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Bosses, however, aren't keen about this. An employee who works from home is an employee who isn't being monitored, and some bosses can't stand that! They want to have eyes on these workers from 9-5. It's not good enough that a worker is turning in their projects and hitting their goals. If the higher-ups feel uneasy about remote work, they'll start making changes.
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Worker answers her phone, looking nervous.
The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.
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Not to mention that whether or not an employee works remotely would, ideally, be based on a mix of input from HR, the employee, and their bosses. Some workers really love being in person, while others thrive under more solitary conditions. And a lot of us have discovered the joys of hybrid life, seeing our peers a few times per week, and huddling up in our cozy home every other day of the week.
That's why this employee at a Canadian phone service provider called Bell was surprised that, in their words:
Bell firing employees "with cause" for not returning to the office 3 days a week. No severance, no warning.
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Employee concentrates on remote work with her Shiba Inu by her side.
The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.
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Just a day before that, another former worker wrote:
They fired everybody
lol worst company ever they don’t care if you end up homeless as long as they save on the miserable salaries they paid us - disgusting 🤢
On the same day, yet another employee posted with a question about the layoffs:
How long will these terminations last?
I feel for my colleagues who were doing their jobs and never received any warning before being fired. The morale at the office is so low that we’re all worried sick about who’s next and how long this crackdown will last. anyone have any knowledge?
People did reply to this employee's request for info. One person shared this nugget of information:
SourceFire007
That's bell culture for you. I knew 2 people who were within 2-3 years left before retirement and they got laid off..
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Bosses and HR professionals have a meeting about laying off workers who refuse to come into the office.
The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.
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Back to that first person, though, the one who discovered that employees were being fired specifically because they didn't want to return to the office for 3 days a week. In the comments, people elaborated on this, and also pushed back at impolite commenters who blamed the now-fired workers.
SettingParticular642
Can't believe the people saying stuff like "good for them, just follow the rules". Was terminated for being in my designated office 2 days a week + 1 other day at another Bell office most weeks. Worked WAY more than 37.5 hrs each week, excellent performance reviews, etc.
They then elaborated that in Canada, companies can't fire their workers without multiple types of warnings (unless the conduct is so bad that it requires immediate termination). This should protect workers, in theory, but a large company can find a way around those pesky loopholes.
A different person thoughtfully said this:
TearsFromCompoundEye
This is working as intended. Big corps are looking for ways to thin their ranks without having to pay severance packages.
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Employee works from home while her cat keeps her company.
The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.
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Another person had a bit to say about so-called “coffee swiping” behavior. This is an interesting bit of modern workplace culture that can get employees into hot water. It's when a worker is required to be in person at the office. So he or she strolls in, swipes their entry card, and then leaves soon after. There will be a digital reciept that they were there, even though they came for just a teeny scrap of the day. You can get fired for this, and apparently it's been a big issue at this phone company.
exbell12345
Most employees who go into the office (swipe in/out/short time) often don’t have their teammates there in that ofc ..but maintained full productivity while working remotely—attending all meetings, responding promptly on Slack and Teams, and consistently delivering expected outcomes.
A formal warning or earlier communication would have given employees the opportunity to correct their attendance. Presence reports indicated compliance until the sudden decision to lay off employees without severance
At the end of the day we all are Human not just a number.
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Worker is saddened to discover he's being fired.
The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.
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I'd be interested to hear from more employees who are going through this!
Although a lot of comments seem supportive, or are former employees themselves, there were some naysayers who agreed with the company's decision. But some employees really can't go into the office for personal reasons. Maybe they're caring for an ailing relative and need to be home to keep an eye on them. Perhaps they live hundreds miles away from the office, and there's literally no physical way for them to get there without becoming a fulltime jetsetter. For some, health issues might keep them away, like an employee who gets migraines under harsh office lighting, but can work from a quiet, dark environment at home.
It seemed like the general sentiment was that the higher-ups planned to replace workers with AI. Surprise surprise, tell us something we don't know! I have no idea why every workplace thinks that's a smart idea when these AI agents just aren't reliable enough to take a person's job. But they sure are pushing ahead with these plans anyway, and only time will tell if they're actually working, or if it'll result in customers finding better alternatives to their service.
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In person workers discover news of the firings and freeze in surprise.
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