Telecommuting
% x& z8 O+ @ ^! y Telecommuting-- substituting the computer for the trip to the job ---- has been hailed as a solution to all kinds of problems related to office work. 3 ]+ D0 Q* h5 r0 V% o
For workers it promises freedom from the office, less time wasted in traffic, and help with child-care conflicts. For management, telecommuting helps keep high performers on board, minimizes tardiness and absenteeism by eliminating commutes, allows periods of solitude for high-concentration tasks, and provides scheduling flexibility. In some areas, such as Southern California and Seattle, Washington, local governments are encouraging companies to start telecommuting programs in order to reduce rush-hour congestion and improve air quality. : B* O, Q2 @* M: ]1 S) r
But these benefits do not come easily. Making a telecommuting program work requires careful planning and an understanding of the differences between telecommuting realities and popular images.
& v) w: B: Z' i# ^ Many workers are seduced by rosy illusions of life as a telecommuter. A computer programmer from New York City moves to the tranquil Adirondack Mountains and stays in contact with her office via computer. A manager comes in to his office three days a week and works at home the other two. An accountant stays home to care for her sick child; she hooks up her telephone modern connections and does office work between calls to the doctor.
0 I# [; z5 n1 x0 m8 E) K3 Q, }These are powerful images, but they are a limited reflection of reality. Telecommuting workers soon learn that it is almost impossible to concentrate on work and care for a young child at the same time. Before a certain age, young children cannot recognize, much less respect, the necessary boundaries between work and family. Additional child support is necessary if the parent is to get any work done. |8 M. q' a4 K6 T0 D5 M
Management too must separate the myth from the reality. Although the media has paid a great deal of attention to telecommuting in most cases it is the employee’s situation, not the availability of technology that precipitates a telecommuting arrangement. ' b. m6 t8 L1 ` B, t6 h" K
That is partly why, despite the widespread press coverage, the number of companies with work-at-home programs or policy guidelines remains small. |