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NFT: Does your employer allow you to work from home?

lawguy9801 : 5/26/2016 2:22 pm
I work very long hours, and it would be nice if, one or two days a month (or even just a few times per year), I were allowed to work from home and maybe, you know, hang out with my family a little bit between Monday and Friday. The way a law firm works, if I bill hours, it makes no difference to the firm's bottom line where I actually am when those hours are billed. We have Citrix and can work remotely just fine. Yet, with really no rationale other than "just because," my firm does not and apparently will never permit people to do a full days' work from home, even a few days a year. Either haul your ass in, or take a personal or vacation day.

I speak to people in other industries (and even some other law firms), and they are in disbelief at our inflexible policy, which seems to be a pre-internet and pre-Citrix relic.

What are your employers' work from home policies? Does anyone have a formerly inflexible employer who liberalized in this regard?
I have worked from home  
pjcas18 : 5/26/2016 2:25 pm : link
other than when I travel, 100% of the time for the past 8 years.

I did travel up to 75% of the time a couple of those years, but now it's like 25% of the time max.

There are pros and cons, but the pros far outweigh the cons.
Yep.  
Mike in Long Beach : 5/26/2016 2:26 pm : link
I manage digital marketing content a website, so it's often easy for me to work from home. There's plenty of collaboration with the creative team and other departments that have a stake in the site's performance so it's not always OK. I could probably realistically do so 2 out of 5 days a week. This doesn't mean I do this as my availability in the office is an asset for sure, but if I ever give some notice it's almost always OK.
I work from home sometimes.  
Randy in CT : 5/26/2016 2:26 pm : link
Your company sucks balls. You should tell them so.
I'm able to work..  
FatMan in Charlotte : 5/26/2016 2:26 pm : link
from home most of the time, but I rarely do. Probably work from home 3-4 days a month.
How do you define long hours?  
BrettNYG10 : 5/26/2016 2:27 pm : link
I often do half-days at home if I have meetings elsewhere. Or I can work from home if the weather's bad and the trains suck.

I think it's ridiculous someone in your situation couldn't work from home, though.
RE: I work from home sometimes.  
lawguy9801 : 5/26/2016 2:27 pm : link
In comment 12972661 Randy in CT said:
Quote:
Your company sucks balls. You should tell them so.


I'm trying to come up with a nice way to do just that.
It's still a common relic  
JonC : 5/26/2016 2:27 pm : link
I'm finishing up a consulting gig where I worked from home four days per week for six months, and three days per week the four months prior to that.

Such places to work are out there, just got to find one. Even big banks are moving to the Citrix/remote model these days.

As a side note  
Mike in Long Beach : 5/26/2016 2:28 pm : link
working from home in today's world is both a blessing and a curse. Yes, it's OK in most circumstances for me to stay in my underwear and lay in bed and work if I want to, but at the same time, I also have to essentially be available 24/7 if necessary. It's a weird dynamic.
RE: How do you define long hours?  
lawguy9801 : 5/26/2016 2:29 pm : link
In comment 12972664 BrettNYG10 said:
Quote:
I often do half-days at home if I have meetings elsewhere. Or I can work from home if the weather's bad and the trains suck.

I think it's ridiculous someone in your situation couldn't work from home, though.


I normally leave my house anywhere between 6:45 and 7:30 am depending on what train I catch, and I am usually not home until around 8:40-9:30 pm.
Nope.  
Matt M. : 5/26/2016 2:29 pm : link
I have a laptop with VPN, but I only use it once in a while to finish something I am working on if I want it done that night.

But, I can't opt to work from home at my discretion and even during special situations, like the blizzard, working from home was not an option. I had to go to an office, as that was the published rule. Yet, someone in my group with no VPN and in a lesser role but 40 years in stayed home and said he was working from home and he didn't lose a day.
My nature of my job  
superspynyg : 5/26/2016 2:29 pm : link
Does not allow to work at home.
In my...  
FatMan in Charlotte : 5/26/2016 2:29 pm : link
experience, older supervisors tend to treat working from home differently. I had a boss who was close to retirement and the Marketing Communications woman wanted to work from home once in awhile. She was perfectly tied into the network and working remotely wouldn't have been an issue, but you'd swear that was completely unacceptable. She ended up leaving and we lost a great employee because of it.

I had a conversation with him that times are changing and his response was pretty much "people need to be here. Period". Weird because other than that, he was a pretty reasonable guy.
Its very common in the Tech industry  
Ron from Ninerland : 5/26/2016 2:30 pm : link
In fact it raised a big stink when the CEO of Yahoo insisted that employees com into the office. My own employer seems to encourage working from home. It saves them money on office space in employees work from home often and can share a workspace on the few occasions when they come in. I don't think my employer's attitude is the norm, but at every company I know of, it is expected that you will work from home at least one day a week.
Company Yes (In Certain Situations)  
Trainmaster : 5/26/2016 2:31 pm : link
for me personally, no.

