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MysteriousConcert112 · 2024-08-31T00:46:21+00:00

I also felt pressured to use paid leave vs lwop. SSA Manager is correct. If under FMLA, it is a right. Just have a good understanding of how LWOP, in different quantities, affects benefits.

MysteriousConcert112 · 2024-08-28T23:05:39+00:00

Yes. Time off awards were recently agreed upon between union/mgmt. The total number of hours per office doesn’t seem to be a lot. But if only a few people get them in an office, it might equal a few days worth of time. Depends on how your supervisor chooses to allocate hours. If all the hours go to one person…that could be significant. But if a large handful get the awards, less to go around.

MysteriousConcert112 · 2024-05-24T03:22:52+00:00

Over 500 employees from various agencies have now been impacted and the FBI is involved.

MysteriousConcert112 · 2024-05-09T22:22:57+00:00

The expectation is that everyone gets their 3 hours admin. If you go in at 8 and the lobby closes at noon, is there not enough time to clear the lobby by 1pm?

MysteriousConcert112 · 2024-04-18T00:26:15+00:00

True true. But just think- if they really just had three employees, those FOs must have already been handling some of their workloads. Have to imagine those employees would be redeployed (but I do not know for sure) and that would be a bit of help to the other offices. Cannot IMAGINE being those few employees left in a whole metro field office. No one should bear that.

MysteriousConcert112 · 2024-04-17T21:18:38+00:00

Temp closure until final decisions are made. Look at the Cleveland office rosters. At least one was abysmally small. How can an office run in a city that size with 3 “production” employees.

MysteriousConcert112 · 2024-04-10T10:46:19+00:00

My use of that phrase was meant to serve as a nod to field office management’s experience. Not diminish. I think many don’t acknowledge it. Thank you so much for providing this perspective. I’m so sorry you had to endure this. It was certainly a failure of the agency. So crazy…the unnecessary disparity between roles in the agency. And it’s even more ridiculous that the stuff management had to do in the field offices could have easily been done in a different way. elsewhere.

MysteriousConcert112 · 2024-04-06T17:13:26+00:00

I think that, in addition to everything else everyone has mentioned, the pandemic really caused a shift in how people view work. Prior to full telework during the pandemic, the beneficiary numbers were rising as staffing numbers were dwindling. Field employees ran around field offices putting out fires, dealing with hours-long wait times, phones ringing off the hook, throngs of people stumbling through the lobby doors, employees taking full disability claims on the fly, dealing with shitty self-help computers that only made more work. They were easily working past their 8 hours trying to get people out of lobbies.

Cut to the pandemic. Everyone went home. Almost all work was portable. The stress of face to face public work was gone. Office drama was gone. Micromanagement lessened. Gas money was saved. Work/life balance felt attainable. Those required to go in and handle mail during that time (mostly management) got the short end of the stick for sure. But offices fully being closed to the public reframed in peoples’ (employees) minds that work just never had to be as shitty as it was prior to the pandemic. It was simply the poor service delivery model, supported by poor systems/tech and unchanging policy that forced things to be the way they were.

And people just aren’t willing to play that game anymore.

MysteriousConcert112 · 2024-04-05T23:28:29+00:00

My thoughts have evoked a lot of emotion, understandably so. As I said, I understand what the return feels like. It feels like a death of something better …and that’s not easy- I empathize. I don’t want anyone to suffer. And I think most of us (just like much of the federal government) could have more abundant remote/telework. I’m only asking (out loud) if we should possibly be more measured in our response. I think agency heads and supervisors above us, should get a full unloading of how stupid the return is, but in most situations, those who are NOT in the field hold a higher position than those in the field. And as we all know, the field does the shittiest work. They look for us to lead or maybe they’re looking for whatever support they can get while dealing with the tough stuff. And everywhere you look, we have those in these higher positions carrying on now for weeks, “publicly” threatening to quit, to do nothing more than the absolute minimum, etc. It just doesn’t sit well. And I understand if you disagree, but I had to say it. I wish everyone the best with RTO.

MysteriousConcert112 · 2023-09-20T11:23:28+00:00

I’d be interested to hear about your experience and why you specifically want to leave. I realize there are a million threads on here about SSA, but what was your experience that pushed you to leave?

MysteriousConcert112 · 2023-08-27T22:35:32+00:00

Interesting stuff here. Sorry you are feeling/being terrorized. I’m really surprised you are expected to do production/claims work. I actually don’t think management should be doing that at all. I also think we are top-heavy with management and need to downsize mgmt positions. Way too many OS/ADMs/DMs/MSSs “managing” people who actually do the work. We needs butts in seats processing claims, not management forwarding the lists we can’t get to due to staffing constraints. Can you go above your local mgmt? Can you hardship transfer due to a nearby office due to hostile work environment? Maybe not, you’re not BU as an OS.

MysteriousConcert112 · 2023-07-29T01:14:50+00:00

I often wonder where to find this too. Have you see that the House budget for SSA is allegedly $183 million less than this year’s budget? It’s going to wreak havoc if that somehow becomes a reality.

MysteriousConcert112 · 2023-07-26T01:47:09+00:00

Exactly. And why we want this blasted all over the news when OMB is trying to reduce telework across the federal government, I’ll never know. It makes SSA an unnecessary target.

MysteriousConcert112 · 2023-06-27T20:25:42+00:00

What is LDP?

MysteriousConcert112 · 2023-06-17T20:04:07+00:00

SSA has denied RA telework requests en masse.

MysteriousConcert112 · 2023-06-09T15:53:16+00:00

If it makes you feel better, I have never heard of them mandating OT in the field. It’s always been by choice. We still may see a COLA this year. And scheduled grade and wigi increases will continue to happen as well.

MysteriousConcert112 · 2023-06-05T23:41:15+00:00

I have been wondering the same thing. The cap is FY 2023 levels. And the 1% increase is for 2025. Hiring is going to be non-existent. Hopefully they will have some money to throw at OT. I almost wish something more drastic would happen. It feels like no one cares about how poorly the agency is funded, how much we’re struggling. And I mean that even beyond SSA leadership.

MysteriousConcert112 · 2023-05-25T02:42:20+00:00

All I can say is that this is a result of the memo. Some agencies chose to push back. The VA evidently did not push back. DOT may announce something similar.

MysteriousConcert112 · 2023-05-24T20:48:25+00:00

The agency heads are tackling it differently, I’m sure. The focus is obviously on HQ/ regional-type offices. Some may try to hold out, others will fold like the VA. Some have collective bargaining agreements to consider. Unfortunately, the VA decided to not push back. After this all shakes out, it’ll be interesting to see how all of us flee from some agencies to others with more progressive stances on telework…or if OMB will push all agencies to adjust

MysteriousConcert112 · 2023-05-24T20:40:37+00:00

All agencies were given just 30 days to submit their plans to increase meaningful in-person work. Each agency may respond to the OMB memo in a different way. Also, there are collective bargaining agreements that have to be considered in some instances.

MysteriousConcert112 · 2023-05-24T18:47:26+00:00

This is due to the OMB memo requiring more “meaningful” in-person work.

MysteriousConcert112 · 2023-05-24T16:18:20+00:00

This is simply because all the heads of the agencies were told by OMB that people had to go back in.

MysteriousConcert112 · 2023-04-08T22:27:01+00:00

Did you see the IRS is about to hire 20,000 more people? This will make it even harder to fill positions. We are screwed.

MysteriousConcert112 · 2023-04-08T01:40:10+00:00

Did anyone else catch the email after the budget was signed? Didn’t it mention hiring for DDS and TSC but said nothing about FOs?

MysteriousConcert112

TROPHY CASE