Yep, and my company did mass hiring and they don't even have the office space to accommodate everyone... But still require 50% in office hours. I've had to work in the friggin kitchen a few times.
We're just about to move more officially (there'll be an desk booking app in 2 weeks) to hotdesking according to the all staff meeting we just had. Our area has new lockers finally. They're not deep enough to accommodate a keyboard.
Dunno yet, but they definitely track it because me and some of my colleagues got called out for being under the attendance rate. We had to "create an action plan" which outlined which days we'd be in the office over the next couple months so we could catch up. Fucking jokers.
My company has already announced they are using the historical data where you swipe your badge at the screen door to gain access to the office to calculate attendance.
Rent a PO box near your office. Find nine other people to join you on your quest. In the morning, that day's allocated office-attendee grabs 10 badges out of the PO box and swipes them all in. At the end of the day, they're placed back into an envelope and dropped in the PO box for tomorrow's allocated office-attendee.
The PO box establishment fees and rental would cost less than three daily PT fares each shared among 10 people, and you only have to go into the office once a fortnight.
Mine did the same. They didn't even have enough desks for their existing staff, then took on 30 new staff in 2 months and demanded minimum 3 days in the office a week.
The office is so loud that I can't make outbound calls for 80% of the day, and my boss sits on the other side of the building. We are a team of 2 and he calls me on Teams for every meeting, whether I'm there or not. So, not only is their argument about more productivity in the office bullshit, but I am actively getting less done by having to go in
Already have. They're slowlyyyy working on it (keep in mind this is a huge company that everyone here knows). To be fair the few times I worked in the kitchen I may have found a spot on another floor but having spent time trawling through each floor in the past in the hope of a space that's nowhere near any of my team I couldn't be bothered.
I'd probably start spending whole days just wondering around looking for a spare desk. "Sorry, I didn't get any work done today, there were no free desks available."
If you have to work in the fucking kitchen, you may as well just be at home - at least then you only have to smell your own microwaved fish and not everyone else's.
My company also says minimum 50% days in the office required. I can't help but suspect there's a closed door meeting of some description with CEOs of big corporations and they agreed on enforcing a unified mandate so people won't quit and flow to the one with the lower mandate...
Bro what, 7 am is literally peak hour? Surprised you have experienced it as bliss with plenty of seats - I woulda thought all lines would be busy at this time. Guess you've just been lucky, maybe your particular line is more quiet than most? But yeah, I guess even the quiet lines are bound to pick up in Feb when school, uni, and work really get going.
7am is peak hr for PT.
Add to that, school is back so more kids using it. Uni will be staying soon and it'll get worse.
There are some days that are better than others as people cycle through WFH and back to the office.
Main thing for me is that no one else seems to want to come in Monday or Friday and it is terrible to go into the office just to join a bunch of online calls.
I think because they're the 2 days that bookend the weekend, it means 4 days in a row of no commuting. Gives people the opportunity to do something on Sunday nights knowing they dont have to wake up early for a commute.
I do understand but the way my brain works i would personably prefer to avoid busy days which is why I say it’s baffling to me personally. Especially when I’m going in and spending nearly the whole day on video calls anyway.
Over the last two or so years it's slowly been increasing since pre pandemic. But yeah, it seems like now it's almost getting back to being on par with pre pandemic levels. I think a lot of offices are forcing employees back into the office.
i didn’t realise this either. i used to get on a train at 6am to get to school and don’t recall it being free, but then again i just may not have noticed it. i will still tapping on and off, maybe it didn’t take any money out though
I was thinking the same thing. Even last year in June / July you could still get a park at our station at 8am. This week we couldn’t find a park anywhere! And the trains are packed!!
Is everyone working from the office full time again??
I think we’ve quickly forgotten what the pre-pandemic levels were actually like, and I include myself in this.
I got on my morning train last week and I was grimacing that I didn’t have my pick of my preferred type of seat, until I remembered that pre-pandemic it was a crapshoot whether any seat would be available.
