Frequently asked questions

Quick answers

How does Office Hours work?
Office Hours is a knowledge-sharing platform that connects clients with advisors in specific expertise areas. Clients search for and book 30 to 60-minute calls with advisors who have the expertise and perspectives they need. Scheduling, compliance, and payment are all managed on the platform. Calls can be joined via videoconference or via phone.: Who are Office Hours' clients?
At this stage, we are primarily focused on clients in the healthcare and technology sectors. Our clients include VC and PE investors, founders, product managers, and operators from startups and Fortune 500 companies, who all share one thing in common - the need for expert perspective to inform strategic decision-making.: Who are Office Hours' advisors?
Office Hours advisors are industry and healthcare professionals who have deep expertise across a range of subject areas, roles, and technologies. This includes key decision makers evaluating and purchasing software for their companies, prescribing physicians and key opinion leaders in the healthcare space, and experts across industries like cybersecurity, cryptocurrency, logistics, and design.

How it works

Are there any fees for joining Office Hours?
Joining the Office Hours platform is completely free. For some calls, there is a 5% platform fee and a 2.9% payment processing fee deducted from the rate (which you get to set).: How do I get matched to consulting opportunities?
Once you create your Office Hours profile, clients can search for and request a call with you based on your knowledge areas, career history, and roles. For the best chance of getting matched to opportunities, make sure your work history is up to date and add knowledge tags that encompass the full range of tools, technologies, and specialties that you have experience with. Check out this blog post for more tips on optimizing your profile.: How can I sign up as an advisor?
Thank you for your interest in working with Office Hours! You can join the waitlist via the “Sign up” button on our homepage. While you are waiting, here are a couple of tips from our team: We are more likely to reach out to people who have up-to-date and detailed profiles on job networking sites. It is recommended to include any specific experience you have with particular products, softwares, etc. If we do reach out, prompt responses are appreciated! Projects are often time-dependent and clients are hoping to connect within 24 hours.: How do I log in?
If you are already an advisor with Office Hours, please click the “Log in” button from our homepage.: Why was I contacted?
If you have received outreach from the Office Hours team, we believe that you may be a good fit for a client call due to your professional history and experience. Office Hours hosts a range of clients who are looking for expertise across a variety of job titles and fields. The Client Solutions Team identified you using online social platforms such as LinkedIn and/or via referrals from past calls.: If I join, am I limited to only doing consultations with Office Hours?
No. Office Hours’ mission is to help everyone realize the true value of what they know. That is why we have built the best experience for advisors among all knowledge-sharing platforms. While we believe advisors will prefer working with Office Hours, we do not prohibit advisors from participating on other networks once they join Office Hours.

Consultations

How do consultations work?
Consultations are 30-60 minute phone calls about a particular topic. When a client requests a call with you, we'll send you an email with booking information and proposed times. If you decide to accept, we'll email you a calendar invite with details for joining the call via video or phone. When complete, we'll process your payment to the method of your choice.: Who will I be consulting with?
Office Hours clients are generally professionals in the healthcare and technology sectors. Our partners include VC and PE investors, pharmaceutical companies, Fortune 500 firms, and startups who need specialized expertise to inform product development and decision-making. When a call is requested with you, you'll receive an email with the booking details, including the name and company of the client making the request.: Do I need to prepare anything in advance?
Calls generally do not require any advance preparation, as questions are typically based around your experience and perspectives. In some cases, the client may send a pre-reading or share slides during the call for review.: What happens if my call is canceled or rescheduled?
You will receive notifications to your designatedemail regarding any cancelations or reschedules. Please reach out to our team if you have any questions.

