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We had quantitative metrics that were measured, as well as qualitative metrics (feedback from those whom we supported and worked with). Obviously if communications for projects weren't going out, or your peers weren't satisfied with the level of work you're putting out on their behalf, or you weren't closing out deals that needed to be closed out, then you weren't performing up to snuff and it was highly visible to management.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I have people working for me in commercial/industrial real estate and utilities that telecommute, some daily others occasionally. When telecommuting, they must email me with what they will be working on that day and I follow up to see that it's done. They are required to use our computer and their own wifi or internet to access our systems through our VPN. In the case of an issue we could get IT to provide me with a log of their use. Each individual has set, regular hours that are approved by me, and are the same whether working here or at home. They vary from 6am-2:30pm to 9am-5:30pm. They are expected to be there during that time to answer phone calls or emails, except for during their lunch and breaks, which have no set times. We don't do video chats, mostly just email or Skype for Business IMs. Our telecommuting approval requires that the person has a set place with acceptable ergonomic setup at home, we would not normally allow them to work out of Starbucks. That's not something we check on, however, they just sign an agreement and we trust them.
My questions:
1. Are you required to use computer and wireless equipment owned by your employer?
2. What required software or apps do you use, if any, that is related to communication, workflow and/or time tracking? e.g. Slack, Skype, Basecamp, Discord
3. What type of hours do you work? Is it enforced? How? [NOTE: This was a good thread on schedule flexibility but did not answer all of my questions about monitoring: Have some questions for people that work remote]
4. What industry do you work in? e.g. HR, IT, media, graphic design, engineer...you get the drift)
5. Do your managers and/or co-workers initiate spontaneous video chats?
6. Did you have the flexibility to work anywhere? For example, did you switch between a home office and a coffee shop? Home and a coworking or regular office space owned by the likes of Bamboo or Regus?
1. I have a company-owned laptop, and have an allowance to put towards cell phone and Internet.
2. SFDC is it. We do not "track time"... so long as we make customer meetings and calls, required training and events, etc. nobody is watching over our shoulders.
3. I generally work 7AM to 4PM. No, it is not "enforced". Results matter. If I'm producing, I can sit and watch a movie in the middle of the day. And there are days which are much longer, especially at conferences and trade shows.
4. Think of it as software sales.
5. No, we schedule meetings. It's rare to have something so urgent that we have to start an impromptu call right now, but if that's what we have to do, that's what we do.
6. Yes. I mostly work from home, or a hotel room. If I'm visiting an office, it would be more trouble than it's worth to get a hot desk or something. I've sat in the cafeteria at HQ and worked at a comfy chair before!
Senior software developer on an "upper middle class" salary.
1. Provided a company laptop. Employer reimburses internet costs(and a one time ergonomic office furniture cost)
2. Slack/BlueJeans/Google Meets for most communication. Jira tracks tasks but we don't put time estimates in there.
3. Generally 9-5ish. But if there's a problem/deadline coming up/etc it can be 9-midnightish or more. But that's entirely flexible presuming you make scheduled meetings. No problem ducking out during the day to go run an errand and such.
4. IT
5. Usually just slack chats. But if those become too involved usually a video/phone call is proposed
6. Can work from anywhere. People go overseas and have a "working vacation". Just becomes an issue of residency for tax purposes.
7. Someone at an entry level position would be much more restricted.
My questions:
1. Are you required to use computer and wireless equipment owned by your employer?
2. What required software or apps do you use, if any, that is related to communication, workflow and/or time tracking? e.g. Slack, Skype, Basecamp, Discord
3. What type of hours do you work? Is it enforced? How? [NOTE: This was a good thread on schedule flexibility but did not answer all of my questions about monitoring: Have some questions for people that work remote]
4. What industry do you work in? e.g. HR, IT, media, graphic design, engineer...you get the drift)
5. Do your managers and/or co-workers initiate spontaneous video chats?
6. Did you have the flexibility to work anywhere? For example, did you switch between a home office and a coffee shop? Home and a coworking or regular office space owned by the likes of Bamboo or Regus?
7. Share anything else people might want to know.
I no longer work for my previous employer, retired 1 year ago. We had some full time telecommute employees, and people were actively encouraged to work at least 1 day a week from home. Many people worked 2-3 days a week from home. I worked 2 days a week from home. Telecommuting was actively encouraged to help ensure that the business could continue to operate if the main location suffered some disaster like superstorm Sandy, 9/11, (both of which did impact the main office), or even a pandemic, etc.
This was a very security conscious job, so the answers will be on the other side of the spectrum.
1. All equipment was the companies equipment (laptop, phone, usb sticks, etc.) No business related conversation was allowed using non-company equipment. No BYOD, no mixing of business and personal. If you plugged in a non-company device into the laptop or network, a report would get generated somewhere, and someone would come looking to see what was going on. All activity was monitored and recorded. For remote wireless/connectivity they used a VPN service, or if you wanted you could get a company router installed and effectively become an extension of their secure network.
2. All software on the companies equipment was the internal approved software. No installation of non-approved software was allowed or even possible. Internal chat service, internal email, screen share, etc.
