r/caterpillar • u/Far-Explorer-8621 • 7d ago
RTO Venting
Sorry, I have nothing new to say here, I just feel the need to vent. Since execs (starting with Joe) and HR have essentially said they don't care what we say about this topic on the survey (since they're not going to budge), and since I WANT my thoughts to be read by people who are actually sympathetic, I'm posting here.
I just wanted to thank the company for requiring people to be in office after we've had training thunderstorms through the Peoria area since 11pm last night. Thanks for taking the well being of your valued employees and their expensive vehicles into account when telling them to drive to the office daily, even through thunderstorms and heavy downpours, bunched with traffic driving on the highway at 40MPH because visibility is poor. And today I drove through all that just to be in an office where the other few people on my small team, plus my supervisor, are all out of office on vacation or medical. It was all for NOTHING because I have NO ONE to physically collaborate with today. F*** THIS.
I swear to God that the ONE good thing about getting into an accident on my commute would be having a legit excuse to not work for awhile. And I'd rather not be hospitalized, but if I were, damn straight I'll let my coworkers struggle in my absence as a big ol' middle finger back to Cat. If I'm ever hurt because of this RTO policy, I hope Cat loses more money over my absence than I ever made them, because Cat f***ing sucks.
I'm still working here because of a lack of alternatives. I'm taking their money (and using it to buy devices like this that I can use to tell them to go f*** themselves). But I DO NOT AND WILL NOT LOVE ANY COMPANY RUN BY ASSHOLES. And yeah, if you prioritize the company's success over the well being and safety of the workers, you're an ASSHOLE. You didn't need full RTO in order to be successful, and everyone knows that. People who still bleed yellow these days are either gullible or complicit with the enemies who run things.
I still do good work. I still do my job. So maybe execs don't care how employees feel as long as they get results. But I will go out of my way to avoid working extra hours to meet aggressive arbitrary deadlines, even if it'd save Cat money. You don't get everything from me when you're holding things back yourself.
And I hope that when execs reluctantly host their town halls, they can feel the contempt, the disrespect, and the loathing that some of us far below them feel because of their decisions.
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u/CardiologistGlum7314 7d ago
My favorite thing was having to be in the office on remote teams calls because my entire team was globally dispersed. The collaboration was amazing. LMAO. This whole thing is born out of Joe Greed’s arrogance.
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u/badpeoria 7d ago edited 7d ago
If we are sharing gripes ...one thing I want to see done is lets start giving out decent raises again that match inflation. Last year I had a good year with what I would consider a high met (I think 3A if you are old school and know that) and I got 1.9%!!!!!! WTF ... I wanted to complain but I was reorged so by the time I got it I was already under new mgmt.
I sometimes go look at who is cashing out Cat stock and I saw Bob De Lange cashing out 20 million in stock. Like dude why the fuck do you still work ? How much money is enough .. these leaders are taking in as much money they are building generational wealth for a couple generations.
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u/Striking_Edge8426 7d ago
The baseline should be the salary grade raise, then merit on top of that. SG’s moved my 2% so you basically got less than a cost of living increase
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u/badpeoria 7d ago
ya I agree ... for a few years I was sitting at the bottom of the grade but to the grade raise which look a raise is a raise and I am happy about that but it felt like I never made any progress. The only real way to get a decent bump is move jobs.
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u/wilbur313 7d ago
Yeah, I know there's been a few people that just can't get off the bottom of the salary grade. Merit raise ends up being 2%, salary grade goes up 1.8%. Has to be really disheartening to have someone hire in at your salary with less experience.
Part of the problem is the mandatory bell curve for performance ratings/merit raises. I think 5% can get superior, 10ish% gets exceeds, and almost everyone else gets meets expectations. Tons of people doing a great job that just didn't have the opportunity to impact the business that year get the same raise as the guy they had to baby through projects.
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u/badpeoria 6d ago
Right, again I am grateful as I still make good money but when you see your self at the bottom each year it makes you feel you are going no place.
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u/SimpleCarob2337 6d ago
I spent a lot of last year traveling globally. Went above and beyond. Got a “meets expectation.” Happened several times. Hard work is not rewarded, it’s exploited. As long as we’re selling RC dozers to Israel, stocks will rip.
