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Telecommuting - advice needed (1 Viewer)

snogger

snogger

Footballguy
I've been working two days a week from home for the past 2+ years but am now thinking of changing that to Full-Time from home.
It has always been an option for me, but until now I've been hesitant to do so as I fear the Isolation may drive me :loco:

They are now about to raise parking cost to $67.50 every two weeks... Add in at least $20/week for gas plus the 2 hours spent commuting each day and it just doesn't make much sense to keep driving in 3 days a week.

Looking for advice on how you keep "sane" if you work Full-Time from home...
I've read some advice on going to the Public library a couple times a week to get away from the Isolation so that is one thought.
Any other things.. Pro/Con??

 
This affects different people differently. I, personally, LOVE what you're calling "isolation".

However -- I've been on the other side of it while working full-time in an office when others were on full-time telecommute. Highly workplace dependent here, I recognize, but: the full-time telework people slowly started having projects and deliverables pulled away from them in favor of people who showed face five days a week. I will grant that this was in the early 2000s, when telecommuting was still a novel concept for a lot of places.

I'd still say it's a balancing act, though. Does going in, say, once every two weeks make sense? It may also be that in your field and in your workplace, face time doesn't matter that much ... so going in just to go in might not be worth it.

But as far as fending off isolation ... can't be of much help, because I'd consider that a positive :D  

 
Does your company use video conferencing?  I think it makes a huge difference, could not imagine full time telecommuting without it. If your company doesn't typically use it, even just using Skype or FaceTime with colleagues you interact with frequently or your boss can help.

 
When I work from home and there's too much going on (kids), I'll go to a local hotel with free wi-fi  (free breakfast and coffee too). 

 
Doug B said:
This affects different people differently. I, personally, LOVE what you're calling "isolation".

However -- I've been on the other side of it while working full-time in an office when others were on full-time telecommute. Highly workplace dependent here, I recognize, but: the full-time telework people slowly started having projects and deliverables pulled away from them in favor of people who showed face five days a week. I will grant that this was in the early 2000s, when telecommuting was still a novel concept for a lot of places.

I'd still say it's a balancing act, though. Does going in, say, once every two weeks make sense? It may also be that in your field and in your workplace, face time doesn't matter that much ... so going in just to go in might not be worth it.

But as far as fending off isolation ... can't be of much help, because I'd consider that a positive :D  
Click to expand...
There isn't really a "need" to drive to the office in Minnesota from Wisconsin in regards to getting projects assigned.

There are 5 of us(including my manager) on the SharePoint Team.
My Manager works in Florida, one team member works in the UK, a second in Oklahoma, and the third one works from home in southern Minnesota.

So, as far as our team is concerned, I'm the only one in this office so I won't be missing any "face time" by working from home.
99% of my meetings are with other departments to help them with their work and it is through Skype and Webex.

shadyridr said:
Never know the library was so happening and not isolating
Click to expand...
Not so much as "Happening" as much as "background" noise and the chance to converse with someone else other then family.

avoiding injuries said:
When I work from home and there's too much going on (kids), I'll go to a local hotel with free wi-fi  (free breakfast and coffee too). 
Click to expand...
My daughter is going to be a senior this year so isn't around much and my wife works part-time during the week so no distractions..
Thus the "isolation"... as from about 9am to 2pm there is no one around.

:thanks: for the responses so far..

 
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Industry?  I would love the "isolation" of telecommuting.  I do have a wife and kids though, so the isolation would only be for the work day, but I'd take it in a heart beat.

 
snogger said:
There isn't really a "need" to drive to the office in Minnesota from Wisconsin in regards to getting projects assigned.

There are 5 of us(including my manager) on the SharePoint Team.
My Manager works in Florida, one team member works in the UK, a second in Oklahoma, and the third one works from home in southern Minnesota.

So, as far as our team is concerned, I'm the only one in this office so I won't be missing any "face time" by working from home.
99% of my meetings are with other departments to help them with their work and it is through Skype and Webex.

Not so much as "Happening" as much as "background" noise and the chance to converse with someone else other then family.

My daughter is going to be a senior this year so isn't around much and my wife works part-time during the week so no distractions..
Thus the "isolation"... as from about 9am to 2pm there is no one around.

