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With all the telecommuting and alternative work arrangements that are storming the workplace, one would think the value of face time has plummeted, but has it? I think not. As someone who has taken advantage of telecommuting, only recently rejoining the 9-5 office world, my new role requires spending much more than the advertised 40 hours a week with my butt parked behind a pseudo-wood desk. A typical day (for me, mind you) starts at 8:30 am and doesn't end until at least 6:45pm or 7pm, at which point I am still one of the first to leave. And I'm one of the lucky ones. Some co-workers have been known to not even bother leaving--as in working through the entire night and and the next day with out sleep, shower, or change of clothes.
While quittin' time is officially 5:30pm, no one makes a movement until at least an hour after. Those that do stumble out at 5:30 do it quickly, quietly, and stealthily as if they are doing something wrong by attempting to maintain some facade of a life outside the workplace. Is this reluctance to leave a result of face time paranoia--you know, regardless of whether you have to work or not, you stay in the office (all the time) so that everyone knows it? Verdict is still out on that one, as being the newbie, I am still getting used to the internal politics and a bit too concerned with figuring just what it is I am doing to be that attentive to coworkers. But speaking from experience, while I could be leaving at 5:30pm, I can always find things that keep me busy well into the night. So is it about face time? Sure, a little bit, but then its also a little bit about that Type A personality. Which, taking a look around my ivy-league colleagues, is probably something we have in common.....
So what you reckon? Is face time important in your office? Or does staying late every night indicate that you may not be operating the most efficiently in your workplace? And how easy is it for you to slip into a "facetime culture" spending way more than 40+hours a week at your office?
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Comments
05.11.09
Facetime is important, but in a different way. If you are telecommuting all the time you aren't always building rapport with colleagues - somethings that you need. If you are just sticking around to claim that you were there into the wee hours of the night... well that's a problem. If that's facetime - no thanks. Once the clock strikes 5:30 make like fred flinstone :-)
05.11.09
I think face-time is essential. I worked from home all of 3 months and missed is immensely. The personal interactions made the day go by faster and seem more interesting. But I will say that staying late to be deemed as the "employee who stays late" has very little to do with your desire to have as much face time as possible. My coworkers and I love each others company but when the end of the day hits we're out unless we have a pressing deadline and our usual 9-5 just isn't cutting it. But does your facetime also mean chit chat time where productivity is hindered in ways that require you to stay late to get things done or be fired?
05.11.09
I once worked somewhere that people talked openly about how late they stayed at the office, how they worked all weekend, etc like it was something to be proud of. I never gave a damn but they thought I was a slacker since I didn't believe that staying late all the time was just "how it is". I guess that's why I moved on!
05.11.09
Very timely. I was here (just a little later) than my colleagues who do the same job last week when my boss called around to find someone in who could handle a priority project. I'm not sure if I was the first one called, but I happened to be the only one in so I got it. Well ok it was a pain in the neck, but it was important to so many people that my name got spread around as a result and my boss and his boss later thanked me and everyone else involved for the effort. If I had left earlier like the rest of my team, the project might have gone to someone else (and my boss more unhappy if everyone had been gone by that time). I'm not sure if it will turn into anything substantial, but seems like the little things like that are always good for your career.
05.11.09
In my first company I worked, reputation was built based on the number of hours you put in the office. We don't dare leave the office before our BOSS, so for some reason if the BOSS decided to WORK (for a change) we were screwed.
Then came out Prince of Persia II and we would be sitting in the office till midnight solving the hurdles. We soon became stars.
In my current job we work from home the entire first week - I can sense my desperation to go to work on the 8th day. Yes I believe face time is important, if a company is flexible enough, it can turn to be far more productive.
05.11.09
I think face time is pretty important but I've known some people who've run into troubles because of their consistently extensive hours in the office. Even I was once chastised by my boss for working until 3 AM, despite the fact that I was working over the phone with a team member in a different office all night.
There's definitely a delicate balance you have to find in your office and I think it's all relative to your company's corporate culture, your role in the company, and the expectations of your immediate teammates and bosses.
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