When Home and Work (Literally) Come Together
Featured Guest Blogger July 2nd, 2008
We all have heard or seen a child trying to “whisper” but it really comes out more like a raspy yell, right? Well, the other day I was on a conference call for work, and everyone on the line distinctly heard such a “whisper” in the background saying, “Mom. Mom! I’M HUNGRY!” I’m not certain who the cutie belonged to, but it gave us all a chuckle, nonetheless. Someone was working from home, no doubt! This was such a great illustration of what telework can look like.
Telework has been defined as, “A subset of alternative work options where work is conducted at an off-site location and the employee uses telecommunications technology, including computers, video, and telephone systems, fax machines and high-speed hook-ups for data transfers” (Kossek, 2003). The Office of Personnel Management reports that more than 23 million U.S. workers telework on a part-time or full-time basis. Interestingly, this number is twice as high as it was just 15 years ago.
What might be the cause for the increase in telework? Two major shifts in society can be attributed: increasing mobile technology and increasing fuel prices.
Technology ~ Many workers now have no excuse for not being connected to the job. With cell phones, fax machines, and the all important EMAIL, staying connected from afar is almost as easy as 1,2,3. Some employers will even set up a home office for their off-site employees and compensate for the expenses of a home office.
Gas Prices ~ The biggest hassle of a commute used to be dealing with those terrible other drivers on the road. Now, it’s the ridiculous gas prices and the cost of just getting to and from work. Staying home can offer relief to one’s wallet, the traffic congestion on the road, and the quality of our air.
However, there are still the drawbacks, and teleworkers often claim that they were surprised with how stressful working from home can be with children in the house. Weight gain (the kitchen is right next to the office!), feeling the pressure of proving yourself, and dealing with on and off ‘mom requests’ are just a few. The team at Work It, Mom! has a blog to that effect.
Perhaps this is a decision unique to every worker and their management. We can only hope that workplaces and employees can reach a mutual agreement for their needs. Has this been an issue for you?
For more information on this topic, check out the Sloan Network’s topic page on telework or our statistics fact sheet.
I must say this is a great article i enjoyed reading it keep the good work
when does the homework and the regular work interfere and start becoming a problem?
Having little ones and working from home does have rewards and countless moments of shared joy. However, it is not always easy, one has to set up a schedule working around children’s feeding and nap times. It gets a lot easier when the children are of school going age, allowing you to work uninterupted for longer periods, without the little interuptions. It gets real stressful when they are ill, or out of sorts and clingy, one really has to juggle priorities to remain on track.
I’ve just found your blog, and am enjoying what I’ve read so far.
Well, I don’t have any little ones but my wife is in university. I have a full time job and I work from home part time, so imagine how busy I can be when I have to help her with her homework.
[...] my colleague, Sandee Tisdale, has previously discussed on this blog, telecommuting is steadily gaining popularity as a practical business arrangement, [...]
Just an update to my comment above. I’ve just taken on another job, so that makes three in total. Two of these are based at home so my home life is in a complete mess at the moment. I need to find a balance as I am finding way to many distractions at home at the moment.
Nice post. Working from home is certainly a mixed bag of benefits and drawbacks. It is certainly not stress free, and it can actually be harder for employees to focus on their assigned tasks at home. That said, it does appear that companirs are offering more and more work from home opportunities as they try both to go green and cut costs.