Telecommuting Is Good For You (And Your Company)

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

Your dilemma: You’d love to work from home a few days a week but your boss thinks telecommuting is just an opportunity to slack off and watch Oprah. Well, I’ve got just what you need to make your case: Real numbers from an academic study that shows that telecommuting is better for both workers and bosses.

Researchers from Pennsylvania State University looked at data on 12,833 telecommuters and found that telecommuting programs have beneficial effects for both the workers and their employers. Study results showed that telecommuters reported more job satisfaction, less motivation to leave the company, less stress, improved work-family balance, and higher performance ratings by supervisors. Managers supervising telecommuters also reported that their performance was not negatively affected by working from home.

And if your boss argues that face time at the office is necessary to foster good work relationships, you can oh-so-diplomatically beg to differ. Telecommuters who worked away from their offices for less than three days per week did not see their work relationships suffer Those who were out of the office for three days per week or more, however, did see their bonds with co-workers diminish.

If you have been fantasizing about telecommuting, now may be the time to pitch the idea to your boss. Approximately 45 million Americans telecommuted in 2006. If you want to join their ranks, your best bet is to put together a written proposal for your boss. Address any of her potential concerns and explain the business value of the arrangement for the company. Perhaps you will be able to start work earlier or work later because you can cut out a long commute. Or maybe you can deliver higher-quality work in an environment away from the cubicle-farm distractions where you can focus. Cite the results of the Penn State study to help make your case and show that you’ve done your homework.

Be prepared to compromise. If your manager remains skeptical, offer to do a trial run for a few weeks and see how it goes. Then bend over backward to show that you can be even more productive from home than you can be in the office.

If all goes well, you will soon be be enjoying the benefits of the telecommuter’s life. Of course, there are also challenges to making telecommuting work, but most find that the increased flexibility and the reduced commute time are well worth any effort required to adapt. Just ask those guys from Penn State.

Popularity: 32%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

Today is Cyber Monday, the online equivalent of Black Friday, and many retailers are offering crazy discounts and free shipping to entice holiday shoppers. Wouldn’t you rather shop from your desk than get up at 2AM to wait in line in the cold outside Wal Mart?

The problem is that Cyber Monday is a work day for most of us. Of course, that’s not going to stop people from snagging some Cyber Monday deals. Take a look around. Do your co-workers seem unnaturally interested in the "work" on their computer screens? Are people suspiciously Alt-Tabbing at the sound of approaching footsteps?

Why should Cyber Monday be any different than the typical work day? A recent survey by Salary.com found that approximately six in every 10 workers admit to wasting time at work with the average employee wasting 1.7 hours of a typical 8.5 hour working day. Personal Internet use was the leading time-wasting activity, with 34% of  respondents admitting to the crime.

Why are so many slacking off at work? The #1 reason was boredom. Other popular reasons cited were having too long hours, being underpaid, and not having challenging work. In other words, they’re not engaged. If you find that you are consistently wasting time at work as an escape from the frustrations or banalities of your job,  that’s a pretty good sign  that you should start looking for another gig.

On the other hand, a little bit of time-wasting is natural for even the most productive and satisfied workers. It’s not possible to work at full intensity for eight hours straight without chemical intervention. Most people are more productive when working in focused intervals with breaks in between.  In other words, you might get more done and deliver higher-quality work if you take a few minutes to check out Overstock.com between work projects this morning.

And if your boss gives you the stink-eye after he catches you surfing for deals, just mention that whole bit about how you need to work in focused intervals with breaks in order to maximize your productivity.

Popularity: 14%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

Forget about all of the pilgrim crap. The best way to think about Thanksgiving is as a time to express gratitude for all of the great things in your life — your friends, your family, your health, your access to massive quantities of poultry and pumpkin pie.

And don’t forget to say a little thanks to the universe or your deity of choice for your job. You’re probably rolling your eyes right now if you’re stuck in a corporate job that doesn’t make you happy. Or if you’ve been recently downsized or restructured or otherwise unceremoniously shown the door by your corporate overlords.

But trust me, there are plenty of things to be grateful for if you really think about it:

Give Thanks for Your Paycheck — If you’re collecting regular paychecks or severance payments, you’re doing better than a lot of people. That’s not to say that you should settle for a job that’s only about the paycheck or avoid taking risks to find more fulfilling work. You can have both a paycheck and a meaningful career. And you will.