Having been a supervisor for 20+ years, I think there are some people who can be almost as productive when working from home, but many can't.

If you're job involves interacting with people, integration, communication etc., all suffer when people work from home.

It is likely most of us work with people in different cities, states and even countries. I think it is one thing to have customers, suppliers etc. off site, and another to have many team members working remotely.
RE: In my...  
lawguy9801 : 5/26/2016 2:32 pm : link
In comment 12972675 FatMan in Charlotte said:
Quote:
experience, older supervisors tend to treat working from home differently. I had a boss who was close to retirement and the Marketing Communications woman wanted to work from home once in awhile. She was perfectly tied into the network and working remotely wouldn't have been an issue, but you'd swear that was completely unacceptable. She ended up leaving and we lost a great employee because of it.

I had a conversation with him that times are changing and his response was pretty much "people need to be here. Period". Weird because other than that, he was a pretty reasonable guy.


It's just a very ossified way of thinking. I feel like they'd need to lose a couple of people over it before they even thought about doing something.
RE: RE: How do you define long hours?  
BrettNYG10 : 5/26/2016 2:32 pm : link
In comment 12972670 lawguy9801 said:
Quote:
In comment 12972664 BrettNYG10 said:


Quote:


I often do half-days at home if I have meetings elsewhere. Or I can work from home if the weather's bad and the trains suck.

I think it's ridiculous someone in your situation couldn't work from home, though.



I normally leave my house anywhere between 6:45 and 7:30 am depending on what train I catch, and I am usually not home until around 8:40-9:30 pm.


That's absurd. I have to imagine others within the firm share your position and just haven't spoken up yet.
I work in IT  
mgreenie03 : 5/26/2016 2:33 pm : link
The company I work for allows us to WFH 1 day a week. I don't usually do it and my boss is not a fan of the WFH deal. He never has an issue with me doing it but he would rather I be in the office. It does allow for more flexibility for bad weather days or doctors appts etc.
Work from home 4 days a week  
kelsto811 : 5/26/2016 2:35 pm : link
go into the office city 1 day. Pros and cons.
I work from home exclusively...  
BMac : 5/26/2016 2:36 pm : link
...Between VPN and WebEx (or other comm system) there's no rationale for doing otherwise. I only take contracts that are remote access.
I do 1-2 days a week, I like having both as options  
Nitro : 5/26/2016 2:36 pm : link
but I can do 99% of my job from anywhere.
Sometimes when I travel  
pjcas18 : 5/26/2016 2:38 pm : link
I go to my one of my companies offices in a major city and they're like ghost towns.

Top 10 Pros of working from home in my experience:
1. Commute
2. Dress code, yep I have worked in my boxers and rarely wear shoes
3. Don't need to eat lunch out or make in advance
4. Spend my day how I want other than when I have meetings
5. Can multi-task - like vacuum the pool while on a conference call
6. Company subsidized Internet Service, local phone (still have it) and by default TV (Verizon triple play is cheaper as a bundle)
7. Company provided consumables like printer paper and printer ink
8. Ok, I'll say it, Porn
9. Not having to use a public bathroom
10. Can usually make my kid's school activities

Top 5 Cons (because there aren't more than 5 really)
1. You never leave the office, I'd be working sometimes at midnight or later. My rationalization is I would have left the office and finished up the work at home anyway, but when you work from home you're always at work.
2. It's hard to build co-worker camaraderie. Maybe not a big deal to some, but some of my closest friends began as work colleagues
3. Too many distractions
4. Your significant other asks you to do various household tasks "because you're home"
5. The kitchen is too close
I dont have an employer  
Deej : 5/26/2016 2:39 pm : link
I work for myself and my partners, and we do as we please.

I see reasons to let someone work from home occasionally, but depending on what you do it really matters to be in a central location IMO. At my old firm I had an associate who worked from home every friday with permission after she returned from maternity leave. On her own, she put an end to that after about a year, saying that she wasnt learning as much, didnt have the same open door access to bounce ideas around, and missed the collaboration by being home that day. She ended up doing more stuff on her own, wasting time on things paralegals could be doing. I think she was right.
RE: I dont have an employer  
lawguy9801 : 5/26/2016 2:42 pm : link
In comment 12972708 Deej said:
Quote:
I work for myself and my partners, and we do as we please.

I see reasons to let someone work from home occasionally, but depending on what you do it really matters to be in a central location IMO. At my old firm I had an associate who worked from home every friday with permission after she returned from maternity leave. On her own, she put an end to that after about a year, saying that she wasnt learning as much, didnt have the same open door access to bounce ideas around, and missed the collaboration by being home that day. She ended up doing more stuff on her own, wasting time on things paralegals could be doing. I think she was right.


