if you can figure out how i can telecommute as a waitress, im totally in. working in my jammies sounds fantastic!

I like working from home, but just every once in awhile - one day a week max when I really need to concentrate on something. Some observations:

- You need extra space, such as a dedicated office, to telecommute regularly. Practices such as working from bed, or working from the couch will psychologically "contaminate" those spaces. The last thing you want to be thinking about in bed is TPS reports.

- That extra space means having a bigger place = maybe more resources than you think. A bigger place may put you in a neighborhood that isn't so walkable, you may find yourself doing more climate controlling during the day than you might normally, and now you're the only one using that air rather than your office mates.

Not that telecommuting is a bad thing, just some things to consider that would of course vary case-to-case.

In my previous position as a technical writer for telecom equipment manuals, we WAH'd (worked at home) 4 days out of 5 for nearly 2 years. Much of our work was accomplished by email or by telnetting to remote servers--regardless of being at home or at the office. Our manager worked at a location remote from us, so we weren't losing face time. The greatest benefit of WAH was being free of the many concentration-busting office life distractions--thus increasing productivity. An indirect benefit was that if someone felt kind of borderline-sick, they didn't have to weigh whether to go through the hassle of dressing/commuting/doing face time, and were often able to get something productive done without using a sick day (or infecting others).

It seems like the new job market is all about a return to more conservative office policies. But it seems like (in the IT industry, anyway) penalizing workers for less office time is burning a straw man. Aren't we the Wired Generation? So does it really matter where our backsides are located? My 2 p.

It seems like the new job market is all about a return to more conservative office policies. But it seems like (in the IT industry, anyway) penalizing workers for less office time is burning a straw man. Aren't we the Wired Generation? So does it really matter where our backsides are located? My 2 p.

Hi Princess,

It's true. I have worked with several tech firms and it's surprising how many do not have a formal policy on TC, or simply discourage it outright. Sometimes its a security issue, but often its related to the management structure.

mark

I've been working on a telecommute basis with ThinkHost as their Business Operations Manager for nearly 5 years now. In fact, everyone involved with ThinkHost (outside of data center operations) telecommute. I've never met any of our team face to face; but I don't feel isolated in at all, we're all very familiar with each other.

I certainly save a lot on fuel given that I'm based in Adelaide, Australia and ThinkHost is in Portland, USA :). Others in our team are based in various US states, Canada and Europe.

All in all, it works pretty well for us - we use a mixture of email, IM and VoIP. There are times when I'd like to just be able to point to something I'm referring to instead of sending notes or using pure voice; but that's just a case of implementing better collaboration tools which are readily available.

The great thing about telecommuting is that I'm so close to work. The worst thing about telecommuting is that I'm so close to work :). It can infringe upon your personal time a bit, but by the same token, it does give us all more flexibility in our hours. I can squeeze in a few domestic chores at hours I could never do if I was working the "old" way. I certainly don't miss the suit either.

I'd certainly recommend a separate office at home if you're considering telecommuting to minimize domestic distractions which can be equally disruptive as those in a busy office.

Environmentally-wise, we have recycled cellulose insulation in our home, I run a notebook and CFL's, so energy use is kept to a minimum + we're on a green energy plan. Others in our team have similar power saving arrangements and for those who don't, as we're an earth-friendly web hosting service; we offset on their behalf.

I think there's a lot of fear still among employers about the productivity side of things, but that's down to recruitment processes and then coaching. With us all chatting on IM off and on throughout the day, we soon realize if someone has gone AWOL :). Reporting also helps all of us keep tabs on what we're all doing.

I know of some companies that install software on their telecommuting staff's systems that track their activity - that's a little (way) OTT in my opinion; again, it's back to a company's recruiting and ongoing coaching processes that avoid the need for this type of Big Brother behavior.

We're it can get tricky is if there's a disagreement among us or tempers are frayed for whatever reason; it can be difficult to gauge how the other person is reacting as you don't have the advantage of translating body language, or if the situation is occurring over IM, vocal intonation - but in these cases, as we're all seasoned telecommuters, we just all tread carefully with each other, have our little dummy spit and then resolve the problem :). Our staff turnover is very very low.

In summary, I'd highly recommend employers allowing their staff to telecommute where they can; it's good for the environment, good for your staff - and that's good for your business!

When did telecommuting go out of style?
I remember a few years ago is was all the rage.
I think it went out of style when people stopped talking about the 24/7 work ethic/economy.
Interesting topic to research.
Im sure itll be in vouge in a few years again.

I would love to telecommute, and the sort of work I do would suit it perfectly. The problem for me comes in with the tricksiness of work permits or VISAs and/or tax.

I'm from South Africa, currently living and working in London. Because of visa restrictions I'm moving back home soon - which is great on the one hand, because I really truly miss the place and the people. On the other hand, the job market's not looking so good for someone in online media.

I could get telecommuting work from UK companies, but I'd need to have a work permit to do that, which defeats the purpose.

Also, if a US or British company were to employ me as a telecommuter, which country would get the Income Tax - the one I'm living and working in, or the country in which the company that's paying me is based in?

If only I could convince a company to pay a salary into my paypal account!