Author Topic: New job without commute or remote work with 25% travel  (Read 1020 times)

406MtnFire

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New job without commute or remote work with 25% travel
« on: May 26, 2022, 10:22:34 PM »
Hey everyone,

I'm in the process of leaving my engineering job with a 45 minute one way commute. My new job is a similar role in a different company with a 10 min commute. Similar pay and an extra week of vacation.

My current company counter offered with a corporate full time remote job with 25% travel. I'd be traveling one week per month, rarely more.

I think I'd love the short commute job but I still have to be there at 6 am Monday to Friday (not very flexible schedule)  Curious how others have enjoyed going from an in person job to full time remote?

Is 25% travel easily sustainable or does it get old breaking your routine? I enjoy having a routine and can handle some travel but never tried regular travel.

Thanks

Dicey

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Re: New job without commute or remote work with 25% travel
« Reply #1 on: May 27, 2022, 12:05:51 AM »
Only you can decide. I'm just offering some tips from experience.

I did a lot of regular travel in my career. Routine was key, as was the ability to book my own reservations. I knew the managers at every hotel I stayed in.  They could find me a room when the hotel seemed to be sold out. In a number of places, I became a Top 10 guest. Select a hotel chain that is a good fit then learn and work their rewards system. I retired nearly ten years ago and still have over 500k IHG points.

Hmmm, perhaps I should mention that the job included a company car. All air travel had to be booked through the company, which was a pain in the ass.

Catbert

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Re: New job without commute or remote work with 25% travel
« Reply #2 on: May 27, 2022, 10:26:31 AM »
Also consider what "1 week a month" means.  Does it mean leaving Sunday afternoon and returning late Friday night (or Saturday morning)?  Or leaving Monday morning and back in time for Happy Hour on Friday? 

Do you have a partner?  Kids?  What do they think?

patchyfacialhair

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Re: New job without commute or remote work with 25% travel
« Reply #3 on: May 27, 2022, 10:41:10 AM »
I work from home, and so does my wife. In a perfect world, this will last at least until my oldest learns to drive. The flexibility is awesome. I used to be against remote work, but the pandemic changed things and now I can't be convinced otherwise.

My wife occasionally travels for work, but it's super easy. She can book everything herself and get reimbursed, meaning it's on her terms, to include booking direct flights even when more expensive than connecting.

The one time I travelled for my employer was a huge pain in the butt. I had to book travel through our employer portal, use the corporate credit card, and deal with onerous documentation requirements. Rules say I have to pick the cheapest flight, even if it includes connections. I was in a location with dirt cheap direct flights home, and yet I still had to get approval to fly home on the weekends even though it was clearly cheaper than paying weekend hotel rates and a healthy per diem. But, like I said, that time was a one-off, and maybe things have changed but I wouldn't take a travelling job with my current employer due to my previous experience.

So all that to say, either option sounds fine, but I'd lean toward remote work, personally.

Gremlin

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Re: New job without commute or remote work with 25% travel
« Reply #4 on: May 29, 2022, 05:55:46 PM »
I'd be considering more than just this.  It's not like you have 2 offers from new companies that you are choosing between.  One is from a company that you have already made a decision to leave. 

Why were you leaving in the first place?  Does the revised counter-offer address these things?

In terms of the travel, I'd be interrogating what that actually means.  How easy does the company make the travel experience?  How long is the travel commute door to door?  When would you do it? Consistent hotels?  Consistent routines?  How much flexibility do you have in the timing of 'one week a month'?  Eg, if that is the first week of the month, every month, does that mean you'll have no flexibility and have to miss major family events?  My experience is a four day travel week travelling home Thursday evening with day five back WFH is FAR more palatable than a five day travel week, so that could be something to consider.

If it seems to stack up, I'd evaluate what your week looks like when you travel (both for you and family), and what it looks like when you don't.  I used to find when I travelled regularly, it was much harder to fit exercise into my routine, which was not great for my health or mental health.  I also found that the week travelling would tend to be very big hours in the office and I'd end up exhausted at the end of the week.  YMMV as it depends a lot on the expectations of the business.

Also bear in mind, they want you back and you have some leverage.  You may not have the same leverage if you take the counteroffer.  So if what they are proposing doesn't meet the mark for you, you should be prepared to negotiate.  If you want different terms to the 'standard' travel policy, negotiate it and get it in writing.  Even if you are happy with the 'standard' travel policy, think about getting those terms written into your contract, as 'standard' policies change over time and often not to the advantage of the road warriors.

Good luck with the decision

FLBiker

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Re: New job without commute or remote work with 25% travel
« Reply #5 on: May 30, 2022, 07:49:39 AM »
Lots of good advice here.  In my experience, working from home is great.  I've been doing it for ~2 years.  I'm an introvert, though.  Also, I'd worked in an office previously with my current boss (although he wasn't my boss at the time) so that helped in terms of developing rapport.  WFH is pretty normal at my company, too, so I don't think it's a big obstacle to things like promotions.  At the same time, I'm nearly FI and definitely NOT looking for promotions.

I also travel for work ~ 4-5 times a year.  Like others have said, policies can make a big difference here.  We technically have a portal that we should book through, but it's a pain, so my boss lets us book our own flights.  We do hotels through the portal, but it works fine for that.  I have a corporate card, but I find that works very easily (as I don't need to ask for reimbursements).  I do have to track receipts, but that's pretty easy with a cell phone.  And I've never gotten any static for my expenses.  I'm not a big spender, but I also don't always go with the cheapest option.  I've also asked to stay an extra day in places a couple of times, and my boss has always been supportive.  For example, I was in Brighton, UK right before the pandemic and I spent an extra day sightseeing.

My company was also supportive of me relocating from Tampa to rural Nova Scotia, even though it makes my travel more complicated -- I'm typically going to the US, sometimes to the UK, never to Canada.  Oh, and I don't have to drive for work -- just airplanes and taxis.  Personally, I don't really like driving, so that suits me (plus we only have one car).

I have a wife and kid, but my wife works part-time and is able to handle things solo if I travel.  That said, I wouldn't want to travel very much.  I think 25% would be OK for me personally, but probably pushing it as far as my wife is concerned.  I kind of like traveling for work (it's fun to travel on someone else's dime) but I could see it getting old if I did it a lot.  I tend to eat pretty well when I travel (again, within my modest expectations) which is fun.

use2betrix

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Re: New job without commute or remote work with 25% travel
« Reply #6 on: June 07, 2022, 05:37:05 PM »
As others mentioned, the stipulation for travel would make a pretty big difference.. Leaving Sunday and getting home late Friday night is a big difference between Monday morning and getting back early Friday evening.

I may be experiencing somewhat similar options in the next year or so. Personally, I have no interest in living where my work is, which would heavily sway my decision to work remote.

406MtnFire

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Re: New job without commute or remote work with 25% travel
« Reply #7 on: June 08, 2022, 08:13:32 PM »
Sounds like the new updated schedule is 25-50% travel. Leaving Monday and returning Thursday or Friday. I've never reveled for work and I enjoy my home life/ community.

Have others found the freedom to work wherever to outweigh traveling 1-2 weeks a month? I'd have my house but go on a few trips a year while working.

Gremlin

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Re: New job without commute or remote work with 25% travel
« Reply #8 on: June 08, 2022, 09:38:20 PM »
I'd want to have more certainty as to what it would be like in practice.  A 50% travel schedule is a very different proposition to a 25% travel schedule.  Returning Thursdays is far more palatable than returning Fridays.

How far is the travel when you travel?