Re: [TCP] Telecommuting has mostly positive consequences
I'm not saying you *have* to be in the office to be successful, but I *am* saying that you also should not underrate the value and importance of at least occasional face time. I worked for a few years for one company totally on a telecommuting basis, and I was quite successful at it. No problem. However, I did notice that, after I was able to make a trip to the company's headquarters and physically meet and interact with the people I'd been working with already for a couple years, the quality of interactions when I went home got even better. There were some folks with whom I'd been pulling teeth to get anything from who, after I had met and lunched with them, were much more responsive and helpful than before the visit. There were others with whom my professional relationship got better, for which I am still thankful and with whom I am still cultivating relationships, years later (and I probably would not have, had I not met them personally). And I can't tell you how many times I have had a chance encounter with someone in the office--by the water cooler or in the hallway--that was immensely valuable. In some cases, I learned some bit of extremely valuable information that I would not otherwise have been privy to. In other cases, it was just the chance to talk face-to-face and get some comprehension with something that I'd been struggling with. It doesn't happen on a daily basis, but it happens often enough that I have been able to say, too many times to count, Boy, I sure am glad I was here today if only for this chance conversation. So, can you be very successful without the personal interaction and face time? Sure you can. But can you enhance that success even more in lots of tangible and intangible ways *with* the personal interaction and face time? Absolutely. Chuck Beck Sr. Technical Writer | Infor | Office: 614.523.7302 | [EMAIL PROTECTED] -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Sue Heim Sent: Sunday, November 25, 2007 15:10 To: McLauchlan, Kevin Cc: tcp@techcommpros.com Subject: Re: [TCP] Telecommuting has mostly positive consequences No, it doesn't miss the point. If you work in a progressive company that recognizes the value of excellent employees who may not want to relocate, there is no need for serendipity and unplanned encounters. I've been quite successful working remotely. In fact, I'd say I'm more successful than the on-site writer. I'm quite visible, have a great working relationship with several VPs (which astonishes those writers who are not remote), as well as others with whom I work closely (including several remote developers as well as on-site folks). If you work for a company who does not consider the value of telecommuting, or you are not the type of person who can discipline yourself to work at home, then obviously, it's not for you. But saying you must be in the office to be successful or you must be in the office at 5am to greet the president (WTH?), is, well, total baloney. ...sue On 11/23/07, McLauchlan, Kevin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Behalf Of Jones, Donna said: Face time is good, but you can achieve presence over the phone and via e-mail as well. Respond to e-mail quickly, and be prepared to speak up if you're participating in a meeting by phone. That makes people realize that you're out there. But this misses the point about serendipity and unplanned encounters. Craig (I think) mentioned being seen and greeted by honchos whom you wouldn't normally encounter if the encounters were not accidental. Ok, so it's not an accident that you are in the hall to greet the boss before sunup, but I'm contrasting that with deliberately arranged meetings where it's deliberate on both sides. Invariably, individual phone calls are between individuals (duh :-) ) thus kinda precluding the people walking by in the hall from hearing your voice or knowing that it's you (who?) on the other end of the line. They don't see much of your face, either. Perhaps if you remotely hacked all their computers and substituted your passport photo for their desktop wallpaper? Conference calls will involve more people, and often involve a group congregating around a speakerphone, but you are still talking to only the select group who were gathered for that meeting/call. You remain invisible and unheard by anyone who's not in the room with the speakerphone... like the owner of the company. Or, like the guy who took over your parking spot because, well, it was always empty anyway. You could raise your profile by, say, parachuting into the company picnic ... unless it was our company, where the picnic area is directly under the 750,000-volt regional power lines... that would _really_ raise your profile, but only once... but I digress. :-) Perhaps you should arrive early for your infrequent physical visits, so you have time to pass out the premium Belgian chocolate that you brought
Re: [TCP] Telecommuting has mostly positive consequences
