Gas prices about to jump again

[Trick Pony]

I do on call after hours so my work pays for my home internet and supplies a cell phone and we can do everything from home that we do at the office, yet they still won't let us work from home!

[Chas_svo]

Much of this is true. I work for a large software company and indirectly for a large Aircraft and Defense company. Telecommuting is awesome and I do this about 50% of the time. Out of my 5 direct reports, 2 work remotely 100%. I see my boss roughly once a year. I love getting 1:30 hours a day back by not driving in.

[Captain Crawfish]

chooooooooooo$$$$$$$$chooooooooooooooooooooooooo$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[Big A]

The whole trust thing is what is holding it back. And perception is reality.


I work from home some, but my boss wants to see me in the office as much as possible. Which isn't a big deal, it's only 5 minutes from the house. When he hasn't seen me in a week or two (it happens, I'm constantly on the go), he makes a comment about "didn't know you still worked here", or something to that affect.

Move out of state like I did, problem solved.

Understood fully, I sell/implement primarily Cisco UC/Collaboration gear. A lot of companies are doing it anyway due to all the instant communication benefits and it does allow some monitoring of employees.

Heck, call centers alone. There is little benefit to those employees sitting in hot cubes.

I'm of the opinion that technology can be mutually beneficial for employee/employer. Just need to set and enforce policies that ensure work is being done and folks are reachable. i.e. during normal business hours, if your not reachable/don't return calls for 30 minutes...do something about it.

I am your software counterpart, and wholeheartedly agree. Virtual collaboration is on the rise, simply due to the increase in interstate and global commerce, where the basic conference call won't cut it.

I'd love to see a big push towards telecommuting, that would make for yet another big feather in my consulting cap.

[ceyko]

There is definitely a cost associated with VOIP though. Lync, for example, can get into the hundreds of thousands of dollars for a large organization, and tens of thousands for the smaller ones.

The offset of building costs can only happen if you are able to get everyone out, which simply can't happen for a lot of businesses. If it were my company, I'd rather let my employees pay for gas.

Understood fully, I sell/implement primarily Cisco UC/Collaboration gear. A lot of companies are doing it anyway due to all the instant communication benefits and it does allow some monitoring of employees.

Heck, call centers alone. There is little benefit to those employees sitting in hot cubes.

I'm of the opinion that technology can be mutually beneficial for employee/employer. Just need to set and enforce policies that ensure work is being done and folks are reachable. i.e. during normal business hours, if your not reachable/don't return calls for 30 minutes...do something about it.

[bcoop]

The whole trust thing is what is holding it back. And perception is reality.


I work from home some, but my boss wants to see me in the office as much as possible. Which isn't a big deal, it's only 5 minutes from the house. When he hasn't seen me in a week or two (it happens, I'm constantly on the go), he makes a comment about "didn't know you still worked here", or something to that affect. I always remind him, that if I'm in the office, I'm not doing my job. My title is "OUTSIDE Sales Rep/Territory Manager". I can't very well do either from the office 3 days a week or more. They already pay for my cell, laptop, iPad data plan, but also cover all of my gas. They don't pay for my Internet, but if I loved say in west Ft Worth, they would.

Of course, I realize my situation is vastly different than 80% of Corporate America. But as was said, many bosses want to physically see people working. Until that changes, or maybe tax benefits to corporations are offered, I don't see any major shift to telecommuting.

[Big A]

Just to add on, companies really only need to pay for a laptop - which would happen for most employees anyway. With VOIP, everything works over existing Internet connections. From a communications point of view, 1 app can handle, voice, video, web collaboration, and general conferencing.

Otherwise, if needed the desk phone that would be paid for anyway can just be plugged into the network and automatically do an SSL connection to the office and it's NO DIFFERENT than being at the office.

I know I've considered working for 5-10% less elsewhere if I could work from home as opposed to travel 2-5 hours a day.

There is definitely a cost associated with VOIP though. Lync, for example, can get into the hundreds of thousands of dollars for a large organization, and tens of thousands for the smaller ones.

The offset of building costs can only happen if you are able to get everyone out, which simply can't happen for a lot of businesses. If it were my company, I'd rather let my employees pay for gas.

[ceyko]

Just to add on, companies really only need to pay for a laptop - which would happen for most employees anyway. With VOIP, everything works over existing Internet connections. From a communications point of view, 1 app can handle, voice, video, web collaboration, and general conferencing.

