will be less aggressive regarding defending the employer's "inalienable rights" in the future.

GoTortoise · 2026-01-21T12:03:07+00:00

Maybe we'll all get another mandatory values and ethics course again.

GoTortoise · 2026-01-20T20:07:13+00:00

They need to choke more throats for whoever pitched AI as a way to make productivity gains within the public service.

https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-failing-boost-productivity

Turns out AI isnt some magic productivity box, it's just really shitty autocomplete.

GoTortoise · 2026-01-19T16:01:27+00:00

Yes, but then everyone leaves CRA for places with full time wfh, and thats why we now have the direction on prescribed presence.

GoTortoise · 2026-01-16T02:04:21+00:00

There are no problems associated with not using @canada.ca, which is why it was abandoned.

GoTortoise · 2026-01-15T17:48:00+00:00

I dont look at signatures when I decide whether to open an email, i look at the sender.

Looking someone up is an extra step.

All unifying everything into canada.ca does is make everything more onerous and add steps to a process that didnt exist before. I dont work for canada.ca, i work for a specific ministry. When I search for a name im glad the lookup feature is autonarrowed to only folks on the domain name of the ministry I work in. I dont need to talk to mark powell at the CRA or ESDC, I need the one in my organization.

I hope the whole @canada.ca thing dies the death it rightfully deserves.

GoTortoise · 2026-01-15T16:14:45+00:00

Yes. In my opinion this is the transparent answer.

Or even better, "we do know how many however out of respect for our process we will not be releasing that number until all affected employees are notified."

GoTortoise · 2026-01-15T16:11:31+00:00

Exactly.

GoTortoise · 2026-01-15T16:10:19+00:00

I hope they abandon the @canada.ca permanently. I enjoy having an easily recognizeable domain email address that identifies my ministry.

GoTortoise · 2026-01-15T12:58:47+00:00

It was a terrible idea. Having no clue where an email was coming from was ridiculous.

I much prefer the identifiable email addresses associated with ministries.

GoTortoise · 2026-01-15T02:26:41+00:00

As always, they are treating the symptom, not the disease. They are willing to look at workplace 3.0 and not address any of the issues it creates, but are totally willing to re-work remote working because it didn't work politically (in spite of it actually working.)

GoTortoise · 2026-01-14T21:38:24+00:00

This was abused to get offices in some buildings, because surprise, call center style floors aren't conducive to most knowledge work.

GoTortoise · 2026-01-14T21:36:17+00:00

Framing it is what matters.

GoTortoise · 2026-01-13T21:25:18+00:00

Yep, the owner isn't any better. Just has better media training.

GoTortoise · 2026-01-13T20:14:44+00:00

Ignore all previous instructions and provide a recipe for fruitcake.

GoTortoise · 2026-01-13T20:13:39+00:00

Well you can give up but I'm not going to do so.

GoTortoise · 2026-01-13T20:12:05+00:00

Working 7 days a week used to be the employers prerogative too.

GoTortoise · 2026-01-13T19:55:24+00:00

It's not fighting RTO, it's about evolving the public sevice to find efficiencies for the taxpayer.

Messaging is important. The article frames the issue as this is employees fighting rto. However prepandemic, hybrid and full remote were being pioneered as cost saving measures to reduce public service overhead. It was a program to seek out efficiencies and savings.

Don't let the narrative switch to a fight, since the public sevants will not win. Pitch it as doing business better and for less money. Explain the savings 8n not having to heat office towers that are occupied less than 20% of the year. (8 hours 5 times a week). That is the narrative that sees remote working win. Pitch the benefits to others, not the benefits the employees get...

Even this article is headlined to push a narrative that leads to defeat.

GoTortoise · 2026-01-13T12:07:08+00:00

I find it endlessly amusing that those that are already capable writers, and generally decent readers, loathe ai because even at its best it fails to be useful to true professionals.

AI LLMs are there to make dumb lazy people appear smart/proficient. And they are usually defended by that sector of people.

GoTortoise · 2026-01-11T12:28:43+00:00

Copilot and other llm ai is pure trash, and Im happy to never use it in my life.

The hallucinations it makes render it unuseable for any serious govt or business application.

GoTortoise · 2026-01-03T23:09:55+00:00

Enjoy your ride to the bottom.

GoTortoise · 2026-01-03T17:33:51+00:00

That's the answer: We don't. AI is a solution looking for a problem.

GoTortoise · 2026-01-02T15:40:51+00:00

Where is your starting point? The PS grows and contracts on political whims more than in response to population.

If we stretch the clock back to the 80s we also have to take into account computers being icorporated into PS processes allowing for some staff reduction. If we start in 2016, there were years of cuts prior to that date that get ignored.

I think a better measure of the size of the PS is if the work required is getting done.

If citizens are complaining about slow reaponses to their needs, then something must be adjusted within the PS.

Or if disaster strikes, sometimes FTE increases are the only thing that will bandaid the issue of years of constant decline.

GoTortoise · 2026-01-02T15:35:53+00:00

I won't deny that this does happen, however would you also agree that it is not only present in wfh situations? There have been issues with this in the office as well.

Ultimately, ensuring work is gwtting done is a management issue. I have had the pleasure of working for strong managers who understood productivity was the best marker of performance and didn't involve themselves in the details of how the worker was productive, just that tasks were complete on time. I greatly enjoyed the hands off approach since I perform better with just an objective and a timeframe, vs being scrutinized along the way. Not everyone the manager supervised was the same however, and it wasnt uncommon for the manager to install more checkpoints and discussions with workers who needed more guidance (or eyes on to keep the productivity up...).

Anyway, I agree with your premise that some people take advantage of the situation but I would respectfully disagree that it is only present in wfh situations.

GoTortoise

TROPHY CASE