Telecommuting Challenges

By Geetashree Haridas

Introduction

Gone are the days when flexitime meant indiscipline, and working from home was practically unheard of. Organizations today are definitely more broad-minded. With an increasing number of knowledge workers and a booming IT industry with a huge employee turnover, organizations have found new ways of keeping their employees happy. Terms such as telecommuting, flexitime, working from home, and freelancing are not uncommon anymore. But do these options have their own drawbacks, though employees welcome them?

The first week of my telecommuting was heavenly. I set my own code of conduct for working and it was very peaceful. The second week was a little boring, and it didn’t take me long to realize how lonely I felt, and how I missed my team, my colleagues, and my office. I was in a different country with vast cultural differences. Different time zones made it more difficult to communicate with my team. I felt frustrated initially, but eventually waded through.

In this article, I am sharing my thoughts on the challenges that I faced as a telecommuter. Note that this article may seem to apply more to telecommuters who have been a part of a large team and are suddenly all by themselves.

What is Telecommuting?

Telecommuting involves either working from home or from a different branch of the same office. For example, an employee belongs to a team in XYZ Corp. Bangalore, but due to personal reasons, decides to work from another branch, say, XYZ Corp. Delhi, for some time.

The concept of telecommuting can be easily applied to professions such as Technical Writing, Web Designing, and so on, where physical presence is not very essential to execute the job. Telecommuting is different from the following frequently heard terms:

• Working from home: This means working physically from home or a non-office location. Employees can choose their working model such as working 2 days from home and 3 days from office, and so on. The difference between telecommuting and working from home is that telecommuting may involve working out of another office or home, but working from home means working from home or a non-office location. The two terms, telecommuting and working from home, are often used interchangeably.

• Flexitime: In many organizations, employees can choose their working hours. Employees are given assignments and deadlines. They can schedule their work as per their convenience. For example, they may choose to work between 10 A.M. and 7 P.M. or even from 7 P.M. to 7 A.M.

Challenges

Note that the challenges listed here are not unique to telecommuting. These are also not the only challenges. Freelancers and flexitime workers could also face the same issues frequently. The aim is to list challenges that are frequently faced by lone workers who miss the support of workplace.

Time Management: Managing Your Own Schedule

The leading challenge that a telecommuter faces is that of staying focused on the job and achieving timely results. A schedule is an effective tool to plan, track, monitor activities, and produce deliverables on time. It is not very difficult to stick to a schedule if you are a good planner and are disciplined. As a telecommuting writer, making your schedule and tracking activities can help you remain focused. You can build your personal schedule based on the documentation plan. At the end of the day or week, you can go through your schedule and mark all activities that you have completed. If you are lagging behind, your schedule will immediately reflect it.

Teamwork: Staying Connected

Telecommuters miss the support of team members. At workplace, we often ask for advice and discuss ideas and issues of common interest. We often learn from others either consciously or subconsciously, but seldom realize and acknowledge this. To avoid feelings of isolation, stay in touch with your team members by writing to them regularly. Keep yourself updated about events at the workplace on a daily basis. Attend team meetings and conference calls; ensure that you are in the loop. Offer your support to the team even if you are not physically present at the same location.

Communication: Overcoming the “Out of Sight, Out of Mind” Syndrome

Another challenge is that of communicating effectively and staying visible. How can you avoid the “Out of sight is out of mind” syndrome? Your manager and your team members cannot physically see you working. This can shake their trust in you.

Be an effective communicator to make your presence felt. Be proactive in keeping your managers informed about your work and giving them regular updates. Talk to your manager frequently and explain the tasks that you are working on. Don’t miss meetings. Get clarifications and sort issues on time. Promptly reply to e-mails that require your attention.

Hardware and Software: Managing Resources

If you are a telecommuter based in the same city, then you can solve hardware or software issues easily. But what are the consequences if something went wrong when you are working remotely in another country?

Ensure that you have all the software and hardware resources in place. Take a backup of your work as frequently as possible. If you are planning to telecommute from another city or country, ask your system administrator for a list of all service agents based in that city or country.

More Tips

If you are working from home, organize a portion of your house to reflect a professional atmosphere. This can give you the feeling of being at work.

If you have other people or children at home, strictly advise them not to disturb you during your office hours.

Avoid having visitors during office hours, and educate your friends and relatives about your work setup.

Set aside time for tea breaks, lunch breaks, and so on, like you would while working from office.

Prioritize between personal work and professional work. Ask yourself, if you would have provided immediate attention to a household chore if you were in office at that moment.

Conclusion

Hindrances apart, it is a fact that telecommuters have space and time to focus on essential tasks. I feel that this mode of working also makes individuals more confident. It is a boon for professionals with personal obligations and responsibilities. By telecommuting from home, employees can avoid the daily stress of travelling miles to reach office.

However, for this to work, it is essential for a telecommuter to be motivated internally. Can you work without supervision? Do you feel good about the job? Do you constantly explore and try to learn new things? Do you enjoy your own company? Motivation and discipline are the essential mantras for success.