Opinion About Federal Workplaces

I read today that the incoming administration is planning to require federal employees to return to working from offices rather than home. There are so many, many things that have distressed me about the Trump plans (tariffs, low-caliber appointees, reproductive rights, etc.) that I was pleased to have something that I agree with. I have first-hand knowledge that many workers-from-home spend a lot of their time on non-work activities. Businesses know that, which is why they're changing their policies too. And teaching kids via computer didn't work well either.

This line of thinking reminds me of a conundrum from my past. I headed an organization of about 60 people when I was working in a federal position in Washington. One subordinate was a serious alcoholic who showed up late, produced nothing, and was frequently drunk by the time 5:00 came around. She kept a bottle of vodka in her desk. I told her that she needed to do something about the problem and that her next review would be based on her achieving a few tasks that I assigned her. She failed, so I wrote her up—the first step in the firing process. The union sprang into action to defend her, although the union rep privately told me that he wished he didn't have to because there was no way she could work in her condition. We went round and around. Months later when I was promoted out of that office, she was still there, still nonproductive, still drunk every day. It was a sour experience that taught me that our system needs some change.