How many people are actually telecommuting? Based on the data provided by Gartner Request, in 2008, there were around 25 percent of employees who prefer to work at home for the preceding year. Because of this current trend, many workplace experts, HR managers, and even company owners stated that in this decade, more will find their jobs and businesses at home.
There are plenty of reasons why many workers prefer telecommuting. Topping the list is the fact that it cuts back at almost everything: transportation, food, and taxes, to name a few. You also have more control over the amount of time you spend on your desk and your personal life. A lot of telecommuters gush about how much this trend allows them to pick or continue on their hobbies and meet friends and family for lunch or dinner. Telecommuting also gives you a chance to determine how much you want to earn. After all, as long as you work hard, you can earn much more.
However, not everyone finds telecommuting the ultimate utopia. As to why, you may want to take a look at the four reasons below:
1. You don’t enjoy certain benefits.
Yes, when you work in an office, you are taxed, report to work early, and sometimes have to deal with office politics. Nevertheless, you enjoy benefits too, such as insurance plans, free trips to other places, trainings and seminars, a well-designed cubicle, allowances, and even a pension account. Unless your boss is very generous—and such a rare breed—you will never get any of these. Your income will usually equal to how much effort you put on the job.
2. For beginners – you don’t have free time all the time.
If you are one of those who think you can grab beers every night with friends when you are telecommuting, well, you are up for a major letdown. It is not common for people to spend close to 24 hours on their desk, especially when they are basically starting out. They have to search for their own clients, do the projects by themselves, and build their portfolio.
3. You tend to get used to it.
Some people no longer meet up with their friends and family since they can easily update them about their lives in social networking websites such as Facebook. They do not have to sit down in cafes because instant messengers are already available.
Because of the deep attachment to the Internet, a number of telecommuters tend to get used to this convenient lifestyle and, in the process, let their personal relationships suffer.
4. Your job does not end.
When you are working in an office, you have the option to leave your work at the cubicle. You can put your papers at your desk so personal life begins once you leave the workplace. That is not the case in telecommuting. Your house will be your office for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year.
Is telecommuting worth it? Unless you share the same opinion as the list above, then it is not in your case.
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Telecommuting is ABSOLUTELY “worth it” and for many more reasons than the trivial and shallow reasons mentioned. AND the arguments in the article against telecommuting really relate to being self-employed or starting up your own business rather than telecommuting when working for a company.
Saving the environment, energy, money for the company and the employee, valuable office space, roads, city infrastructure resources, and even commuting time for non-telecommuters as well as being able to be much more productive due to the more relaxed atmosphere and the lack of office distractions are just some of the benefits. Furthermore, many who telecommute view the time that they would have spent commuting as “work time” so they spend more time “at work” without loosing their “personal time”.
Telecommuting is NOT, however, for persons who are not self-disciplined. Undisciplined people spend too much time “away from their desk” and, actually, they make it difficult for those of us who are able to work productively from home.
I have telecommuted either full or part time for many years. I get all of the benefits of the non-telecommuting employees – why would I not? I work a full day, usually spending a bit more time “at my desk” than I would in an office but still having a bit more personal time than I would if I had to go into the office. I’m more productive than when in the office because I don’t have co-workers stopping by for a chat. Yes, I do sometimes lookup and it is well beyond “quitting time” but it can go the other way sometimes to equal out. Using social networking to deal with family and friends applies equally to those who work in an office as telecommuters. And, the idea that “work never ends” also applies to telecommuters and non-telecommuters – I’ve spent many a 8am-midnight workday in the office and at home.
I would be very interested in a discussion about telecommuting pros and cons but one that begins with a false premise and/or mixes issues is not productive.
As with anything else in the IT world the answer is a solid “It depends”. There are any number of instances where telecommuting makes very good sense. It can be a powerful money and time saving tool when properly deployed.
Modern Teleworking applications such as those offered by Mitel are capable of tracking time and attendance, seamlessly integrating with call accounting applications, record calls for quality and training, as well as being a powerful recruiting tool.
Our firm has deployed hundreds of Teleworker devices but you have to do your homework on the front end.
certainly worth it!! it depends on the individual and their ability to focus and not get distracted by a million things that require your attention on the personal front.
Or have the ability to multi-task – has its benefits, and risks. I get a lot more done.
Telecommuting has its costs, but yes, there are situations where it is worth it. Telecommuting works better when it is part-time, where relationships and communication patterns first get established, and then regularly updated face-to-face.
