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Loading ...A number of companies have realized the advantages to allowing some of their employees to work remotely. Obviously, these companies save money by not having a workspace for these employees.
At Abraham Harrison, there is no office. Everyone is 100% remote, working from god knows where wearing god knows what. In order to be a successful telecommuter, one must be disciplined and diligent - there is no boss looking over your shoulder to keep you on task. As if being on a computer all day doesn’t offer enough distraction, once you go remote you add all sorts of new things to keep you from your work. Be it a the pool you’re sitting next to, something on television you didn’t know you wanted to watch until it became an alternative to working, your dog, what have you. Many “home offices” are not ideally suited to be a work environment.
On the opposite side of that argument, however, is that many people are actually more productive when they are able to create their own workspace and working hours. These people are usually more intelligent and driven, which we obviously aspire to recruit (and be) at Abraham Harrison. Often these people are hindered by multiple levels of management asking about their “TPS Reports” when they would have achieved more had they been left to their own work. The challenge of a 100% remote company is to identify and recruit people who have the traits required to be a successful telecommuter. We need people who can think on their feet and who can be trusted to do so with little or no oversight.
The 100% telecommuter company also experiences some communication errors, and there is no true interpersonal interaction. No amount of emails, conference calls, and instant messages can equal the efficacy of some face time. With a concerted effort on the parts of all involved, however, it is possible to achieve an acceptable level of clarity in communication.
Many telecommuters are happy to avoid the cost and stresses of an hour drive or train ride in the morning, but many also struggle psychologically as a result of isolation from coworkers. Whether you are alone in an empty house, or perhaps spending too much time with the significant other, there are distinct psychological challenges involved in working from home. It also is difficult to “get into work mode” if you do not shower/change/commute in the morning - or perform some kind of preparatory work routine. This problem is easily solved, if you can have the will power to stick to a schedule and “pre-work” routine. Showering, also, is probably preferential to anyone you might come into contact with, and just good hygeine.
Bottom line, telecommuting is convenient as hell, but it can give you a bit of cabin fever. Personally? I’ll take it, as long as my commute involves feet instead of miles.
Filed under: Abraham Harrison LLC, Remote Work, Telecommuting, Virtual Team
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Abraham,
At L&G business solutions, there are two offices here, in our home, but everyone else telecommutes. If we need to gather, we meet here, at a Pub or at a Starbucks. Works great! But everyone who participates in service to our clients long ago learned they are not good at sitting in offices surrounded by other offices.
When I was in the corporate world, the resistance to telecommuting came not from the workers but from HR and some executives. It was a control issue. How could they be sure we were working? Hmm, that would be by noticing whether we made our deadlines or not. Seemed pretty simple to me.
Good post!
I would love to take credit for that post, Lewis, but I can’t. One of my team, Taylor Donlan, wrote that! I am very proud and this is a very open blog. Noone has ever asked me to blog here or asked me to edit anything — I bed them to post!
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Taylor,
My deepest apologies. Great post! Abraham, thank you for pointing out my error in not recognizing the byline.
No worries Lewis - Thanks for the kind words.
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