Otherwise, if needed the desk phone that would be paid for anyway can just be plugged into the network and automatically do an SSL connection to the office and it's NO DIFFERENT than being at the office.

I know I've considered working for 5-10% less elsewhere if I could work from home as opposed to travel 2-5 hours a day.

[Big A]

IMO the real obsticle to telecommuting isn't the financials. Many companies have shown that it makes more sense to get workers out of their buildings. The real issue is cultural in nature. When I was at Perot Systems, I could telecommute maybe one day a week just because Ross Sr. wanted to actually see people at work.

Very true, and it also takes a level of trust of your employees to allow it, for the aforementioned reasons.

One thing that I do miss is the ability to walk over to somebody's desk to get an urgent issue resolved. People are a lot more responsive to someone standing in front of them, as opposed to adding your e-mails and voicemails to the list of "priorities."

[Frank]

I have been working from home about 8 years. I started out with dial up, lol!

I dont even know how much I have saved on gas, tolls, eating out. The flexibility like having to deal with a matter at the house, school, car, dr, whatever, I can take my laptop and work just about anywhere is so valuable. I think the most rewarding is that I have been able to watch my kids grow up. They are 5 & 6 and pretty well trained to not causing a ruckus or disturbing me when working. It took a lot longer to train the wife than the kids. I still have to remind the wife that just because I am here doesn't mean I can always help her with house work.

I found this list VERY truthful. I was in the office one day after having not been there in a couple of months. Not thinking, I ripped a huge fart in my cube. Fortunately for me it was early and not a lot of people there, but I heard this lady 2 rows over just bust out laughing.

The 10 worst things about working from home
By Becky Roberts
August 26, 2010, 12:52 PM PDT
Takeaway: There are plenty of good things about working from home — but for every upside, there may be an equal and opposite downside.

Three years after being released from my daily commute, I find myself reflecting on some of the less appealing aspects of working from home. So I decided to stop working for a minute (see #4) and jot down a few of the negative aspects I’ve begun to notice.

Note: This article is also available as a PDF download.

10: You get lazy

If you don’t believe me, get a pedometer and measure the number of steps you take from the time you wake up to when you go to bed. A consultant friend of mine did that for two weeks and to her horror discovered that she averaged 156 steps a day — nothing more than bathroom and fridge trips. In the office, you generally have farther to go to get food, coffee, and water and go to the bathroom. Plus you walk to meetings, go out for a smoke break, go visit a friend.

9: You become unwittingly uncouth

After you’ve spent some time working alone, you start to lose your normal social inhibitions. You no longer remember to suppress certain crude (and sometimes noisy) behaviors, and you may sometimes pick or scratch various areas not normally picked or scratched in polite company. And then on that one day a year when you’re expected to attend the annual staff meeting, you let one fly during a pause between speakers.

8: Your cats wreak havoc

Cats invariably want to sit wherever your attention is directed, which for most of us means on the keyboard or in front of the monitor. Sooner or later, you’ll get up to fetch a cup of coffee or do a set of squats (yeah right) and the cat will stretch… and you’ll be left explaining exactly how you managed to delete that table from the database or why you sent that particular picture to the CEO.

7: Your neighbors don’t get it

Neighbors: Oh, you work at home, how nice for you. In their mind that means you spend the entire day goofing off because (a) you set your own hours; (b) no one is watching you; and (c) that is exactly what they would do. This translates into frequent pop-ins. How you doing? Working. Oh that’s nice, did you see what’s happening in the park? No, I’m working. Right. I don’t think they should do that, those trees have been there since I moved here in 1953. Um, excuse me, but would you mind leaving? I need to work. Oh “work,” ha, ha, that’s right. Mind if I put the TV on?

6: Your boss becomes a stranger

It’s so long since you last saw your boss, you forget what he looks like. There you are, summoned back to the office for the big upgrade. You pull into the parking space nearest the front door because you’re way too early, as you live in a different time zone. A car pulls in beside you and a man gets out and glowers at you. You’re in my parking space. Is he serious? There are no reserved signs. You break a sweat in the already uncomfortable suit you’re not used to wearing. Then he smiles. Whoa — Steve? Hey Steve, I didn’t recognize you. Wow you got fat! Which takes us to:

5: You forget the unwritten rules of polite interaction

Having had no one to talk to except the cats, dog, and occasional neighbor (who doesn’t employ you so he doesn’t count), you haven’t talked to anyone since your last visit to the office and find you’ve unlearned all the normal rules. Out come the curse words, the borderline jokes, and inappropriate comments. You know — all the stuff you’re used to sharing with Rover.