I am in agreement with you. I would not advocate, and would not want to, work entirely or even primarily from home. I often feel I am more productive at the office than at home. But one or two days a month it would really be handy to have the option, rather than have to waste a personal or vacation day.
I work from home (SW development)  
giants#1 : 5/26/2016 2:46 pm : link
pretty much agree with pjcas' list of pros/cons. I'd add to the "pros" list that you don't get annoying co-workers stopping by your cube just to waste time because they don't want to work which allows you to finish your work quicker.

The wife definitely takes advantage of it, but just saving on the commute is an extra hour/day I have to spend with my daughter and/or relax.

It's definitely not for everyone though. You have to be fairly disciplined and self motivated to avoid distractions.
He does  
Giantology : 5/26/2016 2:46 pm : link
Self employed, baby!
Only one real negative  
JonC : 5/26/2016 2:47 pm : link
I miss a lot of the legs/heels action in the city during warm weather.
RE: RE: I dont have an employer  
Ron from Ninerland : 5/26/2016 2:48 pm : link
In comment 12972716 lawguy9801 said:
Quote:
In comment 12972708 Deej said:


Quote:


I work for myself and my partners, and we do as we please.

I see reasons to let someone work from home occasionally, but depending on what you do it really matters to be in a central location IMO. At my old firm I had an associate who worked from home every friday with permission after she returned from maternity leave. On her own, she put an end to that after about a year, saying that she wasnt learning as much, didnt have the same open door access to bounce ideas around, and missed the collaboration by being home that day. She ended up doing more stuff on her own, wasting time on things paralegals could be doing. I think she was right.



I am in agreement with you. I would not advocate, and would not want to, work entirely or even primarily from home. I often feel I am more productive at the office than at home. But one or two days a month it would really be handy to have the option, rather than have to waste a personal or vacation day.


I'll bet people at your company get sick a lot. Especially on Fridays and Tuesdays around three day weekends.
Hey LawGuy,  
The 12th Man : 5/26/2016 2:49 pm : link
Working from home right now. Daughter not feeling well, so I am working from home. As long as I have my computer I am good to go.
RE: Only one real negative  
giants#1 : 5/26/2016 2:49 pm : link
In comment 12972723 JonC said:
Quote:
I miss a lot of the legs/heels action in the city during warm weather.


Get a dog. Forces you to get out and take in the "scenery"!
Surprised so many people  
Giantophile : 5/26/2016 2:50 pm : link
think its crazy for companies to NOT allow their employees to work from home.

I'm an employer and the work-at-home model has not/does not work for us. Definitely not a one size fits all "improvement". Depends on the industry, the job, & the employee.
I work from home 4 days a week  
SicilianGMEN : 5/26/2016 2:51 pm : link
Used to only go into the office a handful of times a year up until this January. My boss is based in Nashville and his boss is based around my area and we have an office but everyone I deal with is pretty much in other parts of the country. There are no cons to working from home....none. (but FYI I have no kids)
RE: It's still a common relic  
AP in Halfmoon : 5/26/2016 2:54 pm : link
In comment 12972667 JonC said:
Quote:
I'm finishing up a consulting gig where I worked from home four days per week for six months, and three days per week the four months prior to that.

Such places to work are out there, just got to find one. Even big banks are moving to the Citrix/remote model these days.


I work from home or my wife's apartment in Boston using Citrix around 25% of the time. I'm guessing about 50% of the people I work with (same company) work from home full time.
I'm interested to see the shift in some industries...  
BurberryManning : 5/26/2016 2:55 pm : link
The cost that some companies incur for leasing/owning real estate is incredible. Some shared space for client-facing activities is needed but otherwise its as if some companies are in the real estate business rather than whatever they purport their main operations to be.
I WFH full time  
jcn56 : 5/26/2016 2:57 pm : link
I'm a consultant, and it's a condition that I don't negotiate - if a gig won't allow a fair amount of remote work, it's off the table unless there is a compelling reason to consider them. With three kids, just hard to imagine not being able to be remote, especially when the day to day responsibilities don't require you to be there.
Yes.  
Beer Man : 5/26/2016 3:00 pm : link
My team and my clients are located all over the US. Going into the office doesn't benefit me, and the commute eats up valuable time
I'll add that remote access seems/can be used as a benefit of sorts..  
BurberryManning : 5/26/2016 3:00 pm : link
In times where employers are under pressure to limit costs and are reluctant to increase wages, allowing employees the ability to work remotely serves as an easy(ish) concession.

My wife was nearly successfully recruited to leave her employer for another that promised her the ability to work from home a few days a week. The child-care savings alone would have represented almost $10k/year assuming that she could've effectively managed both.
Like you, I wish I can work from home sometimes...  
RC02XX : 5/26/2016 3:04 pm : link
But it's just not feasible for many reasons.
RE: Like you, I wish I can work from home sometimes...  
BMac : 5/26/2016 3:21 pm : link
In comment 12972764 RC02XX said:
Quote:
But it's just not feasible for many reasons.


