"now you're just sounding like my mother" was comedic gold.

That's not "thinking in corporate.". It's "sulking in corporate."

“Are you at a hotel?” “No, actually this is my guest bedroom.”

yes, I created boundaries like this at my previous job, and then they became extremely toxic towards me and I had to resign!!!

I would be like “I have redecorated the guest room. Is that a problem? “ just to see how they would react.

I had a boss that demanded that from me once I told him that my contract didn't stipulate that I needed to inform the company everywhere I went. He said that it doesn't state in the contract but I must tell him always because if he didn't approve of certain locations I wished to visit/ travel to, I would be denied to be in that locations during my PTO or time outside my daily schedule I simply told him unless you're believing to be above labour laws I have 0 obligation to notify him where I'd go on my PTO or out of schedule time nor he has the authority to control my off time and location He fired me due to that, and I kept the emails, made a complain against the company, he had to pay me over 400k in compensation damages If memory doesn't fail me, when the court ordered him to pay, he turns to me after the court hearing, and says : " I wasn't serious in firing you, it was just to teach you a lesson to obey your superiors, I had intended to rehire you 1 year after it " I simply answered back : " Yeah, and as you were proved by the judge, the labour laws in this country aren't made based on his wishes and wants nor workers are to accept having their life damaged over his antics "

I think it depends on the company. The company I work for doesn’t allow anyone to work on WiFi, it has to be hardwired internet because we deal with mortgage loans and insurance, and have to minimize risks of being hacked. But if it’s not anything related to sensitive data, I don’t see why you can’t work from anywhere (beyond the tax reasons given)

Treat your good employees like adults…treat the bad ones like children until they learn or you find more adults. My boss knows I roam the world…and she is does it too.

"What if I need you in the office?" "From where my home is to the office is about 1700 miles away. Are we going to open an expense account for me to fly there?"

that's micromanaging at it's finest and it's unnecessary

The boss is a control freak bully. I love the way the employee handles it.

One issue that could arise is public wifi is notoriously not safe if your working with proprietary let alone confidential things you shouldn’t be on wifi networks that aren’t your own

Home is where the WiFi is

😂 If camera is on, then backdrop is up. Always. That way there is no suspicious 'Why can't I see your background today, when I can normally see it?' They can't force you to not use one of those and show your home. I once watched a bunch of people ask questions about someone's home background - musical instruments, pictures, books on the shelf - and thought, 'Not my home, you nosy people..."

As an HR professional, it usually comes down to the circumstances. For example, let’s say you are not taking a vacation; If you travel to a foreign country where it is common to lose access to internet required for your work, it can potentially have a negative impact on your work, your team’s productivity, failure to meet deadlines, and so on. On the other end of this spectrum, we have an employee who wants to work from a library, Starbucks, or similar place. Productivity and availability may not be an issue, but risking confidential information being seen by passersby or exposed over an unsecured connection can be devastating as well. My point is that all facts must be considered in these situations. Not everyone is capable of working remotely - if distractions are too great and affect productivity, they can be required to return to the office, or risk termination for poor performance. If you approach things factually and logically, issues are less likely to occur.

Isn't it interesting how corporate's first inclination is that somebody is working from a hotel room because they are taking time off. There are a number of reasons to be in a hotel room not related to relaxing etc. Damage to ones home, be it storm/hurricane, in Florida, you can spring a slab leak, maybe a loud remodel is happening where contractors are at your home running equipment. Maybe a family member is receiving treatment for an illness and the employee has been advised to leave temporarily to avoid potential germ risks. Maybe it's Thursday or Friday and the employee is attending an out of town wedding, where they are able to complete work easily during their work hours, but arrived a day or 2 early because of flight limitations or planned activities, like the rehearsal dinner in the evening, not during work hours. If the employee is by contract, cleared to work remotely, their work is adequately being performed, it really isn't corporate's business.

Years ago I worked for a company where we took turns being on call, so as to monitor the machines that operated 24/7. In case something happened with one of them, the on-call person was to go to the office and fix the problem. I lived about an hour and a half from the office, so it would be a bit of a trip to go in if needed, but that was part of my job. One weekend, my wife and I decided to take a weekend vacation to the city where the machines were located. We found a very nice hotel about five minutes from the office. I was naive enough to tell my boss about my upcoming trip, and he told me that I couldn't go, that I needed to stay home in case something happened to one of the machines!

In other corporate words: we pay you, we own you, we wanna control you.

