Telecommuting – Thinking Outside the Cube

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Telecommuting – Thinking Outside the Cube

Timothy Ford

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May 29, 2008 at 12:04 am

#187192

Comments posted to this topic are about the item Telecommuting – Thinking Outside the Cube

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WayneS SSC Guru Points: 95460 More actions · Answer 1

Great article.

One of the things I've always said is that we are already working remotely on the databases... the database doesn't know if the user is in their office, or in their home. All it knows is that a user has accessed the db from the network.

I spent 8 years telecommuting, going in to work only 1 day a week. I can absolutely vouch for your first two traits. One of the more interesting things that I saw evolve with me... I've never been much of a socializing person (think loner). Working from home is pretty much absolute solitude (my kids were teenagers then - which means you hardly see them; my wife worked outside the home). I found that on my weekly treck to the office, I spent more time socializing than I would have ever imagined.

Wayne

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David Jackson SSCertifiable Points: 6414 More actions · Answer 2

I've not finished the article yet but I have just read this:

"(with gasoline in the United States reaching an insane price of $1.80 per gallon)"

In the UK I am paying roughly $11.65 a UK gallon for Diesel. :w00t:

(1.30 GBP per Litre * 4.54 and converted on the Web at XE)

Back to the article.

Dave J

http://glossopian.co.uk/
"I don't know what I don't know."

sqlagentman SSCarpal Tunnel Points: 4484 More actions · Answer 3

Yeah, I threw that little nugget in there to show that I originally requested to telecommute when we in the States thought that $1.80USD was high for gas. It was to be taken with a high dose of irony in light of today's pricing and what we've long ignored in the States - that we had (stress past tense) it good!

- Tim Ford, SQL Server MVPhttp://www.sqlcruise.comhttp://www.thesqlagentman.com http://www.linkedin.com/in/timothyford

David Jackson SSCertifiable Points: 6414 More actions · Answer 4

I know, should have put another smiley or two in. 🙂

Looking on the web, Am I right in saying its now about $5 a gallon? That's around 2.53 GBP! And you guys have a bigger Gallon than we do in the UK! (Or is it smaller? I can never remember).

Crikey, I can remember the 70's oil crisis, and the kerkuffle that kicked off when we went to .5 GBP for the first time... 😛

Dave

http://glossopian.co.uk/
"I don't know what I don't know."

sqlagentman SSCarpal Tunnel Points: 4484 More actions · Answer 5

We're right around $4.15 usg here. I don't know how our gallons compare to yours. I thought you were using litres over there. The metric system never took here, however Scientology did. Go figure.

- Tim Ford, SQL Server MVPhttp://www.sqlcruise.comhttp://www.thesqlagentman.com http://www.linkedin.com/in/timothyford

SuperDBA-207096 SSCrazy Eights Points: 8176 More actions · Answer 6

I once had a gig where I could telecommute 2 days a week. Saturday and Sunday 🙂

Nowadays telecommuting is becoming more popular, gas here is over 4.00 a gallon with no end in sight.

David Jackson SSCertifiable Points: 6414 More actions · Answer 7

Timothy Ford (5/29/2008)
We're right around $4.15 usg here. I don't know how our gallons compare to yours. I thought you were using litres over there.

We do, but as indicated by my recollection of the 70's fuel crisis, I'm of the generation that were continually confused by change.

I remember spending an 'old' penny, by which I mean pre-decimalisation. 12 pennies = 1 Shilling, 20 shillings = 1 pound, therefore 1 pound = 240 pennies. And pennies were available in half-pennies and (admittedly before my time), farthings. (1 farthing = 1 quarter of 1 penny).

The metric system never took here, however Scientology did. Go figure.

LOL 😀

I also learned ITA, before being told at 7 that there was a 'proper' way to spell, and the change from Fahrenheit to centigrade, (before it was renamed Celsius), as well as moving from Imperial measurements to metric, (inches to centimetres etc.) happened when I was about 13.

Therefore, people over a certain age still use miles per gallon, MPH, Fahrenheit and other (now considered) archaic forms of notation.

4$! ~2 GBP a gallon. I'm jealous... 😉

Dave J

http://glossopian.co.uk/
"I don't know what I don't know."

Mistens Old Hand Points: 318 More actions · Answer 8

Thanks for the great article. I have always given a thought about why Companies do not let employees telecommute.

Above all to me It appears to be more status quo than anything else.

Carlo Clausius Say Hey Kid Points: 693 More actions · Answer 9

A couple more thoughts on advantages for telecommuting, not so much of doing it everyday, but as an optional access to the office. For one, it greatly cuts down on sick days. Had those times when you were just about dying yet still felt guilty about not going into the office? With telecommuting, I can still access the office, do stuff, put out fires etc. before the codeine kicks in. So I don't do the full eight hours, but I'm still there if need be.

It's also really handy when you have a youngster staying home from school or trades people coming to fix something that they can't (read: won't) do on weekends or evenings.

I have a colleague who worked in a branch office that closed down. She simply took her laptop home and continued working from there. Saved the company enormously in terms of laying off a vital link in the cog and having to hire and train a newbie with it's inherent headaches.

A great bonus for both company and me when an issue arises evenings or on weekends. I can "go to the office", fix the issue and log out in minutes for situations that otherwise would have had to wait until the next morning/Monday.

The point is that telecommuting doesn't have to be a complete either or scenario. Sometimes just having it as a stand by or an option in emergencies for either the company or the individual has to my mind shown tremendous benefits.

K. Brian Kelley SSC Guru Points: 114642 More actions · Answer 10

Companies that embrace telecommuting can drastically reduce overhead costs, too. Think about the overall savings to power/space as the percentage of personnel work remote. You'll have to provide some desks for folks who can't be off-site (data center personnel) + some for people who need to come in occasionally, but in general, the benefits go beyond happier employees. Why this isn't realized more often by those trying to control costs is beyond me.

K. Brian Kelley
@kbriankelley

Anipaul SSC-Insane Points: 24681 More actions · Answer 11

Anipaul

SSC-Insane

Points: 24681

June 2, 2008 at 6:04 am

#822849

Great Article .......................:)

sqlagentman SSCarpal Tunnel Points: 4484 More actions · Answer 12

Thank you everyone for the positive feedback!

- Tim Ford, SQL Server MVPhttp://www.sqlcruise.comhttp://www.thesqlagentman.com http://www.linkedin.com/in/timothyford

Ted Manasa Default port Points: 1461 More actions · Answer 13

Nice article, Tim. Thanks!

Two things. I worked from home between 40-100% of each week with two different employers. But while I am very disciplined and productive on my own, I didn't like it. As you said, people need to be built for that kind of environment.

My dad, a DBA for 25 years, has worked remotely for nearly 8 years now. He would have it no other way. My mom, on the other hand, wishes he were out of the house at least a few times during the week :hehe:

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