Pretty hard to burn huts from home, unless you have a couple of drones. Then, I could see it being the best of all worlds.
RE: RE: Like you, I wish I can work from home sometimes...  
RC02XX : 5/26/2016 3:24 pm : link
In comment 12972799 BMac said:
Quote:
Pretty hard to burn huts from home, unless you have a couple of drones. Then, I could see it being the best of all worlds.


Who said I don't have access to drones? You underestimate me, sir.
I work about one day a week from home  
T in NJ : 5/26/2016 3:24 pm : link
My team is widely dispersed, from NJ to DC to FLA to WA, so being in the office doesn't make a difference most of the time. Of course you need a high speed internet connection.

The way I would discuss this with a boss is that you are looking for a better life-work balance. There are a lot of studies that show when life and work are out of balance, most individuals burn out or are actually less productive. A happy workforce is a productive workforce.
Im guessing if you worked from home  
ZGiants98 : 5/26/2016 3:28 pm : link
it would be much easier to hangout on BBI all day. ;)
RE: RE: RE: Like you, I wish I can work from home sometimes...  
BMac : 5/26/2016 3:29 pm : link
In comment 12972809 RC02XX said:
Quote:
In comment 12972799 BMac said:


Quote:


Pretty hard to burn huts from home, unless you have a couple of drones. Then, I could see it being the best of all worlds.



Who said I don't have access to drones? You underestimate me, sir.


I have a drone mission request. Could you oblige me by sending one by with a couple of bottles of Scotch?
RE: RE: RE: RE: Like you, I wish I can work from home sometimes...  
RC02XX : 5/26/2016 3:31 pm : link
In comment 12972817 BMac said:
Quote:
I have a drone mission request. Could you oblige me by sending one by with a couple of bottles of Scotch?


Yeah...that would be a negative. We have important mission. There are a lot of huts that need burning.
nope.  
madgiantscow009 : 5/26/2016 3:33 pm : link
I should become a webcam model or something.
RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: Like you, I wish I can work from home sometimes...  
BMac : 5/26/2016 3:35 pm : link
In comment 12972825 RC02XX said:
Quote:
In comment 12972817 BMac said:


Quote:


I have a drone mission request. Could you oblige me by sending one by with a couple of bottles of Scotch?



Yeah...that would be a negative. We have important mission. There are a lot of huts that need burning.


Fucker! I knew I shouldn't have trusted you to follow through! Well, OK, how about burning down Greg's hut for me?
I work from home  
Scyber : 5/26/2016 3:35 pm : link
Despite living in NJ and my company having offices in NYC and Philly I am considered a "remote" employee. I live in Mercer County and didn't want to commute so I only looked for remote jobs when my last company imploded last year (yeah startups!). I do go into the NYC office for a week around once per quarter (or less). I can either stay in NY for the week or commute (I've done both).

It is great to WFH. Especially with young kids. I get to participate in alot more kids activities then if I was commuting everyday. Plus if the kids sick (or school is closed) I can watch them and work.

It really depends on the company though. The company has to be remote friendly. Otherwise working remotely full time you wind up getting sidelined. Fortunately my company is very remote friendly. We use google hangouts multiple times a day and use Slack for company communications. It also helped that another person on my team is fully remote and he started the same time I did.
I also work in IT  
Jim in Scranton : 5/26/2016 3:41 pm : link
It is like pulling teeth in order to WFO. I usually lie and say I have a doctors appointment and it gets approved. I usually WFO about once a month. Before I was hired, the present director abolished most work from home. He feels if you can work, you should be able to come in. Before he was hired, people were allowed to work 3 days a week from home. Morale has dropped off significantly.
work from home guy here  
haper : 5/26/2016 3:41 pm : link
Been 100% home office for almost 10 years now; before that it was a mix depending on circumstances but mostly limited to 5 - 6 days per month. The pros and cons already brought up are valid; imo the quality of life is markedly better by working from home. The biggest for me is not having to commute, the amount of stress that has removed from my life is considerable.

I'm found acceptance of working from home has to do with management having trust in employees. While on conference calls, I cringe when I hear a baby or little kid crying in the background or someone forgets to go a mute and has a conversation with their spouse. I've even been on calls when the talker excuses themselves for a few minutes to answer their door !!! Its these types of behavior that feed management's concerns abt working from home.
i work in-house  
Les in TO : 5/26/2016 4:06 pm : link
and our GC does not set expected working hours or where we need to work from. as long as we are serving our internal clients, meeting deadlines, reachable and attend required meetings we are treated like adults we can balance our work with personal commitments.
this would be a dream to have....  
GMAN4LIFE : 5/26/2016 4:13 pm : link
i would love to work from home permanently
RE: RE: I work from home sometimes.  
mrvax : 5/26/2016 4:15 pm : link
In comment 12972665 lawguy9801 said:
Quote:

I'm trying to come up with a nice way to do just that.


