Onsite vs. Offsite

[Christian N. Abad]

Hello All:

I'm curious as to why so many companies demand (note the use of the word
demand versus require) that CF developers work onsite.  I consulted for
several years and only accepted opportunities that allowed me to work
remotely.  I now run my entire company from the comfort of my home office.
(Yes, all of my resources work remotely - an arrangement we all find
beneficial and extremely rewarding.)

So why, then, do many companies demand (there's that word again) that CF
resources work onsite for project work?  I mean let's get real; do you
really expect a resource to relocate to some undesirable location to work
onsite for a company that views them as an expendable resource on a project
that lasts only a few months?  It seems you could attract higher caliber
developers if you weren't so rigid in the work arrangement.  After all,
telecommuting is not new by any stroke of the imagination...

Disclaimer:  I understand there are exceptions for work arrangements that
require security clearance, like DOD and Government opportunities, that's
now what I'm talking about here...

Thoughts?

~Christian N. Abad
President, Accessible Computing

Accessible Computing, Inc.
1210 McLaughlin Drive
Charlotte, NC 28212

704.248.8855 (office)
704.248.6682 (fax)

http://www.accessiblecomputing.com






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Re: Onsite vs. Offsite

[John Wilker]

Beats me.

I prefer offsite myself too. I try to limit my on-site-ness as much as
possible. I'm much more productive when I work from home, and can put in
more time.

J

On 3/29/06, Christian N. Abad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> Hello All:
>
> I'm curious as to why so many companies demand (note the use of the word
> demand versus require) that CF developers work onsite.  I consulted for
> several years and only accepted opportunities that allowed me to work
> remotely.  I now run my entire company from the comfort of my home office.
> (Yes, all of my resources work remotely - an arrangement we all find
> beneficial and extremely rewarding.)
>
> So why, then, do many companies demand (there's that word again) that CF
> resources work onsite for project work?  I mean let's get real; do you
> really expect a resource to relocate to some undesirable location to work
> onsite for a company that views them as an expendable resource on a
> project
> that lasts only a few months?  It seems you could attract higher caliber
> developers if you weren't so rigid in the work arrangement.  After all,
> telecommuting is not new by any stroke of the imagination...
>
> Disclaimer:  I understand there are exceptions for work arrangements that
> require security clearance, like DOD and Government opportunities, that's
> now what I'm talking about here...
>
> Thoughts?
>
> ~Christian N. Abad
> President, Accessible Computing
>
> Accessible Computing, Inc.
> 1210 McLaughlin Drive
> Charlotte, NC 28212
>
> 704.248.8855 (office)
> 704.248.6682 (fax)
>
> http://www.accessiblecomputing.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
> 

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Re: Onsite vs. Offsite

[Aaron Rouse]

I have a feeling there are a lot of people out there who may not be very
productive working from home.  I personally get a lot more done when working
from home than coming into the office.  I even get more done when working at
home and watching my 4 year old than when at the office.  However most of my
hours that I bill for are from the office because they want me here to help
others.  Would be nice to just do the job solely from home, but has not been
a possibility for 3-4 years now.

On 3/29/06, John Wilker <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> Beats me.
>
> I prefer offsite myself too. I try to limit my on-site-ness as much as
> possible. I'm much more productive when I work from home, and can put in
> more time.
>
> J
>
>


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Re: Onsite vs. Offsite

[Scott Brady]

Our small company requires on-site.  We allow our employees to work from 
home as needs arise (weather, family issues, etc.), but most of the time 
is spent on-site.

The nature of our IT team is such that it fosters collaboration and 
brainstorming better than having people work remotely.  Of course, we 
occasionally have projects that are on a tight deadline, and we 
basically tell the coder(s) for that project to work at home to prevent 
distractions.

We have 4 people who work remotely in other states (two contractor 
developers and two marketing employees), and we've found that there's 
not just enough good communication remotely.

Of course, I'm talking about actual employees.  If you're doing 
consultant/contract work, then remote work makes more sense.

Scott





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Re: Onsite vs. Offsite

[RobG]

I work much better off-site as well, and in fact I currently do.  Remote 
contracts are few and far between anymore.  I suspect that companies 
that demand on-site are (in my perhaps tainted opinion) paranoid about 
not being able to monitor/control their workers.

I was very fortunate in that I worked entirely from home beginning in 
early 2001 (after the dot-com collapse in the SF Bay Area when my last 
on-site contract concluded as the company folded), and with only a 
couple exceptions, it has been that way ever since.

The latest exception is that I took a chance and moved up here to 
Montana back in July for a "real" job.  In the first week, I learned 
that my boss was a major micro-manager.  I wasn't hired to be a 
developer -- I was hired to be HIM.  He was so anal that he wanted me to 
write code EXACTLY the same way that he did -- the same style, down to 
the last intimate detail.  And you should have seen his code -- it was 
AWFUL.  What little I saw of it, that is.  He was so paranoid about 
people stealing his code that the only time I got to see any of it was 
when he thought I could use some of it instead of writing stuff from 
scratch.  It's no wonder he didn't make it working for other companies 
and had to start his own.

At the promise of a cut of the profits of the project I was working on, 
I agreed to abide by these ridiculous requirements.  Then after five 
months, they conveniently ran out of money and let me go.  There are 
many more details, but it doesn't matter in this context.

I was insightful enough to see this coming, and picked up a new remote 
contract a week prior, and am now MUCH happier.  The best part is that 
I'm making more money.

