Telecommuting is one of those employment trends that sounds good on paper but there are myriad implications that need to be considered before embarking on such a work-arrangement. Many of you who are reading this have probably already dealt with these issues as telecommuting is really the essence of what you do. For you this is not new. But for many, rising gas prices, a focus on the environment and the strains of balancing work-life effectiveness makes the concept all the more desirable.
This morning I read an article by Tam Harbert in Computerworld (Get Tough on Telecommuting: 6 Questions to Ask Before You Say Yes) that discusses the top six issues to consider before you commit to a telecommuting program with your employer. Many others have written on the topic as well: Chris Brogan blogged on it awhile back in a post entitled “Where Doesn’t Matter”; Web Worker Daily recently discussed it; and ARS Technica discussed the implications for non-telecommuters.
While Harbert’s article specifically discusses the topic as it relates to IT personnel, it has relevance to other fields as well.
Here are the six questions offered in her article, with my observations following each:
- “Is full-time telecommuting a smart decision?” Regardless of your role, this is a strong consideration before you make the decision to telecommute. Each of us ‘could’ work remotely, but should we? That’s a decision for you, your manager and your company.
- “How will you define and measure performance?” Sometimes a tough question but one that needs to be clearly defined.
- “Will creativity suffer?” I’m not sure I’ve seen the word “creativity” and “IT” in the same sentence (I couldn’t resist) but for IT workers as well as those in other fields, the whole topic of creativity and collaboration is one of the biggest challenges for telecommuters.
- “How will telework affect collaboration?” Ah, there it is, collaboration. How do those of you who telecommute or work with virtual teams collaborate?
- “What about employees ‘left behind’ in the office?” In my mind what this is asking is how do you justify a telecommuting arrangement for employee A and not allow it for employee B? And if you’ve made those decisions, how do you continue to motivate those who need to come to the office every day?
- “Do you have an exit strategy?” Pre-defining with the employee that this will be a pilot for a defined period of time is the recommendation from one of the experts interviewed for this article. Good idea or no?
I would also add a few more questions or considerations for potential telecommuters:
- Is your IT organization prepared to support you if you’re working from home one day a week, two days a week, all the time?
- How do you keep face-time with executives when you’re working remotely?
- If you’re working remotely, how do you handle distractions? How have you set up your remote workspace to avoid disruptions?
- And perhaps the biggest, at least for me: how do I replace the comaraderie that I get by working with team-mates?
Are there other considerations or best practices you would offer your fellow digital nomads? Let us know.
Nomad Contributors