Is it possible for you to look elsewhere for your next job?
RE: work from home guy here  
giants#1 : 5/26/2016 4:17 pm : link
In comment 12972844 haper said:
Quote:
Been 100% home office for almost 10 years now; before that it was a mix depending on circumstances but mostly limited to 5 - 6 days per month. The pros and cons already brought up are valid; imo the quality of life is markedly better by working from home. The biggest for me is not having to commute, the amount of stress that has removed from my life is considerable.

I'm found acceptance of working from home has to do with management having trust in employees. While on conference calls, I cringe when I hear a baby or little kid crying in the background or someone forgets to go a mute and has a conversation with their spouse. I've even been on calls when the talker excuses themselves for a few minutes to answer their door !!! Its these types of behavior that feed management's concerns abt working from home.


Haha, I have 2 dogs and if I don't take them for a walk right before a call/hangout, I almost always regret it.
RE: RE: RE: I work from home sometimes.  
lawguy9801 : 5/26/2016 4:19 pm : link
In comment 12972887 mrvax said:
Quote:
In comment 12972665 lawguy9801 said:


Quote:



I'm trying to come up with a nice way to do just that.



Is it possible for you to look elsewhere for your next job?


Not really looking to leave. Management just needs a knock upside the head.
RE: Surprised so many people  
lawguy9801 : 5/26/2016 4:20 pm : link
In comment 12972731 Giantophile said:
Quote:
think its crazy for companies to NOT allow their employees to work from home.

I'm an employer and the work-at-home model has not/does not work for us. Definitely not a one size fits all "improvement". Depends on the industry, the job, & the employee.


What industry are you in, out of curiosity?
RE: i work in-house  
lawguy9801 : 5/26/2016 4:21 pm : link
In comment 12972876 Les in TO said:
Quote:
and our GC does not set expected working hours or where we need to work from. as long as we are serving our internal clients, meeting deadlines, reachable and attend required meetings we are treated like adults we can balance our work with personal commitments.


Treated like adults? What a concept!
i've worked from home for  
B in ALB : 5/26/2016 4:29 pm : link
12 years now and couldn't imagine going into an office everyday. i haven't even been in one of our offices in years. everything is remote and i go where i please when it comes to travel. they essentially give me my budget and leave me alone until January. i do a 15 minute report every month, an occasional company-wide conference call or presentation and that's that.
I'm general counsel at a company with around 100 employees.  
TheManUpstairs : 5/26/2016 4:30 pm : link
I'm HERE, because the president wants me here. He wants to drop by when he gets in, and find out what's going on. He wants to be able to gather his key people whenever he wants, and it's just not the same when we're not physically here.

In a perfect world, I could probably work from home one day a week, but it's not worth making an issue out of it.
I have worked from home for the last 4 years  
djm : 5/26/2016 4:33 pm : link
they even shut down my office forcing everyone to work from home.

Don't let anyone fool you, it's the greatest thing ever.
RE: I'm general counsel at a company with around 100 employees.  
lawguy9801 : 5/26/2016 4:42 pm : link
In comment 12972925 TheManUpstairs said:
Quote:
I'm HERE, because the president wants me here. He wants to drop by when he gets in, and find out what's going on. He wants to be able to gather his key people whenever he wants, and it's just not the same when we're not physically here.

In a perfect world, I could probably work from home one day a week, but it's not worth making an issue out of it.


It wouldn't kill him if, one day a month, he would have to call you at home instead of strolling into your office.
and I guess I am kinda lucky  
djm : 5/26/2016 4:42 pm : link
in that I am very much 8 hours a day 40 hrs a week which would seem impossible being that I am IT security admin. They made my group non exempt (hourly) so I am locked in to 40 hrs a week. The company is cheap as fuck--they don't even pay for my internet. They took away my phone years ago so I pay for that too. They literally pay for nothing other than my salary. No problem...see you later once 5:30 hits. They insist on no OT...again...no problem.
I'm in outside medical sales  
MattHofstra : 5/26/2016 5:30 pm : link
and we have no satellite offices outside of corporate so we all work from home. They generally only want you working home once a week and on meetings 4 days a week, but the autonomy is nice. Just have to stay motivated
I worked from home  
hocuspocus : 5/26/2016 6:24 pm : link
in the afternoons for about 14 months because I was the primary caregiver for an elderly family member. I'd go to the office in the morning and come home around lunch time. My boss has been great about allowing that type of flexibility (I work in publishing). My family member has since passed away and I am back in the office full-time. It was definitely an adjustment because I was used to that break during the middle of the day.
I work in sales and travel extensively  
Patrick77 : 5/26/2016 6:45 pm : link
I make my own hours, own travel schedule and am paid based on performance incentives, bonuses, and commission. On average I work from home 2-3 days a week. In peak season I am never home, in the off season I can be home for months on end. I send in monthly reports and a monthly schedule, that's about it for oversight.

