Hybrid versus 100% remote working

[achilles]

Sounds very millennial to me.

I wouldn't make such assumptions NLUK, it is just a personal choice.

[PCTNN]

The point of me being in the office was so people could put my face to my name and vice versa

Devil's advocate here: is putting a face to a name necessary? Like, does that make you work harder or does that make your output better?

[achilles]

Devil's advocate here: is putting a face to a name necessary? Like, does that make you work harder or does that make your output better?

No, it is not. When you are a contractor, the only thing that matters is the quality of your work. Once you have showcased your talents, the client does not care if they never meet you in person.

[ladymuck]

No, it is not. When you are a contractor, the only thing that matters is the quality of your work. Once you have showcased your talents, the client does not care if they never meet you in person.

Hmm...

Being a contractor isn't just about "doing the job". You also have to build relationships with people as it's generally the relationships that get you repeat business. Yes, it's achievable without ever meeting them in meatspace but it's a darn sight easier if you can shake their hand and look them in the eye.

[northernladuk]

Devil's advocate here: is putting a face to a name necessary? Like, does that make you work harder or does that make your output better?

Without a doubt. People may think they can still deliver X at the same pace but that's their perception based on the 'want' to work remotely. Many studies have been done on interaction and they all come to something like same conclusion. It will vary from person to person and business sector to sector but on the whole the conclusions are somewhat similar. For example.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-021-01196-4

Our results suggest that shifting to firm-wide remote work caused the collaboration network to become more heavily siloed—with fewer ties that cut across formal business units or bridge structural holes in Microsoft’s informal collaboration network—and that those silos became more densely connected. Furthermore, the network became more static, with fewer ties added and deleted per month. Previous research suggests that these changes in collaboration patterns may impede the transfer of knowledge and reduce the quality of workers’ output. Our results also indicate that the shift to firm-wide remote work caused synchronous communication to decrease and asynchronous communication to increase. Not only were the communication media that workers used less synchronous, but they were also less ‘rich’ (for example, email and IM). These changes in communication media may have made it more difficult for workers to convey and process complex information.

As I say, it may be less true from some types of work and more true for others but it's without a doubt a benefit.

There is also the aspect that it might suit you but not others in the team for various reasons. Another person in your team might not have the space at home for 100% working, may need the mental aspect of having face to face and their needs are just as important as your want to never step foot in the office. Client has to manage this and hybrid is the middle ground.

[lecyclist]

No, it is not. When you are a contractor, the only thing that matters is the quality of your work. Once you have showcased your talents, the client does not care if they never meet you in person.

Ideologically correct in a transactional business relationship. But isn't it better to be liked/ thought of in a non-transactional way by your hiring manager, if that allows you to exercise greater personal freedom during working hours, slacking off sometimes without penalty? And when it comes to contract renewals/rate increases, the soft skills can also pay dividends.

[northernladuk]

It's actually funny timing as I've just been in the office for some planning workshops today and met a load of people I've only been talking to on teams for the last year and it's been a proper blast. Got more done, dug deeper and above all had a good laugh with them talking cars and other crap over coffee. Achieved something we couldn't over teams and had a great day. I've got the benefits of working from home but a chance to catch up and do some good work as well.

To say you won't entertain a client that needs you in the building is frankly silly for all the reasons above as well as narrowing down your client possibilities in a world that is moving towards hybrid. Fair enough it's not your first choice to but saying things like you'll never work inside or never work for a client that wants you inside is just daft IMO.

[northernladuk]

No, it is not. When you are a contractor, the only thing that matters is the quality of your work. Once you have showcased your talents, the client does not care if they never meet you in person.

You had some nice responses that explain it but my response to that is rubbish. It's a personal choice as you've said but not for you to dictate how a client works. As well as you being wrong (IMO).

Might be worth you putting some context around what you do though. It's quite possible your type of work leans more towards that but its still a rubbish generalisation.

[WTFH]

No, it is not. When you are a contractor, the only thing that matters is the quality of your work. Once you have showcased your talents, the client does not care if they never meet you in person.

I guess that depends what area you are contracting in. If you're a code monkey that is given a task to code, then I can understand that maybe on-site is less important. If you're involved in solutioning problems, then if helps if you get to understand the problem by seeing what users do, how they do it and where. There are certain elements of my business which cannot be done properly without a site visit. The quality of my work depends on me interacting with people where they are.
If I saw a role that said 100% remote, I would question why they are paying for me and not some offshore resource at 1/10th my rate. Most of my roles over the last 5 years have been "Remote with some on-site requirements". Over the life of a project it's probably <25% on site, but there may be weeks where it's 100% on site.

But, as I said at the start, it depends on what you are doing.

[TheDude]

If I saw a role that said 100% remote, I would question why they are paying for me and not some offshore resource at 1/10th my rate.

Because top end offshore talent does not exist at 1/10th the rate.