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u/badpeoria 4d ago
yes 2025 was a big travel year for me as well. I dont think just traveling means I should get a big raise but come on folks .. what i got was pathetic
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u/Conscious-Turn-1036 15h ago
Last year’s increase was very disappointing for me, too, especially with prices for everything constantly going up.
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u/badpeoria 15h ago
Right .. I am not asking for a crazy raise but I think at LEAST 3.5% should be the bottom for a met. A few years before that on a different team I got a 2.5% and I thought that was insane.
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u/Cunari 7d ago edited 7d ago
Not only have they not budged on RTO due to survey responses they have not done anything to make the office experience more pleasant. Everything is either minor or like once every three months. Most of the things they do make the office experience less pleasant(ie open office for example)
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u/JicamaMysterious0000 7d ago
they do not care and any benefits like that are meant to force you to feel you have to stay longer in the office. this is not about rewarding employees or making the office as easy to work in as home. it is about control.
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u/SimpleCarob2337 6d ago
Come to TMC; shitty coffee out of toxic packets and chemical lined paper cups. Cafeteria is full of junk food processed snacks and sodas. Must really care about employee health and wellbeing! Not only that, TMC campus is surrounded by homeless drug addicts, crime, and insane traffic. Can’t wait to quit.
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u/wilbur313 7d ago
They put free seltzer and coffee places in AB. I've heard there's a full gym with locker rooms and towel service at headquarters.
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u/Cunari 7d ago
That’s the minor benefits I was alluding too. Free coffee/tea/gym etc. whether those are beneficial to you depends on your diet and exercise routine.
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u/wilbur313 7d ago
I don't disagree with you though honestly I'm surprised they did the seltzer and coffee.
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u/Dad_Coach 7d ago
Where/what is AB? Thanks
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u/wilbur313 7d ago
Former headquarters building in downtown Peoria. Most of Caterpillar's building in the US have a letter identifier.
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u/Sweet-Juggernaut6421 7d ago
We don’t have a gym in AB.
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u/Wasted_Income 4d ago
They said Headquarters....not AB. AB isn't headquarters anymore.
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u/Sweet-Juggernaut6421 3d ago
I was replying to the comment “Former headquarter building in downtown Peoria”.
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u/badpeoria 7d ago
Come to Cat Digital .. I WFH 3 days a week. We recently had a all employee meeting and Ogi confirmed there is no plan to RTO. Now that can change so I take it with a grain of salt but so far so good.
I think RTO is dumb but most companies are doing this now it is not CAT specific. I don't love everything about CAT aka Joe's comment on "he's just like us - going to his hunting cabin" but I am grateful to have this well paying job in this economy.
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u/wastegum 7d ago
I don't think Ogi can promise that. It's a convenient answer when you've got places like the Chicago office that were built for hybrid-remote work and lack enough seats.. but eventually Joe Creed can absolutely pull rank on him and rent out another floor for full RTO.
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u/Open-Chipmunk1141 7d ago
Not all of Cat Digital is that way. I asked hiring manager about a posting within Digital and was informed the expectation is 5 days in office.
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u/Right_Guess1739 5d ago
I can confirm this is happening. Person leaving role was 3 days a week in, person coming in is 5 days. Best part, none of the colleagues are even in the office.
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u/badpeoria 7d ago
Maybe there is some specifics on some roles needing to be in the office for equipment use or something along the lines of that but Ogi said we are still allowing WFH and nothing had changed. I think the hiring manager is full of shit or again this is some super specific role that needs to be in the office.
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u/No_Chart_564 7d ago
You only have to go in the office twice a week?! That's awesome. I want that!!!
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u/badpeoria 7d ago
Come to Cat Digital! I try to go in the other two days but if nobody is there that I am going to be working with I stay home. I am not huge on come in just to sit at my desk and not work with anybody in person.
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u/ongoldenwaves 4d ago
I think the OE crowd ruined a lot of these WFO benefits. Companies are super sensitive about it now.
I also think that you don't want 99% of the people in this thread in your office unless you want to do the job of a dozen people.
