(previously appearing in my Helium.com account until the site closed down)
The mainstreaming of many applications of telecommunications now being used by regular people has made telecommuting an enticing option for organizations. This option provides those who have office-based jobs a creative way to do productive work even while they are at their respective homes. One basic tool available to most organizations is the smart-phone, where they can access the Internet, prepare and edit documents and presentation materials, send and receive text messages, do phone calls, or even prompt office machines to fax, deliver or print out documents.
Telecommuting is the policy that enables organizations to have their employees engage in their many tasks even if they are not physically in and actually around the office. Each organization defines this policy according to its own terms, following inputs and experiences from its managers and staff. As such, this policy affords employees not to undertake their daily commutes to and fro the office and at the same time, be recognized and paid for work done away from the office. They are actually working in a space somewhere in their respective homes or even while engaged in travel.
The organization needs to write down a certain policy with clear details which managers and staff may refer to whenever they say they are doing ‘telecommuting.’ Usually, it is the Manager (or the Owner) who decides on this and clarifies what makes up ‘telecommuting’ for the organization.
Telecommuting can be arranged by the organization on certain days or even certain hours of the work day. For a start, the organization can provide for everyone to be in the telecommuting mode of work for an agreed period of time and then agree to meet up physically on certain days. They can then review and improve on their collective experience if they decide to pursue this policy in the long run.
The employees do not really need to be in their usual office attire while doing telecommuting. Usually, they will just have to set aside certain work spaces at their homes that will be conducive for them to do their work. They have to be in this area on certain agreed hours but they have the flexibility to choose to do other tasks not related to their paid work. For example, a parent who has a pre-school child can provide care to the child while still engaged in the tasks required by the organization.
Telecommuting saves employees precious time usually spent on traveling just to be in the office during the work week. The time saved can translate to man-hours that in turn can be used for personal hours of employees. The man-hours may be priced following estimated hourly rates of employees (even if they are paid monthly, without agreed specific minimum periodic hours on their contracts). The value of these hours can be used by organizations to help motivate their employees to become more productive at work.
Telecommuting can be seen as a trend organizations can adapt to, depending on the nature and the complexity of their operations. Certain businesses fit in well by having a telecommuting policy put in place. But questions and doubts persist. For one, managers will never be assured if their subordinates are actually doing real work expected of them while telecommuting. Second, most employees still look forward to the benefits derived from the camaraderie and sense of bonding they experience when they work together with their co-employees at their work-places.
Moving On 