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I generally have worked 200-225 days per year. Most clients for the last 20 yrs have insisted I work onsite. And, most have been a 30-ish minute commute each way. That none of those clients has ever been willing to pay for.
I've always treated it as the cost of doing business and factored it into my rates, etc. The thing is, though, that's a literal month+ of full-time work each year, on behalf of those clients, that I have had to donate under that "cost of doing business" metric.
For employees, that means 4 weeks of vacation is "break even" on commuting. Anything less is tilted in the employer's favor.
This year, I get that month back. I'm not super-keen on giving it up again later.
This year, I get that month back. I'm not super-keen on giving it up again later.
If this was a deal I was negotiating that didn't have a hundred+ years of tradition wrapped up in it, I'd never go for it.
If it was an entirely new deal, I'd probably propose that I'd work 8 hr days from home or 7 hr work days from their office.
If it was an entirely new deal, I'd probably propose that I'd work 8 hr days from home or 7 hr work days from their office.
Past conversations with clients indicate that they would suddenly not find it valuable enough to have me on site. At least that's what happened when I offered a 10% discount for offsite working days.