:thanks: for the responses so far..
Click to expand...
5 hours of quiet sounds amazing!

 
Bull Dozier said:
Industry?  I would love the "isolation" of telecommuting.  I do have a wife and kids though, so the isolation would only be for the work day, but I'd take it in a heart beat.
Click to expand...
I'm a SharePoint Business Analyst..
Basically, through Skype and Webex, I meet with other department to bring their business process into SharePoint using InfoPath and Workflows to make their work easier. :thumbup:

 
coyote5 said:
5 hours of quiet sounds amazing!
Click to expand...
At times it is.. My hesitation comes from a 2 month stretch after shoulder surgery where I couldn't drive.. I was getting stir-crazy by the end of that period..

Then again, that was different as I couldn't  drive anywhere on my own during that time, so I may be comparing "Apples to Oranges" since I could leave at any point to interact with others. :shrug:

 
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I WFH almost every day. Love it. Have an office at home where it's quiet and I can concentrate on what I am doing. When I do go into the office (Downtown Mpls) I get distracted by other people talking, typing, etc AND I lose a couple hours of time to commute. Few things as frustrating and unproductive to me as commuting. Much prefer to WFH and I get more done when I do. 

ETA most of the people I interact with are in different parts of the country/world so I don't do much F2F. Almost all communication is email, IM, or phone. Nothing I do for work can't be done just as easily from my house as my cube.

 
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snogger said:
At times it is.. My hesitation comes from a 2 month stretch after shoulder surgery where I couldn't drive.. I was getting stir-crazy by the end of that period..

Then again, that was different as I couldn't  drive anywhere on my own during that time, so I may be comparing "Apples to Oranges" since I could leave at any point to interact with others. :shrug:
Click to expand...
Are you still with that three emmms co?

 
Oh, do it and never look back.  I've done the hotel thing before as well if there was something else going on at home, etc.  You can always go in once a month if you really miss everyone.  

 
I own my own business and work exclusively from home.  Hopefully I never have to go back to commuting to work.  I instantly got about 1.5- 2 hours of my life back each day once I started working from home.  The flexibility is amazing.

Regarding your concerns, I get my socialising from Instant Messaging my business partners throughout the day and listening to talk radio like Howard Stern and Jim Rome where the listener base is a community of sorts.  I work out in a gym at lunch and take the dog for a walk throughout the day.  If that isn't enough, you could always schedule lunch meetings with colleagues one day a week to shake things up.    

 
99% sure starting 9/1, I will be a Full-time Telecommuter.

Pros:
Save over $2500 a year by not paying for Parking and Gas, not to mention the wear and tear on the car.
Save money on Lunch/Breakfast items I buy specifically for work.
No More 2 hours wasted commuting + the added possibility of car accidents in rush hour.
No more dealing with one annoying co-worker in the office that everyone around here complains about daily.

Cons:
"Isolation" - Think I can remedy this one by leaving the house once in awhile to go to the library, coffee shop, out for lunch.
No checking out the good looking women in the building.. I guess there is always this thing called the Internet I could look into to fix that one ;)
 

 
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Captain Cranks said:
I own my own business and work exclusively from home.  Hopefully I never have to go back to commuting to work.  I instantly got about 1.5- 2 hours of my life back each day once I started working from home.  The flexibility is amazing.

Regarding your concerns, I get my socialising from Instant Messaging my business partners throughout the day and listening to talk radio like Howard Stern and Jim Rome where the listener base is a community of sorts.  I work out in a gym at lunch and take the dog for a walk throughout the day.  If that isn't enough, you could always schedule lunch meetings with colleagues one day a week to shake things up.    
Click to expand...
:thanks:    It will be a game of live and learn to "force" myself to leave the house during business hours just to break up the day...
During the past 2 years of working two days a week from home I've found myself only leaving by Basement Office for food & Bathroom breaks. So will definitely need to change my work from home habits once I make the switch.

 
Con:  "Out of sight, out of mind".  If you're one of the few people working 100% at home, you'll be out of a lot of 'hallway' conversation that could effect you directly.  It's also harder to move into upper management if you're not as 'accessible'. 

 
IMO, if you think isolation could be an issue, it probably will be. That would only be an issue if you arent really busy. Is that the case? If so, break up the day with a Netflix episode of a show you are into. Go for a twenty minute walk of the weather allows. I think routine will become more important.