Sue Heim wrote: In fact, I'd say I'm more successful than the on-site writer. I'm quite visible, have a great working relationship with several VPs (which astonishes those writers who are not remote), as well as others with whom I work closely (including several remote developers as well as on-site folks). That statement made me think of something. There are a few people who I have a relatively good working relationship with primarily because I don't see them often. The writers who see them almost daily usually want to strangle them or at least to slap them around a little. The bad thing about working remotely is that you don't get to see certain people as often. The good thing about working remotely is that you don't have to see certain other people as often. Donna - CONFIDENTIAL- This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential, and may also be legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not review, use, copy, or distribute this message. If you receive this email in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply email and then delete this email. __ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. Interactive 3D Documentation Parts catalogs, animated instructions, and more. www.i3deverywhere.com ___ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
Re: [TCP] Telecommuting has mostly positive consequences
Sorry to be so late weighing in on this one, but I can comment on Chuck's post from the (ex-) manager's perspective. When I managed the publications group at a small, feisty start-up, telecommuting was the norm. Two of our writers were remote, and the rest telecommuted according to their preferences. Some people chose to work in the office every day, others chose to telecommute two or more days a week. The only requirement I placed on the local writers was that they be in the office for our weekly staff meeting. The writers used a variety of tools to maintain good working relationships with their SMEs, with QA, with their peers, and with me. When the remote folks came to town once every month or so it was an event, with an all-day working session followed by a w(h)ine and cheese thing. Good work got done, management was happy, customers were happy, and the writers were happy. Into this Eden came the big bad snake of a company that acquired us. Policy descended from on high against all remote workers and telecommuting. As a result, I lost two of my best writers. It was short-sighted and wasteful, but my new VP didn't care. I no longer had the flexibility to manage the department as I saw fit. Fairly soon there was no department left to manage, but that's a story for another day. The moral of the tale is that telecommuting is entirely at the discretion of whatever level of the management hierarchy chooses to intervene. At the feisty startup, it was my call. At Snakes-R-Us, someone above me on the food chain wanted butts in the seats and no amount of persuasion on my part had any effect. ...Susan - Original Message From: Charles Beck [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Cardimon, Craig [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: tcp@techcommpros.com Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 10:17:07 AM Subject: Re: [TCP] Telecommuting has mostly positive consequences I'm not really sure why, to be honest. I don't believe it is for the reasons you posit. I don't *think* it is because he doesn't trust me to be working. He knows me better than that, I believe. I think it is more because the larger corporate culture discourages it. Although I work for a very progressive and forward-thinking company (in most respects), the corporate culture also shares this value. As I understand it, before we were acquired by the current parent company (I wasn't here yet), telecommuting was not only accepted, it was encouraged, to the point where the company had employees living literally all over the North American continent. Then when the current parent company acquired us, the corporate culture changed, and they no longer encourage telecommuting, preferring for the most part to use it only in case of emergency. And, if I have a good reason to work from home, be it health, bad weather, or family needs, he generally does not oppose it. He just doesn't want me to abuse the privilege, whatever that means to him-even if it's only not violating the official company line. That's just my guess, though. Someday I'll work up the courage to ask him more directly about it. In the meantime, I'm reasonably content, because I do understand the value of face-time and the serendipitous conversations around the microwave or coffee machine, both of which would not happen if I were telecommuting all the time. I really would only want to telecommute one or two days a week, to be perfectly honest. And it's certainly not worth jeopardizing a great working relationship. If he feels that way about it, it is no great burden for me to respect that and go with it. Chuck -Original Message- From: Cardimon, Craig [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 12:15 To: Charles Beck Cc: tcp@techcommpros.com Subject: RE: [TCP] Telecommuting has mostly positive consequences I knew this was true for me, but it's nice to know there is some formal research to prove it. Now, if I could just convince my manager. He's a really great manager, but he has this one tiny little flaw: He doesn't really like telecommuting. *sigh* The inquisitive part of me really wants to know why. If he has an MBA, the reason is clear enough. It's part of the education. If you can't see them working, you can't trust them to be working. Management vs. Employees. There's got to be a reason. Time to drag him into the 21st Century, or he will be the one left behind, when people begin leaving for jobs where they will be allowed to telecommute. __ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. Interactive 3D Documentation Parts catalogs, animated instructions, and more. www.i3deverywhere.com ___ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe
Re: [TCP] Telecommuting has mostly positive consequences
On Behalf Of Jones, Donna said: Face time is good, but you can achieve presence over the phone and via e-mail as well. Respond to e-mail quickly, and be prepared to speak up if you're participating in a meeting by phone. That makes people realize that you're out there. But this misses the point about serendipity and unplanned encounters. Craig (I think) mentioned being seen and greeted by honchos whom you wouldn't normally encounter if the encounters were not accidental. Ok, so it's not an accident that you are in the hall to greet the boss before sunup, but I'm contrasting that with deliberately arranged meetings where it's deliberate on both sides. Invariably, individual phone calls are between individuals (duh :-) ) thus kinda precluding the people walking by in the hall from hearing your voice or knowing that it's you (who?) on the other end of the line. They don't see much of your face, either. Perhaps if you remotely hacked all their computers and substituted your passport photo for their desktop wallpaper? Conference calls will involve more people, and often involve a group congregating around a speakerphone, but you are still talking to only the select group who were gathered for that meeting/call. You remain invisible and unheard by anyone who's not in the room with the speakerphone... like the owner of the company. Or, like the guy who took over your parking spot because, well, it was always empty anyway. You could raise your profile by, say, parachuting into the company picnic ... unless it was our company, where the picnic area is directly under the 750,000-volt regional power lines... that would _really_ raise your profile, but only once... but I digress. :-) Perhaps you should arrive early for your infrequent physical visits, so you have time to pass out the premium Belgian chocolate that you brought, or the ingratiating goodies that you stayed up baking past midnight. I'll shut up now. I'm getting hungry. Kevin The information contained in this electronic mail transmission may be privileged and confidential, and therefore, protected from disclosure. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by replying to this message and deleting it from your computer without copying or disclosing it. __ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. Interactive 3D Documentation Parts catalogs, animated instructions, and more. www.i3deverywhere.com ___ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
Re: [TCP] Telecommuting has mostly positive consequences
Sigh, I'm counting it a major victory that I've managed to move us past if her fingers ain't moving on the keyboard she can't be writing. Consideration of telecommuting is far down the road. Dori Green __ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. Interactive 3D Documentation Parts catalogs, animated instructions, and more. www.i3deverywhere.com ___ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
Re: [TCP] Telecommuting has mostly positive consequences
Face time is good, but you can achieve presence over the phone and via e-mail as well. Respond to e-mail quickly, and be prepared to speak up if you're participating in a meeting by phone. That makes people realize that you're out there. Donna - CONFIDENTIAL- This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential, and may also be legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not review, use, copy, or distribute this message. If you receive this email in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply email and then delete this email. __ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. Interactive 3D Documentation Parts catalogs, animated instructions, and more. www.i3deverywhere.com ___ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
Re: [TCP] Telecommuting has mostly positive consequences
