Telecommuting.
I ask my boss every day if I can work from home. He always says , "No." And while I think it's complete "bunk" that I can't, I do get why he says no. He enjoys my witty humor and doesn't want to go a day without its presence in the open office.
However...
I think that with things being the way they are today, telecommuting truly needs to be an available option. Between commuting costs (gas prices, commuter passes, taxi fares, etc) going up, along with the Internet allowing easy connections to work VPNs... You would think more companies would be open to the idea.
I have a friend who works in a quiet yet very in-demand field. They need to work from home for about three months to take care of a family member who is under-going a serious surgery. They can easily do their job from home. However, the larger company that owns their company won't allow anyone to work from home. So they have to take unpaid leave off from the company to take care of their family member.
And, despite knowing that if this person ever left the company, they would have a bitch of a time replacing them (because truly qualified people in this field are very hard to find)... They are saying "fuck you" to them. (Though, again, I should point out that it's the parent company - not their immediate company - that is not allowing telecommuting.)
"Enough is enough!" I say. People should be able to work from home, especially when they need to.
However...
I think that with things being the way they are today, telecommuting truly needs to be an available option. Between commuting costs (gas prices, commuter passes, taxi fares, etc) going up, along with the Internet allowing easy connections to work VPNs... You would think more companies would be open to the idea.
I have a friend who works in a quiet yet very in-demand field. They need to work from home for about three months to take care of a family member who is under-going a serious surgery. They can easily do their job from home. However, the larger company that owns their company won't allow anyone to work from home. So they have to take unpaid leave off from the company to take care of their family member.
And, despite knowing that if this person ever left the company, they would have a bitch of a time replacing them (because truly qualified people in this field are very hard to find)... They are saying "fuck you" to them. (Though, again, I should point out that it's the parent company - not their immediate company - that is not allowing telecommuting.)
"Enough is enough!" I say. People should be able to work from home, especially when they need to.
Comments
It comes down to trust. It's not a templated approach. Problem is, if you let one person work from home, others will likely ask to work from home too.
As a manager, it's a tough call. If someone needed to care for a sick family member, I would definitely show compassion.
But there is something to be said for face time in the office and availability. There's nothing more frustrating than to need something on deadline and to send AIMs to a blank screen.
I recognize this is a new era and, as Marshall McLuhen predicted in 1967, technology would remove the barriers of space and time.
It's a case-by-case situation.
As someone who has a legitimate medical issue that doesn't always allow me to be far from home I am very grateful that my job allows me to telecommute a couple days a week and more if necessary. I make sure to show my appreciation by getting my work done and a little extra.