Six Questions To Ask Before Telecommuting 320
Lucas123 writes "With gas prices 30% higher this summer over last, telecommuting is back on everyone's radar. According to a Computerworld story, however, IT and telecommuting don't have a great record of success. For example, citing negative impacts on productivity, HP ended its telecommuting policy for hundreds of workers two years ago, and this year, Intel began requiring more than half the teleworkers in its IT group to report to the office at least four days a week. So before leaping, some questions you should ask as a manager if you're considering telework include: How will you define and measure performance? Will creativity suffer? What about employees stuck in the office?"
Modern Server Hardware (Score:5, Informative)
I do a day from home each week and use remote tools for everything from power resets to OS installs remotely.
The times you have to touch a server itself in a modern environment is infrequent enough you can work from anywhere most of the time.
Yuck. 4 click throughs. (Score:5, Informative)
Try THIS [computerworld.com] link.
One page version (Score:4, Informative)
IP KVM (Score:4, Informative)
With many of those products, you can not only remotely control the system (including see the power on self test, modify CMOS settings and even install an operating system) but they have a feature to cycle power as well.
We've been using them for several years now. Works great.
Milestones (Score:5, Informative)
simple as that. milestones, output. rock solid.
anti-telecommuting propaganda (Score:5, Informative)
I'm also disappointed that the article called out two examples of companies that back-tracked on their telecommuting arrangements without discussing any of the success stories--and there are many. I realize this is shameless self-promotion, but last month I wrote an article for CIO.com about a small software company, Chorus, that closed all of its offices in an admittedly rather drastic cost-cutting move, and now everyone at Chorus--everyone--works from home [cio.com]. And you know what, the strategy is working out well for Chorus employees' productivity. The company made some mistakes in rolling out the telecommuting strategy, but overall they approached it sensibly, and it's working.
Let's learn from the success stories and not use the failures to promote an anti-telecommuting agenda.
Re:Carpool (Score:2, Informative)
Have figured it including the 4-5 hours a week of time?
Re:offshore jobs but won't allow telecommuting (Score:3, Informative)
All "high costs" are not created equal. You can get some fairly skilled labor in India or China for $30K. And that person has the same standard of living as a US resident who makes more than twice that, due to the difference in the cost of living.
Working from home may save your employer money. But half your salary? Unlikely.
Re:Anecdotes (Score:4, Informative)
The funny thing is that the office is where all of my distractions are. Now, for background, I am married, but my wife works and we have no kids. I have a seperate "Office" though it's really just where all the computers and books are... In anycase, on a number of occasions lately I've had doc appointments or ups packages due or whatever so I said "I'll be working from home this evening". As we've always had a number of full time offsite employees, they let me go ahead and do it and they were the most productive times I've had in a LONG TIME.
There are probably a few things that lead to this. #1 I apparently am the "go-to guy" at work. This is annoying, but it comes from being there a long time, being useful, overhearing people and having general knowledge of most all major things going in the company. So everyone comes to me with questions/requests/favors/opinions/discussions/meetings. It's really annoying when you're trying to code. I can't even make it through a 7min mp3 most of the time without getting bombarded. I recently took a half day for an appointment in the am, and I found at home I knocked out more, solid code in 4 hours than I had over the last two weeks. It was a scary realization that I was really that hampered at work.
After this I asked if it would be acceptable to work 4 days a week from the office and one day a week, fixed or not, where I could work from home to help productivity. I was politely told hell no.
I really have to wonder at this point, why I even code at work if we're that not-worried about our productivity. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that anything to increase productivity while saving the company money (all the IT infrastructure is already in place for remote work as we still have about 15 full time remote employees).
Telecommuting FTW (Score:5, Informative)
I'm very pro-telecommuting, but I can understand why it fails for so many people.
Reasons it works for me:
- I'm a developer, and almost all the jobs we see are one-man gigs - it's not a team development kind of company.
- I communicate via email and phone, and rarely attend meetings. I just take the specs and produce the app. Client interaction is very limited, mostly handled by our dedicated sales and support guy (our human shield!)
- I'm self-motivated. If I'm working 9-5, then I'll work 9-5 from home too, and the wife can pretty much pretend I don't exist during those hours.
- I live with the wife, but we have no kids
- I have a ridiculously overpowered workstation, and I know how to use it
- I can focus better with some background music, and the headphone thing just doesn't cut it, compared to my nice speakers
- I actually find the office distracting, since we're all quite rowdy and jocular (think Animal House)
- If a box barfs or panics, I can always hop in a cab and fix it - IF it happens! If it's mission-critical, the appropriate KVM-IP and/or remote-reboot gadgets be acquired.
