"In hindsight, and after two years of working on my own, I
actually miss the interaction with other people." Leah Kane
In 1998, when Terry Thompson was looking to buy a house, she
wanted to live in Portland, CT. There was just one problem:
her office at Hyperion was in Stamford, 70 miles and a
two-hour commute away. So Thompson and her company agreed
that she would begin working from home, just like nearly 21
million other telecommuters around the country.
Who are all these millions people who have the luxury of
working in their pajamas? Many of them work in jobs that
don't require staff meetings or the help of coworkers, like
journalists and sales reps. Some companies employ people in
cities where they have no office, and other firms offer
telecommuting as a perk to employees who have families at
home. Many employers even favor telecommuting because it is
more cost effective than housing all of their workers. All
told, USA Today estimates that telecommuters make up 40
percent of all employees.
OSHA Weighs In
One of the most cherished aspects of telecommuting for
workers and employers alike is the productivity that comes
from maximizing your time and working in a convenient
location. Not too long ago that almost changed. The
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ruled
that home-based employees must have working conditions
similar to those in the office, including comparable
equipment and safety conditions. The ruling threatened
employees' ability to continue working from their homes.
Not surprisingly, OSHA's decision spurred debate in many
circles about just how much control employers should have
over their home-based employees. Telecommuters objected to
the fact that OSHA was butting into their private workspaces,
and employers protested the extra effort that managing
telecommuters would require. In response to all the negative
feedback, OSHA reversed its decision two months later.
The Logistics
Many who work from home say the ruling was a non-issue
to them. When Thompson began working from home, for example,
her company supplied her with laptop and desktop computers, a
copier/fax machine, typical office supplies such as pens and
paper, and even installed an ISDN line in her house.
Working from home is not always ideal, though, especially
when you have roommates or live in tight quarters. "I have
one room, which is my office, bedroom, everything room," says
Ann Chernin, 26, who works for California-based Windowbox.com
and shares a Boston apartment with three roommates.
Other at-home workers complain that the miss being around
people. "One of the reasons I wanted to get out of the
corporate culture is that I didn't always feel like being
nice and friendly to the other people I worked with," recalls
Leah Kane, who runs her own business and also freelances for
a consulting company. "But after two years of working on my
own, I actually miss the interaction."
Setting Boundaries
Working at home also comes with distractions, like
personal phone calls, television, laundry, or the beach on a
sunny summer day. In short, self-discipline is key. "You're
only going to hurt yourself if you're slacking," says Mike
Ogar, 26, a sales representative for Connell Neurosurgical
who makes sales calls from home.
Chernin adds that it's essential to make a distinction
between your professional and personal lives. "If I'm here
and I'm awake, I'm at work," she complains. On the flip side,
friends assume that because you're at home, you don't have to
be working. Set working hours for yourself and make others
aware of them, including your coworkers back at the office.
That way, friends won't think you can take an hour out of
your day to drive them to the airport, and coworkers won't
call you at 7 p.m. assuming you're still on the clock.
The at-home workers we talked to say it's worth it. "It's not
always easy," says Kane. "There are times when I consider
going back to the office, but the cons of being in an office
far outweigh the pros."