It would never happen at the company I work for but I'm of the opinion that about 50-80% of the support staff and other functions (engineers, auditors, accountants, etc...) at the company I work for could work from home too.
My whole life I've never worked anywhere but home  
Stan in LA : 5/26/2016 6:46 pm : link
I can't see how people punch that 9-5 clock day after day...
I work in Manhattan, live in Stamford  
Joey from GlenCove : 5/26/2016 8:55 pm : link
Commute 3/4 days a week and work from stamford office other days. My business needs me in an office but not commuting 2 days a week is huge.

If you cant do the work from home you should be fired or not paid well. Its that simple. Companies underestimate how much it helps parents if they can have an easier commute or can work from home once in awhile. Makes the job more desirable and makes people WANT to work there.

Yea if you abuse it, the option should be taken away. We live in a different world, most non sales jobs can be done remotely.
I wfh for years  
trueblueinpw : 5/26/2016 9:18 pm : link
Didn't like it after a while. Most of the reasons already noted. Best thing now is that I wfm - work for myself. Once revenue gets a little better I'll get an office because like having an office away from home.

As an aside, I was a tech ops leader for a large law firm and the partners at my firm were definitely against the wfh idea. No colaboration or pulling people in as they're walking down the hall, that kind of thing. But I always thought that the real objection was that all the partners worked their fuckng asses off to make partner and once they made partner they still worked their fucking asses off. These weren't the work life balance crowd and the associates they esteemed were the workaholic types. Always. If you're looking for work life balance, being a lawyer in a big firm probably isn't the place to find it.
I am an administrator  
JerryNYG : 5/26/2016 10:40 pm : link
and I have made a point to allow my staff to work from home from time to time. If they are working from home we agree what is going to be worked on, I check to see it was accomplished, and as long as the day was productive they get approved again the next time they ask.
Not possible  
NJGiantFan84 : 5/26/2016 11:41 pm : link
For me. I just started at a new place. My job requires on-site visits so every 2-6 weeks I am in a different place. To counter this, my employer gives me every other friday off. Its a nice compromise, I think. Plus I'm done by 5:30 every night so I really cannot complain much.
partner in a small law firm here -  
Del Shofner : 5/26/2016 11:44 pm : link
for the last couple of years, I've commuted from our place in Brooklyn to Manhattan Monday through Thursday, then up to our place in northern Dutchess County on Thursday night, work from there on Fridays. Obviously you can't do that if you have a court date or a deposition on a Friday, but otherwise it works fine. I've had many productive Fridays working up here, and it sure is nice to walk out the door and look at some mountains rather than Lexington Avenue when you want to take a break.

That said, I'm older than a lot of you and did the workaholic thing for decades before getting to this point ....
Yes, I have and do work from home  
buford : 5/27/2016 8:02 am : link
There have been many times because of weather or issues with my car or illness that I couldn't get into the office (I commute 40 miles each way) that I have worked from home. I normally get a lot done at home because I can start at 7:30 in the AM which is when I normally leave for work.

I was a supervisor in my previous job and we struggled with the working from home thing. Precisely because some people just used it as an excuse to take a day off. But I think if there is a way to see what a person is doing and that they are online and reachable, it should be allowed.

And if you are expected to work at off hours or like today when my office is closed but I need to do a few things through email, why can't you work from home?
Yes - Software Engineer...  
x meadowlander : 5/27/2016 8:39 am : link
...both at BAE Systems and at my current Government job, working from home allowed on a sort of 'as-needed' flex basis.

I used to work as an off-site graphic artist - 100% from home. Not a bad gig!

Gov't job also allows for true flex, where you can do 4 10-hour days and doesn't expect you to make up sick time. Fuck private sector!

RE: I wfh for years  
lawguy9801 : 5/27/2016 9:12 am : link
In comment 12973147 trueblueinpw said:
Quote:
Didn't like it after a while. Most of the reasons already noted. Best thing now is that I wfm - work for myself. Once revenue gets a little better I'll get an office because like having an office away from home.

As an aside, I was a tech ops leader for a large law firm and the partners at my firm were definitely against the wfh idea. No colaboration or pulling people in as they're walking down the hall, that kind of thing. But I always thought that the real objection was that all the partners worked their fuckng asses off to make partner and once they made partner they still worked their fucking asses off. These weren't the work life balance crowd and the associates they esteemed were the workaholic types. Always. If you're looking for work life balance, being a lawyer in a big firm probably isn't the place to find it.


I just read an article about how one big law firm is now allowing associates and of counsel to work from home 2 days per month. I get the impromptu collaboration part, but people can impromptu call you on the telephone during business hours as well.
Spoke to a higher-up here  
lawguy9801 : 5/27/2016 9:13 am : link
at a function last night. He said sure, you can work from home, as long as you take a vacation or personal day.