Turn all of those things around, and you'll get all the reasons why some people can't telecommute. The noise, the distractions, the plentiful opportunities for laziness - some households just aren't suitable for work.
Me, I work all the time. I have private contracts, I build web sites, I produce music - my home is my office. Another little bit that helps is my job is a 10 minute bike or bus ride away, so I don't care about travel time. I telecommute because I like it, and I wish I could do it more because I think I could accomplish more work per week. I'm comfortable at home, no need to buy lunches (not a pack-lunch kinda guy), and since I'm so used to working here, my brain subliminally shifts into high gear - at the office I'm always kinda half-dazed, the environment just doesn't suit me.
One day a week will accomplish nothing. It takes a while to get into the telework mindset, it's a psychosomatic thing - working from home is like trying to change your sleep schedule: the first few days will be chaotic, but over time you get the hang of it and you're back to sleeping/working like you always did.
I could write a book on the topic, but really most of it is just common sense. Make a list of your reasons why you want to telecommute, then make a list of goals or success indicators. If you hesitate while writing either list, then telecommuting is not for you.
Re:Anecdotes (Score:5, Informative)
I did telecommuting for about 6 months. I loved it, no doubt, and wish I could do it again.
Some notes from the experience:
* wife/kids initially respect the boundaries, but it very soon becomes real effort to maintain them.
* wife realized what I actualy do for a living. Got this gem several times: "why can't you go do XYZ? You're just sitting in front of the computer anyway.". WTF? Yes dear, I'm a computer programmer. Apparently she didn't realize it involved the computers.
* people can't figure out why daddy doesn't want to talk/play/whatever every 15 minutes. This turns into "you're ignoring me/us", to which the only answer is "well, I"m certainly trying, but you're making it pretty difficult."
Now, you may see those and think "Hah! See? There are too many distractions at home!" ... And you'd be totally ignoring what goes on in the office.
Office has bench-style desks where everyone sits side-by-side. The level of noise and commotion sometimes reaches the level of the absurd - especially around lunch time (between 12 and 2, as not everyone eats at the same time). The air conditioning vent is right over my head and makes an unholy racket. Every time I have to pee, it's a 5 minute walk.
Add into that 3 to 4 hours of travel every day, and the office just doesn't seem to have many advantages over working from home.
There are significant distractions in both places, but at least at home the distraction is my daughter giving me a hug or my son showing me what he did at school. Lots better than the inane chatter and insanity around the office.
That's not to mention the fact that my home office has a door that, while easily opened by the random interloper, does a much better job than the open layout office where there's never a moment's peace.
Which one's better? Truth is, they both suck, but working from home sucks a lot less.
By the way, I'm writing this at 10pm on the train on my way home. I got to the office 13 hours ago, left my house 15 hours ago, and won't be home for another hour. When I get home, there's another hour of work to do. If I worked from home, I could have done all that work, and still had a much shorter day. The office? No redeeming qualities as far as I can see.
Telecommuting, pros and cons (Score:3, Informative)
I could write a whole article on this subject, but I will try to keep my comments brief.
I work in the software industry and for 22 years it was all "work from the office". For the last 5 years I've been working from home with a virtual team, spread around the globe, of people also working from home. We rarely physically see each other, but we communicate often.
As people have already posted, telecommuting is not a panacea and is not for everyone. Just like any other endeavor, in order to do it right, you need to think about what you're doing, why you're doing it and try to build a working environment that is as productive as possible for everyone.
Here are some thoughts about whether telecommuting might work for you:
1) Where do you get your motivation/focus/inspiration? If you get your energy from being around and working with other people, then working remotely is probably not the best option for you.
2) Can you be productive and still have a personal life when working solo? If you have trouble being self-focused, motivated and managed, then telecommuting may be a problem. Some people really do need separation from work and having work and home in the same space means that you never start or stop working. That would be bad.
3) How does the company/organization compensate for the fact that it's workers are remote? The three biggest issues with telecommuting are communication, communication and communication. Do you have the proper hardware, software and telecomm setup to make you productive and comfortable remotely? How are inter-group meetings and status managed, and does it work? How is the manager-employee relationship handled, especially around priorities, expectations and evaluations (regular communication or "annual surprise!")? There are significant repercussions to telecommuting -- make sure that you have thought them through before diving in.
4) Are the company processes and procedures oriented to facilitate telecommuting or not? Telecommuting sounds great, but if "all of the real action" only happens in the office (think forms, training, approvals, meetings, planning, etc.), then working remote can really be counter-productive.