Understood and agreed. Sigh. Eventually, telecommuting won't be a privilege to be abused. It will be business as usual. THAT will be cool. Also, face-time counts, big-time. I make sure I am one of the first into the office every day. That helps when the guy who owns the place greets me by name in the morning in the hallway, and I return his greeting. I doubt this would happen if I worked from home. For one thing, I wouldn't be here to greet! Personally, I would go for maybe one day a week at home. But I just don't know. Telecommuting is cool and convenient. Face-time is a heavy worthwhile investment that requires your face to spend time in the office being seen getting things done. We have two opposing forces. I love the IDEA of telecommuting, but I'm still siding with face-time. Face-time has more muscle. -- Craig -Original Message- From: Charles Beck [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 1:17 PM To: Cardimon, Craig Cc: tcp@techcommpros.com Subject: RE: [TCP] Telecommuting has mostly positive consequences I'm not really sure why, to be honest. I don't believe it is for the reasons you posit. I don't *think* it is because he doesn't trust me to be working. He knows me better than that, I believe. I think it is more because the larger corporate culture discourages it. Although I work for a very progressive and forward-thinking company (in most respects), the corporate culture also shares this value. As I understand it, before we were acquired by the current parent company (I wasn't here yet), telecommuting was not only accepted, it was encouraged, to the point where the company had employees living literally all over the North American continent. Then when the current parent company acquired us, the corporate culture changed, and they no longer encourage telecommuting, preferring for the most part to use it only in case of emergency. And, if I have a good reason to work from home, be it health, bad weather, or family needs, he generally does not oppose it. He just doesn't want me to abuse the privilege, whatever that means to him-even if it's only not violating the official company line. That's just my guess, though. Someday I'll work up the courage to ask him more directly about it. In the meantime, I'm reasonably content, because I do understand the value of face-time and the serendipitous conversations around the microwave or coffee machine, both of which would not happen if I were telecommuting all the time. I really would only want to telecommute one or two days a week, to be perfectly honest. And it's certainly not worth jeopardizing a great working relationship. If he feels that way about it, it is no great burden for me to respect that and go with it. Chuck -Original Message- From: Cardimon, Craig [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 12:15 To: Charles Beck Cc: tcp@techcommpros.com Subject: RE: [TCP] Telecommuting has mostly positive consequences I knew this was true for me, but it's nice to know there is some formal research to prove it. Now, if I could just convince my manager. He's a really great manager, but he has this one tiny little flaw: He doesn't really like telecommuting. *sigh* The inquisitive part of me really wants to know why. If he has an MBA, the reason is clear enough. It's part of the education. If you can't see them working, you can't trust them to be working. Management vs. Employees. There's got to be a reason. Time to drag him into the 21st Century, or he will be the one left behind, when people begin leaving for jobs where they will be allowed to telecommute. __ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. Interactive 3D Documentation Parts catalogs, animated instructions, and more. www.i3deverywhere.com ___ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
Re: [TCP] Telecommuting has mostly positive consequences
I'm not really sure why, to be honest. I don't believe it is for the reasons you posit. I don't *think* it is because he doesn't trust me to be working. He knows me better than that, I believe. I think it is more because the larger corporate culture discourages it. Although I work for a very progressive and forward-thinking company (in most respects), the corporate culture also shares this value. As I understand it, before we were acquired by the current parent company (I wasn't here yet), telecommuting was not only accepted, it was encouraged, to the point where the company had employees living literally all over the North American continent. Then when the current parent company acquired us, the corporate culture changed, and they no longer encourage telecommuting, preferring for the most part to use it only in case of emergency. And, if I have a good reason to work from home, be it health, bad weather, or family needs, he generally does not oppose it. He just doesn't want me to abuse the privilege, whatever that means to him-even if it's only not violating the official company line. That's just my guess, though. Someday I'll work up the courage to ask him more directly about it. In the meantime, I'm reasonably content, because I do understand the value of face-time and the serendipitous conversations around the microwave or coffee machine, both of which would not happen if I were telecommuting all the time. I really would only want to telecommute one or two days a week, to be perfectly honest. And it's certainly not worth jeopardizing a great working relationship. If he feels that way about it, it is no great burden for me to respect that and go with it. Chuck -Original Message- From: Cardimon, Craig [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 12:15 To: Charles Beck Cc: tcp@techcommpros.com Subject: RE: [TCP] Telecommuting has mostly