Give Thanks for All That You’ve Learned — Your experience in Corporate America has made you wiser. You have learned valuable business skills, developed a network of helpful contacts, and built a resume.  You’ve also learned a lot about what you DON’T want to do for a living. All of these things will come in handy in your dream career — whether it’s starting your own business, becoming a third-grade teacher, or writing the Great American Novel.

Give Thanks for the Fire Under Your Ass — Sometimes, people need to be miserable in order to find the motivation to change. If you know anything about Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey or have seen a few Hollywood films, you know that the hero must go through crisis in order to achieve victory. A wise woman in one of my writing workshops put it this way — "a character doesn’t change unless you light a fire under his ass." What this means for you is that you will probably never take a leap until you feel flames on the seat of your pants. That fire could be the burning passion for your new career or it could be the slow, smoldering misery and/or frustration of a job that doesn’t inspire you. Whatever your inspiration, if you find yourself giving thanks for a brilliant new career by next Thanksgiving, you have that fire under your ass to thank.

Give Thanks for a Day Off — Most good corporate citizens in the U.S. get a paid day off for Thanksgiving. Many even get two (say thanks twice in this case). And if you’ve been laid off, look at it this way: You can do whatever you want for Thanksgiving and you don’t have to clear your plans with any boss this year. Take a break from the job search and do what so many terminated executives say they’re going to do — spend more time with your family. Or ditch your family if they’re a pain in the butt and spend time with people who are more supportive. Eat well and wear loose-fitting clothing.

Popularity: 18%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

Do you have a business idea or career fantasy that has stalled because of lack of capital? Would a big check for $50,000 give you the cushion you need to quit your day job and go after your dream? While I’m sure you’d like $100,000 to start that new home-based business, this would still make for a nice deposit in your Escape Fund.

The Intuit Just Start Contest is giving one lucky person a $50,000 grant to strike out on their own and follow their passion ($5,000 prizes will also go to each of two runners-up). Just tell them what it is that you want to "Just Start." Your submission can be in writing or on video and will be judged based on your clarity of expression and the feasibility of your idea. Entries are due by December 15, 2007.

Who will be sitting in judgment of you and your dreams? Columnist and small business expert Anita Campbell, author and marketing guru John Jantsch (the man behind the awesome Duct Tape Marketing blog), and technology consultant Ramon Ray.

And while you’re online, you might want to check out JumpUp, the free online community for entrepreneurs that was started by Intuit. Life as an aspiring entrepreneur toiling in a day job can be lonely and isolating. JumpUp is a great place to connect with a community of like-minded people who can share advice, ideas, and opportunities.

Popularity: 16%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

Think you work in a cramped, depressing cubicle? Check out the winners of Wired’s recent Saddest Cubicle Contest and you may start to feel a little bit better about your own work digs. My personal favorite is the pathetic workspace that’s been jerry-rigged out of old filing cabinet drawers (Photo 2 of 11). Some of the others actually don’t look much worse than my own cubicle homes from back in the day.

Actually, the average cubicle has been getting smaller. Some managers say that more open workspaces with no privacy encourage collaboration and keep employees on their toes. And it’s true that some cubicles – the large, well-lit ones, for example – can be decent work environments. But even the inventor of the cubicle, Bob Propst of office furniture innovator Herman Miller, said he never meant for them to be used the way they are today — as "barren, rat-hole places" in Propst’s words.

What’s so bad about working in cozy little cubes?

• The noise: I don’t need to hear my coworkers sneeze, gossip about the latest episode of The Hills, or have loud speaker-phone arguments with their spouses. This does not make me feel more collaborative.

• The smells: People with heavy workloads like to eat lunch at their desks. Often, they eat tuna. Others spend their lunch hour at the gym and save time by skipping that annoying post-workout shower. Still others favor bold personal scents that do not mix well with old tuna and B.O.

• The distractions: It’s hard to focus on work with the noise, the smells, and the constant visits from coworkers, bosses, random passersby and habitual hoverers. For those working on tasks that require focus and concentration, a cubicle environment can be a nightmare.

• The lack of privacy: It’s hard to preserve a dignified professional image when your coworkers can eavesdrop on your phone calls from your doctor, your accountant, and your bikini waxer. And I really don’t need to know about Linda from Sales’ preference for the full Brazilian or about Ted from Accounting’s foot fungus. Really, we should all be taking care of that sort of business on our personal time. But that’s assuming that we have any personal time in the average work day.

Do you have any other cubicle pet peeves? Do share. Do you have a dingy little cube that puts the Wired winners to shame? Do send photos.

Popularity: 10%