| You set your alarm two hours before your job's start | | | | More Cash: Telecommuters' home expenses do go up |
| time because you have an hour commute ahead of | | | | a bit, mostly in the areas of higher communications and |
| you each day. If you could work while you creep you'd | | | | utility costs. However, they save on commuting costs, |
| get one hour's worth of work done. There is an | | | | office clothes, dry cleaning, and lunch expenses. In |
| alternative to skip the hour commute and gain an hour | | | | addition |
| of work. | | | | Advantages For The Organization |
| Telecommuting - The Concept, Part 1 | | | | Bottom-line savings: The payoff in real estate savings |
| This article is the first in a series exploring the | | | | is impressive. Dr. Franklin Becker, a professor at |
| telecommuting concept. Part II - 'The Journey' talks | | | | Cornell University and co-author of Workplace by |
| about being a good telecommuter, approaching your | | | | Design, says that 70 percent of desks, offices, and |
| boss about a telecommuting work arrangement, and | | | | workstations are unoccupied or under occupied during |
| how to set up your 'virtual office' space away from | | | | a typical workday. Telecommuting allows companies |
| the office. Part III - 'The Lifestyle' discusses how to | | | | to consolidate office space. |
| mange your work and personal life, structuring your | | | | Although telecommuting is very attractive to some |
| environment, and staying productive. | | | | employers, there are also three barriers to its success: |
| In the past, information was transmitted via Pony | | | | management difficulties, training issues, and needs of |
| Express and telegraph - now it travels as e-mail | | | | the position. First, managers can be uncomfortable with |
| through modem lines. This information superhighway | | | | employees they can't see. Therefore, telecommuting |
| has created an opportunity for a new kind of mutually | | | | requires a shift to a management-by-objectives style. |
| beneficial working partnership: telecommuting. | | | | The manager and employee should agree on |
| Telecommuting is broadly defined as any method of | | | | pre-established goals for the employee and manage |
| working productively away from the office. According | | | | the results versus the process. These performance |
| to the American Telecommuting Association (ATA), | | | | standards are a guideline of what needs to be done |
| "telecommuting is second only to casual days as the | | | | and by what time. Performance is evaluated directly |
| fastest-growing shift in traditional working patterns". | | | | by how the employee meets the performance |
| Who are you and why do you think you can work | | | | standards. The performance standards also help the |
| away from the office? According to "The Virtual | | | | company to keep a close eye on actual cost benefits, |
| Office Survival Handbook" by Alice Bredin, you need | | | | productivity, and morale of the telecommuting |
| to understand your working habits before you | | | | employee. An open line of communication by phone, |
| approach your boss. You should consider your ability | | | | fax, or modem allows the manager and telecommuting |
| to: resist distractions, manage your time, set limits on | | | | employee to work out issues that may arise but also |
| work, and deal with challenges. You also need to | | | | keeps the employee in the office 'loop'. The manager |
| determine if you are internally or externally motivated, | | | | needs to make certain an appropriate means of |
| and if you are an over-or underachiever. If you think | | | | evaluating productivity of the pre-established goals is in |
| you can work from home, read on. | | | | place to avoid misunderstandings down the road. |
| If your work habits and telecommuting are a match, | | | | Success, for the telecommuter, is measured by results |
| there are advantages to this arrangement for you, | | | | versus hours clocked in the office. |
| your employer, and society. If your lifestyle does allow | | | | Training is also essential for the success of a |
| for full- or part-time work outside of the home you will | | | | telecommuting program. Training should include online |
| be productive. Working from home alleviates the need | | | | orientation and how to set-up a virtual office in the |
| to overcome family/personal issues such as daycare, | | | | home. You must also determine who is responsible for |
| family illness, events such as a school concert or | | | | what expenses (utilities, office supplies, travel |
| conferences, and physical or transportation barriers. | | | | expenses to meetings, and so on) and how you will |
| You can feel better, work harder, save money | | | | interact with the main office to stay part of the team. |
| (childcare, transportation, and parking), avoid commuting | | | | Preparation for isolation, distractions, and technical |
| time and irritations, and feel motivated to achieve the | | | | pitfalls -- as well as how to stimulate ideas, creativity, |
| high performance necessary to keep the position. | | | | and professionalism - should be considered. |
| When you work from home there may be set hours | | | | Finally, as mentioned above, not all employees are |
| you need to be at your work station yet you have the | | | | good candidates for telecommuting. Besides employee |
| flexibility to work within the parameters of that day. If | | | | personality, an assessment if the job function and a |
| the work does not get finished within those set hours | | | | telecommuting job are a good match. Questions |
| you may have the option to come back and finish at a | | | | regarding the job such as - Does the employee need |
| later time that day. Finishing the work with accuracy | | | | access to office files to perform the job function?; Are |
| and professionalism is the goal to gain the feeling of | | | | there meetings that the employee will need to attend in |
| satisfaction and shows your manager that you can | | | | person?; Could all supplies be made available in a |
| and will be productive. | | | | remote work location to accommodate a |
| According to the Institute for the Study of Distributed | | | | telecommuter for a particular job? - need to be |
| Work, an employer saves over $2,000 per | | | | answered and successfully evaluated. Furthermore, |
| telecommuting employee per year on the cost of | | | | many employers like to have an employee work in the |
| absenteeism and reduces business disruptions due to | | | | office from six months up to two years before |
| inclement weather, family emergencies, childcare, labor | | | | telecommuting is offered as an option. |
| disputes, and so on. The telecommuting option also | | | | Telecommuting must be considered, first and foremost, |
| helps businesses hire and retain experienced workers. | | | | as a tool for meeting business needs rather than a |
| By offering a telework option organizations can attract | | | | personal accommodation. That said persons requiring |
| qualified or specialist employees that do not reside | | | | this accommodation can fulfill those business needs |
| near the place of business. Offering it as an option for | | | | creating a mutually beneficial work arrangement. |
| existing employees helps retain employees, whom | | | | Beyond that, telecommuting can be an enviable |
| have been trained for a specific line of work, and gives | | | | lifestyle that adds balance to work and home life. |
| the employee an option to continue working with the | | | | Subsequent articles will explore steps for selling |
| company instead of needing to quit due to personal | | | | telecommuting to management or working for yourself |
| reasons or moving out of the geographic area. | | | | while marketing your telecommuting skills to others. |
| Telecommuting also saves the employer costs related | | | | There are also nuts and bolts to setting up your 'virtual |
| to office overhead and parking requirements. Society | | | | office' and a new lifestyle that you should be prepared |
| benefits from less pressure on the transportation | | | | for. Advancements through technology have opened |
| infrastructure and, subsequently, less air pollution and | | | | the door to this working partnership. It is not there for |
| gas consumption. | | | | the taking but you can find your way to succeeding as |
| INTERESTING FACTS | | | | a telecommuter. |
| Advantages For The Employee | | | | |