As an independent contractor I work at home a lot. I’m used to it, and i work there very efficiently and effectively. However, I get pushback from a lot of potential clients because they want someone working in their office. This is because a rather Victorian attitude that, if you can’t see me, I’m not working.
I’d argue that having me sitting in your office actually costs you more than you think. You need to provide a desk and chair, as a bare minimum. You might need to give me an escort – depending on how secure your workplace is. I’ll certainly require a great deal of coffee during the day, and I might be a disruptive factor in your well ordered workplace – questioning things as ideas occur to me. Plus, it takes time out of my working day to travel to and from your office.
I’m more productive when I’m not in your office for a range of reasons.
First and foremost, I have all the stuff I need routinely at my fingertips, without needing to drag everything around in a suitcase.
Secondly, I work a lot harder when I’m at home. I feel the need to demonstrate my trustworthiness and effectiveness when you are not looking over my shoulder (so to speak), and I lose less time in travelling, breaks and the like.
Thirdly, and most importantly, I can be a lot more focused on your problems. I’ll think about the issues up front and ask you focused questions, rather than relying on you being handy if an idea pops into my head. It makes deadlines and planned meetings more important and productive and lets me focus on the work outcome rather than the ephemera of life in your office.
Remote working is so easy now, due to email, file sharing and videoconferencing, that there is really no cogent reason to restrict your ability to hire the best skilled professionals to the people you find in your neighbourhood.