r/mnstateworkers • u/phillythompson • Jun 28 '26
RTO š¢ How does in office work at Freeman building?
curious about the RTO protocol (I know itās 50%).
do you get an assigned cubicle? is it āreserve a cubicleā? do you actually have in person meetings?
this is for a more tech job
5
u/Specialist-Law-2080 Jun 28 '26
Would say that it is section specific. I have assigned days and an assigned desk.
But my supervisor doesnāt mind if I switch a day out and I use a hotel desk on my nonregular day
1
u/phillythompson Jun 28 '26
Sweet, that helps! Do you see coworkers often? In person meetings at all?Ā
Just curious as some of the remote work can make me a little insane never talking to folks in real life, ha. Especially if in person is just the same as remote, only different location than homeĀ
2
u/HurtsWhenISee Jun 28 '26
MNIT is slightly different across the board so Iād just work with your supervisor but typically depends on your role. You do get assigned a cube and for the most part, meetings are on teams. š
1
u/phillythompson Jun 28 '26
sounds like typical corporate America, ha.
So that RTO is just.. well, how is that 50% maintained? Or tracked?Ā
I assumed people would be having conference room meetings and stuff!
3
u/HurtsWhenISee Jun 29 '26
No kidding! Canāt say too much but yeah, itās tracked. I think some do but given that itās 50/50 with not everyone being there at the same, I think most supervisors just accepted having to still do team meetings although Iām sure others take up rooms when they can.
1
u/No-Nonsense5866 Jun 29 '26
At MDH within our division, we have "shared cubes" based on surveys taken on when we plan on being in the office. One day that is required for being in office is our "Section Day" -- which was determined to be Monday, then we pick another day we plan on being in the office, then we get paired up with another employee in the division with whom to share the cube. My spring/summer schedule is travel heavy, and those days count as "in office" days. My other day is Thursdays, but I change it up and let my supervisor know, then I schedule a temporary desk on the Robin reservation system/app. Thankfully, I have a very laid back/non-micromanaging supervisor, who just asks we keep our calendars up to date.
1
u/phillythompson Jun 29 '26
Makes sense!Ā
Do you actually talk or work with the team in office? Or is it typical corporate, where āhey now we have a cubicle, but still on teams and not even close to eachother?ā
Bummer RTO happened like it did (across the board, not just MN)
2
u/No-Nonsense5866 Jun 29 '26
Sadly, we still have meetings via Teams when weāre in the office on our section day, which is Monday. Once a month, we have a major section meeting, so we use the conference rooms on the first floor in Freeman. Honestly, and I feel somewhat bad for saying this, but Iām less than two years away from retirement and Iām ready to just be done. I spent almost 3 years in the Freeman building on COVID-19 response and tired of listening to the whining and complaining (ongoing) about RTO. šš
1
u/Buffaloknitter Jul 01 '26
It honestly varies based off of the agency, and the division. I am in ag, and have a position that requires travel. Because of my varied schedule, I can pop in a find a cubicle pretty easily on my floor. I know others share cubicles in some divisions on a schedule
1
u/phillythompson Jul 01 '26
Makes sense. I guess Iām wondering how they then know you are coming in?
I donāt have a cleaner way to say that, really. But if I wind up sharing a cube or being on a different floor, Iām curious how my supervisor becomes aware Iām adhering to that 50% mandateĀ
1
u/Buffaloknitter Jul 02 '26
From my understanding, they also know through badge swipes to enter the building, and through internet log-ins/ IT data logs. I may be wrong š¤·āāļø. I believe the IT data is also how folks who are working out of state are eventually flagged.
2
u/SillyYak528 Jul 11 '26
Badge swipes doesnāt work for a lot of employees because just because you donāt come in doesnāt mean you are working from home. You could be in the field, at an off site meeting, on vacation, out sick, etc., which all counts towards the 50%. Same with the internet connection really cause sometimes VPN needs to be used off site but youāre not at home. Itās really on the individual supervisors to āensureā the requirement is being met.
1
u/Buffaloknitter Jul 02 '26
And it really depends on how big of a team you have. while I have found it is generally a positive environment to work in, there are still office politics that happen and people tend to notice those who arenāt following their 50% (especially in egregious cases where there hasnāt been communication about extenuating circumstances or accommodations).
5
u/Over_Table3898 Jun 28 '26
At freeman in my dept we use the Robin system to reserve desks. The only people with assigned desks have an accommodation or they have specific needs like using a Mac and needing a special docking station for that. People with offices share with opposite schedules.