2 Hour commutes? Not for me. Here are ten reasons to telecommute. Feel free to use some of these reasons to help advocate telecommuting in your workplace.
Telecommuting is fast becoming the new mantra of the business world, an executive buzzword often used to exhibit technological prowess and people oriented management. Telecommuting (or telework) is accomplished through management by objective; this management style relies on the quality and quantity of goals accomplished. With the advent of hi-tech gadgets available for personal use, and reliable remote communication capabilities in modern homes because of the proliferation of the internet, working from home is no longer an indulgence but a necessity. The following is hardly a comprehensive list, but will provoke thought and provide a baseline which enables you to bring the option of telecommuting to your workplace.
1. Telecommuting jobs eliminate or reduce your commute.
One can only feel pity for the gentleman from Cisco who commutes nearly SEVEN HOURS a day to work. That’s almost the length of the work day itself. Work owns this gentleman for a guaranteed 15 hours per day. That’s 9 hours a weekday to sleep, eat dinner, have a social life and spend time with your family.
In addition to sheer length of some commutes, modern cities all across the world are facing one teething issue, traffic congestion. As a direct consequence of the high human concentration in cities, the time taken to travel to and from the work site is sky rocketing, and has become a major pain point to workers. Working from a remote location or from the comfort of your home can help avoid the hassles of the commute, and even reduce the commuting costs.
2. Telecommuting jobs are flexible and convenient
Flexibility is the primary necessity for avant-garde professionals, who are constantly juggling family and work life. With dual income households, mothers and fathers with young children can work around their daily chores and their child’s needs. Since the parent or parents now do not have to work during a fixed time slot, they can squeeze in their family responsibilities in between work and vice versa. Individuals can go for a workout session at any time and then start their assignments where they left off. Any time is now a good time to either work or play.
3. Telecommuting jobs are good for the environment
The number one cause for environmental air pollution is the exhaust gases from automobiles. Even after strict automobile regulations, the carbon dioxide and other dust particles floating in the air are too high in proportion to be absorbed by the nature. Inhaling these dangerous pollutants everyday is worse than smoking multiple packets of cigarettes. Moreover, lesser usage of automobiles will also help conserve the rapidly depleting oil reserves. The earth’s atmosphere and your lungs will thank you for working from home.
4. Telecommuting helps eliminate office distractions
Individuals at work often suffer from the inability to focus, not because it is an inherent mental disability, but because there are so many distractions around. Either there are coworkers inviting you for gossip and a cup of coffee, or the boss wanting to check on you. There are phones constantly ringing, most of which are for your coworkers. With telecommuting, you can choose the location for work such as a spare bedroom or any personal area devoid of distractions. At home, you can choose when or when not to get distracted, since work is no longer limited to specific locations or hours of the day.
5. Telecommuting jobs provide a great sense of satisfaction
With a sense of control over your life, an immense satisfaction is a natural byproduct. Being able to give time to your family, prepare and consume healthy food and get some personal time are just some of the incentives. Your family will be glad that you can now be present at important family occasions, birthdays and anniversaries; that they are able to communicate and express themselves better just because you are reachable. Your presence will help imbibe family values in your children. To top it all, you will be making an intellectual contribution to the business world and earning money for your children’s future.
6. It is good to be your own boss:
Most individuals do not like to be bossed around, to be pestered all the time about weekly status reports, and to be constantly reminded of their responsibilities. Most individuals most certainly wish they were their own boss. With telecommuting, this wish is realized. Having total control over your time and how it is spent on any task, you regain control of the reins of your life and can steer it any which way you want. You can choose to spend more time at work on busy workload days, and more time with family on relaxed days.
7. Telecommuting increases productivity:
Every individual takes a break in between work hours, most of which is spent in idle chitchat, sipping gallons of coffee for no apparent reason, or calling up friends and family. When working from home, you can still take the break, but spend it on something constructive. Dropping off the kids to school and picking them up qualifies as a break. A workout session or cleaning the dishes gives that much-needed break. After the time-off, the mind is relaxed and more productive, ready to crack that issue you thought was impossible to solve. As a bonus, you can avoid wasting hours on boring extended meetings without any predefined agenda.
8) Telecommuting jobs are fun:
If you thought that work is an obligation, and wished you had time for yourself, it is mostly because you were spending time doing things you did not wish to do. With telecommuting, you have the option of choosing the kind of work you do and how you do it. The sense of helplessness vanishes, since you now control your life, your work and your time. Just by giving time to yourself and your needs, the mind starts seeing the fun aspect in work too, enjoying the nitty-gritty details and welcoming new challenges.
9) A Telecommuting job can take you places
Being able to work from home and have an authoritative control over your life, you can begin to see the bigger picture in life. Entrepreneurs can start their own business working from home. Individuals with creative skills can utilize any extra time on freelance opportunities. With the power to earn extra revenue, and the time to invest on family, you can take that dream vacation or go on a second honeymoon.
10) Telecommuting is safer
Working from home is safe and extremely easy. You do not need to worry about rush-hour car accidents or the safety of your children while you are away. You can get that much needed band-aid on your child’s knee even before he realizes there is a wound. The home office is easy to set up, and you can take advantage of the new technology such as video conferencing, broadband internet access and advanced software to get your work done faster and better.
