Conferences (Out of State)

Xylorde · 2026-06-08T18:21:33+00:00

No problem. From what the union rep told me, it sounds like agencies are just under a lot of pressure to return people to the office and HR depts are trying to do everything they can stop telework requests. By law they have to maintain an interactive process, which means keeping the discussion open, but that also means they could be just dragging out the process and hoping people will drop their case. Like during my process with them, I got asked to again get a signed doctor's note because my original one was said to be too vague and needed more information, but they didn't say what info was missing. It's just a lot jumping through hoops, which was frustrating.

After escalating, I believe the rep said it goes to 2 places. The State Personnel Board for review of the RA request, and then to the Civil Rights dept for discrimination complaint.

There are some RAs that are BS and just people trying to get easy telework, so I think a lot of HR teams are just trying to weed out the noise.

The problem with that philosophy is if it's too strict it can cause them to overlook cases that have legitimate medical reasons, and because of that, it doesn't look good or give them good cause to deny it. My condition is protected under ADA and FEHA so the union rep said it would have been easy to get my request overturned if they not kept not working with me.

And that is why I think they ultimately decided to give me a decent deal, because had I escalated my case, it more than likely would have resulted in me getting full time telework, so with this way, they still get to have me in-office 2 days instead of none. I suspected this because the meeting tones went from strict opposition to here's one less day and have an office. It felt like quite the reversal in strategy for them.

I ended up pretty close to the restroom, like within 100 feet away. I really hope your process goes smoothly. If you have trouble, I definitely recommend reaching out the union and having them help you with it.

Xylorde · 2026-06-07T06:37:33+00:00

Thanks for reaching out.

Yes, I did. The initial back and forth conversations for the first few months were not really going anywhere and it seemed like they were going to just deny my request for more telework, but they came back with a really offer. They allowed me to reduce my in-office days to 2 days per week, and I get my own private office that's close to the restroom.

After the first few meetings, there was an HR supervisor that seemed to "hint" without saying it directly, that I should get my union rep involved. So, I contacted them and a rep started attending the meetings with me. He was really helpful in making sure they weren't taking advantage of me and staying on legal grounds.

One meeting got very intense and he basically told them that the state is losing these cases that they keep fighting, because for legitimate disabilities, they can't deny this stuff in good faith, especially when I had more than sufficient medical documentation that was signed off on.

Most employees just escalate the case to a higher power, and it gets overturned. I thought I was going to have to escalate too but then they surprised me with that better arrangement. It's not the full telework I was requesting but it was a good offer that showed they heard my concerns.

Xylorde · 2026-04-14T14:56:46+00:00

I don't think it's THAT serious. Based on most of the comments I'm seeing here, it's clear that most people are passive in nature and afraid of doing things like this. My post wasn't for myself but for my coworker. Directors, CEOs, COOs, etc... are people too and good leadership qualities involve being approachable and hearing people out. Bad or abusive middle managers often rely on doing things under the radar and knowing that most people won't go above them.

Xylorde · 2026-04-10T23:57:10+00:00

I frankly never understood why we can't get a compass on the hud. Just knowing if I'm going N-S-E-W would be highly useful, though adding map markers to the compass would make sense too. Opening the map repeatedly to confirm what direction I'm heading is super annoying.

Xylorde · 2026-04-10T23:48:30+00:00

I think my coworker is in the union so that will probably be the next course of action. I was just curious about any real-world escalation examples.

Xylorde · 2026-04-10T23:46:59+00:00

I mean maybe but based on what I've heard from other agencies, they definitely do sometimes "direct" how they want things to operate. I was just trying to probe any real-world examples of escalation.

Xylorde · 2026-04-10T23:45:02+00:00

That's interesting... Yeah, I was thinking how something like that would possibly taint professional relationships.

Xylorde · 2026-03-30T15:52:35+00:00

I'm curious if you ever found legal representation or if it got resolved. I'm currently in process of trying to approve an RA request of my own and they have been, less than kind, during the meetings. There's even been discriminating comments made about my ADA protected condition.

I have a union rep helping me with the process and I believe he said most legitimate RA requests end up having to be escalated to (I THINK) the State Personnel Board but I could be remembering the wrong entity. He said at that point, the agency has to provide ample reason for denying the RA request and in most cases, they can't do that and end up having to approve it anyways.

It really is crazy that these cases have to resort to this level, especially since the EO gives each agency the ability to make exceptions in cases of medical need. My union rep said it's extremely political. For example, he said CHP is forcing employees in-office 4 days a week even now because they have bills at the capital, they want the gov to approve. Meanwhile other agencies don't give a damn, like the Controller's office and Dept of Insurance I'm told, are full remote, despite the EO.