3. Everyone was expected to be generally available from 9-6pm. Be on time for remote meetings/calls, etc. Everyone was treated like professional adults, if you had something at home to take care of, that’s fine, just meet your deadlines, make it up if you have to. No one micro-managed your remote time, but things were generally busy and high-pressure so there was not much room to slack. Most people quit a little early on Friday afternoons, maybe 4pm, and the day before a long weekend the whole group would quit at 3pm. Through the chat service you could always see who was online or not, and I am sure management could get reports if they wanted for online time and activity.
4. This was an IT/software development job in the financial industry.
5. Conversations, scheduled or spontaneous, were done either via company phone or text chat. Video chat was available but mainly only used to show a whiteboard if the screen share did not work for some reason. No one used video chat just for a regular conversation.
6. Your regular telecommute location was expected to be set up as a secure home office. You could connect from anywhere if needed, but you were expected to be security conscious.
7. There was yearly security training and certification. Fake phishing emails sent out as tests etc., generally very paranoid and aware about insider or outside threats. That said, the telecommuting was very capable and provided enhanced quality of life for everyone, and the ability for the company to operate independent of location.
I am seeking a new job and I need it to be a 100% remote position. I'd rather not discuss why.
I do not want to work for an employer that uses Big Brother-like tactics to track and monitor employees. I need my manager to focus on my communication skills, workday availability and whether I'm getting the job done in a timely manner while meeting and/or exceeding expectations.
Quality remote positions are becoming more common, and practices for monitoring employees vary widely.
My last position, a one-year fellowship, was a 100% remote position that came with a solid salary and great benefits. I say this to say I have some experience in the remote/telecommute worker world, but I want more insight.
My questions:
1. Are you required to use computer and wireless equipment owned by your employer?
2. What required software or apps do you use, if any, that is related to communication, workflow and/or time tracking? e.g. Slack, Skype, Basecamp, Discord
3. What type of hours do you work? Is it enforced? How? [NOTE: This was a good thread on schedule flexibility but did not answer all of my questions about monitoring: Have some questions for people that work remote]
4. What industry do you work in? e.g. HR, IT, media, graphic design, engineer...you get the drift)
5. Do your managers and/or co-workers initiate spontaneous video chats?
6. Did you have the flexibility to work anywhere? For example, did you switch between a home office and a coffee shop? Home and a coworking or regular office space owned by the likes of Bamboo or Regus?
7. Share anything else people might want to know.
I am seeking insight from full-time employees who telecommute and who are earning a good salary. I know "good pay" is subjective. For this conversation, let's assume your socioeconomic status is "middle class" or better, according to where you live. I don't care to know about crappy sales and data-entry gigs because I won't be applying for those jobs. Please don't take this personally.
Finally, I am not interested in a debate about whether employers should use tracking software (or a discussion about discipline). We all know companies have a right to do it, and if workers don't like it, they need to find another job. Having said that, I'm not interested in working like this for a telecommute position. Most of my internships and jobs have been in traditional office settings. I always assumed hidden cameras were present and someone was monitoring my computer activity in real time.
My husband has been a remote employee for well over a decade for a few different companies. Their work has always been tracked and monitored. You have to login to access anything so they know what you're using when...just like when you're in an office. He also has to keep track of his hours on each project and enter them into the payroll system.
Yes, the bosses know when he's working. He has meetings all day long. Can't miss those and they are scheduled during normal business hours. He works well over 40 hours a week. He works 830 - 5 with an hour for lunch. He normally works well past 5 and some times late at night or on weekends. Coworkers do Skype and chat meetings all the time. Sometimes there's no notice.
He gets sick days, but doesn't use them because when you work from home you need to be in bed sick. There's really not much that can keep you from waddling down the hall and sitting at your desk all day. Don't think that because you work from home that you set your own hours and you're free to do whatever you want. It doesn't work that way.
Yes, all of his equipment belongs to the company - laptop, monitor, docking station, phone, etc. They came and installed or ship it to him when a replacement or upgrade is due. You can only use their equipment to login to their systems. You can't just login from any piece of equipment.
No, he can't work just anywhere. He has to work at his home office where the equipment is located. He needs a secure internet connection with a specific speed and his company pays for it. Attempting to work at a coffee shop would be immediate grounds for dismissal. He works with healthcare IT that has a lot of states and federal governments privacy requirements. I'm not even allowed to be in his office when he's in a meeting or working unless his screens are off or turned away. He goes through numerous federal and states backgrounds checks every year for security clearance. Last year, he had to be cleared by 3 states because he worked on 3 government contracts with 3 different states.
He has over 20 years healthcare IT experience. He's a very sought after person because of his knowledge and expertise. He receives contacts from recruiters several times a month. He earns much more than the national average salary. There's only one position higher than him before you reach a supervisor or manager. He does have some guys under him, but he's not their manager.
I work remotely for an insurance company. I have my own equipment and login using their program. I still have to go into an office now and then but it’s mostly up to me. I can work anywhere in the country as long as I can go to an office a few times a month.
