4 ms·

I suspect that if this really does become the new normal, in 5-10 years, part of that new normal will be providing your own equipment (computers, monitors, etc.

I suspect that if this really does become the new normal, in 5-10 years, part of that new normal will be providing your own equipment (computers, monitors, etc.). I predict there will be a non-trivial "startup cost" associated with taking most jobs.

CalRobert 7y ago
My brother in law is a mechanic. I was shocked to find he's expected to provide his own tools at a job - even working for a dealership
- nogabebop23 7y ago
  I've never heard of a professional trade where they don't provide their own tools. The exception has always been big, expensive, infrequently used things but hand tools always and a lot of specialized and power tools.
  - CalRobert 7y ago
    This makes sense for independent contractors, etc. but I was really surprised to find out that he (and his coworkers) all have their "own" tools. To me that was a bit like bringing your own computer to work, which would run in to issues with invention assingment agreements and the like, if nothing else. To be fair it _kinda_ makes sense in that each person will have their own preference for tools, but it's a pretty big expense.
- bentcorner 7y ago
  This varies from place to place. Some provide you tools, some have a mechanism for "checking in" personal tools so they can be used at work and you can take them with you when you leave.
- jlbnjmn 7y ago
  Yes and the price tag of all those tools and the storage for them can easily be in the 6 digits.
zrail 7y ago
Depends on the job. This is very much the expectation for consulting, at least the consulting that I did. For a lot of places that are regulated entities you're gonna be hard pressed to see IT departments allowing BYOD for anything more complicated than email and calendar. BYO monitor/keyboard/etc will of course be possible, but also I would expect a startup budget for most places.
ardy42 7y ago
> I suspect that if this really does become the new normal, in 5-10 years, part of that new normal will be providing your own equipment (computers, monitors, etc.). I predict there will be a non-trivial "startup cost" associated with taking most jobs. IIRC, that's already the expectation in many professions (e.g. auto mechanics). I personally would be fine with it so long workers were compensated for the extra expense, and employers were statutorily prohibited from requiring spyware to be installed on a worker-owned machine. But of course this is America, so the employers will jump at any opportunity to dump more uncompensated costs on workers to enrich shareholders further, and they'll fight hard against any constraints on what they can require.
- panzagl 7y ago
  I'd think the employee would basically be providing a dumb terminal to some sort of cloud instance- no company should trust their IP to a random endpoint.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- commandlinefan 7y ago
  That's true, I hadn't thought about that. I believe those tools are, at least, tax deductible.

CalRobert 7y ago

My brother in law is a mechanic. I was shocked to find he's expected to provide his own tools at a job - even working for a dealership

nogabebop23 7y ago
I've never heard of a professional trade where they don't provide their own tools. The exception has always been big, expensive, infrequently used things but hand tools always and a lot of specialized and power tools.
- CalRobert 7y ago
  This makes sense for independent contractors, etc. but I was really surprised to find out that he (and his coworkers) all have their "own" tools. To me that was a bit like bringing your own computer to work, which would run in to issues with invention assingment agreements and the like, if nothing else. To be fair it _kinda_ makes sense in that each person will have their own preference for tools, but it's a pretty big expense.
bentcorner 7y ago
This varies from place to place. Some provide you tools, some have a mechanism for "checking in" personal tools so they can be used at work and you can take them with you when you leave.
jlbnjmn 7y ago
Yes and the price tag of all those tools and the storage for them can easily be in the 6 digits.

zrail 7y ago

Depends on the job. This is very much the expectation for consulting, at least the consulting that I did. For a lot of places that are regulated entities you're gonna be hard pressed to see IT departments allowing BYOD for anything more complicated than email and calendar. BYO monitor/keyboard/etc will of course be possible, but also I would expect a startup budget for most places.

ardy42 7y ago

> I suspect that if this really does become the new normal, in 5-10 years, part of that new normal will be providing your own equipment (computers, monitors, etc.). I predict there will be a non-trivial "startup cost" associated with taking most jobs. IIRC, that's already the expectation in many professions (e.g. auto mechanics). I personally would be fine with it so long workers were compensated for the extra expense, and employers were statutorily prohibited from requiring spyware to be installed on a worker-owned machine. But of course this is America, so the employers will jump at any opportunity to dump more uncompensated costs on workers to enrich shareholders further, and they'll fight hard against any constraints on what they can require.

panzagl 7y ago
I'd think the employee would basically be providing a dumb terminal to some sort of cloud instance- no company should trust their IP to a random endpoint.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
commandlinefan 7y ago
That's true, I hadn't thought about that. I believe those tools are, at least, tax deductible.