Big Disasters Bring Big Lessons About What Working from Home Can Do for Companies

There's At Least One Silver Lining to Come from Hurricane Sandy

No matter how terrible something is, there is always something (at least) decent that can come from it. As terrible Hurricane Sandy was for the Eastern seaboard and many were kept from their work, there were a number of workers who pushed on and continued business operations via working from home.

While there are businesses and companies that offer work from home positions, the number is few and there is a stigma about working from home that some companies have a hard time getting past. Sadly, it would have to take a terrible disaster to show just how well some parts of business can run without employees leaving the house. And there are many employees out there who were proven right about what they already know: that they would happily welcome not being stuck in a cubicle all day, even if they were only allowed to work from home 2-3 days per week.

But now, there is a real opportunity for companies to look at the amount of money they saved having their employees working from home during the storm while still having some part of their business operational. Could it be worth it to consider creating something on a larger scale? (And if not that, at least consider putting such a system in place that would allow for such an option  if and when this type of unfortunate circumstance happens again?)

Before, the stigma had to do with managers and other higher ups not feeling comfortable or trusting employees who were not on site—and that was the end of the argument for work from home positions. But with hard data coming in, will there be a change?

More than likely, yes. Why? Because companies love to save money and fatten up their bottom lines. Before, companies didn't "think" it could be done but now they have proof it can. It may take some time and research on how to best implement a work from home platform from one company to the next but it not only means saving money. Coupled with happier employees,  it means a boost in output and production-- the best of both worlds for a company that wants to stave off or bounce back from the effects of the economy.In fact, it may be, for once, an honest and ethical way for a company to get ahead without firing random employees and expecting a department of 10 people to do the work of thirty for the same (or little) pay. Definitely sounds much better, that's for sure. Hope somebody's paying attention.

How to Be the Most Outstanding Work from Home Employee Ever!

Let's face it. Working from home is a pretty new field with most gainfully employed individuals spending the vast majority of their jobs/careers commuting to a work place outside the home. As with anything that is fairly new, challenges to custom and convention are being presented and the traditional workforce is no different. 

According to this article, the mere perception of telecommuting shows home-based employees tend to get smaller raises, fewer promotions and lower performance reviews. (That doesn't seem right, does it?) The argument is that office workers and bosses are heavily influenced by what is called "passive face time", a phrase that denotes how the consistent presence of an employee's face in the office lends credit to his or her "reliability". No evidence of what you are doing or how well it is being done is required. 

When asked about an employee's reliability, supervisors often gravitated (unconsciously) to two categories: expected face time, wherein employees are seen during normal operating hours and extracurricular face time, where an employee is present after hours, early in the a.m. or during lunch. When recalling favorable qualities of employees, supervisors labeled workers who put in expected face time as "loyal" or "trustworthy" 9% more time than their home-based employees. Extracurricular face time had bosses 25% more likely to call employees "devoted" and "faithful".

So what is the best way for work from home employees to close the gap?

First, experts recommend that employers that use work from home employees base performance reviews on objective results. For home-based employees, it is important to demonstrate that you're just as accessible from home as you would be if you were right there in the office.  

Therefore:

·         Create virtual face time. Update your employer on your progress by instant message, email, Skype, phone or any combination thereof on a regular basis.

·         Respond to all inquiries immediately-- or as close to immediately as you can!

·         Update phone and email messages after hours at least 2-3 times per week. Help your boss understand that extracurricular face time doesn't necessarily require a face.

·         Be extra visible on the days you do come into the office. Make sure you know your coworkers and they know you!

Working from home has been shown to have many benefits for both employees and their employer but it is still a new frontier. Even if you no longer have long commutes and get to work in less-than-casual office attire, home-based employees will still find themselves playing catch-up with their onsite coworker in at least a few places.It's just a matter of breaking down the barriers and luckily, that's easy to do-- and, as many telecommuters will tell you, much less painful than being stuck working in a cubicle!

The Craptastic Things You Get to Ditch When Working from Home

The average office worker believes he or she would be more productive working from home and strongly wishes for the opportunity-- even if it were only once a week. And while each individual may have their own pro's that come with taking on home-based employment, there seems to be a consensus about certain office activities that workers would happily dump and never face again, such as:

• ·         office baby showers
• ·         staff photos
• ·         know-it-all coworkers
• ·         workplace whiners

Citrix, a Ft. Lauderdale company that creates technology that allows employees of companies to work remotely hired Wakefield Research to do the survey. But it's not just office workers that find office life "challenging". About one-third of executives/managers report they schedule their time off close to that of their superiors in order to maximize the time apart from each other and the office.

What else did the Wakefield survey find? 

Of the 1000 American office workers asked,

·         20% would like a boss like the character Gibbs on NCIS

·         15% would like Miranda Bailey from "Grey's Anatomy"

·         14% would like Buddy from the show "Cake Boss"

·         32% would give up lunch breaks to work from home

·         25% would forgo alcohol to work from home

·         20% would give up coffee

All in all, working from home is of great interest to the real-life American worker. Research has consistently shown that companies benefit greatly by becoming more flexible and allowing employees to work remotely. Not only does it boost productivity, it boosts morale as well. 

And not having to deal with that weird guy that licks the serving spoon at every office potluck or having your super-sub sandwich mysteriously disappear from the employee fridge every Friday is most definitely a bonus.

What that Guy Who Works from Home is Really Doing

So that weird guy across the street who says he works from home... what's he really doing during the day? Is he really... working?

According to a Fort Lauderdale, Florida company called Citrix that designs technology for employees to work remotely, the answer is yes. And no. A survey conducted in June by Wakefield Research of just over 1000 home-based American office employees showed the percentages  of non-work related activities workers take part in during the average workweek:

·         20% play video games

·         43% watch TV or a movie

·         26% take naps

·         28% cook dinner

·         35% do household chores

·         24% have had a drink

Home-based workers with children are more likely to turn on the TV. Another commonality of home-based workers was slipping out to exercise or get their hair done.

All this may have some wondering if working from home is the reliable option for companies and workers it's touted to be. Yet, study after study like this one show that telecommuters are still more productive than onsite office workers. 

So if you get a home-based job, does that mean you'll get to work in your pajamas while keeping up with last night's DVR'd episodes of "Breaking Bad"? 

Well, that will all depend on the arrangement with your employer. Some companies offer complete autonomy to home-based employees to get their work done. In other words, as long as your work is completed, of quality and in on time, you can work from the toilet for all they care. Other employers are not so flexible. Many times, it simply depends on what kind of home-based employment it is. Call center jobs, for instance, require their home-based employees to have a quiet space in which to work in as distracting background noises such as children, TV, etc. can lead to being dismissed.

The important thing for home-based employees is to know how to balance and manage home and work without either getting in the way. However, from the looks of things, there are many home-based employees who do seem to be managing quite well.