I don't buy the "you won't be productive if no one is watching" nor the "you'll be super productive if you can just stop commuting". They are both myths. Productivity is a combination of personal motivation/self-management, the working environment, and the commitment/thoughtfullness/focus of the company/management to enable productivity in their employees. If those three things work, then telecommuting can be great. If those three things are not working, then it doesn't matter where you work -- you are not going to be very productive.
So, like any situation, you have to look at the pros and cons. Maybe telecommuting works for you, but not for your company/organization. Maybe it works, but not 100% of the time.
I do think that companies that are not thinking about telecommuting are really missing an opportunity. It can enhance people's lives, improve employee retention, reduce corporate costs and improve productivity. But telecommuting can also be a nightmare if not well thought through and openly discussed.
I've participated in and managed remote teams for several years now. I'm happy to answer people's questions or provide suggestions if you want to contact me directly.
Re:I am a full-time telecommuter (Score:2, Informative)
My family business began as a farm. The trucking aspect of the farm became the core business as it was much more profitable. The farm became more or less a hobby for the family. What started as a farm-to-market truck, became warehouses in several cities, a fleet of long-haul tractor-trailers, a fuel business that supported several consumer gas stations as a side-effect, a magazine publishing business (long story there), and created the necessities that launched my career as a computer programmer.
At no time did anybody involved in my family business lose focus on what was important, either in the business, in the family life, or in terms of the separation between the two.
Re:Telecommuting MUST be made to work (Score:3, Informative)
We need to insist on telecommuting
As if telecommuting and driving a gas guzzler are the only two options. Move closer to work and ride a bicycle, asshole.
Re:How likely are your employees likely to slack o (Score:1, Informative)
Yeah, at 9:38 pm. Compared to now, when I'm at the office and posting during business hours
I get MORE work done.. and I keep a balance. (Score:4, Informative)
I'm the exact opposite.
When I am at home, co-workers can't waddle by my desk and start talking about the weather, or a football game, or what they're going to do that weekend, or some other thing that is wasting my time. And let's not get started with the pointless meetings.
I grew up with a good work ethic; I suppose that I'm lucky. I work from home three days a week. Those are the three days that I actually get things done. I can start working, get into a groove, and pump out large amounts of good code, or get testing done, or debug problems.
The two days in the office are a complete waste for me.
I agree... I actually get MORE work done at home. I've worked from home for about 2 years now... it was several days a week, but for the last 6 months has been full-time. I work for a VERY large bank, and they have a fantastic policy on it. I live in Arizona, but work east-coast hours because that's where most of the team is. If I had to drive into the office (23 miles 1-way) I would be miserable. That would be almost 2 hours a day WASTED on driving.
I work more hours when I work from home - and I'm ok with it. I fill up my car maybe once a month. I am on conference calls a lot during the day (project management) but if I'm on a call I don't need to be on - I can hang up! We use IM (MS Communicator - ugh) and email, phone, livemeeting, etc.
It does take getting used to though. You learn to recognize voices when you're on a call with 50 people, even though you may never meet them in person. You have to make yourself productive, keep track of tasks. It makes your job so much easier if you learn how to communicate clearly over the phone/email/IM. I feel that I have matured greatly as an employee. I usually eat at my desk anyway. I have my comfortable setup, the lighting I like. I can keep work/home computing separate... instead of checking personal email or websites (like Slashdot) on my work computer I can switch over to my personal one on the KVM and check it. If I need to go to the Dr or dentist, which are close to home, I don't lose as much work time.
The greatest thing about it for me? I still keep a work/life balance, and it is mostly under my control. I am up and working at 6:15 am, but I can still see my kids when they get up. When I am done working around 3 or 4 PM, I am HOME. No horrible commute to deal with or dread every day. I get to spend quality time with my family, and that makes me really appreciate my employer, and therefore I want to do good work for them. THAT makes for a good employee.
Re:How likely are your employees likely to slack o (Score:3, Informative)
I find it's helpful to mix working alone with working (physically) with others.
As a consultant, I sometimes work on-site at a client, sometimes at our office with my colleagues, and sometimes at home.
All have their pluses and minuses. Sometimes you are literally 10x more productive on-site than anywhere else; sometimes being at the client is a total time-suck. Pretty much the same for office vs. home.
I would think that (aside from at-client stuff), 3-4 days in the office, 1-2 days at home is a reasonable mix. Any more time at home risks isolation & bad habits...