FUD tarnishes the telecommuting experience
Despite research pointing to productivity and cost advantages for telecommuting, skepticism on both side remains that it's a good idea
Follow @tsamson_IWThe word "ambivalence" can aptly describe how many telecommuters feel about their work situation. On the one hand, they enjoy the luxury of being able to better balance personal and work lives, save money, and spare the air by cutting their commutes. On the other, many fear telecommuting may hurt their opportunities to advance at work.
I'm basing these observations in part on survey results commissioned by Steelcase, an office-furniture manufacturer. The company commissioned a survey of 700 white-collar workers and found 46 percent are allowed to telecommute and 32 percent take advantage of it -- but nearly two-thirds of all the respondents expressed fear that working from home "will hinder their chances at a promotion due to the lack of contact with the employer," according to the company.
Moreover, 72 percent of the respondents said they feel that their employers prefer to have them in the office to control their work environment; another 71 percent said the boss wants them around to prevent a decline in productivity. Another 62 percent said they believe companies prefer them in the office to prevent a lack of communication.
These findings don't necessarily surprise me -- but they bother me, in part because I'm a telecommuter. They suggest to me that even as telecommuting becomes more prevalent and its various benefits become evident, myths persist that tarnish its reputation.
I'd also wager some companies -- or individuals therein -- are struggling with insufficient training or perhaps corporate-cultural barriers preventing employees from being good telecommuters, working effectively with far-flung peers, or sufficiently managing subordinates who do their jobs from home.
In terms of myths, one of the biggies is the notion that telecommuting results in a decline in productivity. I disagree. The Journal of Applied Psychology released a report last November analyzing the telecommuting habits of 12,833 employees. It found that "managers who oversaw telecommuters reported that the telecommuters' performance was not negatively affected by working from home."
Other research I've seen suggests that telecommuters' performance is actually positively affected by working from home. As I mentioned last year, "the Colorado Telework Coalition report … that American Express's teleworkers produce 43 percent more business than employees at the office; Compaq teleworkers were found to be between 15 percent and 45 percent more productive than their office counterparts."
That, in and of itself, makes a positive case to me that a worker can spend at least some time doing his or her job from home -- and doing it successfully.