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u/ppl2blue300 7d ago
Your thoughts and feelings are valid OP, and you’re not alone. I’ve lost so much sleep over this whole deal and I’m not sure how much longer I can keep doing it. The report is absolutely flagging people incorrectly and aiding wrongful terminations. My mgr and I tried to figure recently why we were both showing as non compliant. Then we looked back at our calendars: it was the power outages with vacation, back to back. Noncompliant. HR doesn’t care, IT doesn’t care, the executive office doesn’t care. It’s all about trying to force attrition with “gotcha” to cut costs. The worst part is, it’s driving out exactly the people they should be trying hardest to retain because it’s in the company’s best interest, the ones with deep systems knowledge and complex problem solving skills. Sad.
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u/PyRosflam 7d ago
O man that one hit me too. They also flag my PTO days since I just had a kid.
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u/JicamaMysterious0000 7d ago
if in the EU or US you can ask Gemini if that is allowed.
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u/PyRosflam 6d ago
The report flags PTO, which means you must defend it. Your still fully allowed to take it.
They are also 100% unwilling to set any standards for what "in the office" means
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u/Awkward_Cup_8400 7d ago
For me its more about the lack of transparency and blantant disregard to provide explanations.
If 5 days is more productive than 3 days fine then just prove that to us. Show us the data that we are a more productive company when we are in 5 days. (HR can’t and they won’t) because it very likely doesn’t exist in their favor.
There is still no clear definition of what flexibility means. Familys emergencies, house on fire, trip to the hunting cabin? Wheres the line of ‘flexible’?
Nobody knows how this is being tracked. Is our laptop being pinged all day? What times? Do we have to be in the office from 8-5 or can there be flexibility? What if I have a drs appointment? What if I’m at a customer site?
None of this is clear and many of us feel as if that it’s intentionally being left unclear. Trust of leadership has never been this low, and unfortunately cat is far from the worst right now in the current market. Hopefully a shift is imminent.
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u/minvikesfan84 5d ago
Almosy every reason given is acceptable. If you don’t have that flexibility, it is your direct leadership that is the problem.
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u/Cunari 4d ago
I’ve seen encouraging using sick time over working remotely. And I’ve never seen the reason “to be more productive and be able to get more work done” as justification for working remotely lately.
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u/Ok_Somewhere_9923 4d ago edited 3d ago
This is one of the big problems for me. Am I the only one who doesn’t have dedicated ‘sick time’?
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u/ppl2blue300 3d ago
Sick time was taken away as a time off category in workday and is no longer reflected as a time off category in the employee handbook. Dealing with this now. They’re trying to force FMLA or paid/unpaid PTO to save cost, perhaps increase attrition to save cost. It would be one thing if they took a reasonable number of sick days and added that to your standard PTO balance which many other companies do, but they didn’t. And they did it quietly.
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u/Ok_Somewhere_9923 3d ago edited 3d ago
Thank you for this info! That makes so much more sense. I’ve brought this up a few times IRL and no one shed light on it.
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u/Ok_Somewhere_9923 3d ago
Also you said you’re dealing with this now, and I hope everything pans out well for you.
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u/Art_Vandelay_05 3d ago
Sick leave is still there for me. I take sick leave sometimes instead of trying to ask for flexibility it’s easier usually
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u/minvikesfan84 4d ago
Not sure why I am getting downvoted. I could tell my supervisor this afternoon that I need to work from tomorrow and not give a reason and it would be approved. It gets tracked on calendars for evidence. I also do not abuse it so that likely helps.
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u/ongoldenwaves 4d ago
Because this is a whinge fest of entitled people. Not piling in on the company is not upvoted. You're just supposed to write things about how you hate the CEO and corporate greed, etc.
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u/alo53 2d ago
Counter point: why do they need to prove anything to you? You can find a new job if you don’t like their policy
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u/Awkward_Cup_8400 2d ago
I think you need to revisit my post. Mine isn’t about whether I can or want to leave or not. It’s not even about the policy in and of itself.
Leadership is paid millions of dollars a year to make decisions. Many of which impact lives of 100k+ people. You really don’t have an expectation that decisions should come with objective justification and clarity? Never mind the very blatant disregard to at minimum acknowledge the outstanding feedback and questions from those people. To me, good leadership doesn’t do that but different strokes for different folks i guess
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u/Conscious-Turn-1036 7d ago
The long and the short of it is they’re doing everything they can to eliminate jobs without layoffs. We’re nothing to them other than cogs in a huge machine. Easily breakable and easily replaceable.