positive consequences I knew this was true for me, but it's nice to know there is some formal research to prove it. Now, if I could just convince my manager. He's a really great manager, but he has this one tiny little flaw: He doesn't really like telecommuting. *sigh* The inquisitive part of me really wants to know why. If he has an MBA, the reason is clear enough. It's part of the education. If you can't see them working, you can't trust them to be working. Management vs. Employees. There's got to be a reason. Time to drag him into the 21st Century, or he will be the one left behind, when people begin leaving for jobs where they will be allowed to telecommute. __ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. Interactive 3D Documentation Parts catalogs, animated instructions, and more. www.i3deverywhere.com ___ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
Re: [TCP] Telecommuting has mostly positive consequences
Again, corporate environment plays a huge role in the success of this. I don't miss face time. I don't miss people at all. I'm on IM, email, phone calls, conference calls all day long. I don't even NOTICE that I'm not face to face with someone. When I am in the office, I do make a point of doing the rounds to say hi to most everyone (including those I may not work with often). But I disagree that face time is a worthwhile investment. It may be in the corporate culture in which YOU work, but it's not in the culture in which I work. I'm seen getting things done without having to be physically present. It takes a very specific type of person to successfully telecommute 100% of the time. Someone who works from home 2-3 days a week may not be successful at 100%. I just interviewed someone who works from home 2 days a week, and I don't think she'll be successful working remotely all of the time. ...sue On 11/21/07, Cardimon, Craig [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Understood and agreed. Sigh. Eventually, telecommuting won't be a privilege to be abused. It will be business as usual. THAT will be cool. Also, face-time counts, big-time. I make sure I am one of the first into the office every day. That helps when the guy who owns the place greets me by name in the morning in the hallway, and I return his greeting. I doubt this would happen if I worked from home. For one thing, I wouldn't be here to greet! Personally, I would go for maybe one day a week at home. But I just don't know. Telecommuting is cool and convenient. Face-time is a heavy worthwhile investment that requires your face to spend time in the office being seen getting things done. We have two opposing forces. I love the IDEA of telecommuting, but I'm still siding with face-time. Face-time has more muscle. -- Craig -Original Message- From: Charles Beck [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 1:17 PM To: Cardimon, Craig Cc: tcp@techcommpros.com Subject: RE: [TCP] Telecommuting has mostly positive consequences I'm not really sure why, to be honest. I don't believe it is for the reasons you posit. I don't *think* it is because he doesn't trust me to be working. He knows me better than that, I believe. I think it is more because the larger corporate culture discourages it. Although I work for a very progressive and forward-thinking company (in most respects), the corporate culture also shares this value. As I understand it, before we were acquired by the current parent company (I wasn't here yet), telecommuting was not only accepted, it was encouraged, to the point where the company had employees living literally all over the North American continent. Then when the current parent company acquired us, the corporate culture changed, and they no longer encourage telecommuting, preferring for the most part to use it only in case of emergency. And, if I have a good reason to work from home, be it health, bad weather, or family needs, he generally does not oppose it. He just doesn't want me to abuse the privilege, whatever that means to him-even if it's only not violating the official company line. That's just my guess, though. Someday I'll work up the courage to ask him more directly about it. In the meantime, I'm reasonably content, because I do understand the value of face-time and the serendipitous conversations around the microwave or coffee machine, both of which would not happen if I were telecommuting all the time. I really would only want to telecommute one or two days a week, to be perfectly honest. And it's certainly not worth jeopardizing a great working relationship. If he feels that way about it, it is no great burden for me to respect that and go with it. Chuck -Original Message- From: Cardimon, Craig [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 12:15 To: Charles Beck Cc: tcp@techcommpros.com Subject: RE: [TCP] Telecommuting has mostly positive consequences I knew this was true for me, but it's nice to know there is some formal research to prove it. Now, if I could just convince my manager. He's a really great manager, but he has this one tiny little flaw: He doesn't really like telecommuting. *sigh* The inquisitive part of me really wants to know why. If he has an MBA, the reason is clear enough. It's part of the education. If you can't see them working, you can't trust them to be working. Management vs. Employees. There's got to be a reason. Time to drag him into the 21st Century, or he will be the one left behind, when people begin leaving for jobs where they will be allowed to telecommute. __ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. Interactive 3D Documentation Parts catalogs, animated