Surveys

How do Office Hours surveys work?
Surveys are a tool used by our clients (consulting, PE, & VC firms; startups; etc.) to gather quantitative insights. They are most often used to gather information on market trends, user experiences, etc. In order to determine whether you are a good fit, expert network surveys have a screener section - much like expert calls do. Respondents who do not pass the screener questions may be terminated from the survey. Surveys collect information from a blinded audience and personal identifying information (PII) is not shared between Office Hours + our end Client. If you do not qualify for the survey, you will be unable to progress through the entire survey. Any data you provide will not be used by our end client and you won’t be eligible for compensation.: What are some survey best practices?
We highly recommend that you take a reasonable amount of time to fill out the survey (please do not speed), and do not use a VPN.: How do I know what criteria you are looking for?
Generally, our clients are looking for a specific group of people to respond to their survey. This is why we include basic qualification criteria in our outreach emails. We want you to determine whether or not the survey is a good fit before proceeding. However, we cannot list the exact criteria for the survey in order to collect an unbiased, representative sample.: How will I know if my responses qualify?
If you have completed a qualifying survey response, you will see a screen at the end of the survey letting you know that your responses have qualified. You will also be able to see the response show as “qualified” in the dashboard under Surveys. Please note that it may take up to an hour after your response has been submitted for it to show up on your dashboard.: Why did my response not qualify?
Our clients' surveys have specific qualifying criteria that need to be met. If your response doesn't qualify, you’ll be met with a confirmation screen letting you know. If your response is not selected, your survey data will not be used, and you won't be eligible for payment.: How do I request data deletion?
You may request data deletion by emailing compliance@officehours.com with any relevant context that may be useful.: Why did my the status of my survey response change from qualified to not qualified?
Please note that a survey response may initially be marked as qualified and later marked as not qualified, if it's been determined that your responses don't comply with our Survey Terms, which are displayed to you prior to you completing a survey.

Payment

Can I set my own rate?
Yes! Office Hours lets you choose your hourly rate for consultations. Check our blog for guidance on how to pick the right rate for consultations.

For survey opportunities, payout rates are pre-determined by our clients and communicated to you upfront.: How do I get paid?
We support payouts via the following methods: Bank or wire transfer (US and international to over 200 countries) PayPal Venmo Paper check (US only) To select your preferred payout method, please log into your account and navigate here (https://officehours.com/settings/payment/payout-methods).: How long after my consultation or survey will it take for my payout to be issued?
Assuming you’ve selected your preferred payout method and submitted your tax form, our team aims to process payments with 1-2 business days following the completion of your consultation or survey. You will receive email confirmation when your payout has been processed. In certain circumstances (holidays and weekends, exceptional circumstances), payout processing may take longer. Our team will notify you if there are any issues with your payout.: How long does it take to receive my payout?
That depends on the preferred payout method you select. Generally speaking, deposit timelines are as follows: Bank transfers: US ACH (1-3 business days); International (varies by country) PayPal: Same day Venmo: Same day Paper check (US only): 5-10 business days: I don’t live in the US. What payout options are available to me?
We support multiple options for advisors outside of the United States, including bank and wire transfers to 200+ countries, as well as PayPal and Venmo. If you are based in India, we highly recommend choosing bank or wire transfer due to PayPal restrictions.: Do you support charitable donations?
If you’d like to donate your earnings to charity, we recommend getting paid and donating the funds directly to your charity of choice.: Will you send me a tax form?
We recommend speaking with an accountant to understand your specific tax obligations. We are obligated by the IRS to collect W9 forms from US-based advisors and W8 forms from international advisors, and we send 1099-NEC and/or 1099-K forms to all advisors who have met applicable earnings thresholds by January 31st of the upcoming calendar year. Disclaimer: While we do not provide tax, legal or accounting advice, we will do our best to provide you with the information you need to make your own decision about how to comply with applicable U.S. tax laws. If you still have questions after reviewing the information provided by the IRS, please contact your own tax, legal and/or accounting advisor prior to completing a U.S. Tax Form.: Why do I have to provide my social security number or other government ID number (for non-US taxpayers)?
U.S. federal tax law requires Office Hours to collect tax information through an IRS Form W-9 or W-8 series and report on certain income paid. We send 1099-NEC and/or 1099-K forms to all advisors who have met applicable earnings thresholds by January 31st of the upcoming calendar year. Trolley requires payees to provide their SSN and personal information for identity verification and regulatory compliance purposes. The company stores this information securely using industry-standard encryption methods and limits access to authorized personnel only. Trolley handles a vast amount of payment transactions and follows industry-leading best practices around data privacy and security. The company's clientele includes major marketplace websites like SoundCloud and Canva. Disclaimer: While we do not provide tax, legal or accounting advice, we will do our best to provide you with the information you need to make your own decision about how to comply with applicable U.S. tax laws. If you still have questions after reviewing the information provided by the IRS, please contact your own tax, legal and/or accounting advisor prior to completing a U.S. Tax Form.: There’s an issue with my payout. Who can I reach out to for help?
If you need help with your payout, you can log in to Office Hours and send us a message via Freshchat. Or, you can send us an email at support@officehours.com with your name, the date of your interaction, and the payment amount. Our team will get back to you as soon as possible.

