Telecommuting requires adjustments

Telecommuting requires adjustments

By The Associated Press

January 28, 2010, 5:30AM

Call it the workplace of the future: your home.



One way companies are downsizing is to have employees work at home. When staffers telecommute, businesses can save money by moving to smaller quarters or consolidating separate locations into one.



Many workers are glad to have the opportunity. They join the people who have been telecommuting by choice ever since computers and high-speed internet connections made working at home easier. Telecommuting can give employees a better work-life balance, and they save time and money when they’re not traveling to work and buying coffee and lunch.



Still, workplace consultants and company executives say telecommuting can take some, well, work for someone who needs to adjust after years in an office. Some tips for making the transition:





BECOME DISCIPLINED



It can take discipline to work at home. A telecommuter needs to be able to schedule realistically, prioritize and stay focused on work despite distractions like children, pets, even the refrigerator.



"You can’t be a person who thrives on boss-imposed deadlines and a boss looking over your shoulder," said Alexandra Levit, author of "New Job, New You," and an adviser to the Obama administration on workplace issues.



A brand-new telecommuter also has some logistics to work out. That means talking to the boss about what you’ll need and who’s going to pay for it.



If you have a family, you’ll have to integrate the changes in your job into your children’s routine. But remember your work needs to be a priority. For example, if your kids want you to stop working when they come home from school so they can tell you how their day went, they need to know you can’t always listen.



Leslie Truex, author of "The Work at Home Success Bible," said a boss may not care about a telecommuter’s child-care issues.



"He will care if it saves him or the company money, or if makes his job easier," she said.



Some companies, however, may be flexible about working hours, so telecommuters can pick up their children from school or take them to soccer games. In return, an employee may be working earlier in the morning or later at night to get the work done.





ESTABLISHING A ROUTINE



Many telecommuters find working at home isn’t quite as easy as they expected.



When Tory Patrick’s public relations firm gave her the option to telecommute two years ago so she could move to Washington, D.C., from Orlando, Fla., with her husband, she took it.



"At first I was like, ‘Wow, I can work from home in my pajamas,’" Patrick said. "I quickly learned you can’t work like that."



Experts say establishing a routine — getting dressed, going to a set workplace in your home, taking a lunch break — is key.



It’s also a good idea to check in with managers just as workers would do if they were still in the office. Patrick sets aside time to talk to her boss, sometimes scheduling a weekly meeting.



While it’s a good idea to maintain a daily schedule so you can stay productive, Jayne Nanavaty-Dahl, manager of IBM Corp.’s group for work-at-home employees, said it’s easy to overwork when you’re telecommuting. When you don’t have to leave the office to catch a train or make the drive home, it can be tempting to stay in front of the PC for just a few minutes more, and then find you’ve worked an extra hour or two.





BEING VISIBLE



When you work away from a traditional office, your colleagues and managers can’t see or interact with you in the usual way. It can be harder to communicate and establish necessary working relationships. Telecommuters should be sure they stay in touch via phone, internet chats and social media websites.



It’s also a good idea to show up in the office from time to time, especially if you supervise other people. Make sure people see your face.



"Being there in person, that’s how relationships are established," Truex said. "Sometimes if those relationships lapse, you are not being effective, or productive, anymore."