4: You give in to work avoidance

On those odd days we all have, when you don’t feel like working, there is no one to make you do it. So instead of taking a vacation day, or even pretending to be sick, you waste the entire day staring at the computer, getting distracted by what the cat just hacked up in the corner, staring at the computer some more, staring into space, and then spending the entire evening feeling guilty for a wasted day.

3: Sick days are a thing of a past

Because you can lie down in bed sucking down Dayquil all day and still manage to administer the network, you don’t call in sick. To feel justified in calling in sick, you have to be unconscious or in hospital. And even in hospital there is generally free wireless.

2: There are no departmental lunches

Oh wait, that’s a good thing.

1: You’re imprisoned in your workplace

And the number one worst thing about working from home is that you never, ever leave the office. That report you were meant to write wakes you up at 2:34 AM. Normal people make a mental note to take care of it as soon as they get to the office, after a cup of coffee of course, and go back to sleep. Not you. You sigh, set a reminder on your IPhone, and try to sleep. But your computer is right there, just across the room. You didn’t even bother to turn it off. Oh well, might as well write the report now. Can’t sleep anyway. Next thing you know, your stomach is making odd gurgling noises and you have the beginning of a caffeine withdrawal headache. It’s 1:35 in the afternoon and you have yet to leave your seat.

[Sgt Beavis]

The real question is: how many paid days off and other perks do you get at your jobs? Go

How about $5000 a year in gas and toll money not spent.

I get three weeks vacation, a personal day, and holidays off. I also get all the perks you would expect at any corporate job. I am also very well paid..

[Sgt Beavis]

Most companies aren't going to foot the bill for Internet, home phone, etc.

True, but given the option, I'd be willing to bet that more than a few people would do it based on the fact that they are already paying for their home phone and Internet, and would prefer to not have to drive in every morning.

The sad truth is that it takes a different kind of work ethic to work from home, and not be accountable in an office. Even thought their job can be performed at home, anyone that doesn't have a strong work ethic, or doesn't truly like there job will be hard-pressed to get into the swing.

Hell, it took me a little while to get into that routine, and I love my job. Now I work 10-15 hour days alot of the time, unless it's a slow period like now.

I have worked from home for the last five years. HP has never paid for my internet service. They do pay for my cell phone and a laptop, but they would be doing that no matter where I worked.

The fact is that telecommuting actually saves companies a shit ton of cash if they do it right. You have all that building space that can either be leased out to someone else or re purposed. Then there is the heating and cooling costs. At work perks like sodas and food (if offered like they do at Microsoft). You have to extra costs for janitorial services. Then there is the water bill for those bathrooms.. I could go on and on but you get the picture..

It obviously isn't for every office worker. Many simply can't handle it. A buddy of mine got fired, in part, because he was too easily distracted. I have to fight that too but I usually get my work done so quickly that I have a lot of time to goof off. My productivity went off the charts when I started telecommuting. I don't spend two hours in traffic, so I'm not moody in the morning and I'm not tired. If I am tired, I can take a quick nap and get back to work refreshed.

All this and in the last three years I have gotten HP's highest employee rating in my annual reviews.

IMO the government should drop the ethanol bullshit and offer tax credits to companies that move at least 1/4th of their workforce to full time telecommuting. Pollution would be reduced. Traffic would be reduced. Real world fuel economy would be increased from cars that aren't idling on the highway. Etc...etc...etc...

IMO the real obsticle to telecommuting isn't the financials. Many companies have shown that it makes more sense to get workers out of their buildings. The real issue is cultural in nature. When I was at Perot Systems, I could telecommute maybe one day a week just because Ross Sr. wanted to actually see people at work.

[slow99]

The real question is: how many paid days off and other perks do you get at your jobs? Go

[Big A]

Most companies aren't going to foot the bill for Internet, home phone, etc.

True, but given the option, I'd be willing to bet that more than a few people would do it based on the fact that they are already paying for their home phone and Internet, and would prefer to not have to drive in every morning.

The sad truth is that it takes a different kind of work ethic to work from home, and not be accountable in an office. Even thought their job can be performed at home, anyone that doesn't have a strong work ethic, or doesn't truly like there job will be hard-pressed to get into the swing.

Hell, it took me a little while to get into that routine, and I love my job. Now I work 10-15 hour days alot of the time, unless it's a slow period like now.

[Hmbre97]

Sounds like I picked the perfect time to sell my Civic and buy a gas guzzling truck