s/o Do you think teleworking has hurt your career?

[Anonymous]

I don't know if it has hurt my career, but it has greatly benefitted my and my family's life. Wouldn't give it up.

[Anonymous]

I telework full time and have been doing so since 2011. Just today, I've made breakfast and lunch for me and the kids, done two loads of laundry, put away the Christmas stuff that had been packed up but not yet stored, and packed up a box to mail later. And done two conference calls. I could have done some of that in an office at lunch time, but not much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I telework full time and have been doing so since 2011. Just today, I've made breakfast and lunch for me and the kids, done two loads of laundry, put away the Christmas stuff that had been packed up but not yet stored, and packed up a box to mail later. And done two conference calls. I could have done some of that in an office at lunch time, but not much.

Are you doing any actual work??

[Anonymous]

No. Everyone in my organization teleworks 80% of the time. Everyone, from the top down. If it has hurt anyone's career, it has hurt everyone's careers.

[Anonymous]

I guess I am the outlier but I really need the facetime in my office to get where I want to be. I can meet with clients on my own time and schedule conference calls from anywhere but I need to be a familiar face with my uppers to climb the later. I suppose I am a minority but in my office request in to telework = mom tracking.

[Anonymous]

I have teleworked to various degrees at several jobs over the past 6 years or so. I do think it has affected my career in two different ways:
1) I have teleworked a few days a week under senior managers who were not supportive (in all cases my immediate managers were supportive) but were forced to accept it as a company policy. I know for certain in one case I was not give a promotion because of my telework -- I know because the senior manager told me. She was very anti-telework and openly antagonistic toward people who did it.
2) The other way in which it has affected my career is personal. I love the freedom telework gives me to be a better mom, worker, person, and I won't give up the experience in order to further my career at a whim. It is a huge factor in considering any new job or position. I look at my career in a whole different way as a result of my teleworking experience.
Not sure I am explaining this correctly, but telework has had a huge impact on my whole world view of jobs, careers, and my own career trajectory.

[Anonymous]

Also a fed attorney. Teleworking has absolutely hurt my career. However, I made the decision that the trade off was worth it to me. If I wanted career advancement, I wouldn't have stayed with the govt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have teleworked to various degrees at several jobs over the past 6 years or so. I do think it has affected my career in two different ways:
1) I have teleworked a few days a week under senior managers who were not supportive (in all cases my immediate managers were supportive) but were forced to accept it as a company policy. I know for certain in one case I was not give a promotion because of my telework -- I know because the senior manager told me. She was very anti-telework and openly antagonistic toward people who did it.
2) The other way in which it has affected my career is personal. I love the freedom telework gives me to be a better mom, worker, person, and I won't give up the experience in order to further my career at a whim. It is a huge factor in considering any new job or position. I look at my career in a whole different way as a result of my teleworking experience.
Not sure I am explaining this correctly, but telework has had a huge impact on my whole world view of jobs, careers, and my own career trajectory.

can you elaborate?

[Anonymous]

I think teleworking has helped my career, but I'm a weirdo.

I really hate going into the office, and I think having to go into the office with previous jobs has made me very unhappy, and made me leave those jobs earlier than I otherwise might have.

In the job I have now, I work from home as much as I want - and I've stuck around a lot longer than I otherwise would have. I feel like this arrangement shows that my company trusts me, that they value what I do.

I don't think I could move into management work this arrangement, that said. So it's helped me in the sense that I can do a much better job at the job I have this way.

I doubt I could advance in the org itself this way, though. I've gotten promotions related to the job I have now, but I probably couldn't move into a supervisory role.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I think telework is limiting my upward mobility, but it is only because I cannot give it up.

At my agency, non-managers can telework two days per week. Managers can telework one day per week, but most rarely do. I like my job, but would like to move into management soon, and have even passed up an opportunity or two. The problem is that I cannot get myself to give up the telework. I have shaped my life around it (kids schedules, etc.). It becomes so important that it is hard to move ahead.