Re: [TCP] Telecommuting has mostly positive consequences
Cardimon, Craig wrote: The inquisitive part of me really wants to know why. If he has an MBA, the reason is clear enough. It's part of the education. If you can't see them working, you can't trust them to be working. Management vs. Employees. For the other recently released study... http://www.theonion.com/content/news/study_finds_working_at_work __ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. Interactive 3D Documentation Parts catalogs, animated instructions, and more. www.i3deverywhere.com ___ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
Re: [TCP] Telecommuting has mostly positive consequences
Since Feb 2007 when we moved out of the city to a rural area, I've been a full-time telecommuter - initially with the two companies I had been working with on-site for the past 5 and 2 years respectively, and since July, with a company on the other side of Australia who acquired one of those companies. The first week after the acquisition, the parent company flew all the employees and me (the only contractor) to their head office for face time, inductions, and the like. That week was SO valuable in establishing relationships with members of the team. Since then I've flown to HQ only once, and then only for 2 days - it was like meeting old friends. Because I had that face time early on, conference calls, emails, IMs, general phone calls etc. have been so much easier to deal with - they know who I am and I know who they are. So for anyone telecommuting on a long-term basis, esp. with a company who is new to you, try and schedule some time in the office early on so you can get a sense of the corporate culture, as well as the people you'll be dealing with on a daily basis. I agree with the person who mentioned speaking up in conference calls! Just make sure you mention your name as you do so, so that others who don't hear your voice every day recognise you. Rhonda here. I think that... I love telecommuting, but it's not for everyone. You have to be disciplined as it's easy to get distracted. And sometimes you have to be hard on those you love and say No, I can't do that as I'm working. (My parents live an hour away now, and initially thought they could just pop over any old day of the week. My client knows which days I'm 'on deck' for them, so I had to be strict with my folks and say not on those days.) Rhonda (living the 'tree change' and loving it!) Rhonda Bracey [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.cybertext.com.au AuthorIT Certified Consultant -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Sue Heim Sent: Thursday, 22 November 2007 4:01 AM To: Cardimon, Craig Cc: tcp@techcommpros.com Subject: Re: [TCP] Telecommuting has mostly positive consequences Again, corporate environment plays a huge role in the success of this. I don't miss face time. I don't miss people at all. I'm on IM, email, phone calls, conference calls all day long. I don't even NOTICE that I'm not face to face with someone. When I am in the office, I do make a point of doing the rounds to say hi to most everyone (including those I may not work with often). But I disagree that face time is a worthwhile investment. It may be in the corporate culture in which YOU work, but it's not in the culture in which I work. I'm seen getting things done without having to be physically present. It takes a very specific type of person to successfully telecommute 100% of the time. Someone who works from home 2-3 days a week may not be successful at 100%. I just interviewed someone who works from home 2 days a week, and I don't think she'll be successful working remotely all of the time. ...sue __ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. Interactive 3D Documentation Parts catalogs, animated instructions, and more. www.i3deverywhere.com ___ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
[TCP] Telecommuting has mostly positive consequences for employees and employers
Hi folks, This may help those who want to telecommute but their boss or company is against the idea: Telecommuting is a win-win for employees and employers, resulting in higher morale and job satisfaction and lower employee stress and turnover. These were among the conclusions of psychologists who examined 20 years of research on flexible work arrangements. http://www.physorg.com/news114771482.html Have a happy Thanksgiving! Arroxane Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL Mail! - http://mail.aol.com __ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. Interactive 3D Documentation Parts catalogs, animated instructions, and more. www.i3deverywhere.com ___ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