Privacy

I’m concerned about confidentiality. How do I ensure I am not putting myself at risk by participating?
Prior to conducting a call, we encourage you to proactively check existing employment agreements, NDAs, and other agreements you may have in place with third-parties, to ensure you're not in violation of any of your obligations. Office Hours also has strict rules that restrict our clients and advisors from asking for or sharing material, non-public information. You are always within your right to decline to answer questions that you feel are too sensitive to discuss.: Who can view my profile?
There are two profile discovery modes, which you can set from your profile page. Public: Setting your profile to public increases your profile's discoverability, maximizing your earning potential. Users of Office Hours can find your profile via search results, project recommendations, and SEO. This maximizes your earning potential. Private: Setting your profile to private will reduce your profile's discoverability. The only opportunities you will receive are concierge opportunities from the Office Hours team when working directly with one of our clients.

Compliance

What information can I share?
Interactions on Office Hours allow you to share your unique professional insights and subject-matter expertise. This could include your technical knowledge of a particular field or technology, your evaluation of several products in a new industry, or even your personal experiences in your profession.: What information can I not share?
You must take care to never share any information that is confidential or that you are prohibited from disclosing. This includes information that it is illegal to share, information that constitutes a protected secret, and information that is subject to non-disclosure obligations. What you share on a call must always be in compliance with any confidentiality agreements or other legal obligations you are subject to. Please be sure you are familiar any legal agreements or other continuing obligations you are subject to prior to participating.: What if I am asked a question that concerns confidential information or other information that I am prohibited from sharing?
Explain that you are unable to answer the question as it would cause you to reveal confidential information or violate a legal obligation your are subject to. You may also reframe your answer so that it does not include any confidential information, and explain that is the extent of what you may share. If you believe that the client you are speaking to is knowingly or continually soliciting confidential information from you, you should end the call and notify Office Hours compliance (compliance@officehours.com).: Can I talk about my consultations with others?
No. Any information regarding consultations — what is shared on the call and any information shared before or after a call — is confidential. Please do not share any information shared on the call, the client’s identity, subjects discussed, or any survey information from any Office Hours interactions you are a part of.: What is Material Non-Public Information (”MNPI”)?
Material Non-Public Information (“MNPI”) can be any information which: relates to a company or its sellable securities; is not known publicly; and a reasonable person would likely consider important in making an investment decision. Assessing what constitutes MNPI can be very complex, and the penalties for sharing MNPI can be extremely harsh. So you should always err on the side of caution and avoid sharing any information you are not sure about. Please read our MNPI agreement for more (advisors are subject to this agreement upon joining the platform).: The client requested me in incognito mode. What does that mean?
Some of our clients prefer to keep their identities private because they are evaluating a sensitive investment opportunity or their compliance department requires an added layer of anonymity to protect both parties from sharing sensitive information. In these cases, clients are legally unable to share their names, titles, or employers. This incognito feature is designed to increase security and is often standard in the financial services industry. If you receive a consultation request from an incognito client and you have any questions, please contact the Office Hours team.: Are there any other rules or guidelines I need to be aware of?
You also are subject to our Advisor Code of Conduct, which outlines standards of compliance, professional conduct, and accuracy and honesty that must be upheld at all times working with Office Hours and other knowledge-sharing participants on our network.

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers

Start sharing your insights

Sign up today to start getting paid for what you know best.