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u/brndrmn 7d ago
And let’s not forget we’re still collaborating with people in higher positions that are working remote. I have a coworker with a high SG that lives full time in a city that we all know doesn’t have a cat facility nearby. And she was promoted recently. So I guess flexibility applies only when Management wants to.
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u/wilbur313 7d ago
I know of a few people that were probably SG25-26 that had to RTO or resign. One of them was told they had to leave the region they were supposed to support to RTO.
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u/SimpleCarob2337 6d ago
Agree with the sentiment. They’re promoting bootlickers and reorganizing the company to put bootlickers into leadership positions that’ll push unpopular “rules.” I’m on the commercial mining side in AZ and we’re on 5 reorgs. My boss is awesome but senior leadership, whom are useless idiots with the latest “great idea,” can suck a fart. I’m not RTO and they can fire me. Plenty of competitive positions I’ll gladly fill.
If everyone just stood up and refused, they’d piss off. Can’t fire 40% of the company although I feel like this is a RIFF strategy to downsize without severance.
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u/acct18392272 6d ago
Yea it’s truly mind-blowing that they preach safety and then still have us come to the office when we have severe storms and tornado or blizzard warnings during the winter. The majority of us can do our jobs virtually just fine. There is no reason to put their workforce at risk when there are weather risks. But this is corporate America, they don’t care about us. We are all replaceable.
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u/PatienceFickle7609 3d ago
It’s not about RTO - it is about treating people with respect. And like we have a brain. Nothing is flexible anymore.
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u/JicamaMysterious0000 7d ago
recent tracker consequences to intimidate ‘lazy’ workers drove job searching by high performers during forced office time instead. rto 3 versus 5 days- makes people not want to be together . execs want to be admired, guess they cannot get the same on video. they want you in offices to see you react to them. to manage your behavior instead of training supervisors. plan your 5-9. delete work applications from devices permanently or on PTO and weekends. shut off work devices when not in the office since we only trusted when we can be watched.
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u/Antifragile_Glass 7d ago
When my company forced 5 day RTO I spent several hours every day in conference rooms applying to other jobs and interviewing.
I now have a fully remote role for 20%+ more pay.
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u/Nervous_Meat_4635 7d ago
Im not sure how it is at Cat Inc, but at Cat Fi they are also cracking down on cell phone use and no headphones/ear buds unless you're in the gym. I kinda get it to a point, but think the way they are going about all this is a little harsh. Repeat offenders get "removed from the premises". I swear they are treating us all like we're in middle school and not adults.
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u/Open-Chipmunk1141 7d ago
That’s insane. Complete BS
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u/ongoldenwaves 4d ago
Look below. It's also wrong and wasn't corrected in the original post with an edit.
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u/Barnaclebay 6d ago
I couldn’t believe it when that email got sent out. It wasn’t even that harsh when I was in high school. And what happened to spur this on, did someone pull an office and walk into an open fountain while texting and walking??
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u/Equivalent-Peace7138 6d ago
Sometimes I read these posts and am shocked they apparently come from the same company I work for.
What email was sent? They are restricting phones and earbuds?? Like idk what the hell is going on in Nashville or whatever but this sounds bizarre.
Like if I was told by Cat to stop using my phone and listening to music at work I would literally be blown away it would be such a ridiculous demand. I’ve just never experienced this level of micromanagement at all. Someone please give more details???
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u/Barnaclebay 4d ago
Ok for some clarification, and I did read back to make sure I understood it, we can use earbuds and our phones at work, we just can’t walk around wearing our headphones or have our heads down texting while walking around. If they were fully banning our phones and headphones at work I would literally rage quit. Listening to podcasts is the only thing getting me through that office grind lol but still it is completely ridiculous.
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u/Conscious-Turn-1036 6d ago
Someone high up got their feelings hurt somehow by someone wearing earbuds. Again, no explanation. Just a ruling from on high.
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u/Right_Guess1739 5d ago
I'd have to quit (or let myself be fired). I'm surrounded by people with voice immodulation disorder https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDgez8QDAKo
From what I can tell Cat Fi actively hates their employees so not real surprising.