Why is telework so important? You still have to work your hours And generally core hours. Do you cook while working or something? Is your commute long?

It's not just the commute time that is shaved off although that is a huge benefit (my commute is 30 min., so telework saves me an hour a day). It's also the fact I can work in yoga pants and a t-shirt without having to worry about putting on makeup, styling my hair, etc. I am a female attorney, so days I go into the office require me to be very put together, which gets old 5x/week. I also save a ton of money on drycleaning now that I only go in twice a week.

I love that I don't have to worry about packing a lunch the night before or end up blowing money on going out to eat at lunch. Now, I just make a sandwich or heat up leftovers when I'm hungry. Same with being able to brew a pot of coffee at home whenever I want instead of running to Starbucks (my government agency doesn't provide a coffee maker).

Oh and I am home during the day if a package comes that I need to sign for. I can throw in a load of laundry or catch up on a DVR show on my lunch break. DH works from home a couple days too, so we get to have lunch together on those days. All my doctors' offices are near my home, so making a lunch time appointment is much easier now and then I can get back to work instead of killing a whole afternoon off. And my favorite part of telework is working with my dog at my feet. He is so happy not to be left alone during the day and I swear I feel less stress hanging with my dog than a bunch of coworkers who pop by my cubicle whenever they want to chat. Seriously -- cubicle life is so distracting and I get way more done at home.

You and I could be twins except I have two dogs

[Anonymous]

No, but I am on-call 24/7.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I telework full time and have been doing so since 2011. Just today, I've made breakfast and lunch for me and the kids, done two loads of laundry, put away the Christmas stuff that had been packed up but not yet stored, and packed up a box to mail later. And done two conference calls. I could have done some of that in an office at lunch time, but not much.

Are you doing any actual work??

Not PP but I used to occasionally fold laundry while on conference calls. My job involves listening and providing guidance, so it wasn't like it detracted from the call.

I teleworkerd FT for 7 years. I moved back to an office this year when I took a new job. I get less work done AND my house is falling apart. Nothing else is different. I blame the fact that I now have a 45 min commute each way. I have to get ready and be in office mode which takes longer (blow dry Vs towel dry. Make up vs not. Suits vs jeans). Reverse all that when I get home (can't deal with the dogs until I change clothes), can't start dinner prep on my lunch hour, so dinner is rushed.

Basically life is more hectic now.

I do like some aspects of being back in the office, but I literally just this week requested and was approved for a day of telecommuting. I. Can't. Wait.

[Anonymous]

It may be hurting my career advancement, but as a fed, advancement opportunities are not too appealing, in my opinion. I won't rue not getting the four figure promotion when my employer does not pay for parking, my cell phone, coffee, water, and never ever picks up a lunch tab. Plus, the less I ride metro the less my chances of an untimely death.

[Anonymous]

It's so hard to talk about this in general terms since teleworking is still relatively new. Many managers--particularly older ones--are not comfortable with it. Period. They believe you lose too much by not being face to face, or they don't trust that you're working, or they fear a general loss of control.

At some point in the not-too-distant future, this won't be the case anymore because teleworking will become the norm (or at least as common as being in the office), and it won't require any sort of special accommodation. People will develop relationships remotely, and the earth will continue to spin on its axis. I've watched this evolution happen at my own firm, where remote work arrangements were extremely uncommon 7-8 years ago (when one of my direct reports went remote) to being so common that pretty much every meeting I'm in includes people working remotely.

But for now, OP, it's so office- and manager-dependent. If you sense that your office isn't hospitable toward it, it probably will hurt your career in the short term. But you might decide that the flexibility and lifestyle improvement it provides is worth slowing down your career for.

[Anonymous]

I'm a web developer, and 90% of my company teleworks. Taking this position has greatly improved my career, but that's due to the company, not the benefits (which are awesome).