We need to pressure clients more for remote working

[DrewG]

Being pregnant isn't a permanent state.

So there is no reason before she was 6 months pregnant and about 3 months afterwards why you can't go into an office a few times a month. Also I have friends and a neighbour who had pelvic girdle pain who still managed to drop off/pick up their other kids. Their partners/spouse's couldn't just stop working on-site.

The bigger issues include, which one of my siblings and their spouse had plus a couple of friends, was a child with a long term disability with frequent hospitalisations. There at least one having a flexible employer helped a lot.

It's the state of now so that's what I'm working with right now. There is a wider diversity point to be made there though for parents, carers, and other people whose movements are limited.

For me, it's a quality of life issue. I just plain don't want to travel on a fixed schedule, only happy to do ad-hoc trips where needed. There's no reason why I shouldn't attempt to get what I want out of employment.

Im not looking for charity, I'm looking to provide highly skilled services remotely and I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is on the issue.

Since rejecting the offer, they have come back with a modified onsite schedule which I am considering but I'm still leaning towards no. They can go through the pain of interviewing again under the realisation that their preferred candidates aren't happy with their crappy working practices.

[northernladuk]

That's a bit offensive.

I take my kids to school every morning and pick them up from after-school club most evenings. If I'm away for several days every other week, my heavily pregnant wife now has to do that which is no easy task for her.

Remote work enables diversity and inclusion.

It's only offensive because you didn't list the reasons why remote working suits YOUR very personal working situation. The original post made absolute no reference to this and you just looked like a self entitled contractor that is turning down over market rates just because they don't want to kowtow to a clients needs/requirements. We get a lot of this on here where it's just self entitlement and overvaluing their own worth when really they are a supplier to a clients needs, however wrong we think they are.

If you need remote because of your very particular situation then fair enough but to call for a national push back against clients requirements in general then yes it was meant to be harsh.

[DrewG]

It's only offensive because you didn't list the reasons why remote working suits YOUR very personal working situation. The original post made absolute no reference to this and you just looked like a self entitled contractor that is turning down over market rates just because they don't want to kowtow to a clients needs/requirements. We get a lot of this on here where it's just self entitlement and overvaluing their own worth when really they are a supplier to a clients needs, however wrong we think they are.

If you need remote because of your very particular situation then fair enough but to call for a national push back against clients requirements in general then yes it was meant to be harsh.

I have thought to myself that it's a sense of entitlement but ultimately I've decided I'm willing to turn down work to get what I want. It's not like I'm turning up on-site and moaning all day.

There's nothing wrong in trying to build the life you want, especially if you're willing to actually live by your words. It's not like I'm taking benefits to support my entitled views.

I'm selling a service, if there's no market for the service then I'll change. It hasn't been proven to me (yet) that I can't get what i want.

[northernladuk]

I have thought to myself that it's a sense of entitlement but ultimately I've decided I'm willing to turn down work to get what I want. It's not like I'm turning up on-site and moaning all day.

There's nothing wrong in trying to build the life you want, especially if you're willing to actually live by your words. It's not like I'm taking benefits to support my entitled views.

I'm selling a service, if there's no market for the service then I'll change. It hasn't been proven to me (yet) that I can't get what i want.

Absolutely. Nothing wrong with that but look at your title. It's a call to arms for all your peers to join in because you have some very specific lifestyle requirements. You started off with 'we' which I've responded to with my opinion but it's turned around the be about you which, now you've explained it, is totally understandable.

[DrewG]

Absolutely. Nothing wrong with that but look at your title. It's a call to arms for all your peers to join in because you have some very specific lifestyle requirements. You started off with 'we' which I've responded to with my opinion but it's turned around the be about you which, now you've explained it, is totally understandable.

I think there are plenty of people that want remote even if you don't. I'm just looking for my tribe of which you are clearly not a part of.

[northernladuk]

I think there are plenty of people that want remote even if you don't. I'm just looking for my tribe of which you are clearly not a part of.

I'm certainly not but that's fair enough.

[SueEllen]

It's the state of now so that's what I'm working with right now. There is a wider diversity point to be made there though for parents, carers, and other people whose movements are limited.

For me, it's a quality of life issue. I just plain don't want to travel on a fixed schedule, only happy to do ad-hoc trips where needed. There's no reason why I shouldn't attempt to get what I want out of employment.

Im not looking for charity, I'm looking to provide highly skilled services remotely and I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is on the issue.

Since rejecting the offer, they have come back with a modified onsite schedule which I am considering but I'm still leaning towards no. They can go through the pain of interviewing again under the realisation that their preferred candidates aren't happy with their crappy working practices.

Why don't you tell them that you are happy to come on for specific meetings but not on a fixed schedule.

Then ensure you get enough notice for those meetings as well as a meeting agenda, especially if the client has any managers who are time wasters, before you come in. That way you have time to sort out any help needed for your wife.

Also once you have your feet under the table refuse to go in around your wife's due date if it means you have to travel more than 90 minutes to the client.

No point cutting your nose off to spite your face.

[DrewG]

Why don't you tell them that you are happy to come on for specific meetings but not on a fixed schedule.

Then ensure you get enough notice for those meetings as well as a meeting agenda, especially if the client has any managers who are time wasters, before you come in. That way you have time to sort out any help needed for your wife.

Also once you have your feet under the table refuse to go in around your wife's due date if it means you have to travel more than 90 minutes to the client.

No point cutting your nose off to spite your face.

That's exactly what I've done since they've come back to me with a slightly more flexible offer. I won't give a blow-by-blow account but they seem happy to compromise, I'm testing how far that will go before they get fed up of me.

[northernladuk]

That's exactly what I've done since they've come back to me with a slightly more flexible offer. I won't give a blow-by-blow account but they seem happy to compromise, I'm testing how far that will go before they get fed up of me.

To be fair I'd be fully expecting them to turn the tables the minute I'm in in a situation like that. I've seen it before in the old world when it was full in the office and someone has negotiated hybrid. Started for a few weeks and then when go live approaches the person was 'requested' to come in full time and the relationship broke down.

I can see in some cases a client could be flexible and it can work, particularly when the client is being unreasonable in their initial hybrid approach but I can also see them negotiating to getting someone in to a role they are finding it hard to resource and then playing the 'goal posts have moved so it's back to normal' card as soon as you are bedded in. They'll assume you'll get used to when it hits and won't be banking on you chucking the towel in. Make sure you get whatever agreement you reach in the contract.

[DrewG]

To be fair I'd be fully expecting them to turn the tables the minute I'm in in a situation like that. I've seen it before in the old world when it was full in the office and someone has negotiated hybrid. Started for a few weeks and then when go live approaches the person was 'requested' to come in full time and the relationship broke down.

I can see in some cases a client could be flexible and it can work, particularly when the client is being unreasonable in their initial hybrid approach but I can also see them negotiating to getting someone in to a role they are finding it hard to resource and then playing the 'goal posts have moved so it's back to normal' card as soon as you are bedded in. They'll assume you'll get used to when it hits and won't be banking on you chucking the towel in. Make sure you get whatever agreement you reach in the contract.

Great points.

I'm hoping that once I've proven my value, they will be more afraid to swap me out so they won't shift the goalposts. Only time will tell.

I'm also happy to walk away if things change which puts me in a good position from a negotiation perspective (not desperate).

I highly doubt they will write the flexible conditions into the contract; I'm not sure if I should push for that or if it would kill it completely.