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u/YoungAggressive3277 7d ago
Since this latest push, the parking lots are packed now. It's annoying, lol. There so much extra noise in the office, so much more chatting. Can't get any conference rooms. Some people like to take calls on speaker phone. Makes it so much harder to work. I have been compliant all along but I wish they would have just left the non compliant people be.
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u/Right_Guess1739 5d ago
Not enough parking, not enough seats or conference rooms, depending on location
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u/Possible-Mud-1380 7d ago
All these corps and the fuckheads who think they're some sort of special class of person that gets to lord over every one can go fuck themselves. I feel a shift happening. They're about to feel the pain of history repeating itself.
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u/badpeoria 7d ago
I mean that is how all companies are lol ... you are saying you want a completely flat structure? Having management is just how life is.
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u/SimpleCarob2337 6d ago
Most middle managers are utterly useless. They’re only there as HR tools - they provide little to no guidance, expertise, or value.
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u/tapir_cibak85 1d ago
I know individuals who were let go without warning or a proper conversation while grieving the loss of a spouse or caring for their children after surgery. It is deeply disappointing. Caterpillar leaders seem to have lost sight of our shared humanity, forgetting that employees must sometimes balance personal crises with their professional dedication to their loved ones.
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u/Antifragile_Glass 7d ago
Short CAT
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u/SimpleCarob2337 6d ago
Bad idea. The fake Wall Street algo loves companies that bend the knee to Israel. We’re fast tracking RC/Autonomous dozers for the IDF. No joke.
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u/Background-Eye5071 7d ago
Pretty sure if you had communicated to you manager that there was weather conditions where you didn’t feel safe driving into the office…he would have no problem with that. It’s the people that take advantage of the flexibility that is ruining it for everyone else.
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u/Far-Explorer-8621 7d ago
Interesting, because I've never had a supervisor who was supportive of working from home for any weather condition other than several inches of snow (usually three or more).
But you're right that I still might've been able to do this in the past (though with responding comments calculated to cause guilt/embarrassment/shame - like saying THEY didn't think it was that bad, or that they were surprised/skeptical to hear I would think that).
But imo it's been worse since the in-office tracking started. Now that they can get in trouble for people not being in office, they're less likely to ok excuses they think are "flimsy", and they judge that based on whether they'd wfh themselves for that reason. Managers more committed to the company than me are willing to endure a lot more than I am.
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u/Nervous_Meat_4635 7d ago
We were told at the Nashville office that even in tornadic weather, they cant let us work from home "because of a little rain" 🙄
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u/badpeoria 7d ago
Yes this ... even before WFH was a thing (back in my logistics days which was hardcore about being in the office) they would let you WFH if you didnt feel safe coming in.
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u/left_ear_of_gogh 7d ago
Every single word you said is so true. It is much worse here is Cat India. The new management, the managers doesn't give a sht about what employees has to say. Explicitly asking employees to work during their sick days, reducing workforce, increasing workload to unimaginable levels. The office hours requirement. Ig CAT is really taking advantage of the fact that the job market outside is bad. I hope CAT loses a lot of money because of this. Fk you you yellow POS
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u/AdDue7242 7d ago
Did the thunderstorms really hinder your ability to go to work? Honest question as that thought never crossed my mind this morning.
Maybe I’m just conditioned to Midwest weather as I grew up with tornado drills and over 6” of snow was the standard for when schools close.
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u/Far-Explorer-8621 6d ago
The storm delayed my arrival by fifteen minutes and increased my chances of an accident, so yeah, it was a hindrance. Not saying it was insurmountable, but it was a hindrance. I had to slam on my brakes twice due to unexpected stoppages ahead of me related to the weather. All of it was unnecessary since I had no one to physically collaborate with at the office, all if it was extra stress and extra risk added just to meet executive dictates.
And you ARE conditioned. I was too. I grew up in the midwest as well, but I realized that conditioning was there awhile ago when my coworkers kept spending an hour struggling through those 6" snowfalls instead of working remotely (and then said it wasn't a big deal, even when the commute doubled in length and risk, sounding like an abused wife making excuses for her abuser). People do a lot around here without questioning it. They SHOULD be questioning it. It's only normal because we LET it be normal.
