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My boss prefers in that way since he feels there is a level of collaboration you can't get remotely (he's not old, he's just not a fan). It is true, to an extent. It's easier to pop my head above the cubicle and talk to the next person than to wait and wait and wait for IM responses.
That can be a negative as well. If you can pop your head over the cubicle and interrupt them to get an immediate response, they can do the same. If you're deeply focused on debugging an issue or writing a method the last thing you need is someone interrupting and forcing you to switch mental gears because they can't wait 30 friggin' minutes for a reply.
Our telecommuting agreement specifies the terms in detail, one of which is 30 minute response to calls or linq/skype messages. We are expected to work 8 hours and generally between 8-5. We can run a mid-day errand but if we are going to be offline we need to notify the supervisor.
Collaboration is usually done through screen shares and meetings are seldom a problem. Our 10 minute scrum might go 15-20 because the biggest drawback to remote group meetings is people trying to talk at once. But I find that people have their questions and comments better organized if they have to send it to you in written form. Last thing I want is Joe Random-Thoughts popping his head over the cublicle every thirty minutes. Think it through, write down your list of questions, and give it to me all at once.
I'd rather question why telecommuting is so sought after these days? Sure it is a bonus, but for a full time job? why?
So many anti-social people it seems these days. They aren't even introverted, because introverts can be social people.
Only people I see who would telecommute and enjoy it is because they get to travel to different cities. But to be stuck at home and doing it? It seems kind of dreadful
Two big advantages I can see would be getting rid of the commute and greater freedom of where to live. In an environment where people can expect to change jobs many times over a lifetime you are pretty much anchored to the big job hub areas where the cost of living is high and the quality of living is often low. I know when I was looking to move I found that most of the locations I would have found ideal to live in had very few job opportunities. I managed to find a good compromise between job location and home location but I do know if I find myself looking for a job again it will be a lot more difficult to find one where I am vs where I was, even though I vastly prefer living where I am. The ability to telecommute would alleviate that worry.
Context. I have been telecommuting since the 90s. Technology. Currently VP.
In my experience, the people who have a real problem with it fall into 2 categories.
1) People whose positions don't permit it, but want to stay home (usually with their kids)
2) People who were never exposed to "work" taking place without people being watched. Usually seems that more mature managers make anti-telecommuting assertions. There is a very pronounced generational component.
I estimate I get a whole day done in half a day at home (if that much). In the office, I usually get less than a whole day done in 7 hours, then end up propping up the rest of it while eating breakfast and after dinner at my house. In short, I waste my time in the office (or should I say, others waste my time). And the word waste is used correctly here.
Plus no driving, getting ready, etc.
There are some people who take advantage of it, but they take just as much advantage of their employers while in the office. I have watched people work 2-3 hours a day and disappear for extended periods of time smoking, wandering around outside, wandering around other departments, sitting in the cafeteria for hours, etc. They're going to be nonproductive regardless of whether they have to drive somewhere to do it.
Yes, I would agree with your experience. When I was managing workers, I set the expectations and allow telecommute under the right circumstances.
I've sat with my boss and go over headcount reductions and flagged some people who were onsite because we review keycard swipes and analyzed the frequency some people were going in/out of buildings to understand their productivity. I have seen onsite workers produce less in a week than some telecommuters done in one working day. I attribute this to a lot of distractions, some are warranted and some aren't as you football season is in full swing you expect some workers to spend about an hour or so a day wasted on sports talk.
Most of my bosses (boomers) feel it's simpler just to stop telecommuting so they can have an eye on people easier. I do mention that sometimes, looking busy is a lot harder than doing the work. I have folks who were poking on things they shouldn't just to look busy.
Yes, I would agree with your experience. When I was managing workers, I set the expectations and allow telecommute under the right circumstances.
