On 12/13 the technology department was told completely at random that we will be going back to the office, some of us full time, some of us half time. We already lost staff previously when it was announced we would be working in office one day per week. Recruiters told employees wfh was here to stay, it was advertised as a perk, yet it now seems this was a bait and switch tactic to lure in employees that prefer a hybrid schedule.
Our QA and Scrum departments now have to go back to work in the office 5 days a week with no compromise or added pay to compensate for gas, daycare, or additional time to relocate if necessary. The fact that this was announced on such short notice (management and team leads did not know until one hour prior to the full announcement and now have to deal with highly stressed employees) is also extremely upsetting.
Not a single employee is happy about returning to office full time. This will lead to high turnover and will leave those loyal employees with a massive mess to clean up. We WILL lose employees and clients/revenue over this, it already happened with the previous instance of high turnover when it was determined that we needed to return to the office one day per week. Productivity was cited as the reason we are returning to the office half/full time, yet no data was presented to back this. I’ve personally noticed productivity going down as a result of returning to office on the days we are present as people visit with one another, which admittedly is a key element of good team building, yet I tend to also see people wandering around, having non work related conversations, getting up for snacks/drinks, etc. Our team’s productivity has increased since WFH, so the citation of increased productivity does not appear to be based on facts or evidence. Upper management had also cited communication as a key element, yet stated we would still use zoom for internal and external meetings, therefore very little will change.
Perhaps workloads should be reconsidered, or individual coaching is a necessity. I at one point had a workload that was over twice the capacity of other team members, worked from punch in to punch out, found it difficult to even take a lunch break due to the amount of projects/meetings, I couldn’t respond to emails or teams messages fast enough, despite not even taking your standard 5-15 minute breaks twice daily, clients would escalate, and at the end of the day I’d have to take the blame despite my best efforts and productivity which was far beyond the requisites established by management.
The fact that this news was delivered just barely before Christmas is particularly cruel, considering many will have to now shell out hundreds in daycare and gas starting next month, it honestly zapped the morale of the entire department during one of, if not the busiest times of year. It seems that there is an ulterior motive that is being kept from us behind closed doors, as if upper management wants loyal employees to quit in order to downsize, save money, and hire new workers for less pay.
I have already heard of several employees that have put in their two weeks notice, with the majority of the people I have spoken with stating they will find new employment. The fact that we were already underpaid compared to other companies offering similar positions effected morale, yet from what I gather, work from home was a saving grace, now that to is is being done away with, it appears this is the straw that broke the camels back.
It’s also evident that Paycom does not care about their employees personal lives or mental health, as most of us have adjusted to WFH and enjoy the extra time we get to spend with family due to not having a commute. The other reality is that wfh was a major benefit to finances, considering gas has doubled in price since the pandemic, we have already taken a significant pay cut due to mass inflation, yet no plans to raise employee’s pay were announced. This, along with forecasted stress and increased workload leaves with no incentive to stay with Paycom. Our yearly raises have not kept up with inflation, our department doesn’t really have the upward mobility of the client facing side,
I honestly fear what this means for the workload if I stay, yet my morale and trust in upper management has withered away completely. It’s sad because I came into Paycom expecting a career, yet even if they backpedal on this decision, my faith in this company is gone. Its apparently evident that upper management puts very little thought into how decisions effect employees considering the financial, health, travel and mental health concerns were completely dismissed during the calls where this was disclosed.
Another thing I want to point out is how many times I’ve been sick the next day or days after being at the office. Hundreds, if not thousands of employees work in closed quarters on each floor. This year alone there have been countless instances of COVID, flu, and other bugs spreading, yet it seems no consideration was made regarding how this will effect productivity, and most importantly our families. I have elder family members that live near me that I visit with frequently and am already scared to be around them after I visit the office because I don’t want to give my family covid or whatever new bug is floating around the office.
Also if productivity has dropped, why not give employees the chance to rectify this? What major projects were being pushed out that demanded us coming back in so often? Did you not anticipate completely shattering peoples faith in the company and risking losing a significant number of loyal and experienced employees that can make or break these projects being ready? That to me seems like the bigger impact. We will all be stressed out of our minds and probably will feel pressured to find new employment WHEN not IF this happens. Look at the reviews, look at the 300+ upset comments on your confluence page. The writing is literally on the wall. You cannot say you were not warned if this department barely exists by the time this plan is rolled out so why push so hard for this to happen when it is obviously an extremely unpopular decision.