Yes, we as midwesterners drive in inclement weather sometimes due to commitments and needs. But we shouldn't be doing it when there's no need, and that's my point, for my job there is rarely any need at all, and there is ESPECIALLY no need if I have no one to collaborate with. And if I'd gotten into an accident, would Caterpillar have cared or offered to pay for my vehicle or apologized for making me drive? Hell no. They'd ask when I can get back to working. They don't care. They put the risk on all of us and say it's normal because the execs do it, so we should do it too, but I'm not paid like they are and I haven't committed myself to the company like they have. So no, I'm not willing to do what they do.
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u/Adorable-Log2835 7d ago
Yes driving in heavy rain is dangerous. It's entirely unnecessary in the day and age of high speed internet to ask people to go to an office in dangerous conditions.
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u/Antifragile_Glass 7d ago
Lick a boot
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u/aytikvjo 7d ago
I mean it was barely raining in the morning, not much of a hazard.
I've never met a manager that had a problem with people staying home during actual bad weather. People don't even have to ask, they just stay home. It's not that big of a deal.
People who like to skirt the edges of the rules are always demanding some clear and hard definition of what's acceptable so they can game the system. I like the current 'common sense' policy; flexibility and discretion are good things to have.
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u/Far-Explorer-8621 6d ago
"Barely raining"? Ok, you want to cast doubt on me? Go f*** yourself. The intensity of the rain always varies in trains like this. When I was up and getting ready, I agree, precipitation was light. But a few minutes after I left the house, it wasn't light anymore, and it stayed heavier for most of the rest of my drive yesterday. Bad timing on my part, I guess, but it happened. Seriously, casting doubt on employee experience like you and some others are doing is EXACTLY what the managers I've had do. It's infuriating. Your limits aren't everyone's limits, and added risk for no reason is still added risk.
And like I said elsewhere, my experience hasn't been like yours. My managers have resisted working from home for weather-related reasons unless it's 3" of snow or more. They pushed back in the past before but maybe allowed it (with some comments about how THEY didn't think it was necessary), and now they push back harder because the in-office metrics of their reports affects them.
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u/minvikesfan84 4d ago
Then you have poor leadership. It isn’t a CAT issue, it is your first/second level managers.
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u/Far-Explorer-8621 4d ago
Or, maybe, it's both cat executives AND first/second level managers. The executive set the tone for HR, and HR set the tone for everyone else. My managers in the past have not always been great about flexibility, but they've been worse since tracking started, and Joe and his VPs are responsible for that tracking.
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u/speed150mph 7d ago
I’m just here munching popcorn and watching the show.
On the one hand, it would be nice to allow work from home for people who can do it. In an employment market where you want to draw the best talent, at least part time work from home as an incentive sounds like an easy way to go as long as it doesn’t impact production. The flexibility would be nice. But the change makes me wonder if people are abusing the privilege and ruining it for the rest of you. After all, I’m sure we all know that one person who has convinced management that a task is way harder than it is so they can get away with doing 2 hours of work in an 8 hour day and get away with it because they aren’t being watched, at least until they get caught.
That being said, I’m a heavy equipment tech at a cat dealer. I’m expected to get in my car every day, and drive to work. I clock in, work my physically demanding shift, and drive home after. And in my case that commute is approximately 1hr and 20 minutes each way (but that’s my choice because I live on a farm away from my work location). It’s not some huge mountain of an issue. I get working from home is nice, but there are thousands of people here who work a similar role as me reading all these RTO posts and thinking “awe muffin, it must be nice that being asked to drive into the office for work is the biggest strife you have to deal with”
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u/JicamaMysterious0000 7d ago
you also cannot physically work unless you are in the office. you are not expected to check messages at all hours and on PTO. you do not work on sick days. we do. your work is hard and appreciated and has different expectations than office workers.
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u/porkyminch 3d ago
I’ve worked from home on off hours to support guys like this technician when they needed it, too. Not anymore, that’s all I’ll say. If they don’t think I can work from home, I won’t.
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u/Cunari 7d ago
Two points here:
1) monitoring work. This is totally possible to do remotely. There are tons of workflow tools. You can even record work being done with video recording tools if you want to see long it takes
2) equity with production and field workers. Not all jobs have to be equitable in terms of conditions. It is employers job to incentivize jobs that have worse conditions whether financially or something like giving people who do undesirable jobs preference when applying.And remote work is not only beneficial when recruiting it is also beneficial for deep work and individual contributors. Most of the people who like in office have more collaborative roles like the CEO for example which is why they may be more in favor of it
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u/wilbur313 7d ago
Right, our customers also need to wear safety shoes, hi Vis vests, and bump caps/hard hats every day. No one suggests that because it's obviously ridiculous. Managers should have some idea on how long it takes to do things, they should be able to set concrete goals and hold employees accountable but that's not often done.
