The Benefits and Drawbacks of Full-Time Versus Part-Time Telecommuting

Thanks for the comments. @Jane it could be a mixture of those two reasons. Telecommuters always seem to have to prove themselves so they always feel that they have to work longer and harder. This shouldn't be the case. It's just the location that has changed, not the work. I do find myself putting in way more hours than I report. I think it's just the nature of the beast when you telecommute. @Hema your work should speak for itself. If you aren't producing any results or getting the job done, well, then maybe remote work is not for you. @Lydia so very true. I started off working from my dining room table, too and now I have carved out my own office area. Of course, if I was participating in a video conference, I might have to do some tidying up on my backdrop! Let me just say this again and will probably reiterate again and again - working from home is not for everyone. In spite of modern technology, the bulk of your work world is going to be in isolation. If you try to work from home and find that you keep getting distracted with things around you such as the laundry needs done or maybe I can just take a few minutes away and clean up my house or the phone rings and it's a family member... maybe it's not for you. You have to let your family and friends know that you are working - not just home goofing off. Make them respect your position. If not, it's not going to work out.

I can agree with the pros and cons addressed in the article. Whether you telecommute full or part-time it's a good idea to invest in a professional home office set up right away. I began my off-site experience at my dining room table and soon developed extreme shoulder pain. Another suggestion for combating the "invisible home worker stereotype" is to set up an interesting backdrop behind your desk. This way you'll be memorable when you participate in video-conference calls with your manager and other co-workers.

Is there a good way to prove to your supervisor that you are actually doing meaningful work when at home? Ideally, the work should speak for itself, but that doesn’t appear to be the case with telecommuters. There must be a way to convince a supervisor that an employee who works at home works just as hard as any other employee.

I haven't read the study you mentioned, but that got me to thinking. I wonder how many telecommuters put in more hours than in-office employees because either they weren't clock-watching like they would do at the office and just lost track of time, or if they are over-reporting, or if they simply felt the need to overachieve to protect their reputation and their work-from-home situation?

I agree that telecommuting from home has several great advantages. For me, the motivation to make money, and save money by not commuting, prevents the distractions from happening. It's a matter of preparation and will power until you get used to a new routine. Once the routine kicks in, telecommuting becomes easier.

Thanks for the comments. @Shannon it is true that it can get lonely and it is true that there are still distractions at home. First thing is to eliminate as many distractions as possible. Let your family and friends know that you are WORKING even if you are in your home office. People seem to think that now that you are working from home that you can be available to go shopping with them or meet for lunch, etc. But it's not the case and you need to make sure that they understand. Even now, after ten years of being married, I still have to remind my husband that I am working! To stay on track and keep distractions at a minimum try setting a timer - say for 50 minutes. During that time, you work. When the timer goes off, get up and stretch and have a quick break and then back to work. That has proven to work for me. Let me know if it works for you.

You might work more if you telecommute, full or part-time, seems like an issue of having management respect your time and space. That is hardly unique to telecommuting jobs. Managers that expect their employees to sell out for the company will do so whether you are in the physical office or not.

As a part-time telecommuter, I enjoy the flexibility and the supplemental income it provides. However, working from home can be a lonely venture when the house is quiet or household chores take over. Distractions can also significantly impact productivity negatively. Can you recommend some strategies for staying on track to improve productivity as a telecommuter?

@Jay the answer to your question depends: upon the position and the company. Certainly you can receive full benefits while working from home. I am living proof. I have worked several full time employee positions from home. Typically the company will indicate in the job posting whether benefits are included. You can still get health insurance on your own that covers what you need and is still affordable. You might also want to consider unemployment insurance so that if you are laid off, you can still receive unemployment benefits. You would have to check with your local unemployment office to find out what you need. Of course if you are a fulltime employee with benefits, you don't need to worry about that. Hope that helps.

I have always found solitude and telecommuting valuable to my relationship with other people. I am an introvert, and tend to feel drained and unnatural surrounded by an office full of potential interactions.

Do the same rules apply regarding benefits if you telecommute? Do employers still have to provide health insurance to you if you're full time, even if you don't work in their physical office? I find telecommuting an interesting prospect, but might avoid it if it means I lose my health insurance benefits.

Thanks for the great comments. @Abbey it is so very true that it's hard to get family and friends to realize that, just because you are at home, doesn't mean that you are not working! I still struggle with that in my own home sometimes. And yes @Katharine they figure that because you work from home that you should be available anytime they need you regardless of the time. I know I had to set boundaries when I first started working from home. Everyone thought that me working from home gave them carte blanche to drop by or call anytime they wanted to. I had to put my foot down and let them know that they couldn't contact me between certain hours. So just take charge and let everyone know what you need.

In addition to setting boundaries at home, it can also be difficult to set them with your coworkers and/or supervisor. I've worked from home on a part-time basis and found that coworkers expected me to always be available, checking my messages, answering emails, etc. because there was no clear barrier between work and home.

One of the hardest things about telecommuting, whether full-time or just some of the time, is setting boundaries at home. It's much too easy for your family, especially children, to not understand that you are actually working and really do have things to do. You have to set a schedule and make rules about your working time and space at home to minimize distractions. It's all too easy to allow these distractions to happen and then find yourself falling behind on your work obligations.

Thanks for your comments and differing viewpoints. I am a telecommuter and can see it from both sides. Communication can be harder when you work remotely. It only means that you have to work at a bit more than you would if you were sitting in the office. But communication is what you make it. I know if I have an issue I can pick up the phone and call my boss and he will get back to me as soon as possible. If I worked in the office it would be the same way - in that I would still have to wait until he wasn't busy to talk with him. So yes, there's good and bad when it comes to telecommuting. Only you can decide if it's good for you or not. I have many friends who tried to telecommute only to give it up and head back to the office. When asked, the reasons included: it was too quiet; no one was there to talk to; laundry or other household chores were calling their name; family members did not respect that they were working and would interrupt constantly; and they missed the camaraderie and even the office drama. Anyone else want to wade in here?

While I agree that it is initially more difficult to develop those interpersonal relationships while telecommuting, I disagree that it prevents you from doing so, as Catherine suggests. Many times, we are more honest and open when communicating online (at least if we're past adolescence). So long as there is an avenue for such communication, I think telecommuting can have its advantages for interpersonal relationships.

I can definitely see how telecommuting would prevent you from fostering interpersonal relationships with coworkers or clients, which could be a significant disadvantage. For those who do telecommute full time, do you have any suggestions on how to create good working relationships with people that you only communicate with online? One example I could think of is video conferencing.