I really liked the attention to tax detail. Remote employees often have differences pertaining to taxes that are very important to an employer. That said, none of those tax purposes involve, "i'm the employer and I want to control your life."

I’m a member of the Executive team at our company and I literally don’t care where people work from or how long they work as long as they’re available for meetings or text comms during our business hours (which we are not meeting heavy outside of one team), and as long as their KPIs are met 🤷🏽‍♀️ granted, I have a high degree of trust and confidence in every member of our team which is small (

If an employer allows their employees to work remotely and put it in their contract, then the employer by definition cannot, and most not, expect them to come to the office at a moment's notice. If you need someone in the office at all times, then make arrangements for that ahead of time, or hire some ppl as in-office personnel. Simple, sorted, done. But apparently that makes too much sense lol.

My thoughts are that managers who care about that can suck it. "Quiet vacation" if my work is being done correctly and on time, then it's no one's business as to where I'm doing it.

As IT / security, I think I just popped a blood vessel.

It’s amazing how you handle this conversations. I quit corporate because of this.

This woman and Veronika are teaching us how to handle crazy bosses 😂

When my dad had major surgery, my bosses were so great about having me work from his house while helping him during recovery. They are family men who totally understood.

Tax lawyer here. Technically its not just prolonged period. Significant activities and repeated brief trips (even if by multiple employees) can give rise to nexus

“Absolutely not that’s breach of my personal privacy, and if you ask again I’ll be speaking with HR”

I saw someone say once: “anytime you’re not looking at your employee they might as well be working remotely” exactly! If you have enough time to watch me then you don’t do enough for the company. If you don’t have time to keep eyes on me then why does it matter if I’m in the office or at home? I’ll get my work done regardless. If I underperform then you can fire me. Trust me, I won’t.

They just jealous they didn't think of working elsewhere in a place of comfort...

This is why teacher and people who HAVE to be in a work place should get paid considerably more.

Honestly the informing them that you aren't within distance to come to the office is valid.

"well how do we know you're actually working?" "well, is my work getting done?" "yes..." "then that's how you know."

A neighbor of mine works for a company on the other coast of the USA. She has been here for two years now with zero issues. Visited her old state for the first time this month to see her family.

In Germany they would just say: "It's for insurance reasons"

I was told that any time i worked elsewhere that i had to inform her or HR in case they needed to do an emergency check-in, and they visit my house and find im not there.... i could've laughed. I work for the government, btw lol

The only time it might be an issue is if an incident occurs at your location that might require insurance or worker’s comp.

Depending on the work itself it could be considered a security concern

The way we've fought and lost so much ground in for workers in 2024 is just tragic. Thank you for making content that is pro worker

In Germany that has to do with insurance issues - it has not only to do with tax purposes. This is why it is important for the company to know where the work location is. Otherwise the employee is not insured in case something happens (e.g. an accident) and both, the employer and the employee would get into trouble.

I love all of this videos. Unfortunately none of this conversations can truly take place without being called insubordinate or being fired

I remember that our HR told me that It could have complications for the accident insurance if something happens when an employee does home office in a different country (outside of Switzerland).

One easy way to never let them know is simply to buy 4 flat sheets. Tack one up on the wall with thumbtacks and have that be your backdrop. When it needs to be washed, take it down and replace it with one of the other three that are clean. Do that everywhere you go. For seating use a folding camp chair. Use this chair everywhere you go. Use the same folding camp table for your laptop support, everywhere you go. And so on...

I can just say that in EU and countries who have agreements now with the EU are super strict to having people working from anywhere (outside of the country you have a contract in)... It's annoying, YES! Annoying paperwork, YES! And companies need to comply...

In South Africa, some companies use the reason "if you get hurt at a location other than was authorised then the company would be liable and that is their concern" so they ask us to first get email confirmation before working from wherever . Other reason is the data on our laptops are also at risk of being exposed, especially if working in a public location.

It actually depends. With my dad they aren't worried much if he is within the same state and on a secure provate network, but if he goes out of state or especially out of country because it is a security concern. I guess this depends on where you work, but this is a genuine concern for some companies. I still agree with most points made in this , just gotta be careful.

A remarkable amount of corporate policy is about domination rather than revenue.

This goes back longer than I can remember. Employee does something, management does not like it, but they realize there are no rules against it. They try the old "because I said so" or "because I'm the boss", in an attempt to intimidate the employee. The issue gets sent to HR, Legal, or some such department, and after a certain period of time, a mass e-mail gets sent out that starts with "It has come to our attention...".