 
Arizona Ron said:
Con:  "Out of sight, out of mind".  If you're one of the few people working 100% at home, you'll be out of a lot of 'hallway' conversation that could effect you directly.  It's also harder to move into upper management if you're not as 'accessible'. 
Click to expand...
He already addressed that. No one on his team, including the boss, is in the office. 

 
Arizona Ron said:
Con:  "Out of sight, out of mind".  If you're one of the few people working 100% at home, you'll be out of a lot of 'hallway' conversation that could effect you directly.  It's also harder to move into upper management if you're not as 'accessible'. 
Click to expand...
Not an issue here..
As I mentioned above my Manager works out of his home in Florida, and his Manager works out of Connecticut, and the "Big Boss" is in New York.
So, in that sense we are already "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" ;)

 
Cjw_55106 said:
IMO, if you think isolation could be an issue, it probably will be. That would only be an issue if you arent really busy. Is that the case? If so, break up the day with a Netflix episode of a show you are into. Go for a twenty minute walk of the weather allows. I think routine will become more important.
Click to expand...
:goodposting:

As for being busy..
As I mentioned, there are 5 of us on the team.. We support over 6,000 SharePoint sites, 4 Different SharePoint environments and over 15,000 users, so "lack of work" isn't an option ;)

 
I've worked from home for almost a year now.  So far so good.  I have lots of teleconferences but have tons of flexibility to do things around the house.  Current project is laying wood flooring in the hall and into all bedrooms.  I miss a few folks I used to work with but I don't miss the crowd in the building (foot traffic in large bldg), the traffic, parking, etc.  

Kids are grown/gone so no issues with those distractions, except when my grandson is visiting.. and that's not a distraction!  

One of the best things about working from home is there is no competition for the bathroom.  Used to hate trying to pick a time when floor's bathroom wasn't crowded.  

It gets boring at times but so did my job in the office.  And I don't have a web filter at the house.  Some sites are blocked from old work, like FBG sometimes.  My work computer is connected to a separate network via VPN.  I can pack it up and take it to my grandson's house (or anywhere else) and work from there for a few days if I want.  Flexibility.  

 
I, too, live in Minnesota and have been a full time telecommuter for almost 7 years. If I ever have to work from the office again, I may just slit my wrists.

- No gas costs

- No driving/wear and tear on car

- Jeans or shorts every day

- I get paid to shower and whack

- Company paid 60Mb Internet my whole house piggybacks off of

- No bull#### small talk with annoying coworkers

I likely left a few things off the list.

 
Jobber said:
I, too, live in Minnesota and have been a full time telecommuter for almost 7 years. If I ever have to work from the office again, I may just slit my wrists.

- No gas costs

- No driving/wear and tear on car

- Jeans or shorts every day

- I get paid to shower and whack

- Company paid 60Mb Internet my whole house piggybacks off of

- No bull#### small talk with annoying coworkers

I likely left a few things off the list.
Click to expand...
:lmao: & TMI :X

 
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snogger said:
99% sure starting 9/1, I will be a Full-time Telecommuter.

Pros:
Save over $2500 a year by not paying for Parking and Gas, not to mention the wear and tear on the car.
Save money on Lunch/Breakfast items I buy specifically for work.
No More 2 hours wasted commuting + the added possibility of car accidents in rush hour.
No more dealing with one annoying co-worker in the office that everyone around here complains about daily.

Cons:
"Isolation" - Think I can remedy this one by leaving the house once in awhile to go to the library, coffee shop, out for lunch.
No checking out the good looking women in the building.. I guess there is always this thing called the Internet I could look into to fix that one ;)
 
Click to expand...
Agree with all of those Pros. Additionally, (for me, anyways) WFH means I am here to give my wife a hand getting out and (more importantly) coming in the door with the kids. Morning is not too bad but they are usually all wound-up after being at DC and it helps tremendously if I am here to help out (even if just for a few mins til they all get in the door and get settled). Added plus that helps keep her sane.

