TELECOMMUTING - THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS!

As a career counselor, I get to hear the "good" and the "bad" about many

occupations. While some jobs are definitely better than others, many offer

the same disadvantages. Of late, I have been hearing far more negative than

positive comments from clients about a variety of occupations, including many

which typically have been seen as desirable positions. Nobody seems to like

lawyers anymore! While this may be due to the fact that people tend to talk

to me only when they are dissatisfied with their occupation, I tend also to

believe that there's a growing dissatisfaction among millions of people with

their line of work.

Long commute drives, office politics, lack of adequate day care services,

corporate merges, "downsizing", "restructuring", premature and forced

retirement, unrecognized work efforts, dwindling salaries, poor or no

benefits, etc. are just a few that head the list of employee complaints.

However, I am seeing for the first time a new work option that may bring an

end to many of these conditions - telecommuting!

For those readers who have not heard of the term, telecommuting is a process

whereby people employed by a company work from their home via their personal

computer. Most of their work is done on the computer which is connected via

a modem to the company's headquarters allowing information to be sent to and

received from the main office. Some work is also done over the conventional

telephone or fax machine. Telecommuting offers the security of working for a

company on a full time basis and the convenience of working at home, thereby

offering many people the best of both worlds!

For those interested in statistics, 1-2 million people are "telecommuters"

currently in the United States. Most telecommute one to two days per week

and commute the rest of the time, the rest are "full time telecommuters" The

number of telecommuters has been growing by 20% to 30% each year since 1980.

No one seems to know how large this section of the workforce will be by the

year 2000, but some experts are predicting sizeable numbers of employees will

work from home.

Professor Jack Nilles (University of Southern California), considered by many

to be the father of telecommuting, cites several reasons why companies are

using telecommuters:

a. As a means of saving money and, therefore, of becoming

more competitive.

b. A response to a lack of available employees. The number

of available new employees is down from the 1960s as the

"baby boomers" age into retirement.

c. A response to employees who demand more balance between

their work and personal lives. Therefore, companies must

find solutions to keep employees happy or lose them to

the competition.

d. To reduce wasted time and frazzled nerves caused by long

commuting by car! Some employees spend 2-3 hours per day

driving to and from work and arrive exhausted and

mentally unprepared for work.

e. Because new technologies have made telecommuting

possible. Modern computers, modems, fax machines, low

priced photocopiers, on-line services, electronic mail,

etc. make it more easier to transmit one's work to all

points of the compass.

In a recent research by the author, many different kinds of positions were

found which were being worked at in a telecommuting capacity, such as:

(partial list)

Accountants/Bookkeepers

Claims Examiners

Clerk Typists

Company Presidents (and CEOs)

Computer System Analysts

Consultants

Copy Editors

Data Entry Clerks

Desktop Publishers

Editors

Educational Courseware Writers

Engineers

Graphic Designers

Illustrators

Indexers

Information Brokers

Lawyers

Legal Assistants

Order Entry Clerks

Pollsters

Professors (Teachers)

Programmers

Reporters (News)

Researchers

Secretaries

Software Engineers

Sports Writers

Stockbrokers

Technical Writers

Telemarketers

Translators

Travel Agents

Typesetters

Urban Planners

Word Processors

Writers

In the same research effort, several major companies were found to be using

telecommuters, such as:

JC Penny

Blue Cross/Blue Shield of South Carolina

The Travelers Companies

AT&T

Apple Computer

DuPont

IBM

Weyerhauser

John Hancock

Sears

Pacific Bell

US West

There are clearly some strong advantages to telecommuting, including:

a. More control over your life - greater flexibility of your

time.

b. A saving of the money normally spent on cars, clothing,

etc.

c. Less stress as the home environment is more relaxed, less

stress from driving hassles.

d. Little or no commute time.

e. Greater productivity due to less distractions.

f. Environmental responsibility - you're not adding to the

pollution if you drive less.

g. Higher level of personal satisfaction with work and life.

h. Leisurely dress code.

i. Often more "peace and quiet" in work setting.

j. Often better communication between colleagues (i.e. e-

mail).

k. More time for personal life and family.