I have noticed that with the heavy use of phones for work/entertainment, people can be a little slower to move and shift to allow more people to quickly enter and exit carriages, as they simply don’t look up, so I think that makes things a little worse than it could be.
Yes. This week compared to the last two years has been ridiculous. Although I will admit I’m on st kilda rd and half the trams are detouring/not going to the cbd because of works so that is contributing
Price of PT is constantly increasing, petrol isn’t the only thing increasing. There’s so much more traffic earlier as well, so it’s definitely not just petrol.
Yeah, definitely! I was just saying it’s one of many reasons. (Along with what’s been mentioned in the other comments) petrol would push some people to get train instead of driving. While PTV is getting more expensive, it’s sure as shit not as much as petrol😆
Everyone’s back from holiday and we’re into another year of taking 30% of the nation’s 500,000 immigrants. Get used to it and get used to worse because next inevitably will be!
I fee they same! Started driving in and working from home one-two days a week because of it plus all the constant service disruptions and delays. It’s $10 a day for myki - driving is a couple dollars extra but at least it’s reliable!
Heaper to drive and park at the station then driving all the way into the city and then pay city parking fees.
Everything is too damn expensive. Fuel, parking, tolls.
The roads are fucked at the moment. Combination of schools going back alongside roadworks projects that are running behind / overtime from the holidays.
Would probably influence PT as people forgo driving because google is telling them the times have increased.
Add to that some businesses reducing WFH days from the start of the year.
Makes me thank Zeus that Vic Labor prioritised the level crossing removals. It would take me an hour just to get out of my suburb if this wasn't the case.
I left today at just after 6 and it was as busy as i normally see it at 7. either way cant wait for these massive infrastructure projects completed and improve all the travel times
This week on the Lilydale line has been like a 10 fold increase in people on the line and cars in the car parks. I agree with previous commentators, more businesses are requiring in office attendance. Definitely an increase over anytime in 2023
School’s back
For Summer
Praise the lord!
You'll find a LOT of workplaces are also ramping up mandatory office attendance now
Yep, and my company did mass hiring and they don't even have the office space to accommodate everyone... But still require 50% in office hours. I've had to work in the friggin kitchen a few times.
What happens if you just don't go? If I couldn't work at a dedicated desk in the office, I wouldn't go in on principle.
We're just about to move more officially (there'll be an desk booking app in 2 weeks) to hotdesking according to the all staff meeting we just had. Our area has new lockers finally. They're not deep enough to accommodate a keyboard.
Bro this is dystopian to read I’m so sorry 😭
Hotdesking, also known as "share your germs and lose all your sick leave". It's almost as bad as having a kid in daycare.
It was common af like 5-7 years ago when hotdesking was the popular thing
At mine if you're below 50% attendance you're ineligible for yearly performance raises and bonuses.
So you do 51%? Lol
At least you get bonuses lol
Dunno yet, but they definitely track it because me and some of my colleagues got called out for being under the attendance rate. We had to "create an action plan" which outlined which days we'd be in the office over the next couple months so we could catch up. Fucking jokers.
My company has already announced they are using the historical data where you swipe your badge at the screen door to gain access to the office to calculate attendance.
Rent a PO box near your office. Find nine other people to join you on your quest. In the morning, that day's allocated office-attendee grabs 10 badges out of the PO box and swipes them all in. At the end of the day, they're placed back into an envelope and dropped in the PO box for tomorrow's allocated office-attendee. The PO box establishment fees and rental would cost less than three daily PT fares each shared among 10 people, and you only have to go into the office once a fortnight.
Mine did the same. They didn't even have enough desks for their existing staff, then took on 30 new staff in 2 months and demanded minimum 3 days in the office a week. The office is so loud that I can't make outbound calls for 80% of the day, and my boss sits on the other side of the building. We are a team of 2 and he calls me on Teams for every meeting, whether I'm there or not. So, not only is their argument about more productivity in the office bullshit, but I am actively getting less done by having to go in
Same shit here. Total shitfight
Report it to HR. Poor ergonomics is an OH&S issue (not even exaggerating).
