My Department is being called back to the office...

[brooklynite]

It finally feels like the New York region has turned a corner in the progression of the COVID pandemic. New cases have been dropping since the new year, more than half of all New York State residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and ridership is steadily growing on the transit system.

With that in mind, I am delighted to announce that we will be bringing the C&D team back into the office on a half-time basis – i.e. a full A/B scheme for all employees – beginning Monday, June 7.

I know that every one of us has been working hard since last March, with positive results for the agency and the entire region. Even at the peak, the pandemic never caused more than 10 percent of our work sites to be shut down and even then, only for a few weeks. We awarded $5.4 B and completed $4.3 B worth of projects. But there is no question in my mind that the work we do here at C&D is best done in person. The face-to-face meetings and chance encounters that take place in an office make us better collaborators and problem solvers.

With special ventilation and touchless features, 2 Broadway and other C&D office locations have been equipped for a full A/B 50% daily occupancy scheme for nearly a year. We are ready to resume more in-person work safely.

Doesn't affect me; I'll be on vacation all of June, up the point that I retire.

[vanlassie]

1. CONGRATULATIONS!!

[catrose]

2. Congratulations to you, tears for your colleagues. My worksite is shuttered through Q3.

[Cal Carpenter]

3. "..with positive results for the agency..."

One would think, given the circumstances, they might have worded that differently.

[Siwsan]

4. I did the same thing - using up time off - before I retired in 2015.

I officially retired on my very first date of eligibility - my birthday, June 9 but I took an extended vacation that started April 7, using my 10 weeks of 'banked' paid time off. And, during those weeks I was STILL earning time off at the rate of 10.47 hours per pay period so I also ended up with a nice little 'bonus' check. I had to go back on June 9, but just for a few hours to complete paperwork.

I had been in an incredibly toxic situation in my department and while going through that my sister and mother died in the first 3 weeks of 2015. So I made the decision to move up my retirement date by 3 years. My company wasn't happy I was leaving but they understood why and supported my decision. They even threw me an 'invitation only' retirement party and gave me a plaque, naming me as 'Employee of the Millennium', which was a long running joke I had with the HR department.

It was one of the smartest decisions I've ever made. I LOVE retirement. I bet you will, too. It made all of the financial scrimping and saving I did, well worth the effort.

[alwaysinasnit]

5. Congratulations!

[gldstwmn]

6. The genie is out of the bottle for a

lot of folks. They're never going back.
I was already a remote employee when this whole thing started so no changes for me.