http://www.management-issues.com/2010/10/25/research/thumbs-down-for-the-office.asp
This article discusses the reality that when it comes to working environments, a large majority of folks would prefer telecommuting - opting to work from home while in their pajamas, etc. This is something I will touch on in my work document paper; as convenient as telecommuting is, one has to wonder of the impact it has on the actual work relationships that are nowadays carried mostly over hand-held devices and emails. Most people send an email to someone is sitting a few cubicles away instead of 1)walking over or 2) picking up the phone. The reality is that with today's technology (borderless IT) this is certainly where we are headed, but I am curious as to other experiences/opionions on this..is there anything that can fully replace face-to-face interactions?
Valeria Bonanome
While I think face-to-face interactions are invaluable in certain circumstances, in today's knowledge based work environments technology can help individuals balance work/life issues while simultaneously increasing their productivity and efficiency. Studies have shown that telecommuting not only increases worker productivity but also increases company profit margins by saving money on turnover costs, sick time, and office space associated with a full-time, on-site staff. And in the age of SKYPE their is no reason why telecommuting and fact-to-face time needs to remain mutually exclusive. I believe it would behoove most organizations and companies to seriously explore the benefits of telecommuting.
ReplyDeleteAmanda Talty
Hi Amanda,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your posting. I agree with you. Telecommunication can be invaluable for companies and organizations. At my current job there is a lot of flexibility about working from home. Employees decide to work from home when they just want to get some work done and don’t want to deal with the office for the day.
I worked as a marketing consultant where almost all of the employees worked from their home office. It definitely saved the company a lot of money on office space. I think that it cut down on office politics and gossip as well. I felt more productive. The time that I would have spent getting ready for work and commuting I could spend on work.
Catherine Crawford
I spent a part of my career as a home based consultant. I HATED IT. It was very isolating and the lack of contact with colleagues meant I had to work extra hard to keep up with changes, get the news about new developments etc. I also found it hard to discipline myself to start and stop work, as the office was always just down the hallway instead of a commute away.
ReplyDeleteOK. It was a few years ago so I didn't have all the benefits of today's technology (but it wasn't that long ago, so I did have e-mail etc.), and I was an independent consultant and not a telecommuting employee linked into a company, so my situation may have been more difficult. But in any case, I'd say be careful what you wish for. Not having to go to an office is not all beer and skittles.
John
It can definitely save companies a lot of money and people that commute back and forth to work from home. I on the other hand do not have this option, I have to either work at other locations or have face-to-face contact with vendors. You also miss the office atmosphere if you care to be involved with office life, but once or twice a week would be beneficial. Hopefully the world will adapt more to the use of technology from home by use of teleconferences, emails and ichat/skype.
ReplyDeleteVictoria Warren
i want to know in what industry they got these surveys from, because in almost all my jobs people want less access. It's like when you get a corporate cell phone. Just as that gives you more access and no phone bill. THis also gives your boss more access to you, and translates to much more work for you during your off time. I can't see people in stable offices and jobs that do not deal with commission or stock prices, and that live relatively close to the office to want this type of access. It's relative to the job. I want work and private life seperate... keep all that technology away from me!! :)
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with John. Working from home, not having face-to-face interaction with customers and other co-workers may not be as convenient as most may assume. There are a lot of instances in which face-to-face interaction is beneficial. First of all, it allows you to build a rapport with your supervisors and department, facilitating the possibilities for promotion to multiply. Promotions are usually given to employees when supervisors see the ability for improvement, as well as when they see their employees have the ability to work well with others as a team. In addition, emails and text messages are subject to misinterpretation. I have personally experienced instances in which people have taken criticism (through email) personally when working on school projects and such, when in reality I had never meant any disrespect at all. With face-to-face interaction, people have the pleasure of smiling without seeming childish or unprofessional. By building relationships, you have the ability to build memorable impressions that could create successful networking opportunities for the future.
ReplyDelete~Janet Echeverry
"Beer and Skittles" - I love that!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, my organization allows telecommuting if you have a particular project that you need to concentrate on, or if you are sick, but well enough to work - so you do not contaminate others. However, the corporate culture also really values face time, so the practice of working from home on a consistent basis is actually somewhat discouraged. In fact I actually agree with this - there is much to be said for working with colleagues in person - reading body language for one - that can be so informative, so telecommuting takes that variable away.