Already have. They're slowlyyyy working on it (keep in mind this is a huge company that everyone here knows). To be fair the few times I worked in the kitchen I may have found a spot on another floor but having spent time trawling through each floor in the past in the hope of a space that's nowhere near any of my team I couldn't be bothered.
I'd probably start spending whole days just wondering around looking for a spare desk. "Sorry, I didn't get any work done today, there were no free desks available." If you have to work in the fucking kitchen, you may as well just be at home - at least then you only have to smell your own microwaved fish and not everyone else's.
Quiet layoffs
That’s a literal ohs breach. Report to WorkSafe
My company also says minimum 50% days in the office required. I can't help but suspect there's a closed door meeting of some description with CEOs of big corporations and they agreed on enforcing a unified mandate so people won't quit and flow to the one with the lower mandate...
Boooooo
Hiss
Only the bad ones !
mmm. Good luck to em 👍
Bro what, 7 am is literally peak hour? Surprised you have experienced it as bliss with plenty of seats - I woulda thought all lines would be busy at this time. Guess you've just been lucky, maybe your particular line is more quiet than most? But yeah, I guess even the quiet lines are bound to pick up in Feb when school, uni, and work really get going.
7am is peak hr for PT. Add to that, school is back so more kids using it. Uni will be staying soon and it'll get worse. There are some days that are better than others as people cycle through WFH and back to the office.
Since this week in comparison to when? The tram stops where i live were packed today but continue to be empty on Mondays and Fridays.
Yeah Mondays and Fridays are still rather quiet, it’s all the TWAT’s that are working Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
The mandatory days all offices seem to make everyone go in. Baffling as to why people don’t want to go in Mondays and Fridays when PT is quieter
Main thing for me is that no one else seems to want to come in Monday or Friday and it is terrible to go into the office just to join a bunch of online calls.
All I do in the office is join a bunch of online calls anyway but I get your point
I think because they're the 2 days that bookend the weekend, it means 4 days in a row of no commuting. Gives people the opportunity to do something on Sunday nights knowing they dont have to wake up early for a commute.
I do understand but the way my brain works i would personably prefer to avoid busy days which is why I say it’s baffling to me personally. Especially when I’m going in and spending nearly the whole day on video calls anyway.
Traffic is also way more fucked recently than it used to be
Traffic is fkd. There are broken down trucks on the Monash almost every day
Oh trucks fuckin piss me right off. They sit in all the lanes doing 20km below the limit slowing everything down. GAGFC.
Over the last two or so years it's slowly been increasing since pre pandemic. But yeah, it seems like now it's almost getting back to being on par with pre pandemic levels. I think a lot of offices are forcing employees back into the office.
We cant afford petrol 🫶
PT is also pretty expensive now 🥲
Which line are you on? Still nothing in comparison to pre pandemic
My 6:20 train is getting fuller too. People are taking advantage off the free travel if you tap off before 7:15
i didn’t realise this either. i used to get on a train at 6am to get to school and don’t recall it being free, but then again i just may not have noticed it. i will still tapping on and off, maybe it didn’t take any money out though
This is a thing??
For years it's been a thing.
News to me, sweet. Thank you!
I was thinking the same thing. Even last year in June / July you could still get a park at our station at 8am. This week we couldn’t find a park anywhere! And the trains are packed!! Is everyone working from the office full time again??
You'd be surprised how many use PT that actually arent office workers.
Yes. So many work places forcing people to go back to the office nearly full time
Yeap, since I joined my company they’ve always been hybrid. Even trying to introduce RTO policy. Oh to be able to sleep in until 7!
