Telecommuting is a pleasure
Commuting is expensive, telecommuting is convenient. Contrary to popular belief telecommuting is still work, so you should dress and act like your in the office. You’ve got the best of both worlds,
so long as you maintain them.
Telecommuting
If you had your druthers would you rather “Fill ‘er up.” or catch the next flight out and work your way Telecommuting to Maui?
Yeah, we’d go to Maui too.
If the traffic doesn’t kill you, the cost of the gas will.
As we mentioned in a previous blog post, commuting is expensive. The average person can save $1,152.00 each year if they are telecommuting four days per week. That figure is based strictly on gas savings; it doesn’t factor in the wear on your vehicle, tires, or the potential for an accident. ! As we all know, accidents are not only hard on the body, the pocket book will limp away from them too. And don’t forget daycare expense. That is a whole ‘nother story. We are researching day care savings resulting from telecommuting right now. Stay tunes.
Most importantly, commuting is a waste of valuable time that you could spend much more productively. In fact, contrary to many managerial opinions, most teleworkers are more productive, which we also mentioned in an earlier blog post. You might be surprised to find that most major companies consider their teleworkers at least 25 percent more effective than their office-based counterparts. There are even a few companies, that estimate their telecommuters are 40 percent more effective.
For CEO’s: Teleworkers are a grateful bunch: They spend up to 50% of the time they would have normally spent commuting working for your company.
Telecommuting is Not Easy Work
Telecommuting will improve your quality of life but it won’t save you work. The virtual workplace is not about showing up in your pajamas and getting away with murder because no one can see you. Companies familiar with telecommuting set rigid guidelines and achievement benchmarks to make sure they are getting what they paid for.
Telecommuting is about being able to go get your kids at 3:00, play with them until 7:00 and then work until 10:00 to fill out the 8 hrs in the work day. Who could ask for anything more? Oh, and the next time your spouse’s vacation time doesn’t line up? Just book a good hotel, bring a laptop, and you’re good to go. Your boss won’t even notice, so long as you get your work done.
Reasons to Maintain Your Image When No One Can See You Work:
- You’ll continually produce high-level work because you are still viewing your job as a job.
- You’ll be ready for that virtual meeting that happens on the fly. Bosses don’t like snarled hair and stubble.
- You won’t get caught in the, “Ahhh, another day at home.” syndrome.
- It’s work. Don’t you think you oughta act like it?
It seems that the Dilbert cartoon above is what most people associate with teleworking. For those of us who do telecommute, we know it couldn’t be farther from the truth. While it’s true you can show up for work naked (provided you don’t have a virtual meeting that day or anything), it’s probably not a good idea. When you don’t feel professional, the chances of you coming across as a professional are diminished greatly.
Sure, there are times when you’re at a loss, or on a short break (the equivalent of the office version of the 15 minute break), where you might toss a pen in the air, or even lay on the couch and appreciate how much better it is than the break room at your office like Dilbert does above. That doesn’t mean you’re not working. In fact, because you are comfortable, you may return to work feeling much more refreshed than you otherwise would have had you been in the employee break room. Plus, since you aren’t distracted, chances are good you’re still thinking about work, not the show from last night that your co-workers want to talk about.
Whatever your virtual office needs, from advice to facilitation, ComCenter is here to help. Give us a call, follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn. Or drop us a comment below. Any way we can help you, we’d be glad to.