I agree that the employer shouldnt have any concern about the location from which you work. But...the "prolonged period" for tax purposes is pretty much measured in days - i.e., CA wants workers to pay taxes whenever that worker is in their state. But other than keeping Payroll informed, nobody else needs to care what your location is.

Your videos awaken unpleasant repressed memories.

My husband works for a govt department and it was written into their last contract that they must be able to get to their office within 30min if working remotely. Most of the staff can't even do that ever. No one can afford to live where the office is.

this makes me grateful to be at the company i’m at. stop babysitting adults man. love ur vids btw

In Europe it is a problem because if something happens to you it is considered work related so you need to declare from where you are working from.

Answer in tears and sobs while muttering something that would tug at the heart strings. Like, "house... fire... dog... died... saved my work laptop... for your convenience." I don't have it in me to work in corporate environments. 😂

if that happened to me, she would immediately be receiving: ‘working from the garden’ ‘got cold, working from my desk’ ‘got hot, working from the garden’ for as long as it takes for her to give up

My mom moved out of state but still works for a hospital in minnesota as a scheduler and payroll. She absolutely can not just choose to work wherever she pleases because of security concerns. She has to work from her house, or if she flies to minnesota, goes to the office. So there are companies that just because you're remote, you can't just go wherever you please with private company information at your disposal for any random at a hotel to try and hack into

There are insurance and security risks in some roles for working away from registered locations, but it is complicated.

it can, in certain lines of work, be a security issue, so I'm mixed on this. on the one hand, you are getting your work done. on the other, if your supervisor is concerned about security, that's a different story. also my work setup is more than a laptop so I'm stuck at home anyway 😅

I could never!! My company just wants a 24HR notice if we leave the country, so IT can alter settings.

“Send a email to HR about employer asking about personal information”

I don't know if it's the same in the US or Canada, but in France, it's technically forbidden because of insurance policies. If you get hurt at work, your company's insurance will cover it, if you get hurt at home - while working, during working hours - your company's insurance will cover it, since they allow you to work from home. However, if you're elsewhere, well, that it's not covered, but your company can still be in trouble. Hence the fact that they most likely won't let you work elsewhere. Now, that's only on paper. Most companies don't care

And that's why we put the background filter up on the video call.

That's fine except if you go to a different country because of tax implications for a company. Some countries have employee safekeeping laws that don't apply if you're outside of the country 😅

This was my experience as a case manager. My supervisor also told me to add and specify all my NON WORK activities in the company schedule, and when I did, she demanded I come into the office on my apartment move-out date so I could work on notes. Never again.

Our company does require your remote location to be private to you, lockable, and have no distractions, and they can audit your location at any time. So unfortunately our remote peeps DO have to let mgmt know if we aren't going to be working from home, and it is policy. But it's a fair trade for not having to go into the office IMPO.

So, you *do* have the terms of your WFH agreement detailed out, or at least you should. There's security issues that could come up that may need approval or solutions first. That in mind, I like how the first question is "Where is that in the policy?" Which, lol, did not have a satisfactory answer. XD

Just had this exact conversation with my boss during a remote work week. I called in to the first project briefing at a location other than my home. Was taken off of the project. Insane

The ONLY reason corporate has at all to be involved in where you work would be security, and in cases like that, they most likely wouldn't hire people to work from home.

We interviewed a guy who said he lived in Phoenix, for a 100% remote position. When we hired him a few weeks later, he lived in LA. A few weeks after that, trying to work out a good meeting time for our east coast employees plus this guy on the west coast, he said "oh, no, not a problem, I live in Virginia." Seems his wife is a traveling nurse and he just travels with her, working from the hotel wherever they land. This is a nightmare for payroll, withholding state taxes appropriately, and impossible on a federal government contract, as they assign hardware from the depot nearest to where the contractor lives - if the contractor moves, they have to turn in their equipment at one site and draw new from another. He talked himself right out of the job anyway, as he let slip he had been traveling all day on a certain day when his timesheet showed 8 hours working. Fired for wage theft.

If the ability to be physically in the office with little to no notice is a necessary part of the job, you should be informed of that when you take the job, and it should be a company policy.

There are so many reasons (beyond vacations) to be in a hotel room instead of your home. Family emergency, fumagation, home damages, medical needs, etc. None of those require approval, and some are protected by HIPPA, and frankly it is none of the company's business unless in literally effects the business itself.

From a safety perspective, should your boss know when your in a different location? I understand that wasn't the takeaway from this specific skit. But from an oh&s pov, if you're injured away from home but during work hours, then it would be difficult to claim workers' compensation.

