Examining the Work from Home Conundrum

So the debate rages on.

Is it better to work from home or keep employees in the office? It may be a little bit of both.

It's no secret that businesses can save money letting employees work from home (up to $8000 a year!) and studies have shown that there is an increase in productivity from employees that have the option. However, let's not leave out that working from home is not for everyone and there are some individuals that prefer having workplace interaction with fellow co-workers.

Some feel giving employees the option to decide is a much better solution than an "either/or" stance when it comes to working from home. When an employee is given the opportunity to decide for him or herself which choice suits their working style best, there is a sense of empowerment that makes that employee feel more dedicated to their job and their employer.

There is no doubt that telecommuting is used in many forms in the modern workplace already. It's just a matter of taking it further and waiting for old styles of management to evolve and catch up with the lightning fast technology of today. Those who feel that the problems everyone else sees with working at home as conquerable are typically those who are already in the game— and have been for decades. If they could find a way to make it work even in the days before Skype, IM and high-speed internet, shouldn't a company be able to devise a management strategy that allows employees to work from home?

There is a likelihood of telecommuting becoming more common, even if the adaptation is slow in coming. Still, it kind of makes it fun to muse on what the "modern" workplace will be like 50 years from now.

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.

Popular Telecommuting Jobs

With technology making it more and more easy for both employees and employers to set a virtual office anywhere, it's easier than ever to get work done from home-- or even abroad.  

IT Professionals

One ups their odds of working remotely as a web developer, a programmer, an analyst or as a help desk technician. Maintaining a server is something that that can be done remotely, but it can also require having someone present to take care of set-ups and installations. This type of work is best found in small to medium size companies. However, it can be necessary to seek out companies that make it known that the option is on the table. It is not likely that a company that isn't making such an offer will make special arrangements to do so.

Teachers and Online Tutors
The number of positions in the educational area of telecommuting is vast. While many are at the university level, there are just as many that are not. There is a need for online instructors, tutors, training specialists, curriculum writers— the list goes on and on. Work can be online, over the phone or by video chat. Search for these jobs by using the search term "telecommuting jobs education" (or a variation thereof) to find legitimate opportunities.

Health Care
The health care field is a line of work that is all-encompassing. There is a need for transcriptionists, specialists that can read x-rays, data analysts, administrative workers and the like. Of all the fields in the vocational world, the medical field is one that has embraced the digital age. Still, when these options are available, it is very necessary to clarify the employer's parameters for working remotely. For many of these positions, it can sometimes be necessary to be either within a certain number of miles of the company you work with or to make an appearance in the workplace once or twice a week.   

Customer Service Reps
From flower delivery to booking travel reservations to hotlines, call center representatives and help desk workers are the biggest percentage of the work from home field. To avoid the work from home scams, be sure to research a company before jumping in. Two companies that regularly offer legitimate work from home opportunities such as these are Flexjobs.com and Convergys. It's important to know that this type of job requires having a quiet space to work in. Background noises such as a TV going on, children interrupting a call or anything of the like can mean the immediate termination of the employee.

Translators and Interpreters
Speaking a foreign language fluently offers an array of opportunities and is one of the best ways to break into the world of telecommuting. Excellent verbal and written skills can mean working over the phone for companies anywhere in the world or landing a position that translates marketing materials. Depending on what the position is, one may be required to invest in a good internet connection to support sessions of audio/video translations, software for translation management or even certification by the American Translators Association. Because some positions pay by the word, one must also have an affinity for speed and accuracy. Speaking a language that is less common or specializing in certain vocations such as medical translation can bring a higher wage than average.

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!

Working from Home: Take Me Back to the Office!!

Sometimes, working from home just isn't for everybody. The following is a list of the most common complaints about working from home:

Missing human interaction. Don't forget—where you work is where you live and vice versa. For some people, it's just too much.

A need for more structure. Whether it's 9 to 5 or 5 to 9, some people simply need a fixed beginning and end to their workday.

Having inadequate office space or furniture in their home office. Since most homes are built for living, office space can sometimes end up being anything from a corner in the basement to the dining room table.  

Inadequate office supplies and costly equipment. When working remotely for a company, things such as internet, internet upgrades, copiers, headsets and other necessary equipment are typically afforded by the company. Sometimes… they're not.

People asking or expecting you to do favors just because you're home. Your job is still your job and that report is still due by the end of the day. But the kids want you to come pick them up from band practice, your neighbor wants to you to check on her dog and your spouse wants you to call the bank because the check card was denied at the gas pump. 

The thing about working from home is that some people are going to love it and some people are going to hate it. There is no one-size-fits-all job situation that suits all people. But for those who have made it work, congratulations! You are on the leading edge of a new transition in the work force!

Working from Home: We Don't Need No Stinking Slackers!

According to IDC, a research market-research firm in Framingham, Massachusetts, the number of employees working from home at least one day a month has been rising 23% a year since 2007. As more and more companies turn to the work from home option to save their bottom line, employers are using new tactics to safeguard information and make sure their employees stay on task. 

While companies insist that it's not their intention to keep their work from home employees chained to their desks, the use of programs that track productivity are on the rise. These programs may be used in addition to virtual face time via Skype, email, instant messaging or phone calls. In fact, many of these tracking programs are actually run in tandem with security software designed specifically for financial or health services for the purpose of preventing leaks and conforming to required security regulations.

This may sound like the freedom of working from home is being encroached upon but really, it isn't. Because so many work from home employees have different stopping and starting points throughout the day, the most popular tracking programs are not those that track time but the amount of work accomplished. That way, if an employee works the morning but stops to take their child to a doctor's appointment and completes the necessary work later in the evening, all is well because the employee is being judged by results. This allows employees to be less stressed about managing time and more focused on accomplishing tasks using whatever methods best suit them. 

Let's face it. While working from home is an opportune chance to blend one's home life and work, it's still a job-- but not everybody is cut out for working from home. A company has the right to expect its employees to be productive. And even if employers choose to check on summaries of what websites employees are visiting throughout the day, they cannot do so without alerting their employees that they are being tracked-- and monitoring can only comprise of business-related activities. Anything otherwise is considered a violation of an employee's privacy.  

As the work from home revolution continues to evolve, there will no doubt be more issues to iron out over time. Whether it's on the side of the employer or the home-based employee, each resolution only moves things further in the direction of creating a much more stable working relationship.