The nature of consulting and professional services generally requires consultants to work at the client’s offices.  Even if it is not a full time commitment, meetings and part-time work often require the consultant to be at the client site.  When a consultant is on-site, it’s important to act with respect as though you are a guest.  In this week’s podcast we’ll discuss the recommended ways to act while at the client’s offices.

Why is it important for a consultant to act as though they are a guest at the client?

Mainly because they are guests.  The client has hired them to perform a job on a temporary basis.  They hire their employees on a long-term basis and that creates kind of a family environment with their employees.
Employees are insiders and consultants are more like outsiders.  Some clients do a better job of including consultants and that’s nice, but consultants need to be careful not to include themselves on things that should be for employees and that they’re not invited to by the client.
For example, I’ve hired maintenance people to come into my house to fix something or to do some clean.  And I always appreciate the workers who take off their shoes at the door before they walk though my house.
I don’t always take my shoes off or make my kids take them off, but I appreciate the workers who show that respect when they work in my house to avoid tracking dirt all over.
In the client situation, they’re usually paying a premium rate for the expert consultant and expect them to be a little more dedicated to the project than their own employees.

What are some examples of consultants not acting as guests at the client site?

It normally happens when the consultant starts taking advantage of perks the employees enjoy but that a consultant should not.
For instance, employees are often afforded luxuries like doing personal work at their desk like paying bills or checking their Facebook status.
It’s usually not that the employees are allowed to do it as much as it’s just overlooked by their management.
Consultants should do that kind of stuff on their personal time rather than while they’re at the client site.  Some clients are more lenient than others, but the point is that consultants don’t have the same leeway that an employee is given with those kinds of activities.
Another situation is when there is an employee picnic or party of some kind.  I’ve been at client sites where they have a huge summer picnic in the parking lot with food and games and all kinds of fun activities.
First, if the consulting team is invited to that, it’s a nice gesture to attend.  But they need to make it clear to the client that they aren’t billing them for those hours.
Additionally, if there are door prizes, consultants should not enter their name in the drawing.  And if, for some reason their names are included and they get called, they should decline the award.
I was at a client a couple of years ago in that situation and they told me to put a ticket in the drawing for door prized.  I refused and explained that it wasn’t right for consultants to be involved.
So our team attended the picnic and enjoyed the games and food.  After they drew names for door prizes, they started handing out hats and t-shirts.  I was still a little reluctant to take one.  Finally, one of the executives came up and offered one to me and said there were plenty to go around.
I finally took one because it would have actually been rude and kind of aloof not to.  So you have to balance not making yourself too comfortable with being part of their team.

What other situations have you witnessed where consultants actually made themselves a little too much at home?

One situation I experienced was a situation where the clients generally left work around 4:30 or 5:00 in the afternoon, while the consultants worked later into the night.  At some point they would end up ordering some dinner which nine times