Is teleworking an important factor in deciding on taking a job?

Gorby

So I went to interview for a new position that would offer a slight pay raise of around 10K and would grant me a new position working more on the Risk and Compliance side of information security. I currently have the option of working at home two days a week at my current job which to me offers the benefits of not having to deal with the DC traffic (1 hour commute) and saving on costs. The new position though, currently does not offer teleworking unless it's an emergency so it would be back to 5 days a week in the office in DC. The manager at the new position states that he has issues trusting that employees are actually working at home and would prefer they are in the office so they can be reached.

I was curious to gather some opinions from you guys as to whether teleworking is an important part of your job decision? Would you turn down a job due to the lack of a teleworking option? Are you currently teleworking at your job?

Madmd5

Currently, I get one WFH day per week. I value work/life balance highly so any opportunity to work from home, I gladly take it. I also realized I'm more efficient while working from home versus an office setting. I wouldn't say it's a deal breaker for potential new roles for me personally, but if they don't offer any telecommuting opportunities, then I'd try to negotiate other benefits to make up for it. As far as your new potential manager, if he can't trust his employees to WFH responsibly, why hire them in the first place?

Phalanx

If a manager has a lack of trust in his workers, there's other issues there. However, there are technologies that are widespread that can check remote working very easily. Perhaps he just hasn't bothered to look into it.

Personally, I work 5 days a week in an office, and I enjoy it. I have the option to work 5 days a week from home if I like, because my manager knows if he asks me to do something, I'll do it no matter where I am. He trusts the result.

How many remote days have I taken since starting this job? Zero. I'll use them when I need them or if I'm ill, probably.

ITSpectre

I would not turn down a job due to NOT being able to telework... BUT I already see a red flag with the boss in the new position which is Lack of trust in employees. At the same time if they are on company computers they CAN be tracked, it may or may not be implemented yet.

Secondly it depends on location and how far of a drive it is... I have driven for a job that is 1hr 30min away.... and I have worked in DC and drove 1hr 40min both ways. Now my commute is 25min from work to home. But I would do a long commute again, for the right salary or pay.

Third... have you tried to move up within your current position? if there is no way to move up, then I would consider another position.

Finally.... teleworking is the dream of most people in IT... the hard part is getting a job that allows it.

Honestly the lack of trust from the Boss rubs me the wrong way.... It kind of would make me steer clear of that job entirely. If he can't trust his employees thats a BIG RED FLAG....

DatabaseHead

Yes it most certainly is......

If you have skills, it's not hard to get. If you are a generalist then good luck

TLeTourneau

If everything else is better I wouldn't turn down an offer due to lack of telework. It may be able to be added later but I also wouldn't count on that. A larger concern to me, as has been pointed out, is the apparent lack of trust the manager has for his staff. I could understand a no telework policy during a probationary period until the manager and staff member build a relationship where the manager can be reasonably assured that the assigned tasks will be completed however from the description it doesn't seem like that's a realistic expectation. The question then becomes "Is the position worth the commute?". That's something you need to determine.

shochan

If you are in a position where you don't have to greet customers & mainly code/sys admin/data analyst there should be no reason why you shouldn't be able to work from home. I question why I have to come in everyday because I don't go out in the field at all, I just sit on my ass all day in front of 3 screens...I could do this job from home easily. I suppose I could understand teleworkers slackin at home, but if the company keeps you busy enough with work & you are meeting deadlines for the work then it should prove otherwise that you are actually doing your job.

Gorby

Madmd5 wrote: »

Currently, I get one WFH day per week. I value work/life balance highly so any opportunity to work from home, I gladly take it. I also realized I'm more efficient while working from home versus an office setting. I wouldn't say it's a deal breaker for potential new roles for me personally, but if they don't offer any telecommuting opportunities, then I'd try to negotiate other benefits to make up for it. As far as your new potential manager, if he can't trust his employees to WFH responsibly, why hire them in the first place?

The manager is the CISO for the company, but I was wondering myself about whether I was going to be walking into a problem with a manager who doesn't trust his employees to work on their own. He mentioned that his staff is great, but was worried about how he can communicate with his staff if there was an important issue that came up. I figured that with instant message, work provided phones, web ex among other technologies it shouldn't be too hard but I'm guessing there is more to the story.

ITSpectre

TLeTourneau wrote: »

The question then becomes "Is the position worth the commute?". That's something you need to determine.

Exactly.

Is the Pay AND the commute worth it? But I would still be wary of a untrusting boss... that would lead to other issues down the road.

Madmd5

It sounds like this CISO is living in the past. With all the available tools out there, there's no reason your manager couldn't reach you if need be. Telecommuting is becoming more popular every year, so I'm not sure why he's so against it. I collaborate with my team members daily via Lync, conference calls, etc. even though we aren't in the same building.

shochan

I had watched this Ted Talk about teleworking a few years ago - I think he makes some good points - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-OFKE36lHU

networker050184

Gorby wrote: »

The manager at the new position states that he has issues trusting that employees are actually working at home and would prefer they are in the office so they can be reached.