My hours are flexible but I work from 7:00-4:00 now. As far as how they keep track of what I do, my boss just says he’ll know if someone is not working. If projects don’t get done or are late, it’s an issue. He’s not keeping track of everything I do.
I have a friend in the same industry. His company installed their system in his home. They keep track of the keystrokes, what he does and when (so he says). If he gets an email from a client, sometimes he’ll call them instead of replying to the email. If he does that, he has to let his boss know or they start asking why he didn’t respond to the email. They keep track of the emails and watch to see if he’s responding.
Be careful what you put on "your" device, some of these apps are very privacy-intrusive
I'm salaried and "tracked" pretty much entirely on performance; keeping track of hours is only a consideration when I'm doing billable work for a customer (we have to have a record to back up the bill).
If you really want a job where you're not micro-managed, choose a sales position in the right industry -- as long as you are closing deals and give your manager a reasonable weekly & monthly/quarterly update, nobody cares what you're up to on a per-hour or even per-day basis.
Beware BYOD! More and more employers are going for a BYOD approach where employees are expected to own their own computer and wireless device and yet allow their employer to install software on it. Be careful what you put on "your" device, some of these apps are very privacy-intrusive.
If you're using an Android device and they want you to get the corporate email, directory, and calendar, consider installing an app like "Nine" instead of using the native built-in connectivity to the corporate server -- otherwise you're basically giving your employer full ability to wipe your phone remotely, not just all their data, but all your data as well.
With a PC or Mac, virtualization allows for running a "virtual image" for the "corporate" desktop, yet corporate IT can't get into your actual physical PC to snoop around. Right now I'm running a free Windows 7 VM (direct from Microsoft, totally legit!) under Virtualbox (also free) because the VPN software the customer wants me to use bluescreens on newer versions of Windows. If you don't know what all this means, hunt down a LinkedIn contact with VMware listed as a skill, ask for help.
I work remotely for an insurance company. I have my own equipment and login using their program. I still have to go into an office now and then but it’s mostly up to me. I can work anywhere in the country as long as I can go to an office a few times a month.
My hours are flexible but I work from 7:00-4:00 now. As far as how they keep track of what I do, my boss just says he’ll know if someone is not working. If projects don’t get done or are late, it’s an issue. He’s not keeping track of everything I do.
I have a friend in the same industry. His company installed their system in his home. They keep track of the keystrokes, what he does and when (so he says). If he gets an email from a client, sometimes he’ll call them instead of replying to the email. If he does that, he has to let his boss know or they start asking why he didn’t respond to the email. They keep track of the emails and watch to see if he’s responding.
I also worked remotely for an insurance company. I used to work at the office, but when my DH and I decided to move to another state they gave me the option to work remotely. They did not adjust my pay for working remotely and I was paid more than the average employee in that position.
I typically worked 8-4, but that was flexible. I worked from my own lap top and was set up with a separate phone line and a cell that they paid for monthly. I was also able to be reimbursed for anything I would need such as paper and toner for my printer and other various office supplies. I used their computer program and there was no tracking; however, my boss always knew what I was working on as we talked several times throughout the day.
1. Are you required to use computer and wireless equipment owned by your employer?
Some do, but not required. I use my own computer and wireless equipment, but we are connected to the employer's server and the employer/IT has the right to watch what we are doing at any given time. Certain websites are blocked so that we can't even get to them while logged in. They did make a point of saying if we were watching porn or whatever, they would know.
2. What required software or apps do you use, if any, that is related to communication, workflow and/or time tracking? e.g. Slack, Skype, Basecamp, Discord
We use Kronos and Workday for time tracking/time off. Epic for workflow. Every move everyone makes in the system is recorded. There is an audit trail of everything everyone does.
3. What type of hours do you work? Is it enforced? How? [NOTE: This was a good thread on schedule flexibility but did not answer all of my questions about monitoring: Have some questions for people that work remote]
I can work any hours I want to as long as I get my time in and get my work done. Some days I work 5 am to 1 pm. Some days I work 7 to 3 or 8 to 4. Sometimes I work a split shift if I have something going on in the middle of the day. If I ever want to take a day off without using any PTO, I can work extra other days that pay period take a day off. I do have to be working if there is a meeting of some kind scheduled, but other than that I can set my own hours.
4. What industry do you work in? e.g. HR, IT, media, graphic design, engineer...you get the drift)
Healthcare.
5. Do your managers and/or co-workers initiate spontaneous video chats?
Never. We have quarterly face to face meetings and quarterly online meetings.
6. Did you have the flexibility to work anywhere? For example, did you switch between a home office and a coffee shop? Home and a coworking or regular office space owned by the likes of Bamboo or Regus?
Cannot work anywhere I want because of confidentiality. Cannot work from any computer. My computer has software installed that identifies it when I log on. I also use dual monitors and it would be kind of hard to lug two monitors around.
7. Share anything else people might want to know.
I know that my employer CAN monitor slack time/downtime/time you are not working, but I don't know that they actually do. I haven't heard it ever being an issue and I think probably it would only become an issue if you weren't getting your work done and then they checked to see when you'd been working/not working.
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Be careful what you put on "your" device, some of these apps are very privacy-intrusive