Personally, I am 100% DONE with working a "real" job on-site all the 
time.  It's either remote contract, with occasional on-site as needed, 
or I'll go find another line of work entirely.

Rob




Christian N. Abad wrote:
> Hello All:
> 
> I'm curious as to why so many companies demand (note the use of the word
> demand versus require) that CF developers work onsite.  I consulted for
> several years and only accepted opportunities that allowed me to work
> remotely.  I now run my entire company from the comfort of my home office.
> (Yes, all of my resources work remotely - an arrangement we all find
> beneficial and extremely rewarding.)
> 
> So why, then, do many companies demand (there's that word again) that CF
> resources work onsite for project work?  I mean let's get real; do you
> really expect a resource to relocate to some undesirable location to work
> onsite for a company that views them as an expendable resource on a project
> that lasts only a few months?  It seems you could attract higher caliber
> developers if you weren't so rigid in the work arrangement.  After all,
> telecommuting is not new by any stroke of the imagination...
> 
> Disclaimer:  I understand there are exceptions for work arrangements that
> require security clearance, like DOD and Government opportunities, that's
> now what I'm talking about here...
> 
> Thoughts?
> 
> ~Christian N. Abad
> President, Accessible Computing
> 
> Accessible Computing, Inc.
> 1210 McLaughlin Drive
> Charlotte, NC 28212
> 
> 704.248.8855 (office)
> 704.248.6682 (fax)
> 
> http://www.accessiblecomputing.com

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Re: Onsite vs. Offsite

[Jeffry Houser]

At 01:53 PM 3/29/2006, you wrote:
>Hello All:
>
>I'm curious as to why so many companies demand (note the use of the word
>demand versus require) that CF developers work onsite.

  I think Rob was on the right track when he said control.

  For hourly contractors, people want to know you really did take '20 hours 
to do X'.  Or, more specifically that you really were there for 20 hours 
doing something.

  It takes a bit of organization to pack things up into a 'module' that can 
be handed off [off-site] to someone who can take it and run with it.  Not 
all companies exhibit that organization.  They change their mind every 
fifteen minutes.  In that situation being on-site is a big benefit.

  I fight against on-site contracts if I can help it.  I've had many 100% 
telecommute projects where I've never met the client.  But, I've had just 
as many that require routine on-site visits for meetings.  I've had very 
few that require me to actually work on-site (although in the grand scheme 
of my business those have been bigger clients).

  I also find that the type of work that is outsourced is often different 
than the stuff done 'on-site'.

  Are you a consultant (on-site, often working for a single client at a 
time) or a small business (Off-site, often working multiple projects)


--
Jeffry Houser, Software Developer, Writer, Songwriter, Recording Engineer
AIM: Reboog711  | Phone: 1-203-379-0773
--
My Company: 
My Books: 
My Recording Studio: 
Connecticut Macromedia User Group: 
Now Blogging at   



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Re: Onsite vs. Offsite

[Pete Ruckelshaus]

Currently I work two 25 hour a week hourly programming gigs.  First,
being paid hourly rocks...nothing like actually getting paid for all
of the effort you put into something.

Both jobs allow me to work the majority of my time at home, when I
want.  I go on-site to one place for most of the day one day per week,
and I go to the other place once a week for a morning of meetings. 
The rest of the time, I work at home, where I am comfortable and very
well equipped (better/faster internet access than both, loaded
workstation with dual 20" flat panels, and I can play tunes as loud as
I want and only have to worry about bothering the dog).  One thing
that I think a lot of places have trouble with is the hours; they are
so programmed into 8-6, Monday through Friday, that when I say "Yeah,
I can crank that out after I get my kids in bed" they sort of look at
me funny.  Well, that's when I tend to do my best work, plus it allows
me higher quality family time, and I can actually get other stuff done
like run errands or go for a bike ride during the day.  Besides, with
gas prices being what they are today, I actually save quite a bit of
money...instead of filling my gas tank a couple of times per week (I
drive a VW Passat, so it's not like I drive a gas guzzler), I fill it
every other week or so.  My kids also like it because my oldest (2nd
grade) doesn't have to go to before/after care, I meet her at the bus
stop...and my youngest gets dropped off at daycare later and picked up
earlier than she would if I was doing a long commute.

Personally, I love it most of the time.  The one thing that I do miss
from time to time is some level of human interaction and face-to-face
collaboration with other developers on a project, but we can do a lot
via email, IM, and conference calls.  Given the choice, however, my
ideal situation would be working for a small company within 3 miles or
so of my house, but until that happens, I'm doing fine with working
remotely.

Pete

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Re: Onsite vs. Offsite

[Jeffry Houser]

At 11:22 AM 3/30/2006, you wrote:
>Currently I work two 25 hour a week hourly programming gigs.  First,
>being paid hourly rocks...nothing like actually getting paid for all
>of the effort you put into something.

  Hourly only if you have good clients, and a level of trust between 
them.  ;)  I've worked for some like that, and it has been good.

  Along the years, I've had problems along the lines of  "You didn't spend 
X hours on X task."

  I much prefer to work hourly when on-site and 'fixed fee' when working 
remotely.  If you can correctly bid fixed fee jobs, they are often much 
more profitable [at least for me].  There is nothing like being paid for 
more effort than you actually put into a project.


--
Jeffry Houser, Software Developer, Writer, Songwriter, Recording Engineer
AIM: Reboog711  | Phone: 1-203-379-0773
--
My Company: 
My Books: 
My Recording Studio: 
Connecticut Macromedia User Group: 
Now Blogging at   



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