Social Media can done from anywhere so why come to the office?

[Tisha]

There are so many social media jobs today and 95% of the work is done on line. So why do have to come to your office everyday to do the job?

[Betty Sanchez]

I agree, I had a manager that would not allow me to sit outside of my podcasting studio and insisted that I sat near the team. I think there are some that are still very old school and believe that out of sight = not being productive or working. I also think that many of the social media jobs require flex hours and can not be performed during regular business hours.

[B.Croom]

I definitely understand, I have to go into the office for my job as well. However, I think the most compelling reasons for this so that you can build team repore, share insights face-to-face, & it adds to the overall team spirit.

[Cynthia Smith]

I agree that a lot of work can be done outside the normal place and time of work. Social Media makes an even more compelling case for not being in the office. I think a lot of companies will get on board about having this kind of flexibility but I think they are grappling with how do they measure productivity. Some companies view productivity as being at work 8 hours a day 5 days a week. It doesn't matter that you don't get any work done. Ultimately, I think it is about trust. The more comfortable the top level is with tech/SM, the more they will trust they employees to get things done outside of the office with SM/tech. At least that has been my experience.

[Cathy Y. Taylor]

Good question. And the answer: You don't. Unless of course, you're working for an ultra conservative company that is stuck in the 20 Century and believes that people have to be in the office to be productive. That's my short answer.

However, depending on your responsibilities, i.e., strategist, you might need to be in the office a couple of days a week. This is especially true if you report to a senior level marketing executive. He or she will want to get some face time with you -- but again, it doesn't require you to be in the office 5 days a week.

Finally, if you're working one-on-one with clients, you don't need to be in the office unless your colleagues are hosting a client meeting. Otherwise, you can do it all from the comfort of your living room in your pajamas.

Nice!

[Teri Gidwitz]

No man (or woman) is an island. Don't forget about networking with your fellow employees. You need to build rapport with your colleagues and get the benefit of casual hallway chats that you would miss if you were NEVER there. That said, flexibility is something any digital marketing role should offer, and is something to negotiate. Particularly when you may need to be engaged at odd hours that might otherwise be used for the "rest of your life." In my career, I've found that "out of sight is out of mind" so to keep your career healthy, best to include some face time on a regular basis.