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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Dell wanted everyone back in the office 5 days a week. Employees say it's been open to interpretation.
Dell's companywide five-day RTO mandate started in March. Managers have different interpretations of the rules, employees told BI. The discrepancies in how it's enforced are causing "internal politics," one worker said. After years of ramping up its RTO push, Dell called all its employees living near an office back to their desks full time starting March 3, saying it expected employees to do "a regular working day in the office" with "flexibility as needed." Three months in, 10 Dell employees based in offices across the US have told BI that — in addition to challenges with RTO mandates like overcrowded offices and parking lots — the degree of enforcement so far has depended on the role and the manager. Some employees said they are in eight hours a day, while one employee described "badging" in and leaving soon after. That's causing "lots of in-office politics," a Dell program manager said. They said they had worked from home for several days with "no problems" since March 3, while a teammate who did the same was "talked to." They said this fueled "gossip" about who is in eight hours a day and who isn't. The differing treatment was creating a "busy-body type environment" where "people on-site fight amongst each other based on who comes in and who doesn't," they added. "So much of this is dependent on leaders," the program manager said, adding that it felt "haphazard." A Dell spokesperson told BI the company's "expectations for our team members have not changed." "They are expected to work a regular working day in the office, but have flexibility as needed," the spokesperson said. "Also, team members in global roles may need to take late evening calls and can adjust their in-office hours accordingly." An internal FAQ obtained by BI, last updated on May 29, shared examples of when employees may be permitted to work from home, with approval from a leader. These included a temporary medical condition, needing to provide care on a temporary basis, or adjusting in-office hours to avoid peak traffic. Of the five employees who told BI they sometimes worked from home, none said they were doing so for any of the reasons listed in the FAQ. "I personally have not been adhering to eight hours a day," said one employee at company headquarters in Round Rock, Texas. "I am aware I may be breaking the rules, but no one has corrected me yet." "My team is in the office five days a week, but I work about four hours and finish the day from home," said an employee in Oklahoma City. An employee in tech support at Round Rock told BI they'd intentionally been coming in less since March 3 on "pure principle." They said they felt the new policy made them feel "treated like a child." When the policy was announced in January, a Dell spokesperson told BI it would mean "more in-person connections to drive market leadership." Vivek Mohindra, Dell's senior vice president of corporate strategy, previously told BI that having staff in the office brought "huge benefits," including "learning from each other, training, and mentorship." The tech support worker said they come into the office for a few hours if there are in-person meetings. Otherwise, they're "just badging and then leaving," they said. Others at Round Rock do the same, the employee said, adding they saw colleagues "do a little lap" and walk out to the parking lot — "less than five minutes in and out." Some of the other employees BI spoke with said their managers were interpreting the mandate to mean five full days in the office. Three said that since March 3, they had been expected to spend full days in the office. A fourth said their manager was initially flexible but was later asked to justify why some team members were not consistently in five days a week. The leader has to submit justification for employees to work away from the office and create an action plan for anyone falling short of the five days, they said. Two other employees said the sales team, which has had a five-day RTO since September, had been particularly strict about enforcing a full working day. When Dell announced the five-day RTO, it said flexibility in the workday would be agreed upon with managers. Continued noncompliance with the order "may result in disciplinary action," according to the FAQ BI obtained. Three employees said they were unaware that a full day was the official requirement when asked by BI if they were in the office eight hours each day. An April email from a senior executive, which BI has seen, seemed to capture the uncertainty around what was required. James Christmas, the vice president of customer success, global services support, and deployment, informed some staff in the company's client solutions group to "maintain a consistent presence in the office, with a minimum of four hours daily." A tech support worker who received the email told BI their team had been coming to the office for eight-hour days since early March, so the four-hour guidance surprised them. "I was told there was no WFH, and my manager was told the same thing," they added. A Dell spokesperson declined to comment about Christmas' email. pthompson@ Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Dell wanted everyone back in the office 5 days a week. Employees say it's been open to interpretation.
