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. 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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
