MTA/NYS Agencies Telecommute Bills
Good morning and happy Friday,
I know this mail is repetitive in its wording, but I think it hits home with a lot of us, and I ask that you please share it with your colleges around the MTA and NYS agencies. As a side note, I received emails from four colleagues telling me they are leaving for the private sector, which allows them to work from home.
Paying the price for office returns
Don’t make your employees commute an hour or more each way to sit in a box.
Workers who find the return to office challenging can chalk up one more reason: inflation. Beyond losing the convenience and other advantages of working from home, employees are finding the cost of buying lunch or commuting has risen drastically since the pandemic closed offices two years ago. Menu prices have increased the most on an annual basis since 1981. Gas prices are surging, affecting the cost of commuting, either by car or public transportation. And while consumer prices have reached four-decade highs, wages are not rising as fast. Especially ours.
For years, wage negotiation has centered on how much workers EARN in terms of salary and benefits.
It's well past time to discuss how much workers SPEND to do their work.
When workers compare how much they SPEND working from home to how much they SPEND going to the office to complete the same tasks -- that sum needs to be factored into any "rto" scenario.
A return to the office represents a massive cut in income for many. These are often employees who kept the business afloat during an unprecedented time in history.
A great reckoning is in order.
For many workers, traveling to the office could mean giving up two or more hours a day that had been recaptured during the pandemic. Some employees were using that time for personal endeavors. Others were using it to work more. Either way, much of that time will be lost during the return.
Also, if you're not getting a sizeable raise, it's costing employees to drive just to the office, given gas has increased over 30%, plus double-digit inflation.
Given the labor shortage, it's an employee market, so we'll see how this plays out over the next couple of months. #remotework #greatresignation #retentionmanagement #employeeappreciation #employeebenefits #freebenefit
Remote work is better for wallets and not to mention the environment. If you aren't giving your employees a commuting stipend and adjusting salaries for inflation, don't mandate they be in an office. The world changed. So did the way we work!
Thank you
Be Safe
Varnessa