Securing a good Work From Home from the off

[PerfectStorm]

Yeah, but if they were like that when you approached it at interview, imagine what they'd be like to work for.

Well that's what I thought. But there's the other school of thought that says if you start doing it once you're bedded into the project there's less likelihood of them throwing out the whole arrangement to start again with someone else... you just get a client who hates you.

[b0redom]

Well that's what I thought. But there's the other school of thought that says if you start doing it once you're bedded into the project there's less likelihood of them throwing out the whole arrangement to start again with someone else... you just get a client who hates you.

I've found it's more likely to work the other way. At ClientCo-1 I had a PM call me into an office and ask why I was working from home 3 days per week. I politely explained that it was because I had a 2.5 hour commute each way and that's what I'd agreed with their predecessor.

I was told in no uncertain terms that this was unacceptable and I would need to be in the office 4 days per week from then on. I said as I only had 2 weeks left on the contract I would suck it up. I was immediately offered an extension (which I declined).

It doesn't have to go in the contract necessarily (although it's probably a weak D&C pointer), but if WFH is important to you it should form part of the initial discussions then everyone is on the same page.

[PerfectStorm]

I was told in no uncertain terms that this was unacceptable and I would need to be in the office 4 days per week from then on. I said as I only had 2 weeks left on the contract I would suck it up. I was immediately offered an extension (which I declined).

Sorry, what's the moral of this story?

Did you try to make it a condition of the extension? That's an opportunity for leverage if ever I saw one

[b0redom]

It was never going to happen turns out the new PM had had the same conversation with a number of others over the previous few weeks (and I already had a better gig lined up). The moral of the story is, I guess, things are way less likely to move in your favour once you've signed on the dotted line. Although you're B2B rather than peon/master, they're the ones with the cash.