After years of ramping up its RTO push, Dell called all its employees living near an office back to their desks full time starting March 3, saying it expected employees to do "a regular working day in the office" with "flexibility as needed." Three months in, 10 Dell employees based in offices across the US have told BI that — in addition to challenges with RTO mandates like overcrowded offices and parking lots — the degree of enforcement so far has depended on the role and the manager. Some employees said they are in eight hours a day, while one employee described "badging" in and leaving soon after. That's causing "lots of in-office politics," a Dell program manager said. They said they had worked from home for several days with "no problems" since March 3, while a teammate who did the same was "talked to." They said this fueled "gossip" about who is in eight hours a day and who isn't. The differing treatment was creating a "busy-body type environment" where "people on-site fight amongst each other based on who comes in and who doesn't," they added. "So much of this is dependent on leaders," the program manager said, adding that it felt "haphazard." A Dell spokesperson told BI the company's "expectations for our team members have not changed." "They are expected to work a regular working day in the office, but have flexibility as needed," the spokesperson said. "Also, team members in global roles may need to take late evening calls and can adjust their in-office hours accordingly." An internal FAQ obtained by BI, last updated on May 29, shared examples of when employees may be permitted to work from home, with approval from a leader. These included a temporary medical condition, needing to provide care on a temporary basis, or adjusting in-office hours to avoid peak traffic. Of the five employees who told BI they sometimes worked from home, none said they were doing so for any of the reasons listed in the FAQ. 'No one has corrected me yet' "I personally have not been adhering to eight hours a day," said one employee at company headquarters in Round Rock, Texas. "I am aware I may be breaking the rules, but no one has corrected me yet." "My team is in the office five days a week, but I work about four hours and finish the day from home," said an employee in Oklahoma City. An employee in tech support at Round Rock told BI they'd intentionally been coming in less since March 3 on "pure principle." They said they felt the new policy made them feel "treated like a child." When the policy was announced in January, a Dell spokesperson told BI it would mean "more in-person connections to drive market leadership." Vivek Mohindra, Dell's senior vice president of corporate strategy, previously told BI that having staff in the office brought "huge benefits," including "learning from each other, training, and mentorship." The tech support worker said they come into the office for a few hours if there are in-person meetings. Otherwise, they're "just badging and then leaving," they said. Others at Round Rock do the same, the employee said, adding they saw colleagues "do a little lap" and walk out to the parking lot — "less than five minutes in and out." Some of the other employees BI spoke with said their managers were interpreting the mandate to mean five full days in the office. Three said that since March 3, they had been expected to spend full days in the office. A fourth said their manager was initially flexible but was later asked to justify why some team members were not consistently in five days a week. The leader has to submit justification for employees to work away from the office and create an action plan for anyone falling short of the five days, they said. Two other employees said the sales team, which has had a five-day RTO since September, had been particularly strict about enforcing a full working day. Confusion When Dell announced the five-day RTO, it said flexibility in the workday would be agreed upon with managers. Continued noncompliance with the order "may result in disciplinary action," according to the FAQ BI obtained. Three employees said they were unaware that a full day was the official requirement when asked by BI if they were in the office eight hours each day. An April email from a senior executive, which BI has seen, seemed to capture the uncertainty around what was required. James Christmas, the vice president of customer success, global services support, and deployment, informed some staff in the company's client solutions group to "maintain a consistent presence in the office, with a minimum of four hours daily." A tech support worker who received the email told BI their team had been coming to the office for eight-hour days since early March, so the four-hour guidance surprised them. "I was told there was no WFH, and my manager was told the same thing," they added. A Dell spokesperson declined to comment about Christmas' email.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Read Dell's memo 'retiring' hybrid work and calling workers back to the office 5 days a week