When I worked in an office I was covered by their insurance policy. There are some complex legal issues, apart from tax, to be considered from a safety pov. Part of the wfh situation includes the worker agreeing that certain minimum safety conditions are met. It’s one of those things that people often don’t think about until they need support - then they realise that HR is there to protect the company, not them.

In my country this would be a huge issue for several reasons insurance and IP protection are two of the main.

My favorite story like this was a guy asked “hey can I travel around Europe while I work?” “No. You’re a subcontractor for the Department of Defense you have to be state side” *a few months later, at a 10am meeting* “Why is it night outside your window?”

In Europe, employers provide insurance for employees. If you are injured going to or from work, the employer is responsible.

"My location is currently in front of my laptop, working, as expected and compensated for. Should you desire my geographic location, that's far, FAR above your pay grade. Actually, that's above EVERYONE'S pay grade."

It can be a major problem for businesses. They have to follow the labor laws of where the person works. If you move your working location without letting them know, they may end up in legal hot water.

As I work it for a large company, you should still let them know as it could cause remote access issues if we find you logging in from somewhere else. It will likely be seen as a hacker and your account will get locked down.

I literally asked my boss this question today, and he said I could work from the moon as long as my job got done.

My company does actually require we report a 2nd work location and get approval to work elsewhere. But I would 100% agree if no policy to this was in place.

Screw corperate! That is the exact reason, I became self-employed!

My workplace doesn't care, as long as the work gets done. Remote workdays are rare and if you don't do the work you're supposed to during that time, it shows. If they have to cancel your remote day because they're short on staff, they need to inform you at least a couple days prior.

My dad had this happen in the last company he worked with - he works half in field and half at home, and he travelled about two hours from home one day for a personal thing, and answered a video call from work in obviously a hotel. Boss was mad and said "well what if I need you in the office?" Dad said "Im closer to the office where I am right now than if I were at home" and they shut up after that. Company actually went under a few months after

A lot of companies IT departments block remote access if you are outside the country, so in some cases yes you do actually need to let them know ahead of time if you are travelling to other countries.

Yeah my work made me sign a telework policy which says we can only telework from home because any other internet than home or the office could be dangerous. They don't take into account personal hot spots. But yeah I don't get to do it from other places

Depends on the company. Mine has it written into the telework agreement for one location and must give an address

I have used this with a former supervisor who could barely function IRL, let alone on the job, "I'm fully remote. The office is in the Netherlands. I am in Malaysia. I was HIRED when I was in Malaysia to work fully remote. If the company gives a weeks notice, and pays my tickets and hotel and visa for the duration, I will gladly fly to the Netherlands."

I could never work in a corporate environment because I could never stand to deal with this kind of thing. Your channel is soooo satisfying to me.

Add it to the policy then! Second 😂

When i had a remote job they told me they don’t care where i worked from as long as the job got done. I do realized that is probably not the norm

"How do I know you're working?" "Because my work is getting done, maybe?"

The one exception where this level of control is okay is if your work requires a high level of internet security because you are dealing with sensitive data. Most hotel wifi is not very secure, so I can see where there would be conflict here. However, this is still very controlling management behavior.

Many places worry about your online security and company secrets.

These videos raise my blood pressure because they're too accurate.

Hmmm. Where I'm from, there must be a consideration for workplace insurance and employee safety. The employer has every right, and perhaps responsibility, to know exactly where their workers are at any moment.

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The worst is states which require reporting for tax purposes for even one day. Looking at you North Carolina...

My company has had a hybrid model since I started a few years ago, three days in office, 2 days WFH, but they allowed flexibility. Like if you had a sick kid, working from home was fine that day, no questions asked. But suddenly, the parent company is cracking down and wants everyone in office 3 days a week and if you WFH but don’t put in PTO, you’re getting a written letter to your manager. They’ve even set up a new Wi-Fi network to track how many hours were in the office each week, and if we don’t meet a certain number we get a nasty letter sent to HR and management. For some reason, this bothers me so much, I am LIVID at this policy. My job is getting done, you’re not paying me shit, I’m doing all the finances even though that’s the job of the role above me (which you won’t fill, you won’t promote me for, and you won’t pay me for), so I just have to bend over and take this shit?! I’m DONE with this WFH hounding, absolutely done. Catch me at a new job across the country, working from home without issue. Bye!

Depends on what you do. My remote job required a lot of security which meant no working on public WiFi and it had to pass approved speed tests prior to working there