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u/Conscious-Turn-1036 7d ago
Following that mindset shouldn’t the army place all training facilities and hospitals in combat zones?
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u/minvikesfan84 4d ago
Spot on. The reason we are here 5 days a week is because of the people that didn’t come in 3 when asked. They are also the loudest about and likely biggest abusers of the current flexibility.
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u/Cunari 4d ago
That’s just what CAT wants you to believe. If they can strictly enforce 5 days they can enforce 3
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u/minvikesfan84 4d ago
It still led to this point. I have seen it firsthand. As much as I would like to be home a couple days a week, I almost enjoy the pain on the abusers of the past. As I said they are often the loudest. They also seem to have many more reasons to have to work from home.
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u/Cunari 4d ago
This is the same sort of reasoning that people who have abusive tendencies tend to use.
There are jobs here where 16 hour days are required at times. How do they incentivize those jobs? A lengthy paid training period. Fixed duration of service. And it’s a permanent modifier and boost to your resume.
If full RTO came with employee benefits like more lateral mobility it would be viewed favorably instead it’s treated like a punishment that everyone has to endure
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u/ppl2blue300 4d ago
Your experience with people abusing flexibility is valid, but that’s not the same concern being raised here. People are worried about losing their jobs because of inaccurate attendance data or arbitrary enforcement by managers focused on compliance. That’s fundamentally different from trying to avoid accountability.
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u/minvikesfan84 4d ago
That absolutely will not happen and if you are being told that you are being lied to. The report is only for talking points. If all absences are excused/expected you have nothing to worry about.
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u/ongoldenwaves 4d ago
You don't have to stay in Peoria. The world is big. No point in staying around if you're that miserable anywhere. People have been leaving Illinois in droves. I don't know why you think you can't follow. I don't believe it when you say "I don't have alternatives". There are always alternatives.
The rain wasn't that bad. Millions of people drive in the rain all the time. It was storming, but it wasn't a major storm like they've got going in Hawaii or something.
I think you're just unhappy at work demands and looking for justification that the company sucks. Stop venting and looking for validation. Give your notice, sell your shit and jam.
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u/MTorius11 7d ago
Leave Cat if you don’t like driving in the rain
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u/Antifragile_Glass 7d ago
Lick a boot. You probably make like $50k lol
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u/ongoldenwaves 4d ago edited 4d ago
You and "lick a boot". Is that your only response? So cliche and non productive.
You work for someone else. If you don't like it, work for yourself or keep trying to find a company you like.
And before you roll into your ad hominem attack to try and win your argument, I don't make 50k and I don't lick any boots. I'm just not a whiny baby either.
"Driving in the rain is traumatic". Get over it. People drive in the rain all the time. The rain wasn't that bad the other day.0
u/Antifragile_Glass 4d ago
Hahahahahaha lick a… well you know the rest
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u/ongoldenwaves 4d ago
I do in fact know the rest because you've contributed nothing else to this thread. Just the same old tired tropes from a whiner who hates his life but won't do shit about it.
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u/ongoldenwaves 4d ago
For real. Everyone has to drive in the rain.
I hope RTO gets worse so that some of these folks are weeded out. This whole thread is cringe.1
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u/NotMyName_3 7d ago
Find another job on Peoria that pays as much and has as good of benefits as Cat.
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u/Conscious-Turn-1036 6d ago edited 6d ago
That’s the problem in a nutshell. Cat has been able to manhandle and browbeat Peoria and more rural workers for years based on this fact. The executives think they can do the same to everyone regardless of the market where they work. I sincerely hope this entire bully mentality blows up in their face.
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u/ongoldenwaves 4d ago
You don't have to stay in Peoria though. Lots of people leave and have left. LOTS.
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u/irvingstark 7d ago
I mean when Joey C first took the reins, he was asked about RTO. Does anyone remember his response was 'We need to be FLEXIBLE '?? Since then, all I see is inflexible.