Telecommuting

The Pros and Cons of Telecommuting
Trisha Murphy
Columbia College of Missouri

Abstract
This report explains what telecommuting is, describes the pros and cons of telecommuting and describes the challenges of managers. The pros of telecommuting are higher productivity, less turnover, improved morale, and reduced office-space costs. The cons of telecommuting are longer work hours, distractions at home, no face-to-face contact, and ensuring accountability. Managers are also challenged by having telecommuters. There is less direct supervision of employees; difficulty coordinating teamwork, monitoring performance is harder and possible problems maintaining security. You have to be organized, self-motivated and able to separate work and family. I used to telecommute three times a week and I have to honestly say that I missed being in the office those three days. It can be real easy to feel like you have been forgotten. I like to have the face-to-face contact with people. I don’t know that I would do it again. Telecommuting is not for everyone and could get old real quick.

The Pros and Cons of Telecommuting A new alternative work mode is Telecommuting. Telecommuting is working from home or another place besides the company office. “Recent estimates show that there are over 28 million telecommuters in the United States and growing at a rate of 11% per year” [ (Golden, 2006) ]. Working from home is great. There are benefits to working from home; however, it also has its disadvantages. The benefits, or pros, of working from home range from higher productivity to reduced office –space costs. Many people believe that working from home means higher productivity. This is because there are fewer distractions from office politics and socializing. According to SHRM.com, “thirty-seven percent say they are more productive at the office, while 29 percent report they are more productive at home. Thirty-four percent state that they are equally productive at home and the office” (SHRM, 2006). In another report, employees felt that they were able to accomplish more by being telecommuters, about 76%. The employer of these employees also “reported an increased employee work/life balance and satisfaction” [ (What are some of the current best practices in telecommuting?, 2011) ]. “Employers who offer telecommuting opportunities appear more appealing to new employees and, additionally, reduce the turnover rate of existing employees” [ (Forgey, 2007) ]. Less time driving to work, taking a train or bus means less stress. This could also boost morale and the satisfaction of the employee. Having less stress also mean that the employee will be sick less. Another pro to being a telecommuter is that the “overhead costs for parking spaces, office space, utilities and supplies may decrease” [ (What are some of the current best practices in telecommuting?, 2011) ]. This is a great benefit to the company. Offering telecommuting within a company does have its drawbacks. Employees have a tendency to work longer hours. They are in the comfort of their home; they can start earlier and work later. I worked from home 3 days a week and it was easy to work longer than I should have. My company used a payroll system called Kronos which kept track of our hours. Sometimes I would start and end work prior to my actual time just to get more done. “In this day and age more people are using mobile devices to stay connected to work which also adds more hours to the day” (SHRM, 2006). Telecommuting at home does come with distractions. It’s easy to make yourself more accessible to family, family issues and to repairs or chores around the house. They may even get more involved in their children’s after school activities or even volunteer at their school. Having these distractions puts added stress on a telecommuter. “The added strain from unpredictable needs of others such as a sick kid adds to the stress. They make themselves more accessible and more dependable to requests by other family members” [ (Golden, 2006) ]. Another downside to telecommuting is the decreased in face-to-face contact. “Spatial distance from others at work likely translates into psychological distance, for telecommuters this might mean becoming “out of sight, out of mind” [ (Gajendran. R. S., 2007) ]. I used to work in a sales office and handled the work for a lot of sales reps. I personally liked having that face-to-face contact with them. It enabled us to form a connection, a trust, a rapport that I would not be able to establish had I been a telecommuter. When I was transferred into a different department my contacts were then via email or phone. I really missed having the contact to build that relationship. I believe too that other employees in the company who work in the office resent those that telecommute because they don’t see the work being done. Another drawback is not being able to get an issue resolved immediately. In an office setting you have others in the department that you can converse with right away. When you telecommute you may have to wait for a phone call or email response. The last con of telecommuting is ensuring accountability. Does a manager really know that his/her telecommuting employees are really doing what their job entails them to do? Are they being as productive as they would be in an office setting? “Many employers remain suspicious of telecommuting because they are fearful of reduced worker accountability and its effects on productivity” (How to manager telecommuters, 2000). Telecommuters are not the only ones that are affected by this type of work mode. The managers also have challenges. First off, there is less direct supervision of employees. There are “some companies that are learning that direct supervision at the office are necessary to maintain the quality of work, especially when employees are inexperienced and need guidance” (Bateman & Snell, 2011, p. 525). Mangers need to convey to their employees what is expected of them. Second, managers could have difficulty coordinating teamwork and monitoring performance. “Mangers need to make sure his/her employees know what the objectives are in completing projects” [ (Icles, 2011) ]. Bringing in telecommuters for meeting and training can help coordinate teamwork. The lines of communications need to always be open. This is also a way to monitor performance. Another challenge that managers face is maintaining security. Telecommuters would need to have anti-virus protection installed on their computers since they would not be connected to the company’s security. If a telecommuter is using a company laptop the IT department would be able to install security to prevent viruses installing. They could also install a URL program to not allow certain sites to be visited. Telecommuting has become a new mode of employment for a lot of companies. We have learned a lot about the pros and cons of telecommuting. There are benefits and also drawbacks to telecommuting. Managers also face challenges to having a telecommuting department. Managers need to be selective in who they choose to telecommute. Employees also need to make sure it is right for them. Telecommuting is not for everyone. Anyone who is thinking about telecommuting needs to be organized, self-motivated, and can separate work from home life.

