The increasing technological feasibility of many desk jobs going virtual and years upon years of discussion of the benefits of remote work
The case for telecommuting is solid and gets more so with each new study. Here’s one from just this week showing long commutes are correlated with bad heart health, for example. But despite this large and growing pile of evidence in favor of the practice, the increasing technological feasibility of many desk jobs going virtual and years upon years of discussion of the benefits of remote work, the number of actual telecommuters hasn’t exactly skyrocketed. What’s up with that ?
Perhaps as the next generation of workers, who will be accustomed to having continuous video chat / monitoring feeds always on in the background, a virtual sense of engagement will be created and increase interest in telecommuting.
Successful telework depends on the skills of manager and employee
Telecommuting doesn’t mean sleeping late and staying in your pajamas all day. A successful employee who works at home or outside of the general office needs to be a self-motivating, technologically-savvy and prioritized individual. Supervising or managing telecommuters calls for additional attention to the very situations that make this form of work unique. Encouraging efficiency and productivity in the telecommuter requires communication, structure, and a clear understanding of goals by management and employee.
Source Gigaom – Image courtesy of Flickr user chidorian.