February 23, 2011 at 12:54 am
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Commuting Pain
February 23, 2011 at 2:54 am
I generally work from home 2 days a week. My commute to the office is 1:15 - 1:30 each way. Since I consider door to door time as "working" and start my day working remotely at the time I normally leave for the office - my employer gets at least an extra 2:30 out of me on those days. Though, I will admit, that afternoon nap is tempting sometimes.;-)
February 23, 2011 at 4:39 am
Not quite sure how you can consider your journey time as work time for your employer. They don't tell you where to live, so you travelling an extra 2:30 a day is hardly to your employers benefit. That might be different if you travelled by train (for example) and were able to do some work during your commute
February 23, 2011 at 5:03 am
chris.turner (2/23/2011)
Not quite sure how you can consider your journey time as work time for your employer. They don't tell you where to live, so you travelling an extra 2:30 a day is hardly to your employers benefit. That might be different if you travelled by train (for example) and were able to do some work during your commute
I think he meant it opposite to how you read it, so if he has to leave at 7:30am to commute to work by 9am, then when working from home he will start at 7:30am so the employer gets extra an extra few hours work for free..
Commute for me at the moment is 3hrs each way!!..
February 23, 2011 at 5:11 am
That makes a lot more sense:-)
February 23, 2011 at 5:34 am
I haven't had great experiences with telecommuting. I know for sure it's not for me; I need that clear separation between work time and home time or else I'm easily distracted and I tend not to get a lot done. The brief drive to the office puts me into work mode, and I'm much more productive. But of course that says more about my own personal discipline than about telecommuting in general. And I might feel differently if my commute were longer than twelve minutes.
We do have two developers at my small software company who work offsite. They've been doing so for years, and they seem to be able to stay productive. However, I much prefer working with the in-house developers. It's so easy to walk over to another desk and look at some code, or see how a form is working, and make those tweaks on the fly. With the offsite guys, we wait for the next build to see whatever they've done this time, suggest changes, and then wait for the build after that to see those changes, and so on. I simply don't find it as efficient to have developers scattered across the state as it is to have the team all in one room where we can brainstorm and bounce ideas off each other, face-to-face.
Yeah, there's Skype and other technology to help bridge the gap, but it still doesn't compare to getting up and walking over to someone's desk to talk to them.
ron
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a haiku...
NULL is not zero
NULL is not an empty string
NULL is the unknown
February 23, 2011 at 6:01 am
I have to admit the limitations of email etc and the efficiency of working with people face-to-face. I used to telecommute two days a week, but not at all currently. Managers come and go as does their policy towards telecommuting.
However with a two-hour round trip commute, and gas now at $3.57 here near Sacramento, I'm pushing for it again. The employer is definitely getting extra hours from me nights, early mornings, weekends just because I can use the VPN and do virtually everything from home.
If you love living in an urban/suburban environment and have a short commute, or if you have small children at home or just can't stay focused at home, then telecommuting may not be for you. But I think we should be clear that there are advantages and some disadvantages for the employer for both in-office and remote workers.
Telecommuting full-time is a different bird altogether, but for 1 or 2 days a week, meetings can be scheduled when the remote worker is in the office.
Now as to teleconferences, many companies need to mature and learn how to run these. You need a moderator with an iron fist -- NO sidebar conversations or you're out of the room !
Big corporations know these things and run teleconferences or video conferences as if all were physically present.
It may take $5/gallon gas to get us moving in the right direction on this -- e.g. tax credits for companies who promote it.
February 23, 2011 at 6:22 am
I have been working remote 3 days a week for 1.5 years, as part of my original hiring offer. I work 1.25 hours away from my home, so I have a 140 mile roundtrip. No issues at all and find the flexibility makes me a happier employee. I also do not find myself missing all the office "crap" that goes on. In fact, I truly believe I could work 5 days a week from home with no issues at all. We use skype and other technology for meetings with no issue. MORE managers should offer this to employees...I mean, we are in the 21st century!
February 23, 2011 at 6:55 am
I'll have to write my perceptions on remote working but will say that I have been working remotely either part or full time for the last 5 years with the last 2.5 being full time remote. Yes there are challenges and there is a mindset that has to be willing to support it but the benefits for both the employee and the company are very compelling. AND ultimately the technology is at such a point where there is really nothing hindering that "face to face" communication that some hold on to as a sticking point.
David
@SQLTentmaker“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose” - Jim Elliot
February 23, 2011 at 6:55 am
I telecommute 2 days a week currently. Having recently gone through an outsourcing deal (and being one of the outsourced), my old managers all were of the opinion that "if you can do it from home, they can do it from India" And there was a lot of truth to that. Since then, I have taken a new position with a manager in Europe, and the issues in remote managing of me are no longer as much of a concern. Still, in today's environment, especially at larger companies the concern over being outsourced (or more accurately, being viewed as a commodity) are very real if you work remotely.
February 23, 2011 at 7:14 am
It isn't always managers that are the problem.
Sometimes it's political opposition (jealousy) from employees in other departments that creates an insurmountable barrier.
...
-- FORTRAN manual for Xerox Computers --
February 23, 2011 at 7:14 am
I understand why many empoyers are reluctant for their staff to telecommute. However, there has also been a trend over the past 15 years where corporations have been moving their headquarters out of the downtown area and into office complexes in the suburbs with plenty of surrounding residential neighborhoods and apartments. When my employer decided to relocate, they actually sent out a poll asking which location would be most convenient for our commute. That is forward thinking, and we have been able to attact and retain high quality people because of it.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
February 23, 2011 at 7:18 am
I am about to speak to my manager (in the next week or so) about working for home 2 days a week. Problem is, that I live (well family friends, etc) are in the UK and I have a contract in Zurich Switzerland.
Yes I knew about the commute when I took the contract, but I am now at a point where I would rather take a lower rate contract in the UK than live away from home so much.
Hopefully its a "yes"
February 23, 2011 at 7:43 am
As people have said for years now, telecommuting is the way of the future - especially as younger people move up into management roles that haven't grown up with the outdated idea that 'face time = production'. rising energy prices, along with increased congestion on the highways will just increase the push to telecommute. once employers also realize that telecommuting can be promoted as a low-to-no cost job benefit (decreased fuel, clothing, food expense), which leads to reduced stress from no commute, i would hope they would also see the benefit more quickly.
February 23, 2011 at 8:10 am
I love the ability to telecommute. Like others I have about an hour commute depending on traffic. Living in the Northeast we have many days of bad weather in the winter. So for my mental health, I choose to telecommute when the weather is bad, traffic is bad or even if I am just not feeling well. It saves me PTO time for when I really need the time off.
As with others, the company also benefits. Like others I end up working longer hours, getting more done and actually I feel more productive when working at home. But I do have to say, I take some 'me' time during the day. I will watch the TV or sit out on the deck if the weather is nice, play with the dogs (kids are all grown).
Have even been thinking of buying some property out in the woods to make sure I telecommute all of the time. Early retirement or start an Alpaca farm and still get paid for working at a job I love to do.
Raymond Laubert
Exceptional DBA of 2009 Finalist
MCT, MCDBA, MCITP:SQL 2005 Admin,
MCSE, OCP:10g
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