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Microsoft recently announced that their employees can permanently work from home. Several other companies have announced similar policies and this trend will li

Microsoft recently announced that their employees can permanently work from home. Several other companies have announced similar policies and this trend will likely become widely adopted very soon. So far, geographical proximity to a job has so far been an important factor for several employment based visa types like the h1-b. With this quickly changing, can you share some thoughts on how the diminishing importance of a physical work place and proximity to offices will impact various employment related visa types? Is there any indication that some guidance or rule changes to accommodate the changing nature of how we work will be considered any time soon?

dogman144 6y ago
I'm sorry it's behind a paywall, but it's worth reading the following article that polls various CEOs across the usual industries/companies about their views on remote work. I think it's a good moderator to some of the news around MSFT as a lot of these are huge tech employers. https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-ceos-really-think-about-remote-work-11600853405 https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-ceos-really-think-about-re...
29athrowaway 6y ago
Timezone differences remain a problem.
- PopeDotNinja 6y ago
  I’m a digital nomad who has been working from Pakistan for the past month for a USA East Coast company . Can confirm. 12 hour time zone difference is suboptimal XD
- imhoguy 6y ago
  All other countries in Americas match the time-zones with USA. Also most are much cheaper for living and with easier imigration systems. And there is always an option to visit USA HQ on B-1.
- baskire 6y ago
  And cultural. It’s non trivial to have a team working cohesively both in India and USA. Even between cities it’s difficult
  - 29athrowaway 6y ago
    Cultural differences are not necessarily bad, and people can adapt and learn how to work together over time. You cannot change timezone differences no matter what you do.
    - dudul 6y ago
      In my experience, cultural differences can be way worse than the timezone differences. There are true, critical cultural differences between the US and say the middle east, or asia. In some cultures it is really bad to ask questions when something is unclear, it is really bad to take any sort of initiatives, it is really bad to push back on unreasonable requirements. To me this is the true reason massive out-sourcing failed a few decades ago. It just requires a lot of work to adjust for these differences.
      - systemvoltage 6y ago
        Truth, having worked with a team of 15 engineers in Bangalore - there is a huge cultural difference. Yes, I understand some people might be offended by this but I am speaking unadulterated truth with absolutely no offense meant in terms of race/country/origin. The culture is totally different and IMO not conducive to innovation, critical thinking and constructive feedback - it is the opposite. Still, some people will be offended by this. Are there exceptions? Absolutely. Is this a common pattern and generalization? Yes.
        W6uNIlLti0 6y ago
        How much of this is getting what you paid for? how much of this is inability to build and grow professional relationships, willingness to learn cultural awareness? I've worked as an engineer on both sides you mention. You get what you pay for, there are companies that charge you more and some that charge you less. There are companies that hire good talent, pay them well, have experienced engineers who have worked with range of people/projects and consequently are generally well travelled and culturally aware. And, there are companies that just hire inexperienced engineers etc. Irrespective of which country, if you want a good team of engineers, you got to be willing to pay more. And, while working with people from a different country/geography, instead of just expecting the people you work with to be culturally aware, you got to be willing to learn and get culturally aware too. Did you put in any effort? For instance, if you go in with I won't even care about trying to pronounce your name right or a bias that "your culture is just not good for innovation/critical thinking etc" attitude, you wont get anywhere.
proberts 6y ago
It's a big issue and other than some limited temporary accommodations/flexibility because of the pandemic, U.S. immigration law has not caught up with the reality of remote employment, unfortunately, and there's no indication yet when it will partly because many of these changes would require changes in the regulations.

dogman144 6y ago

I'm sorry it's behind a paywall, but it's worth reading the following article that polls various CEOs across the usual industries/companies about their views on remote work. I think it's a good moderator to some of the news around MSFT as a lot of these are huge tech employers. https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-ceos-really-think-about-remote-work-11600853405 https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-ceos-really-think-about-re...

29athrowaway 6y ago

Timezone differences remain a problem.

PopeDotNinja 6y ago
I’m a digital nomad who has been working from Pakistan for the past month for a USA East Coast company . Can confirm. 12 hour time zone difference is suboptimal XD
imhoguy 6y ago
All other countries in Americas match the time-zones with USA. Also most are much cheaper for living and with easier imigration systems. And there is always an option to visit USA HQ on B-1.
baskire 6y ago
And cultural. It’s non trivial to have a team working cohesively both in India and USA. Even between cities it’s difficult
- 29athrowaway 6y ago
  Cultural differences are not necessarily bad, and people can adapt and learn how to work together over time. You cannot change timezone differences no matter what you do.
  - dudul 6y ago
    In my experience, cultural differences can be way worse than the timezone differences. There are true, critical cultural differences between the US and say the middle east, or asia. In some cultures it is really bad to ask questions when something is unclear, it is really bad to take any sort of initiatives, it is really bad to push back on unreasonable requirements. To me this is the true reason massive out-sourcing failed a few decades ago. It just requires a lot of work to adjust for these differences.
    - systemvoltage 6y ago
      Truth, having worked with a team of 15 engineers in Bangalore - there is a huge cultural difference. Yes, I understand some people might be offended by this but I am speaking unadulterated truth with absolutely no offense meant in terms of race/country/origin. The culture is totally different and IMO not conducive to innovation, critical thinking and constructive feedback - it is the opposite. Still, some people will be offended by this. Are there exceptions? Absolutely. Is this a common pattern and generalization? Yes.
      - W6uNIlLti0 6y ago
        How much of this is getting what you paid for? how much of this is inability to build and grow professional relationships, willingness to learn cultural awareness? I've worked as an engineer on both sides you mention. You get what you pay for, there are companies that charge you more and some that charge you less. There are companies that hire good talent, pay them well, have experienced engineers who have worked with range of people/projects and consequently are generally well travelled and culturally aware. And, there are companies that just hire inexperienced engineers etc. Irrespective of which country, if you want a good team of engineers, you got to be willing to pay more. And, while working with people from a different country/geography, instead of just expecting the people you work with to be culturally aware, you got to be willing to learn and get culturally aware too. Did you put in any effort? For instance, if you go in with I won't even care about trying to pronounce your name right or a bias that "your culture is just not good for innovation/critical thinking etc" attitude, you wont get anywhere.

proberts 6y ago

It's a big issue and other than some limited temporary accommodations/flexibility because of the pandemic, U.S. immigration law has not caught up with the reality of remote employment, unfortunately, and there's no indication yet when it will partly because many of these changes would require changes in the regulations.