That would be a HUGE red flag for me. If it's corp policy that's one thing, but I wouldn't work for a manager that wouldn't trust me to do the right thing. Thanks but no thanks for me.

ITSpectre

Madmd5 wrote: »

It sounds like this CISO is living in the past. With all the available tools out there, there's no reason your manager couldn't reach you if need be. Telecommuting is becoming more popular every year, so I'm not sure why he's so against it. I collaborate with my team members daily via Lync, conference calls, etc. even though we aren't in the same building.

I don't think he is living in the past.... he does not trust his staff enough to let them work from home. That is the big issue here. if you cannot trust that your employees will get work done remotely, that is not someone you want to work for. Because that boss will feel "if you cannot be seen, then you are not working" which is not true. Most jobs can be done remotely which saves a company money in the long run.

cyberguypr

I am currently doing one WFH day. I have the flexibility of telecommuting additional days if a pipe bursts, have a delivery coming, get somewhat sick where I need a couple of extra hours of sleep and don't want to take a sick day, etc. I don't like working from home every single day so for me if I'm moving to a better job the absence of this benefit is not a factor at all.

I agree with others who comment on the manager's attitude. Corporate culture is one thing. An individual's opinion is another. At my current company is very normal to go work form the cafeteria or a quiet room. This is essentially the same as working remote. If someone expects you to be chained to a desk in a role other than a call center, that's certainly a trust problem. The whole "so they can be reached" line is pure BS because of some new and obscure technology he may have no heard about called phone, IM, video conference, etc. A strong remote work policy should clearly define expectations and those who do not respond when called should face repercussions.

Danielm7

WFH is huge for me. I'm currently only really guaranteed 1 day a week, but have tons of flexibility. Just this week so far a guy under me asked if he can be remote on Monday as he had a car issue. I'm already remote on Friday and on Thursday I have an appointment so I'm staying remote on Thursday too. If someone said there was 0 days as an option, that would be a big turn off for me at this point. If anything i'm pushing for more this year.

mrs_pink

It is a very important factor for me and I will turn a job down that doesn't offer telework options in some fashion. With that being said, I live in an area that has a LOT of jobs in my field and this allows me to be more selective and not settle.

JoJoCal19

Any job that is sent to me or that I see that isn't remote is DOA. At this point in my life and career I've pretty much decided that I will not go working back in an office just for the sake of sitting in the office. I'm completely over it. Not that I really need to with my experience and resume, but I'd take a pay-cut rather than work back in an office full-time. Commuting is such a waste of valuable time. I'd honestly rather take a consulting gig and travel 3-4 days a week than sit in an office because management doesn't trust me to get my work done. Thankfully my current position is deliverable based and I can work when, where, and how I see fit as long as the work is done. I work for a global company with over 250k employees and I work and interact with people all over the globe at all different times of the day. Skype (chat & video), WebEx, and good old cell phones work perfectly to allow us to meet and present. Heck, I've worked a pure metrics driven position 100% remote for a large bank, so there really is no excuse of being able to track what employees do when working remote. If you're not customer facing all day, or working on hardware, it's asinine for a company to pay real estate costs to have employees sitting in the office for the sake of it. I personally refuse to work for employers who are not forward-thinking enough to realize that.

ITSpectre

JoJoCal19 wrote: »

Any job that is sent to me or that I see that isn't remote is DOA. At this point in my life and career I've pretty much decided that I will not go working back in an office just for the sake of sitting in the office. I'm completely over it. Not that I really need to with my experience and resume, but I'd take a pay-cut rather than work back in an office full-time. Commuting is such a waste of valuable time. I'd honestly rather take a consulting gig and travel 3-4 days a week than sit in an office because management doesn't trust me to get my work done. Thankfully my current position is deliverable based and I can work when, where, and how I see fit as long as the work is done. I work for a global company with over 250k employees and I work and interact with people all over the globe at all different times of the day. Skype (chat & video), WebEx, and good old cell phones work perfectly to allow us to meet and present. Heck, I've worked a pure metrics driven position 100% remote for a large bank, so there really is no excuse of being able to track what employees do when working remote. If you're not customer facing all day, or working on hardware, it's asinine for a company to pay real estate costs to have employees sitting in the office for the sake of it. I personally refuse to work for employers who are not forward-thinking enough to realize that.

So can Help Desk jobs be remote? even though they are the grunt workers in IT I believe they can still work remotely.

mgeoffriau

I'll disagree a little bit -- while the manager's attitude about employee trust is a big red flag, I do think there are still benefits to the office environment beyond just customer interaction or on-site tasks (and I say that as someone who would like to work from home more).

If you're talking about an office where everyone is in their own office with the door shut, then sure, no real difference. But having people together in the office can encourage better working relationships, faster and clearer communication, easier collaboration, etc. In-person communication is still king for nuance and tone, and even videoconferencing isn't quite there yet.