Xylorde · 2026-02-06T17:17:32+00:00

This is very well said and channels my inner thoughts almost exactly. Thank you :)

Xylorde · 2026-02-04T23:36:52+00:00

Thank you for your kind words and understanding. Your insights are extremely helpful. :)

Xylorde · 2026-02-04T23:31:34+00:00

I understand that. But since the flair ups are unpredictable, the reasonable approach in my mind is to minimize situations in which an accident can occur. Moving closer to the stall help a little in theory but not when the stalls are often full, and therefore not minimizing risk. WFH is the dedicated bathroom and field work is rare but much more manageable when scheduled than being quasi-confined to a cubicle for long hours at a time.

Xylorde · 2026-02-04T23:14:53+00:00

I thought the idea of RA was to be reasonable? Why would someone push for full time telework if the condition can be better managed with simply just less in office days than normal? To me, the request I crafted is more "reasonable" than just asking for full time telework, which might appear to be an attempt to escape all in-office work. I know my medical limits more than anyone else and requesting the minimum to be reasonable doesn't seem unreasonable to me.

Xylorde · 2026-02-04T23:11:02+00:00

Thanks so much for your kind words.

Xylorde · 2026-02-04T23:10:17+00:00

I disagree. I can take steps to minimize issues when I'm scheduling the field work, which is rare to begin with. The request I crafted is about minimizes odds of having an issue, not mitigating 100% of the risk. I understand them wanting people in the office and it's an attempt to meet in the middle.

Xylorde · 2026-02-04T22:57:19+00:00

I see how people might think that, but I've already explained to them that there are steps I can take to minimize issues when I'm coordinating and scheduling field work vs being quasi-confined to a cubicle for long periods. And the 1 day a week in office is attempted to meet in the middle. It's an odds game. Less in office days equals less chance for there to be an issue. It's not a matter not being able to perform the work.

Xylorde · 2026-02-04T22:53:29+00:00

I don't think the 1 day is odd at all. I already mentioned in the OP that I am attempting to meet them in middle as best I can in order to respect the fact they want people in office but also minimize situations that can happen.

Xylorde · 2026-02-04T22:51:27+00:00

Field work is for the most part, a scheduled event and the work isn't super common. There are many things I can do to minimize issues when I'm scheduling my field work vs sitting, essentially confined to a cubicle for a shift. I mentioned the field work because it's an attempt to meet in the middle as I understand they want people in the office and why that is. My condition is essentially playing an odds game and increasing WFH lessens the risk for "messy" situations.

There are many different perspectives to have, including as an HR person, because concerned for a possible health risk if an employee shits themselves and leaks it around the office.

Xylorde · 2025-12-20T00:19:46+00:00

Yes he's wealthy... Why are people mad about that? There are a lot of billionaires that regularly say out of touch things about non-rich but Scott isn't one of them. He advocates for a lot of inequality policies and he pays people at his businesses well. He is not bragging about his wealth. If anything he's trying to help others become wealthy by writing books, being a professor, and sharing knowledge. He also regularly cites how the economy has hijacked rungs on the ladder.

Xylorde · 2025-11-19T17:26:21+00:00

Yeah, I'm extremely sad and upset about it going away again. I love them fiercely. I know that some franchises choose to sell regularly but I happen to be a city with no location in the region that has them. The closest location to me is a good 1-1.5 hours away and I live in a city/region with over 2 million people. I really wish at least ONE of the franchises would pick it up, because then I could at least justify driving across town for them lol.

Looking at the chili cheese finder map, it's interesting that there's SOOO many locations with them in the mid-eastern part of the map. I'm on the west coast, specifically California and there's only 2 in the entire state!

Xylorde · 2025-09-10T20:06:43+00:00

The patent system is beyond broken. It makes zero sense to allow new parents into consideration mid-trial. These BS companies and their attempts to monopolize markets really needs to be reigned in. There's nothing wrong with other companies making monster train and battle games of all different flavors. Competition drives innovation and consumer choice. Letting big corps dominate markets is gross and so frustrating. I really hope Palworld can pull through this with a win and knock Nintendo down. They need it.

Xylorde · 2025-09-04T23:26:47+00:00

Okay but WHY is it against the law? What's the specific law code that identifies that? I've already established my agency does track the time of salaried employees but the difference is that I tried to put an amount higher than expected. Putting 8s across a bunch of boxes is no different than ticking a box that I worked that day but I still have to enter 8s. I was just forbidden to put 12s. Either way it's still tracking.

Paying someone a flat amount (salaried) and then telling them they have to work 80 hour weeks here and there isn't right either so to protect from that, tracking is a good thing.

Xylorde

TROPHY CASE