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

[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?

Telework is beneficial for many reasons. The time spent in the car and in unforeseen traffic jams can be better spent on the computer at home. Sitting in this horrendous traffic is a waste of hours. Driving to work for me is expensive with gas, parking, lunch and I have to pay a dog walker. When I am home, I can take the dog out at noon. Telework for me is financially much better. I imagine this is the case for many people...

Agree. I save on gas, lunches, no time spent in my car, etc. I work without interruptions, and get so much more done than I do at the office. Just getting out the door is a hassle....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I telework anywhere from 1-4 days a week (sometimes 5) and my career hasn't suffered at all.

That being said, I'm pretty specialized, and I am very careful about who I hire to supervise. I will only hire people who can be managed remotely and work well under these circumstances.

I am also willing to work extra late at night etc when teleworking- my employer clearly sees I have a lot of skin in the game.

I think it depends on your employer, it depends how hard of a worker you are (and how visible you can make yourself) and your team. You can't have it be successful if you have a lot of passive aggressive chatter on your team about you being "home."

I disagree that you have to be far away. I could very easily come into the office. But its not my arrangement, and I'm careful to not set the precedent that I'm there all the time. I also don't service clients while hiking, but the nature of my business wouldn't work well with that. PPs friend probably has different roles.

I've done the same for 9 years. I WAH about 90% of the time, going to the office 1-2 times a month. I second the fact that team selection is key, but my approach has always been that even when I was in the office 100% of the time, my team was on a different floor than I was, so if I needed to be sitting right there next to my team, I have the wrong people working for me. It should not matter where I sit if I have professionals working for me... I treat them as adults who can manage their time and expect they will do that.

My career has not suffered at all... I am one of the most sought-after program directors at my organization and have the respect of senior leadership, including the CEO. Sometimes I miss being in the office more as I enjoy the camaraderie, but working at home works so well for my family that I can't imagine going back full time.

[Anonymous]

I don't telework for that exact reason.

[Anonymous]

I do my best to reach out to my colleagues by phone and email regularly so that it's seamless from their perspective when I'm not in the office or working out of another office. Being a "phone person" and ensuring that I'm always responsive seems to minimize any negative impact teleworking could have on my work relationships.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

+1

I also walk the dog every day at lunchtime. Fresh air and sunshine every day. Savings: $15/day.

+2
I have a reading-intensive job with a long commute to a room with no natural lighting. I'm actually much more efficient and focused when I work from home, and I seem to be putting in more time since I don't have to go anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

+2
I have a reading-intensive job with a long commute to a room with no natural lighting. I'm actually much more efficient and focused when I work from home, and I seem to be putting in more time since I don't have to go anywhere.

Me again. Also, I'm MUCH saner because my telework day is in the middle of the week. It's a nice break from the sloggy commute, and I think it is helping me manage my week better.