by toss1 | 2025-04-11 14:20:50+00:00
It seems we are talking about two different things, gig work vs employment. Also, talking about the entire company team, not just about you.

>>My employer is entitled to my work output for compensation, no more, no less.

Of course that is true if you are working on a contractor or gig basis. The spec is for "Qty X of Y widgets, with software doing Z, delivered in July to our office in Cupertino", and you have no access to their offices or systems. Working basically incognito is fine, as long as comms are maintained for reasonable updates and you deliver as, where, and when specified.

But if you are both taking on the obligations of an employer-employee relationship, including benefits, legal obligations, access to company systems & offices, use of company equipment, etc., it is not only reasonable to know you are who you say you are and where you say you are, it is the managers' responsibility to know.

If your CEO comes to ask about and engineering issue on Project Sigma, and your report "Joe" is responsible, but you haven't heard from "Joe" in a week, and the last you knew he was flying to Australia, but you can't say if "Joe" is working in Sydney, beaching in Bali, or selling secrets in Shanghai to a Chinese competitor, and you don't even really know who "Joe" is, it seems you have not only dropped the ball but lost the plot. And probably your management job.

>>If your business depends on “being able to send aid”, then you have failed as a business.

Of course it is a mgt failure to structure your org with a single point of failure. But if an employee has responsibilities so trivial it makes no difference if they suddenly disappear, why were they even on payroll?

Why is it unreasonable to expect an employee to take care of themselves and company laptop/phone/etc., and be in reliable and honest contact so if something does happen, you can take steps to help, such as knowing where to send a replacement laptop or updated team info?

>>If I am not delivering work output, terminate me.

Of course, but the context here is dishonest employees stealing corporate secrets for enemy nation-states or stealing payroll until they are found out.

The costs of secret stealing can easily be company bankruptcy and unemployment for every other employee, and national security breaches.

The costs to bogus employees or dishonest 'overworkers'[0] stealing payroll until they are found out is beyond just stolen paychecks, it's also the overhead and lack of progress for the rest of the team.

More generally, it's important for remote work options to thrive, and if the basis is "F.U., you can't even know who or where I am, don't pay me if you don't like it.", almost all employers will make their policy: "sit your butt in this specific office chair 9-5 M-F". I'm a strong advocate of remote work, and have sat in the employer's chair many times, but if those are the only two options, my only choice is RTO.

>>required to take that with me so they could know / verify said location. That is so beyond the pale.

I disagree. This is not like monitoring cameras/microphones/keystrokes (even 'tho similar monitoring in an office is trivial by walking to someone's cubicle). But to claim that your employer or manager (not gig-work contract mgr) can not even know what hemisphere or time zone you are in seems absurd. And no, daily "were you really at the Dr.?" stuff isn't the point of my solution either. I am literally saying only that you should be verifiably open about who you are and where you are on an every-few-days basis.

So, in the context of corporate/international espionage and dishonest employees and agencies stealing everything from the company jewels to payroll, what solution do YOU have that makes remote work viable? That's a serious question.

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[0] I've got no problem with people who remotely 'overwork' two remote jobs if they can honestly keep up with their responsibilities for both. I have a big problem with people taking on more paychecks than they possibly can and just riding it until they are terminated, or "agencies" dishonestly posing as a single employee. Both are fine if everyone fully and transparently understands the situation, but fundamentally dishonest if done with deception. Just like open honest polyamory is fine, but cheating on your spouse is not.