Though it's taken a little time, each of us is up to full speed with our respective teams. A couple of us even share the same client assignment. Some work very closely with Deloitte team members based in the United States. Others, not so much.
Remember when "time and distance" was an algebra problem? For joggers, it's a performance issue. A poet once claimed that the pair makes the heart grow fonder. What's up with that?? But for consultants, it's first and foremost, a logistics issue.
Danny, Katie and Stephanie, for instance, work much later each night and sometimes are still up into the early morning hours. The "blueprinting" and "testing" phases of their project have "ramped up." "Dialing in" to team meetings taking place in the States has become a priority. That we are at least nine and a half hour ahead of our US based teams does indeed make for an interesting schedule.
Om is working as a solo "off shore" contributor from here for a client in the Midwest. Assignments come into him in late afternoon. He too works beyond the "11 am to 8 pm" schedule first proposed, but more as an "independent contractor." Email is the communication method of choice.
My own situation differs from both experiences. Even though I am working with a US firm on the East Coast, my two primary contacts are based in India. The consultant to whom I report is based in Bangalore and another primary team member is based in Mumbai. So, my communication with them is "live," but still at a distance. Unlike the others, however, we do share the same time zone.
Regardless, we all count as “local” here. Rather than returning home on Thursday and going into our home offices on Friday, the fifth day of the week here is a full work day. No traditional Friday afternoon "Happy Hour" for us!