Now, whether those benefits of the office environment matter for your company or department, or whether they outweigh the benefits of working remotely, is another thing. But I believe there still are certain advantages to the office environment.

LeBroke

Ironic, because I'm probably going to turn down a new job because it'd be 90-100% WFH because they don't have an office here and won't open one for a while.

I need my socialization.

Danielm7

There are social advantages to being in the office, but, it really depends on company culture as you mentioned. If you work for a company that is very into telework, then you're not at a disadvantage. If everyone else is in the office and you're the one full time remote person, then people might forget about you, less likely to get promoted, i've seen it a few times at my workplace. Even coming in 1-2 days a week is mentally a lot different for coworkers than never seeing you.

ITSpectre

LeBroke wrote: »

Ironic, because I'm probably going to turn down a new job because it'd be 90-100% WFH because they don't have an office here and won't open one for a while.

I need my socialization.

I will take the job.... pass it onto me. Id love to work from home

LeBroke

Danielm7 wrote: »

There are social advantages to being in the office, but, it really depends on company culture as you mentioned. If you work for a company that is very into telework, then you're not at a disadvantage. If everyone else is in the office and you're the one full time remote person, then people might forget about you, less likely to get promoted, i've seen it a few times at my workplace. Even coming in 1-2 days a week is mentally a lot different for coworkers than never seeing you.

Their main office is in Toronto, with only 4-5 people here in Vancouver, and they don't want to open an office until there's at least like 8 or so.

I find remote working is pretty bad for collaboration since you can't just walk up to someone and discuss, white board, pair program, or even type commands into the terminal.

But most importantly, I'm a very extroverted person (yes, I know, weird in IT), and work drains me enough that I don't necessarily have the energy to go out and do stuff with friends, so I need work to fulfill my "annoy everyone" needs lol. Oh, and I'm also single, live alone, and can't even have pets because most places in this city don't allow them.

markulous

shochan wrote: »

I had watched this Ted Talk about teleworking a few years ago - I think he makes some good points - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-OFKE36lHU

Yeah that is pretty good. I agree with a lot of what he's saying. If there's a reason to show up in the office, I don't have an issue with it, but just showing up to say you're here doesn't help productivity. It seems to make it worse when people are walking in your office 24/7. At home, I can just go down to my basement, close the door, and I can do a lot of good work in what seems like a shorter period of time.

JoJoCal19

LeBroke wrote: »

I need my socialization.

Me too. I'm a people person. What I'm not, is a sitting in the office for no good reason person. I have TONS of friends, acquaintances, former co-workers, and other people I socialize with. I don't see the need to waste time commuting to go to an office to socialize. I totally understand some people really like socializing and doing the happy hour with co-workers thing though.

joelsfood

With two young children, wfh is important to me (and I'm much more productive here at home). That being said, I don't insist on it. I could accept a job that required me to go into the office some or all of the time, but the compensation would have to go up to make up for not working at home.

networker050184

I've been working from home for three years now and I get the socialization thing. Sometimes I do miss shooting the stuff with a random person grabbing coffee or spontaneous happy hours. The flexibility and savings FAR outweigh those things for me though.

As far as collaboration, if you want the talent you have to be flexible in that regard. It's hard to find one good architect in your city much less a team of them. I'd much rather have the highest quality team we can find in the world collaborating over IM/phone/etc. than settle for those who lives close by.....

johnIT

Gorby wrote: »

So I went to interview for a new position that would offer a slight pay raise of around 10K and would grant me a new position working more on the Risk and Compliance side of information security. I currently have the option of working at home two days a week at my current job which to me offers the benefits of not having to deal with the DC traffic (1 hour commute) and saving on costs. The new position though, currently does not offer teleworking unless it's an emergency so it would be back to 5 days a week in the office in DC. The manager at the new position states that he has issues trusting that employees are actually working at home and would prefer they are in the office so they can be reached.

I was curious to gather some opinions from you guys as to whether teleworking is an important part of your job decision? Would you turn down a job due to the lack of a teleworking option? Are you currently teleworking at your job?

I live 8 mins from my current job and have always moved close to my jobs. I am a single guy who lives alone, so I have never really needed to request telework. There are certain locations I would prefer not to travel to, but sometimes you gotta do it.

EANx

Speaking as a manager who manages other managers, I don't care which engineer is in my office as long as someone knowledgeable is wher I need them. When I'm called to the office of the Big Boss, I don't care if you're on-site or at home, I want answers. Why did VDI do this, why did vSphere do that? To be blunt though, I've fired three people who were giving screwy answers remotely and never fired a person who was there who could answer questions in real-time.

You'll know when you move from support engineer to principal engineer. When you make that move, don't plan on doing most of the work in your jammies.

networker050184

EANx wrote: »

You'll know when you move from support engineer to principal engineer. When you make that move, don't plan on doing most of the work in your jammies.

I work exclusively in PJs!

UnixGuy

LeBroke wrote: »

..
I need my socialization.

I do my socialization after work thro hobbies/sports/friends/ etc