Dell is calling its global workforce back to the office full time, per a memo obtained by BI. In September, the company told its sales teams to be in the office five days a week. "Nothing is faster than the speed of human interaction," CEO Michael Dell told staff in the email. Dell is calling an end to hybrid and remote work. In an email sent on Friday morning, CEO Michael Dell said that from March, the company would expect all employees living within roughly an hour of offices to be at their desks five days a week. "Starting March 3, all hybrid and remote team members who live near a Dell office will work in the office five days a week. We are retiring the hybrid policy effective that day," the CEO, who has a net worth of $117 billion, told staff. According to the email, which Business Insider exclusively obtained, employees who live far from a Dell office will be allowed to continue working remotely. However, according to an internal FAQ seen by BI, remote workers will not be eligible for promotion through the company's annual pay planning process without approval from three of the company's most senior leaders: the SVP, ELT, and COO. The company wrote in the FAQ that "all future roles will be hired at a specific Dell office and will no longer be offered as remote. " "What we're finding is that for all the technology in the world, nothing is faster than the speed of human interaction," Michael Dell told staff. "A thirty-second conversation can replace an email back-and-forth that goes on for hours or even days." The CEO acknowledged that staff would have questions. "Please hold those for now," he said. "We're still working through details, and additional information will be available soon." BI understands that leaders at Dell will be able to ask for exemptions for their team members. Most offices have capacity for all workers to return in March, but in the few cases where space was limited, Dell will provide guidance in the coming month, BI understands. "We continually evolve our business so we're set up to deliver the best innovation, value and service to our customers and partners. That includes more in-person connections to drive market leadership," a Dell spokesperson told BI. Dell has already implemented a five-day return-to-work policy for some parts of its business. In September, the company sent a memo to its entire global sales team informing them they'd be required to work in the office full time. Manufacturing teams, engineers in the labs, on-site team members, and leaders had also already been asked to be in the office five days a week. Parents at Dell told BI the September five-day mandate had left them scrambling to find childcare arrangements, while other sales staff said there was a shortage of parking spots and desks — a common logistical challenge for companies implementing RTO. Vivek Mohindra, Dell's senior vice president of corporate strategy, told BI in December that the company had seen "huge benefits" from bringing the sales team back to the office and that the energy on the sales floor had been "very different" since the policy was introduced. The company, which sells PCs and enterprise technology such as servers, asked its more than 100,000-strong workforce to classify as either remote or hybrid in February 2024. Last year, BI obtained internal data showing that close to 50% of Dell's full-time workers in the US initially chose to stay remote, while a third of international staff remained remote. Their reasoning included living far from the office, working in teams spread over different states and countries, and working remotely before the pandemic. Dell joins a growing list of companies, including Amazon, AT&T, and JPMorgan, that have reversed their stance on remote work and now expect employees to be in the office full time. Federal workers have also been called to return to their offices full time after President Donald Trump signed an executive order mandating an RTO on his first day in office last week. Read Dell's full memo below: Team,We are building a new Dell Technologies for a new future. The pace of innovation has never been faster, and for us to lead, the speed of our business must continue to accelerate. What we're finding is that for all the technology in the world, nothing is faster than the speed of human interaction. A thirty second conversation can replace an email back-and-forth that goes on for hours or even already asked our sales teams, manufacturing teams, engineers in the labs, onsite team members and leaders to be in the office five days a week, and we have seen these areas come alive with new speed, energy, and passion. Now, we want to see that same sense of urgency and drive March 3, all hybrid and remote team members who live near a Dell office will work in the office five days a week. We are retiring the hybrid policy effective that day. We remain committed to flexibility within your workday, and you should continue to work with your manager to meet your needs. But for the most part, you should plan to work in the office five days a you opted-in for remote work and live near a Dell office, we expect you to join us in the office. If you are remote and live a long distance from a Dell office, you'll stay remote. If you are field, you will continue to spend five days a week with customers and partners or in a Dell Technologies know you may have questions about what this means for your specific situation. Please hold those for now. We're still working through details, and additional information will be available soon. But I personally wanted to share this news sooner rather than later, so you have time to process and continually evolve our business to deliver the best value and service to our customers and partners. I'm excited for us to have more in-person connections to drive speed, market leadership, and an even stronger culture.I look forward to seeing many more of you in the office. Welcome back!Michael pthompson@ and jmann@ Read the original article on Business Insider Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Read Dell's memo 'retiring' hybrid work and calling workers back to the office 5 days a week
