I have a secret. Are you ready? I can’t stand spending 40 hours a week locked in a cubicle. I need a change of scenery tossed in with my work day, which is why I absolutely love the fact that today’s technology lets me slip out of the office every now and again and enjoy the work at home experience.
Or a latte and Borders’ Wi-Fi. Whichever.
Did you know that over 14 million Americans telecommute at least one day each week? You can close your mouth now. It’s true. Millions of companies are taking advantage of today’s technology to close down their office buildings at least part of the week. It cuts back on their overhead, and because employees get to work from home instead of having to slog into the office they bring more verve and enthusiasm to their jobs than they did when they were punching a time clock.
Figuring out the work-at-home equation is a fine art, however, and one it can take months, if not years, to master. Yes, there’s more to working at home than grabbing your fuzzy slippers, propping your feet on the footstool and tucking your computer in on your lap. There are certain logistics you have to work out before you can be a part of (or create) an efficient telecommuting team.
Where could you work if you weren't stuck in the office?
a) Work hours. Believe it or not, the hours involved are usually the hardest thing for telecommuting employees. Why? Because you can’t walk out and leave work in the office. It calls to you. And when it’s calling to each member of your team at a different time of the day, you can be walking straight into an extremely sticky situation!
Make a schedule and stick to it. I’m not saying you have to do a 9-5 every day of the week (there have to be SOME perks to working at home) but perhaps you could arrange for everyone on your team to be available from 11-1 every day. And pick a quitting time (and a day off) and stick to it, or you might just find that “workaholic” becomes more than a blurb in the dictionary between “why” and “you”!
b) High speed Internet. Being able to work at home is the new American dream, but if you live somewhere that hasn’t yet been blessed with high-speed Internet you could be setting yourself up for more frustration than reward. Make sure your communications systems are keeping pace with your dreams.
c) Office space. Not long ago the IRS got wise to the ways of the work-at-home employee, and they passed laws that made it illegal to claim your house as office space if you didn’t actually have an office. It’s called a kitchen table clause, although whether that’s its real name or just the one the H&R Block accountant I talked to decided to give it, I really don’t know.
The point is, you have to have work space. Now, whether that work space is a gloriously closed off office with a great view, a rolling chair and your own coffee maker or a small desk that looks like it could qualify for meals on wheels tucked underneath your living room window is entirely up to you. Having one place to work makes it a LOT easier to find your flash drives the next morning!
d) Security and computer back-up systems. Several years ago I was doing some freelance work for a client and stumbled over a website that quite kindly shared its virus before it went kaput. My hard drive was toast. I managed to clean up the mess and get things working again, but I learned a valuable lesson that day. Never, ever go a day without backup and really good security if you’re going to work at home. Without a company safety net to catch you, it’s up to you to create your own.
If you tuned in for my last post on taking the pain out of working weekends, you’ve seen what allowing your employees to work at home can do for comfort, morale and their enthusiasm to work overtime. Why not take some time to see what that warm, relaxed atmosphere can do for you?