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The Editor's Desk - From Beneath the Clutter
Feature Article - How to Propose Telecommuting
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Guest Article - Are You Really Ready to Telecommute?
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Easter was lots of fun. We went to my mother's house after church so the kids could have an egg hunt. Ariel loves getting together with her cousins. We had dinner with Brent's parents. It just felt so good to have a relaxing, reassuring day after a stressful week.
You're wondering about the stress?
If you read last week's newsletter, you may recall that I sent it shortly before taking Gage to the doctor. He was having a lot of trouble with a bad cold. No problem there, but the pediatrician sent him for an x-ray of his head. She didn't tell me anything about it, but as a medical transcriptionist I have a good ear for medical terminology, and I caught the word "scaphocephaly." Actually, the word was somewhat different, but with a bit of research, that was what I came up with.
The x-rays did show something, so we had to go to a pediatric neurologist. Gage most likely does have this condition and will have to have surgery to correct it. Basically, some of the skull has fused already, making his head grow long and narrow rather than round. This is quite visible. This condition in some cases (up to 14%, from my research), cause pressure on the brain which can lead to vision problems, behavior problems or mental retardation. Pretty difficult stuff to think about, but it's really hard to think about my little baby having surgery on his head.
The surgery will be scheduled sometime in the next couple months. They need to do a CT scan first, to confirm the diagnosis and to map it out precisely. They need to do it while he is very young so that a minimally invasive procedure can be done. I am very lucky in that the neurologist we were referred to is one of very few who does the minimally invasive procedure.
As you can imagine, I spend a lot of time worrying about Gage these days. I can hardly wait to have the surgery done, even though that will be an incredibly difficult time for me. And I am SO glad that I work at home, so that all the followup appointments won't be too hard to schedule.
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One of the easiest ways to get a work at home job is to get your boss to allow you to telecommute at least part of the time. There are benefits to both you and the company you work for in most cases, so you need to do some research and write a good proposal if your company does not already have a telecommuting policy in place.
The first thing you need to remember is that you need to present telecommuting as a benefit to the company, not to yourself. Never mind what you’ll save in gas, or the extra time you’ll have to be around your family, that is not relevant. You need to focus on how the company will save money and how your own productivity will increase.
Now you need to do is figure out what you will need in your home in order to telecommute. Hopefully you have access to everything already, such as a computer, phone and internet access. High speed access is best in most cases, so that you won’t be waiting for downloads. Depending on your job, you may also need a fax machine or other equipment. Don’t expect to buy these yourself if you don’t have them, but if you have too many equipment demands it may be harder to get your proposal approved.
Think about how current technology will make it easier for you to keep in contact with the office. With internet access, phone, email, FTP and instant messaging, you may be almost as accessible to your boss and coworkers as you are when you are in the office. If any of these are currently in common use in your office, emphasize your ability to use them at home as well. If you can log into your company’s computers or intranet from home, this will be a big help as well.
Next you need to look at your job responsibilities. How will you handle them at home? You should be as specific as possible.
Why do you think you will succeed as a telecommuter. When your company doesn’t have a telecommute policy in place it is often an uphill battle to get approval to telecommute, so you need to convince your boss (and possibly others) that you can not only do your job from home but that you will do BETTER.
Studies have shown that telecommuting increases productivity. This will most likely be one of the benefits you can show your employer. Also consider if they will be saving money by allowing you to work from home. Will your work space be available for use by someone else? If you need statistics, check sites such as http://www.telecommute.org/.
Present your case in writing. Proper use of bullet points may help to make your presentation clearer by making it easy for your boss to see all the positives. Be ready to justify your proposal verbally. Be prepared to accept that you may only get a day or two a week at first, and suggest a trial run if necessary. You and your boss will need to agree on criteria by which to judge your success at telecommuting.
One issue you will need to be prepared to face is the attitude of your coworkers. Many will be envious or will think that you are just sitting around doing nothing while you are working at home. It doesn’t matter that you are getting more done, people will still assume that you are slacking off.
You will also need to think about how telecommuting will impact your career. You may find that you get fewer promotions by being out of the office so much… out of sight, out of mind. You need to be ready to accept the extra challenges to your career when you are not in the office as much. Telecommuters are sometimes perceived as not being as serious about their jobs. Then again, a promotion could mean you can no longer telecommute if the promotion requires more face to face time with coworkers or clients. Think carefully about what implications telecommuting has for you.
A written proposal is a great way to encourage your boss to let you telecommute at least part of the time. Be thorough in your preparations and be ready to present your case. Although they won’t be relevant to your boss, understand how telecommuting will impact you personally, so that you can deal with coworkers’ feelings, the possibility that you will be promoted less often, and so forth. Telecommuting is a great challenge and a great benefit.
Stephanie Foster is the owner of Home with the Kids, a resource that knows that there's more to staying home with your family than just business. For more stay at home tips, visit the site at http://www.homewiththekids.com/ and subscribe to her newsletter.
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Telecommuting is a big thing these days: no more commuting
nightmares, more time with the kids, more time for yourself,
flexible hours, increased productivity ... the list goes on
and on.
But what about the DISadvantages? And yes, there are
plenty! Working from home can be a wonderful experience
for some people. For others, it just isn't suitable. Some
of the difficult things about working from home include:
* Constant distractions: a dirty house, the TV, the eager
dog that wants to be walked ... you name it. Do you have
the willpower to ignore distractions and concentrate on
your work?
* 'Out of sight, out of mind': telecommuters may not be
kept 'in the loop' with regards to company announcements,
team issues, whatever. Plus even if you consistently
turn out excellent work, your co-workers and boss may
not see you and therefore they don't really associate
YOU with the high-quality work.
* Obsessive work: your home becomes your office, in a
way, even when you use a separate room as your office.
You may be unable to resist the temptation to do "just
one more thing" ... and before you know it, you spend
much more time working than if you were in the office.
* Pressure to 'prove yourself': telecommuters sometimes
feel the need to prove that they really are much more
productive at home than their coworkers in the office.
This can lead to long hours and significant stress.
* Lack of social contact: some people genuinely enjoy
talking to their co-workers. When they being to work
from home, they don't have that type of social
interaction anymore. It's very easy to feel isolated
and alone.
* Misconceptions about home workers: unfortunate but true,
there are people who believe that anyone who "works from
home" is really just lazing around and having a vacation
day at the company's expense. Can you handle remarks of
this nature from coworkers, or even friends and family?
Everyone focuses on the BENEFITS of telecommuting - no
surprise, since who wouldn't enjoy the comfort and
flexibility of working from home? However, it's important
to also look at the problems surrounding telecommuting.
Make no mistake, telecommuting is a change in LIFESTYLE!
Only you can decide if it's the right one for you.
Angela used to telecommute for a large corporation, but now spends her days running an online business. She is the editor of Online Business Basics, a newsletter for eBusiness beginners. Visit her website at http://www.onlinebusinessbasics.com/ or email her at mailto:angela@onlinebusinessbasics.com
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