Fog Creek’s Remote Work Policy
blog.fogcreek.com
Fog Creek’s Remote Work Policy
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Re: Fog Creek’s Remote Work Policy
#2As someone who works remotely, I think the really key things are institutional, rather than individual. They discuss moving everything to online, and that's essentially the biggest part of what you need. When "showing up to work" no longer includes going out to coffee in the mornings, but instead means logging onto the chat room and wishing everyone good morning, you've achieved a measurable step.
Isolated office space, all those things are nice to have, but without having everything available via TCP/IP, it's a nonstarter.
I've worked from many an airport that essentially fits none of these criteria without too many problems aside from reliable power supply - the nice thing about working remotely is that you can tune your environment to your own tastes.
Re: Fog Creek’s Remote Work Policy
#3This seems like a lot of rules... and kind of unfriendly. Especially for just a short stint working remotely.
Whats the worst that could happen if one of the workers has a less than ideal setup while temporarily working remotely for a few days? Would it really affect company outcomes? If not, I think developer happiness would be improved by having a more laissez-faire attitude from management.
Re: Fog Creek’s Remote Work Policy
#4often, even though I normally work in my office, I will take a few hours to go work under a tree in a park. I used to worry a lot about my wifi hotspot situation but I've found that sometimes, not having the internet at all is good to get you ultra-focused on the task you are working on, especially when you've got your entire dev environment on your laptop. no coworker interruptions, no HN, no Twitter, not even if you wanted them. Also, being in real sunlight (although in the shade) & outside is great for the mind.
Re: Fog Creek’s Remote Work Policy
#5This seems like a lot of rules... and kind of unfriendly. Especially for just a short stint working remotely. Whats the worst that could happen if one of the workers has a less than ideal setup while temporarily working remotely for a few days? Would it really affect company outcomes? If not, I think developer happiness would be improved by having a more laissez-faire attitude from management.
To me this isn't about seeming friendly or unfriendly, it's about defining boundaries of what is vacation time and what isn't. It's about saying "No, what you're doing isn't working from home, it's vacation. Don't feel guilty about not getting anything done, just go and have a break." Compare that to being fuzzy about it - you're not really having a decent break (because you're trying to get work done) and you're not getting any work done (because your 8 year old niece is pulling on your shirt, your brother wants to go golfing and your dad has the TV up extra loud).
Re: Fog Creek’s Remote Work Policy
#6This seems like a lot of rules... and kind of unfriendly. Especially for just a short stint working remotely. Whats the worst that could happen if one of the workers has a less than ideal setup while temporarily working remotely for a few days? Would it really affect company outcomes? If not, I think developer happiness would be improved by having a more laissez-faire attitude from management.
I get the same unfriendly feel from this piece, but I guess this is a company in transition from not allowing remote work at all to allowing it now. Hopefully, as it becomes more common, they will relax the rules a bit.
Re: Fog Creek’s Remote Work Policy
#7I found that a previous job where I could work remotely here and there, I was extremely productive. So much time is wasted on the getting ready to go out (more than just grabbing a shower and throwing on some jeans/shorts and a t-shirt), doing the half hour or more commute, "settling into the office" (chitchatting with your co-workers). And then I was ready to blow that taco stand by the end of day. While at home I tended to work longer hours and sometimes twice as productive.
But remote desktop just sucks no matter how fast your connection is.
Re: Fog Creek’s Remote Work Policy
#8This seems like a lot of rules... and kind of unfriendly. Especially for just a short stint working remotely. Whats the worst that could happen if one of the workers has a less than ideal setup while temporarily working remotely for a few days? Would it really affect company outcomes? If not, I think developer happiness would be improved by having a more laissez-faire attitude from management.
Seems targeted at people who are remote long-term. Maybe a little more reasonable in that light. But for short-term people,
>Approval from your team lead. Basically, just tell someone well in advance if you’re going to be altering your work arrangement, temporarily or permanently.
seems counterproductive. Sometimes problems come up and you suddenly need to be at home tomorrow to meet the cable guy, who has committed to come between 6 AM and 9 PM, but will only be there for 15 minutes.
Re: Fog Creek’s Remote Work Policy
#9This reads like yet another autocratic, micro-managing HR document. "Have a room with a door that shuts." Seriously?
How about this: hire smart people you trust, give them whatever tools and support they need to do their jobs most productively, then get out of the way.
Re: Fog Creek’s Remote Work Policy
#10As someone who works remotely, I think the really key things are institutional, rather than individual. They discuss moving everything to online, and that's essentially the biggest part of what you need. When "showing up to work" no longer includes going out to coffee in the mornings, but instead means logging onto the chat room and wishing everyone good morning, you've achieved a measurable step. Isolated office spa…
I concur. I think another useful strategy is to treat all employees as remote workers even when at then office. This way there isn't as big a context switch and you can more effectively work from anywhere.