Calling into work two-three days a week can save a large chunk of commuting costs, allow for extra time with the family, with minimal impact on productivity, and likely a positive change in employees’ attitude and creativity.
You appear to be conflating “telecommuting” with being self-employed. If you are an employee and telecommute, you have the same benefits as any other employee.
There are many factors that come into play in regards to telecommuting. In addition to Rajesh comments, the environment at the office can be a big factor.
A big issue for employers is how to the measure the productivity of the telecommuter. For telecommuter how much time or detail do they give to documenting work done away from the office.
Another question is how much time telecommuting can improve productivity and still be somewhat connected to social aspects of the office.
I have been a full time telecommuter since Apr of last year. Both my employer and I are pleased with the results. In my case, having a home lab has helped significantly.
With available communication tools like GoToMeeting and Skype to name a few, telecommuting is something that should seriously be considered in a .NET shop – even for full time staff. Except for a manufacturing setting where developers are often required to “run to the floor” to fix a machine on short notice, VPN would allow employees to troubleshoot most high priority items remotely.
I also would say 100% telecommuting is not ideal for .NET development. There should be some face-to-face interaction. But I do not understand why some organizations are strongly against it. If you are worried a particular employee would be distracted or less productive working at home, why did you hire that employee in the first place? Telecommuting would prove a valuable recruitment perk in our current economy IMO.
It has its advantages and disadvantages. The first question you must ask yourself, is that are you disciplined enough to undertake such a task. It is not as easy as you think. I have done it for years now and enjoy it, but you do miss out on a lot of networking opportunities by sitting home all alone.
“Some people no longer meet up with their friends and family since they can easily update them about their lives in social networking websites such as Facebook.”
Really? I’m organizing all my social activity to AVOID my friends and family?
I’m sorry Billy, but we don’t need to visit Grandma anymore, go write on her wall if it makes you feel better.
… just my opinion, but there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of real substance to that article. Michael is absolutely right… *most* of the time, telecommuters are no different to HR than a person who drives in and sits at a desk all day. There ARE potential ‘gotchas’ to it… for me it would be difficult as I have small children at home who don’t understand the concept that “daddy’s at work”. I manage it one day a month right now and it seems to work well enough.
There may be some sociophobes who fall into the latter categories described in the article.. but those issues stem less from telecommuting and more from personal issues.
It’s been my experience that I tend to start work earlier and end later when I work from home, and I tend to eat at my desk for lunch, so I actually work a longer day. It does save significantly on gas, food, wear and tear on the car…
Yes I have been doing it for the last 10 years. I am more productive, since I usually work when I would have been commuting. I have no rush to get home since I am already there so I can handle emergencies or expedites. I can make my own hours and with the right set up my phone will follow me wherever i need to go, I am a much happier and productive employee.
Th company saves on real estate expenses for me. and gets a happier more productive employee. In fact I moved 3 years ago and nothing changed other than my time zone. I could go on.
My last job had the attitude: You’re a professional. Get your work done from the office, home or the moon. While I’ve known of cases where “work” from home means more laundry can get done – most people don’t abuse it. On the contrary, at my last job most of us worked more on days we didn’t commute than those we did. I still think it’s preferable for certain team dynamics as well as my own personal mindset to have some face-time in the office. The largest worries are trust (in which case, see Joshua’s comments), supporting VPN and ensuring the team dynamic is strong. The upside though often leads to as much or more time, fewer drive-by distractions that can kill a developer’s concentration and flexibility in bringing on more people.
I’ve telecommuted full-time from home for over two years. Yet prior to this, I had worked in the home office for 6 years, building very strong relationships with co-workers. I live in Missouri, and the home office is in Boise, Idaho. Some thoughts:
1. No supervision – Because I am on my own full time, I had to change my work ethic to rely on myself for motivation and not my co-workers or manager. It was a big change, so you have to be mentally prepared for that.
2. Communication – I communicate with the office several times a day. I think that this is essential to keep your focus and to keep the office aware that you still exist. i.e. Out of sight, out of mind, off the payroll. I don’t want that to happen.
3. Tools – Unlimited long distance phone service is essential. High speed internet is essential. Live Meeting, GoTo Meeting, Live Messenger, Skype, or others are essential. Even though I am off site from the rest of the team, we are still able to pair program and code review using these tools.