References
Bateman, T. S., & Snell, S. A. (2011). Management Leading & Collaborating in a Competitive World. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Forgey, B. (2007, May 9). Telecommuting: The Pros and Cons to Employers. Retrieved from Yahoo Voices: http://voices.yahoo.com/telecommuting-pros-cons-employers-331947.html
Gajendran. R. S., H. D. (2007). The good, the bad, and the unknown about telecommuting: Meta-analysis of psychology mediators and individual consequences. Journal of Applied Psychology , pp. 1524 - 1541.
Golden, T. V. (2006). Telecommuting 's differential impact on work-family conflict: Is there no place like home? Journal of Applied Psychology, 1340-1350.
How to manager telecommuters. (2000, June 19). Retrieved from CNN Tech: http://articles.cnn.com/2000-06-19/tech/telecommuting.idg_1_telecommuting-productivity-short-term-goals/3?_s=PM:TECH
Icles, B. (2011, May 18). Teamwork for telecommuters. Retrieved from Ezinearticles: http://ezinearticles.com/?Teamwork-for-Telecommuters&id=6280627 staff, S. O. (2011, September 30). Telecommuters working longer hours . Retrieved from SHRM: http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/benefits/Articles/Pages/TelecommuteHours.aspx
What are some of the current best practices in telecommuting? (2011, July). HR Focus, pp. 1-4.

References: Bateman, T. S., & Snell, S. A. (2011). Management Leading & Collaborating in a Competitive World. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Forgey, B. (2007, May 9). Telecommuting: The Pros and Cons to Employers. Retrieved from Yahoo Voices: http://voices.yahoo.com/telecommuting-pros-cons-employers-331947.html Gajendran. R. S., H. D. (2007). The good, the bad, and the unknown about telecommuting: Meta-analysis of psychology mediators and individual consequences. Journal of Applied Psychology , pp. 1524 - 1541. Golden, T. V. (2006). Telecommuting 's differential impact on work-family conflict: Is there no place like home? Journal of Applied Psychology, 1340-1350. How to manager telecommuters. (2000, June 19). Retrieved from CNN Tech: http://articles.cnn.com/2000-06-19/tech/telecommuting.idg_1_telecommuting-productivity-short-term-goals/3?_s=PM:TECH Icles, B. (2011, May 18). Teamwork for telecommuters. Retrieved from Ezinearticles: http://ezinearticles.com/?Teamwork-for-Telecommuters&id=6280627 staff, S. O. (2011, September 30). Telecommuters working longer hours . Retrieved from SHRM: http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/benefits/Articles/Pages/TelecommuteHours.aspx What are some of the current best practices in telecommuting? (2011, July). HR Focus, pp. 1-4.