Originally Posted by
LaserSailor
Generosity has little to do with it.
I believe it is not possible to work on a computer with client confidential information in coach.
A four hour flight has three working hours available after taxi, climb out, approach and landing.
That's three work hours billed to client or overhead.
I love how you guys use IbM as. 'Typical ' example. Most global firms indeed don't think this way, which is why they suck to work for on travel jobs. After you pay your dues as a road warrior, they will spit you out and hire the next guy.
lasersailor. You strike me as a very rational person in general, but It seems you are rationalizing several issues here.
1) There is no more privacy in F than Y in my opinion. The guy/gal next to you can see your screen just fine if he really wants to. Secondly, if you have a privacy screen over your laptop, the neighbor in Y will not be able to read your screen either. So in my book, there is no real productivity issue between Y and F based on privacy alone. If you want to argue that you are more motivated to work in F, I might agree.
And of you fly in Y sometime when F is not abailable, are you saying that you would not work in Y and bill the client?
2) What makes IBM "typical" is that it and other firms like it employ the vast majority of frequent business travelers. If you give me 10 firms with similar policies as yours that add up to a total of 5000 employees, I will counter with most of the fortune 100 which employ millions. The reality is that for everyone that gets a deal like you, there are a hundred of the rest of us. Not to mention that most small business in this country is local to begin with. That's what makes IBM and its peers typical in its travel policies. Again, I wish everyone had your deal, but that is a pipedream.