4. Costs – Internet service, extra phone line, copier, fax machine, electricity, air-conditioning, other travel, etc… When I moved from the office, I did not fully realize the increase of expenses that i would be incurring. Be prepared for every little thing.
5. Secluded office space. I have children, yet I don’t enjoy them barging into the office. Must be able to control all noise levels. Must have a lock on the door. Spouse must understand that they can’t call for you to run home and unplug the toilet.
6. I visit the home office about 4 times per year to do server maintenance and reacquaint myself with the other co-workers. Without a prior working relationship face to face with other co-workers, telecommuting would have been extremely difficult.
All that being said, was it worth it? Yes it was. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
And yes, social networking allows us to stay in touch with family and friends, and gratefully, not have to visit them too.
Nice article, but I think a distinction needs to be made. There is a difference between “telecommuting” and “freelancing.” There are many jobs in this country with corporations, etc., where employees are allowed to telecommute from home or even from satellite offices. As full-time employees of the company, they still receive all of the benefits given to those who work in the actual office including insurance and standard hours/regular pay. All of this depends on the telecommuting policy instated by the organization.
Freelancers, like you and I, work for ourselves and therefore don’t receive corporate benefits. Given the choice, I would gladly choose freelancing!
Thanks for a lovely read!
I don’t get the tax argument. Taxes are much higher for me now that I am self employed than when I was working for an employer. I now pay the additional self employment tax that my employer used to pay for me. It can also be a challenge with young kids in the house. I also have to pay for my own computer, printer, ink, paper, software, etc… I also miss the interaction with other smart people at the office where we can bounce ideas off each other.
Telecommuting is well worth it and not utilized enough. Besides decreasing the amount of stressed out people on the road fighting to get to work at the same time, telecommuting increases productivity. Time otherwise wasted on commuting and stress venting is used to catch up on work, spend time with family, or to enjoy a hobby. The other benefit is the ability to work according to our natural energy levels; not everybody produces at optimal levels on a fixed 9 to 5 schedule. Companies can save a significant amount of money otherwise spent on office square footage, utilities, furniture and maintenance because the same amount of work space is no longer needed. A smaller common work area for occassional work at the office (otherwise known at “hoteling”) is created. In addition, with the invention of productivity tools such as WebEx, employees can attend meetings remotely, saving airline costs and hotel fees otherwise spent for traveling.
It is my hope that companies begin to focus more on the end results to be achieved and decrease the concentration of time concerned with the where and the exact time those results are achieved.
Telecommuting is not for everybody, but needs to be seriously considered for support staff and consultants. Employees will be happier as a result of the saved time and commuting costs.
I think this article confuses self-employment with telecommuting. Many telecommuters are full- or part-time employees.
Telecommuting is usually regular employees who work from home. If you have to find your own projects, that’s freelancing.
Before you decide to freelance, remember your real job will not be doing your work, it will be finding your next project!
To some degree, you telecommute on daily basis, even if you go to the office. You are not ‘there’ when you call your clients, you ‘telecommute’ to their office, by phone. You call, email and conference with co-workers in remote countries, cities, locations or across the corridor… You may see face to face only a fraction of the people you interact with, even if they work on the same building or floor. Even from cubicle to cubicle a few feet away: you shot them emails, SMS or tweets. So…. you may as well stay home in your comphy pajamas, getting productive a few seconds after waking up, dragging your coffee mug (and morning mug) to the laptop, while listening (and at times peeking) at Fox and Friends. Just make it official: you are a telecommuter from home or the office. Pablo Vitaver (zipping black coffee, in pajamas and slippers, right from home)
Actually, offices are so wasteful: huge areas to air condition, heat, clean, furnish, secure, fix, decorate… the land they take for mostly ugly structures, the construction, all the waste they produce, the traffic jams to get back and forth, the air pollution of all those cars, the fuels they burn into the air, the roads they use, the tires wearing off into fine dust flying everywhere (plus all the make up, clothes, purchased, used, stored and cleaned for the sole purpose of ‘going to work’), the time on the road… too much waste. Meeting rooms for once a week.month or quarter ‘face to face’ (mostly for motivating a team and prepping them up), are a necessity, but we can do those in hotels, museums, parks or in picnic.
Add the cut on gossiping, office politics, ‘budding’ for wrong reasons, sexual harassment, slip and falls liability, and you can see how much is actually saved and how efficiencies are improved by working from home.
Offices should be outlawed
Remember to vote for me next time! Then again, that is Society Planning, and each company should decide by themselves. Just stay out of the office.