Seriously.
wish I could WFH  
fkap : 5/27/2016 10:20 am : link
internet connection is slow as hell at work!
RE: partner in a small law firm here -  
jcn56 : 5/27/2016 10:25 am : link
In comment 12973240 Del Shofner said:
Quote:
for the last couple of years, I've commuted from our place in Brooklyn to Manhattan Monday through Thursday, then up to our place in northern Dutchess County on Thursday night, work from there on Fridays. Obviously you can't do that if you have a court date or a deposition on a Friday, but otherwise it works fine. I've had many productive Fridays working up here, and it sure is nice to walk out the door and look at some mountains rather than Lexington Avenue when you want to take a break.

That said, I'm older than a lot of you and did the workaholic thing for decades before getting to this point ....


I do the same over the summer, except substitute beach house for upstate. Nothing beats killing the last conference call of the day, grabbing a beer from the fridge and hitting the beach.

I'm pretty sure that if I lived in FL or CA I'd have died from sun exposure by now, sunscreen be damned.
RE: RE: I wfh for years  
trueblueinpw : 5/27/2016 12:10 pm : link
In comment 12973376 lawguy9801 said:
Quote:

I just read an article about how one big law firm is now allowing associates and of counsel to work from home 2 days per month. I get the impromptu collaboration part, but people can impromptu call you on the telephone during business hours as well.


Maybe, but I still think for the foreseeable future Big Law culture is going to reward those that dedicate their life to the firm. Those that don't will be marginalized on alternative tracks or spun off to work in house at the firm's clients.

Something else, if your work really can be done from anywhere, then a Big Law firm is already thinking about how to move you out of the action. A lot of firms are opening up alternative tracks for lawyers that don't want to be partners and allowing those associates or counsel to work in lower cost of living areas and flexible hours with quality of life in mind. Further, a lot of firms are automating tasks that used to be ground out by 1st and 2nd years. A lot of firms are outsourcing tasks to service providers and offshore units. Big Law's business model is under assault from any number of forces.

But, even with all that change, unless you fit a special interest demo, if you want to be a Partner at a Big Law firm, you better just resign yourself to the fact that you're going to be at work all the time.
RE: RE: RE: I wfh for years  
lawguy9801 : 5/27/2016 2:00 pm : link
In comment 12973627 trueblueinpw said:
Quote:
In comment 12973376 lawguy9801 said:


Quote:



I just read an article about how one big law firm is now allowing associates and of counsel to work from home 2 days per month. I get the impromptu collaboration part, but people can impromptu call you on the telephone during business hours as well.



Maybe, but I still think for the foreseeable future Big Law culture is going to reward those that dedicate their life to the firm. Those that don't will be marginalized on alternative tracks or spun off to work in house at the firm's clients.

Something else, if your work really can be done from anywhere, then a Big Law firm is already thinking about how to move you out of the action. A lot of firms are opening up alternative tracks for lawyers that don't want to be partners and allowing those associates or counsel to work in lower cost of living areas and flexible hours with quality of life in mind. Further, a lot of firms are automating tasks that used to be ground out by 1st and 2nd years. A lot of firms are outsourcing tasks to service providers and offshore units. Big Law's business model is under assault from any number of forces.

But, even with all that change, unless you fit a special interest demo, if you want to be a Partner at a Big Law firm, you better just resign yourself to the fact that you're going to be at work all the time.


I'm already a partner, but at a mid-sized firm. I think maybe one or two days of WFH a month would be a nice recognition that maybe I have a clue what I'm doing and know a thing or two about efficiency and work prioritization. But apparently I'm asking too much.
Lawguy...  
EricJ : 5/27/2016 2:30 pm : link
it sounds like you should at least look around for something else.

My home has been my office for over 20 years. I go to the corp office on occasion for meetings.
Law guy  
Ron from Ninerland : 5/27/2016 3:33 pm : link
I get that some companies such as yours are hostile to the idea of working at home but the inflexibility your company is showing is surprising and indicative of other problems. Do more senior people work from home in spite of their policy ? Are you being shit on because you are low on the totem pole ?

What do they do if an employee has a sick kid at home, or the plumber is coming ? Do they honestly prefer that employee take the entire day off rather than getting work done from home ?

I see from your profile that you live in Wantagh. My nephew lives in Wantagh and works in the City. His hours are probably not as bad as yours, but he works from home one or two days a week.

I'm wondering what the attraction is of working in a place that treats its people like this.

We try to strike a balance.  
Big Blue Blogger : 5/27/2016 4:51 pm : link
I've given my team (IT developers/app support and infrastructure staff) a general guideline of one day a week at home, one or two days on client sites - depending on customer/project needs - and the balance in our office. We're all together at least one day a week for team meetings and other essential joint work. We've tinkered a lot over the years. I find too much work-at-home dilutes teamwork and chemistry, no matter how many collaboration tools we adopt.
RE: Law guy  
lawguy9801 : 5/27/2016 4:52 pm : link
In comment 12973948 Ron from Ninerland said:
Quote:
I get that some companies such as yours are hostile to the idea of working at home but the inflexibility your company is showing is surprising and indicative of other problems. Do more senior people work from home in spite of their policy ? Are you being shit on because you are low on the totem pole ?