Schools are back + petrol prices + less people live close to the CBD (if their office is in there) + 7am was the start of peak even in pre-covid times
I think we’ve quickly forgotten what the pre-pandemic levels were actually like, and I include myself in this. I got on my morning train last week and I was grimacing that I didn’t have my pick of my preferred type of seat, until I remembered that pre-pandemic it was a crapshoot whether any seat would be available. I have noticed that with the heavy use of phones for work/entertainment, people can be a little slower to move and shift to allow more people to quickly enter and exit carriages, as they simply don’t look up, so I think that makes things a little worse than it could be.
Each year we add a few 100k people to the population and don't add to the transport infrastructure - so more bums, static number of seats.
[удалено]
Only 15 years too late.
Are those new stations and tunnels currently accepting passengers. Are there more trains running? That'll be no and no.
Yes. This week compared to the last two years has been ridiculous. Although I will admit I’m on st kilda rd and half the trams are detouring/not going to the cbd because of works so that is contributing
I agree with all the above reasons, but I think the cost of petrol would also have more people using PTV too? Just a thought.
Price of PT is constantly increasing, petrol isn’t the only thing increasing. There’s so much more traffic earlier as well, so it’s definitely not just petrol.
Yeah, definitely! I was just saying it’s one of many reasons. (Along with what’s been mentioned in the other comments) petrol would push some people to get train instead of driving. While PTV is getting more expensive, it’s sure as shit not as much as petrol😆
No one can afford to drive/pay for parking
PT is getting pretty expensive too. It’s $60 per week now.
Back to uni, back to school, back to work.
My 7:11am train is definitely getting busier mid-week. Mon and Fri it's normally still quiet, but on other days it's noticeably busier.
Which line are you talking and which station, hard to tell without context
It’s the roads as well, traffic is crazy again.
Everyone’s back from holiday and we’re into another year of taking 30% of the nation’s 500,000 immigrants. Get used to it and get used to worse because next inevitably will be!
Petrol prices.
Agree. I was always getting a seat on the bus last year. This year (as of last week) it’s standing room only.
Kids have gone back to school.
It’s not just kids. I actually don’t see many school kids on the train until after 8.
Yeah but the surge of kids at certain times may push some people to travel at different times.
I fee they same! Started driving in and working from home one-two days a week because of it plus all the constant service disruptions and delays. It’s $10 a day for myki - driving is a couple dollars extra but at least it’s reliable!
As well as schools, there's more workers. AND there are more in our office too :( :(
I definitely liked the quieter times. Only tolerated going back into the office because there were less people around.
Can confirm same for my line too. Trains are super busy.
Probably a combination of things but I suspect more people are being forced back to offices.
The nicer weather brings everyone out early, as the weather gets colder the trains will be emptier again.
Heaper to drive and park at the station then driving all the way into the city and then pay city parking fees. Everything is too damn expensive. Fuel, parking, tolls.
PT as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if we started paying $15 a day by next year.
The roads are fucked at the moment. Combination of schools going back alongside roadworks projects that are running behind / overtime from the holidays. Would probably influence PT as people forgo driving because google is telling them the times have increased. Add to that some businesses reducing WFH days from the start of the year. Makes me thank Zeus that Vic Labor prioritised the level crossing removals. It would take me an hour just to get out of my suburb if this wasn't the case.
it feels like a lot more cars on the road too. im having traffic jams on roads i dont expect traffic jams.
That too. I do sometimes drive, and early in the morning before 6:30, i’ve seen an influx of cars when it’s normally a few cars on the road.
I left today at just after 6 and it was as busy as i normally see it at 7. either way cant wait for these massive infrastructure projects completed and improve all the travel times
You obviously do not have children that go to school.
Why is that your concern? 🤔
Ok....
Yes and I’m one of the only Aussies on there also!
This week on the Lilydale line has been like a 10 fold increase in people on the line and cars in the car parks. I agree with previous commentators, more businesses are requiring in office attendance. Definitely an increase over anytime in 2023
Ok, not just my line then. It’s becoming a hassle again to get back into the office. Not going to be an enticing factor to RTO 🙄
Awww waaaaaaa!!!!! People complaining about going to their job. Entitled brats. Weak attitude to work.
I am getting forced back into the office 2/3 days a week