Does telecommuting kill careers?
August 25, 2008 by Sam NarisiPosted in: In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Telecommuting
Looks like security issues and concerns from management aren’t the only things keeping would-be telecommuters tethered to the office.
Often, it’s the workers themselves who are reluctant to skip the drive into work.
Almost half (46%) of workers said their companies allow them to work from home — but only 32% actually do it, according to a recent survey by Steelcase, Inc. Why?
One biggie: They don’t think it’s a smart career move. Of the workers who can telecommute but don’t, 71% said they think their bosses would worry about a drop in productivity and 64% thought they’d be skipped over for a promotion if they weren’t in the office every day.
They might be on to something: Half the respondents overall said they are in fact more productive in an office environment.
That’s a key bit of info for managers to note. As more employers offer the arrangement, it’s going to be important for managers to keep an eye on who’s getting the work done and who isn’t.
View all the Latest StoriesTags: managers, Steelcase, Telecommuting
August 25th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
The people have valid concerns. But they are surmountable. Sure, if you don’t know what you’re doing and don’t make any effort, then you might lose productivity at home as well as losing visibility to your manager. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Many telecommuters I know say they are way *more* productive at home. It just takes some discipline to make sure you don’t get distracted by household stuff. Sticking to your regular work schedule helps. Some people find it helps to get up, showered, and dressed – to begin the day as if they were going into the office. Everyone is different.
For the visiblity there are *many* techniques to maintain your visibility with your boss and peers. You can arrange recurring short phone meetings to keep in contact with key players. You can send weekly email status updates so others know what you’re doing. There’s lots of techniques. A company that invests in a simple training program for their employees would really see a return in terms of their telecommuters’ productivity and connection with the team.
Nicole Bachelor – Master of Telecommuting Success
Discover how to work from home effectively and successfully. Free report, tips and direct access to my Telecommuters Club at:
http://avoidgoingtowork.com
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:59 pm
As someone who was a full-time teleworker for 10 years, I have a few comments. It absolutely takes discipline to be a teleworker and I know many people who couldn’t do it. But if you do have that discipline, you have the ability to be extremely productive. Now, don’t get me wrong, being in the office (which I am now) has its advantages, but I believe my productivity isn’t as high as it used to be because the two hours I used to be working, I now spending commuting. As for the visibility, I think you make your own visibility within your organization by the work you do, the actions you take and the way you communicate. The last 5 years of my teleworking I won awards related to performance. In my current job, my boss and peers don’t work in the same building as me, but I always have a line to my boss or peers if I need anything or need to have a conversation with her. Some of the folks I support do work in the same building as me yet I could go several days without seeing any of them if I don’t need to do so. With today’s technology (email, instant messaging, cell phones/blackberry’s), you’re never far away whether you’re sitting in an office or in your basement. As long as you have the ability to know what it takes to do what needs to get done, working from home isn’t an issue.
September 8th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
[...] Interesting post asking, does telecommuting kill careers. [...]
March 10th, 2009 at 9:10 am
People associate different behaviors with different environments. Home is home, you relax, spend time with family, entertain friends. Work is work, you concentrate and focus and your mind isn’t thinking hmmm what is in the fridge? I know that when i bring work home I am not as effecient as I would be completing the same task in a work environment. In college I never would read or study in bed, and if I did I gaurantee you I would fall asleep after 20 minutes or not be as focused if I were at the library.
I can understand telecommuting due to inclement weather, or one day a week rotating to save on transportation costs for employees, but on a regular basis every day of the week i can gaurantee you will not get your bang for the buck. What ever happend to good ol’ face to face communication and meetings? Tone and body language i believe count as the majority of communication rather than what you actually are saying.
March 10th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
T, if you’ve never telecommuted then your perceptions may seem reasonable, but they aren’t founded in actual experience.
I telecommuted to a position for about 2 1/2 years, and it worked fantastic. My employer was in Washington State; I’m in Illinois. There was no chance of my relocating, nor theirs, but I was undoubtedly the right person for a very unique need in the company – a technical writer with industry experience in a very small nitch industry and extensive customer service background.
I was undoubtedly more productive doing that work from home than I am at my current day job during the day. There were almost zero interruptions, no “office banter”, no politics, no hassles of those sorts. I got up, dressed, had breakfast, and worked in my study until lunch. I made myself take an hour lunch and did personal things in another area of the house, and at exactly an hour, I returned to my study and to my work.
I often had tasks to do after hours, weekends, as the needs fit the events I was covering. Those were still done in my study away from family and family interruptions.
I wish I could spend about half of my current HR recruiting position working from home, where I can get so much more done with so much less interruption. I often come into my office early in the morning to do just that, and my HR Director often stays well after 6pm at night to get work done without interruptions…