I've sat with my boss and go over headcount reductions and flagged some people who were onsite because we review keycard swipes and analyzed the frequency some people were going in/out of buildings to understand their productivity. I have seen onsite workers produce less in a week than some telecommuters done in one working day. I attribute this to a lot of distractions, some are warranted and some aren't as you football season is in full swing you expect some workers to spend about an hour or so a day wasted on sports talk.
Most of my bosses (boomers) feel it's simpler just to stop telecommuting so they can have an eye on people easier. I do mention that sometimes, looking busy is a lot harder than doing the work. I have folks who were poking on things they shouldn't just to look busy.
I have seen some telecommuters produce nothing in a week. This is anecdotal and really just part of a rambling story of why you should get to telework.
I have seen some telecommuters produce nothing in a week. This is anecdotal and really just part of a rambling story of why you should get to telework.
Okay, we get it, you don't agree. I did a 12 hour shift yesterday and accommodated my student needs while cooking dinner last, talking her through two hours of tech issues on a headset while my kids read books in bed. She'd get a voicemail at the campus. There are positive and negative stories each way, you seem to be really going out of your way to trash this method of work.
Well, yes, they say that, because they don't want a good thing to end. The distractions in the office, such as coworker gossip, customers, or other employee phone calls, and meetings may not happen as much at home, but instead you have family members, pets, a nice sunny day outside, TV, projects around the house to distract.
We are at about 10%, and most are in IT. We have 2,000 employees, and many of the positions require being here at least 2-3 days/week, so we are not ever likely to be more than about 20% telecommuters. No one new is allowed to telecommute, it requires having passed 6 month probation and proven to be reliable. It's actually harder for us as managers, having to take extra steps to ensure that people are actually working.
points, but consider this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by stanley-88888888
even when i worked in the office, i was still telecommuting since the headquarters is in another state.
while at home, i keep my vpn connected all day and sometimes run sql querries at 11:00pm when fewer people are bogging down the system.
also, i still wake-up around the same time so i give an extra .5 hours in the morning and .5 hours in the end of the day in lieu of traffic.
Okay, we get it, you don't agree. I did a 12 hour shift yesterday and accommodated my student needs while cooking dinner last, talking her through two hours of tech issues on a headset while my kids read books in bed. She'd get a voicemail at the campus. There are positive and negative stories each way, you seem to be really going out of your way to trash this method of work.
I do 12 hour shifts at the office while not doing personal stuff.
I really am not trying to trash this method of "work" and came into this thread with an open mind but the sense of entitlement and the total obliviousness in this thread is a huge turn off.
"Telework is da bomb for me because I was too busy not working on the weekend to shop for food or act like a responsible adult". OK
points, but consider this:also, i still wake-up around the same time so i give an extra .5 hours in the morning and .5 hours in the end of the day in lieu of traffic.
Just because your companies HQ is at a different site does not mean you are telecommuting.
I think it's a trust issue as well. It's easy to picture someone slacking off in the comfort of their own home or going out to buy groceries or go shopping because no one is watching them.
I've been to several companies where 10-20% of the workers telecommute. Then some that are 5% and very very few are above 50%. Most companies are still not embracing and some even taking it all away.
I think the primary problem is trust, employers simply don't trust employees. Which I think is often old school mentality.
What is the difference between a worker sitting there surfing the web waiting for work and doing it from home?
One company that I've worked for that has over 50% workers telecommuting have a very good rating on Glassdoor and they are more accessible remotely than companies with people onsite but disappears a lot or go to breaks.
With cloud computing, powerful home and work computers, mobile devices, and reliable internets we should all be able to perform our jobs mostly from home and commute only for important meetings.
I've personally conducted meetings online with 20-30 connected audiences and worked out fine if you know how to moderate communication.
My incompetent employer fired me for telecommuting- effectively I was expected to work for free I suppose. I worked in field service so we didn't report to an office or 'punch' a time clock. Service calls were dispatched via cell phone.
Typically I would leave late, arrive home early about 30 min to complete any paperwork and/or read email. They were too narrow minded to grasp this concept.
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