-Ken
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi all, this seems like a hot topic. To work from the office or from home? Well, I'd like to have that option to begin with.
ReplyDeleteI had an opportunity to work from home once when I worked as a stage manager for a short theatre project. It was not entirely from home though. I was also meeting with the crew for couple of hours a day to go over the script. I liked that combo because it gave me flexibility. I must say I am not the fan of 9-5, Monday-Friday schedule. It's too rigid. On the other hand, I can see negative side of working entirely from home. Humans are social creatures, therefore we do need to meet and interact. I can also imagine having organizational problem when working from home. It is good to set some sort of deadlines and schedule for specific tasks, which can be hard when you are working from home-there are simply too many distractions as opposed to the office, where environment is set up for work. Next thing you know you'll stay in your pajamas for the entire week :) Besides, as Helga mentioned, it's good to keep your work and personal life a bit separate-and physical space is a big part of that.
To sum up, I think it's great to have a choice. It also depends on what type of work you do and how often you have an opportunity to interact with other people. If you are self employed, you’d probably be more likely to use the telecommunicating, as opposed to working in the office. Office employees are still being measured by physical time spent in the office as opposed to work results. Moreover, employees are associated with the office space, while consultants are associated with more freedom. Office can be seen as both, a bureaucratic structure and a hub to meet with colleagues and clients, dependently on how structured or creative is your job. As I mentioned before it’s nice to have a choice & decide where you feel most comfortable and productive.
See attached funny short piece on the subject, entitled “While You Were Out” from Entrepreneur Magazine.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/217559
Zana
I can't resist getting in on this discussion.
ReplyDeleteAs someone whose job description includes a specific location in the office telecommuting is for me a distant dream. Many of my daily responsibilities, such as answering calls, relaying messages, managing my boss's calendar, require my physical presence in the office. Or do they?
Anybot, a silicon valley start up, has recently introduced a new technology geared at transforming the way people work together across distances. Anybot's telepresencing robot allows you to attend meetings, deliver presentations, and even engage in water-cooler gossip, all without ever leaving your bedroom, as this article points out.
http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/industrial-robots/051810-anybots-qb-new-telepresence-robot
One of my main concerns with telecommuting is that it has the potential to disrupt teamwork and/or organizational culture. Distance from our co-workers could be a breath of fresh air, but for the manager trying to organize the work of her/his unit or the leader trying to get everyone behind a common vision, having everyone in the same building makes a difference.
I encountered this working in a Division that was divided between two floors in a single building. The head of our division had a small office close to the head of the organization and the majority of the staff were located 15 floors below. Although this distance was only a matter of a short elevator ride, it had a tangible impact on morale in the division.
Anybot insists that its telepresencing robot will help colleagues working from distant locations to be "part of the team". It's still difficult for me to imagine a board room half-filled with robots really getting anything accomplished, but perhaps this is yet another way that technology will transform the way organizations work.
I have to agree with John and Janet. For years of my early career, I dreamed of being able to work from home, and now I do. It certainly has its benefits: I am in my pajamas eating cereal right now at 11 AM, I save money and time on food and travel, and when I focus on getting something done there are no distractions. That said, I can't do this for much longer. Like John said, the lack of colleagues and a workplace makes me lose connection to any mission, and as such it is very hard to motivate myself. The lack of face-to-face interaction during the work day also takes a personal toll. Skype just isn't the same. I try to remedy some of these problems by working at a coffee shop, but it is hard to take calls all day in those environments.
ReplyDeleteI agree that working from home can be great and that most companies should be much more flexible with it -- I think they will be soon. But it is a hygiene vs. motivation issue - home offices are comfortable, but offices offer many intangible "motivational" advantages that make them necessary. Hence the popularity (and expense!) of freelancer "office spaces" where home-workers can pay to work in an office again. Now I'm thinking my ideal job would be 60% in-office time and 40% at-home time. But that grass is always greener, I guess...
Sean