Of course, for some people, there are some disadvantages of telecommuting,

too, which need to be understood and resolved in order to realize its

potential. These disadvantages include:

a. Feeling of being "cut off" from the main office

activities.

b. Feeling of isolation.

c. Loss of respect (by come colleagues) - not a real job!

d. Constant temptation (food, tv, etc.)

e. Need for self-discipline.

f. Out of "fast track" for promotions.

g. Tendency to become a "workaholic".

h. Bothered by distractions (i.e. kids).

i. Sometimes can add the "work stress" to the "home stress".

j. Loss of offices services (i.e. photocopier, fax, etc.).

k. Sometimes exploited by employers (offered less salary

while requiring more work than office staff).

In spite of these disadvantages, millions of Americans each year are opting

to change their conventional worklife to become a telecommuter. However,

because the procedure is new, it is often difficult to convince an employer

(and some employees) of the advantages of such an option.

If you truly want to become a telecommuter, here's a few tips on how to make

it happen:

1. Check out your current position to determine if

telecommuting is possible there - either full time or

part-time.

What are the tasks which you believe can be done at home?

How much time is needed each week to accomplish these

tasks? Does this amount of time result in one day, two

days, etc.?

2. Determine if you have the necessary resources to work at

home. Equipment and other supporting materials (i.e.

files).

3. Prepare a report illustrating how telecommuting can

benefit your company and submit it to your supervisor.

Make sure your report outlines clearly the benefits to

the company, not just to you as an employee!

Regardless of how much you want to become a telecommuter, the question will

arise, "are you suitable to work in a telecommuting environment?" How well

you convince your employer of this fact may determine whether you are granted

such an opportunity. To help you answer this question, review the

characteristics below which are known about telecommuters:

Telecommuters tend to be...

1. Self-motivated, independent workers.

2. Hard-working individuals, willing to do more than most.

3. Truly interested in their work and working with

computers.

4. Organized.

5. Resourceful.

6. Proactive (vs. reactive) - they anticipate what work is

necessary and proceed to accomplish it without being

asked, rather than waiting from someone to suggest they do

the work.

7. Secure - they don't seem to require a lot of people

around them to feel happy.

If telecommuting seems right for you (and you for it), there are several

books on the subject which you may want to read:

The Telecommuter's Handbook (How to work for a salary without

ever leaving the house)

Brad Scheep

Pharos Books

The Telecommuters

Francis Kinsman

John Wiley & Sons

Telecommuting: The future technology of work

Thomas Cross and Marjorie Raizman

Dow Jones Irwin

Telecommuting: How to make it work for you and your company

Gil Gordon and Marcia Kelly

Prentice-Hall

In addition to the above books, several magazines and newsletters are

available to help you stay on top of the telecommuting field:

Magazines:

Home Office Computing

Scholastic, Inc.

730 Broadway

New York, New York 10003

Newsletters:

Home Business Advisor

NextStep Publications, Inc.

6340 34th Avenue, SW

Seattle, WA 98126

Telecommuting Review

TeleSpan Publishing Corporation

50 West Palm Street

Altadena, CA 91001

Also, several of the major on-line computer services, such as those listed

below provide information about (and in some cases assistance to)

telecommuting:

Quantum Computer Services (Networks: America Online & PC-Link)

CompuServe

Dialog

Dow Jones News/Retrieval Service

Genie

Telecommuting has even become so popular that no less than four professional

associations have been created to aid individuals in becoming successful

telecommuters. They include:

National Association for the Cottage Industry

PO Box 14850

Chicago, Il 60614

New Ways to Work

149 Ninth Street

San Francisco, CA 94103

The Telecommuting Advisory Council

Schimpeler-Corradino Associates

433 South Spring Street

Suite 1004 North

Los Angeles, CA 90013

Washington State Energy Office

809 Legion Way SE

FA-11

Olympia, WA 98504

Finally, if you're committed to becoming a telecommuter, several professional

consultants are available to answer your questions and guide you in the right

direction:

Jack Nilles

971 Stonehill Lane

Los Angeles, CA 90049

213/476-3703

Gil Gordon

10 Donner Court

Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852

201/329-2266

Joanne Pratt

3520 Routh Street

Dallas, TX 75219

214/528-6540

As a part-time telecommuter myself, I can attest to the advantages and have

not experienced the disadvantages found in my research. As a career counselor

with an eye always trained at the job market, I believe the number of

telecommuters will dramatically increase over the next decade. Perhaps you

too will become part of America's electronic workforce!