Dell is calling its global workforce back to the office full time, per a memo obtained by BI. In September, the company told its sales teams to be in the office five days a week. "Nothing is faster than the speed of human interaction," CEO Michael Dell told staff in the email. Dell is calling an end to hybrid and remote work. In an email sent on Friday morning, CEO Michael Dell said that from March the company would expect all employees living within an hour of offices to be at their desks five days a week. "Starting March 3, all hybrid and remote team members who live near a Dell office will work in the office five days a week. We are retiring the hybrid policy effective that day," the CEO, who has a net worth of $117 billion, told staff. According to the email, which BI exclusively obtained, employees who live far from a Dell office will be allowed to continue working remotely. "What we're finding is that for all the technology in the world, nothing is faster than the speed of human interaction," Michael Dell told staff. "A thirty-second conversation can replace an email back-and-forth that goes on for hours or even days." The CEO acknowledged that staff would have questions. "Please hold those for now," he said. "We're still working through details, and additional information will be available soon." BI understands that leaders at Dell will be able to ask for exemptions for their team members. Most offices have capacity for all workers to return in March, but in the few cases where space was limited, Dell will provide guidance in the coming month, BI understands. "We continually evolve our business so we're set up to deliver the best innovation, value and service to our customers and partners. That includes more in-person connections to drive market leadership," a Dell spokesperson told BI. Dell has already implemented a five-day return-to-work policy for some parts of its business. In September, the company sent a memo to its entire global sales team informing them they would be required to work in the office full time. Manufacturing teams, engineers in the labs, onsite team members, and leaders had also already been asked to be in the office five days a week. Parents at Dell told BI that the September five-day mandate had left them scrambling to find childcare arrangements, while other sales staff said there was a shortage of parking spots and desks — a common logistical challenge for companies implementing RTO. Vivek Mohindra, Dell's senior vice president of corporate strategy, told BI in December that the company had seen "huge benefits" from bringing the sales team back to the office and that the energy on the sales floor had been "very different" since the policy was introduced. The company, which sells PCs and enterprise technology such as servers, asked its more than 100,000-strong workforce to classify as either remote or hybrid in February 2024. Last year, BI obtained internal data showing that close to 50% of Dell's full-time workers in the US initially chose to stay remote, while a third of international staff remained remote. Their reasoning included living far from the office, working in teams spread over different states and countries, and working remotely before the pandemic. Dell joins a growing list of companies, including Amazon, AT&T, and JPMorgan, that have reversed their stance on remote work and now expect employees to be in the office full-time. Federal workers have also been called to return to their offices full time after President Donald Trump signed an executive order mandating an RTO on his first day in office last week. Read the full memo below: Team,We are building a new Dell Technologies for a new future. The pace of innovation has never been faster, and for us to lead, the speed of our business must continue to accelerate. What we're finding is that for all the technology in the world, nothing is faster than the speed of human interaction. A thirty second conversation can replace an email back-and-forth that goes on for hours or even already asked our sales teams, manufacturing teams, engineers in the labs, onsite team members and leaders to be in the office five days a week, and we have seen these areas come alive with new speed, energy, and passion. Now, we want to see that same sense of urgency and drive March 3, all hybrid and remote team members who live near a Dell office will work in the office five days a week. We are retiring the hybrid policy effective that day. We remain committed to flexibility within your workday, and you should continue to work with your manager to meet your needs. But for the most part, you should plan to work in the office five days a you opted-in for remote work and live near a Dell office, we expect you to join us in the office. If you are remote and live a long distance from a Dell office, you'll stay remote. If you are field, you will continue to spend five days a week with customers and partners or in a Dell Technologies know you may have questions about what this means for your specific situation. Please hold those for now. We're still working through details, and additional information will be available soon. But I personally wanted to share this news sooner rather than later, so you have time to process and continually evolve our business to deliver the best value and service to our customers and partners. I'm excited for us to have more in-person connections to drive speed, market leadership, and an even stronger culture.I look forward to seeing many more of you in the office. Welcome back!Michael pthompson@ and jmann@ Read the original article on Business Insider
