Every now and then I see articles about why telecommuting is going to ruin the world and how it can’t possibly work in the long run, etc., but I have to disagree.
At CSG Creative, most employees (after they have been with us for a year) choose to work from home one day per week. My day is Wednesday and it’s my favorite day of the week. Here’s why:
My commute:
I live 25 miles away from the office. In the real world, it should take me 25 minutes to get to work. But, I don’t live in the real world, I live in Northern Virginia. So while on some random Fridays in the summer my commute takes only 30 minutes, it’s typically 45 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes. Let’s not even talk about the day it took me 10 hours to get home in a snow storm. On the days that I telework, I start my day without the stress of a commute and I get right to work. It’s fantastic. Most days I start a little early or “stay a little late” because of all the time I’ve saved from having to commute.
The tough stuff:
On a regular day in the office, I work in a cube. 99% of the time it’s awesome. I have so much brainpower at my disposal, at any minute I can ask a question of my fellow account executives or do an impromptu brainstorm with the creative team, the amount of talent I have sitting around me is incredible. But given the nature of what we do, there are times when we need down time to write, strategize and think. Because of this, I try to save all my “tough” thinking projects for Wednesday so I can really have time to gather my thoughts and focus. It’s really amazing how much more you can get out of an hour at home when you don’t have the distractions you typically find in the office. Plus, I know my clients get the benefit of this focused time, so it’s a win-win for everyone.
I don’t do it all the time:
I think if I worked from home every day, I would be lonely. I am lucky because unlike some people, I like my coworkers, it’s fun to be around them. So, I think if I did it more than once or twice a week, I would miss them. Right now, my Wednesday at home gives me a nice little break in the middle of the week to regroup, but then on Thursday and Friday, I am back in with the team and it feels good.
I know that teleworking can’t work and isn’t for everyone, but for me, it really is the best thing ever. What are your thoughts? Do you telework? Why do you love it? If you don’t telework, why not?