 
Jayrok said:
I've worked from home for almost a year now.  So far so good.  I have lots of teleconferences but have tons of flexibility to do things around the house.  Current project is laying wood flooring in the hall and into all bedrooms.  I miss a few folks I used to work with but I don't miss the crowd in the building (foot traffic in large bldg), the traffic, parking, etc.  

Kids are grown/gone so no issues with those distractions, except when my grandson is visiting.. and that's not a distraction!  

One of the best things about working from home is there is no competition for the bathroom.  Used to hate trying to pick a time when floor's bathroom wasn't crowded.  

It gets boring at times but so did my job in the office.  And I don't have a web filter at the house.  Some sites are blocked from old work, like FBG sometimes.  My work computer is connected to a separate network via VPN.  I can pack it up and take it to my grandson's house (or anywhere else) and work from there for a few days if I want.  Flexibility.  
Click to expand...
:thanks: for the input!

 
Jobber said:
I, too, live in Minnesota and have been a full time telecommuter for almost 7 years. If I ever have to work from the office again, I may just slit my wrists.

- No gas costs

- No driving/wear and tear on car

- Jeans or shorts every day

- I get paid to shower and whack

- Company paid 60Mb Internet my whole house piggybacks off of

- No bull#### small talk with annoying coworkers

I likely left a few things off the list.
Click to expand...
:goodposting:

 
Another cool thing is once or twice a week I can go play golf around 2:30 or so.  Scheduled around my last telecon for the day.  Don't do it every week but it's nice to be able to.  

 
If I'm getting stir crazy I run an errand at lunch or meet someone for lunch.  Or just call a coworker to ask a question then continue the chit chat.  

I also do things like walk the dog, dishes/laundry, etc. to break up the day.  People in the office chit chat, get coffee, etc. all day long so I never feel bad taking time to do a few things around the house.  

 
snogger said:
I've been working two days a week from home for the past 2+ years but am now thinking of changing that to Full-Time from home.
It has always been an option for me, but until now I've been hesitant to do so as I fear the Isolation may drive me :loco:

They are now about to raise parking cost to $67.50 every two weeks... Add in at least $20/week for gas plus the 2 hours spent commuting each day and it just doesn't make much sense to keep driving in 3 days a week.

Looking for advice on how you keep "sane" if you work Full-Time from home...
I've read some advice on going to the Public library a couple times a week to get away from the Isolation so that is one thought.
Any other things.. Pro/Con??
Click to expand...
I telecommuted for about 10 years with my old position.  Feel free to pm with any specific questions.

In short I got an absolute ton more work ton at home instead of constantly being distracted and bothered by the most mundane things at work.  At first my boss made me come to the office for 2-3 days a week after a couple of years and he saw and trusted my work I was full time at home when I wasnt traveling.  Its the best man especially when I had small kids.

You will crazy amazed how much work you can get ton once you set a schedule and stick to it.  I was able to work out in the mornings and still get 8 hours worth of work done in about half the time.  

 
Arizona Ron said:
Con:  "Out of sight, out of mind".  If you're one of the few people working 100% at home, you'll be out of a lot of 'hallway' conversation that could effect you directly.  It's also harder to move into upper management if you're not as 'accessible'. 
Click to expand...
If you are telecommuting then I doubt you want to move into upper management

 
pantherclub said:
If you are telecommuting then I doubt you want to move into upper management
Click to expand...
:goodposting: I've had ample opportunities to move into management but it just isn't something I'm interested in.
I always thought that once I reach my 40's that would change, but I'm 48 now and still have no desire to get into management.

 
Maybe drive into the office every couple weeks? Do they have a landing desk you can work out of once in a while. The drive/cost may keep you somewhat sane if you start losing it being at home all the time. I think someone else above mentioned going to work at local hotel or starbucks  for a half day just to get out of your home once in a while.

 
Phil Elliott said:
Maybe drive into the office every couple weeks? Do they have a landing desk you can work out of once in a while. The drive/cost may keep you somewhat sane if you start losing it being at home all the time. I think someone else above mentioned going to work at local hotel or starbucks  for a half day just to get out of your home once in a while.
Click to expand...
Yea, we do have quite a few "Hotel" Cubes here.. Good advice, if it gets to mundane at home I can always choose a day to come in to break it up. :thumbup:

 
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I would so love to work from home!!!!

My old job I did it once or twice a week.

Not an option here :(

 
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