What do they do if an employee has a sick kid at home, or the plumber is coming ? Do they honestly prefer that employee take the entire day off rather than getting work done from home ?

I see from your profile that you live in Wantagh. My nephew lives in Wantagh and works in the City. His hours are probably not as bad as yours, but he works from home one or two days a week.

I'm wondering what the attraction is of working in a place that treats its people like this.


The theory is that if you are an attorney and have a sick kid at home, you either (1) have a nanny or non-working spouse that will take care of the kid, or (2) you will take a personal day and yet still work at home.

Supposedly, when attorneys (even senior attorneys) have sought to work here and have tried to negotiate the ability to work from home, say, one day a week or month, they've said no and they've let the attorney walk. There is no rationale - it's the rule because it's the rule.

Mind you, after years of complaints by female attorneys in the firm, only recently did they actually institute a partially paid maternity leave policy (it used to be totally unpaid) and start a program where attorneys can work 4 days a week. But if you work 4 days you are not on partnership track, and my understanding is that the 4-day attorneys typically do some level of work from home on the fifth day anyway.

There are good things about the firm, but family-friendly policies are not among them.
Federal Government.  
Maryland Giant : 5/27/2016 4:58 pm : link
2 days a week at home.

Beautiful.
Huh?  
trueblueinpw : 5/27/2016 11:50 pm : link
You're a partner at the firm but you can't work from home? That seems a little odd. I mean, I could see your ratios being cut but who's really telling you when to come and go from the office? And how exactly does a partner get charged for a personal day?
are most WFH home IT jobs?  
GMAN4LIFE : 5/28/2016 5:59 am : link
where do you find these types of jobs?
I can work from home when I need to  
Steve in South Jersey : 5/28/2016 8:38 am : link
I don't like working from home though. The days seem more tiring and it makes my back hurt. I need to invest in a home office.
I worked from home  
santacruzom : 5/28/2016 11:07 am : link
9 days out of 10 at my old job. My new job doesn't currently allow it except to accommodate appointments, family illness, etc.

But I'm way happier in my new job. A few annoying ones aside, I like my coworkers. As I'm still relatively new I like the ability to organically, spontaneously strike up a face to face conversation with them. And I get exercise riding my bike.
RE: As a side note  
santacruzom : 5/28/2016 11:10 am : link
In comment 12972668 Mike in Long Beach said:
Quote:
working from home in today's world is both a blessing and a curse. Yes, it's OK in most circumstances for me to stay in my underwear and lay in bed and work if I want to, but at the same time, I also have to essentially be available 24/7 if necessary. It's a weird dynamic.


That's how I see it. I prefer the separation of the two, and feeling as though I'm arriving at and leaving from my job.
RE: RE: Law guy  
santacruzom : 5/28/2016 11:20 am : link
In comment 12974057 lawguy9801 said:
Quote:
In comment 12973948 Ron from Ninerland said:


Quote:


I get that some companies such as yours are hostile to the idea of working at home but the inflexibility your company is showing is surprising and indicative of other problems. Do more senior people work from home in spite of their policy ? Are you being shit on because you are low on the totem pole ?

What do they do if an employee has a sick kid at home, or the plumber is coming ? Do they honestly prefer that employee take the entire day off rather than getting work done from home ?

I see from your profile that you live in Wantagh. My nephew lives in Wantagh and works in the City. His hours are probably not as bad as yours, but he works from home one or two days a week.

I'm wondering what the attraction is of working in a place that treats its people like this.




The theory is that if you are an attorney and have a sick kid at home, you either (1) have a nanny or non-working spouse that will take care of the kid, or (2) you will take a personal day and yet still work at home.

Supposedly, when attorneys (even senior attorneys) have sought to work here and have tried to negotiate the ability to work from home, say, one day a week or month, they've said no and they've let the attorney walk. There is no rationale - it's the rule because it's the rule.

Mind you, after years of complaints by female attorneys in the firm, only recently did they actually institute a partially paid maternity leave policy (it used to be totally unpaid) and start a program where attorneys can work 4 days a week. But if you work 4 days you are not on partnership track, and my understanding is that the 4-day attorneys typically do some level of work from home on the fifth day anyway.

There are good things about the firm, but family-friendly policies are not among them.


Isn't it sad that we're essentially the only first world nation that allows a company to pull that shit?
My previous employer encouraged it  
BestFeature : 5/28/2016 1:02 pm : link
Or at the very least often reminded me that it was an option. But it was a startup so it's not surprising.
The whole being available 24/7 can suck but at the same time  
Patrick77 : 5/28/2016 3:04 pm : link
In some jobs that is the whole ball game. I make more sales and provide more value on random Sunday's than I do on most Mondaya or Fridays. Being available, getting back to people, and providing value any way you can is a huge difference maker. For me it might be as simple as a text email or a 5 minute phone conversation that makes a huge difference for the other party. It's when it's Christmas Eve and I'm getting calls that I lose my shit.
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