What is Telecommuting?

Today I wanted to talk about Telecommuting. I’m sure you have heard of Telecommuting but what is it really? Well, that’s what we are going to talk about today. We want to help you get a better understanding of what telecommuting truly is and is it right for you?

Telecommuting, also known as tele working, is the act of working from a remote location, usually one’s home. This is made simple with the use of various telecommunications technologies. Such as a telephone, fax machine and the Internet. Many telecommuters are also set up with web conferencing capabilities allowing them to sit in on office meetings via modem and webcam, or at the very least, a
conference call.

When we think of working at home we think of joining a business, starting a business or doing freelance work. But have you ever considered doing work as a Telecommuter from home?

Why would a business benefit by hiring a Telecommuter?

If you have ever thought about Telecommuting then you have probably wondered are there really companies that hire people to work out of their homes? The answer is yes, there is. You’ve probably also wondered why would a company benefit from hiring someone to do the work from their home? The truth is by hiring a telecommuter it allows the company to save money on certain overhead expenses such as office space and utilities, while it enables an employee the convenience of working out of their home.

Having the employee work out of their home often times allows them to be more productive, happier and long term employee’s. Absenteeism is also down among telecommuters because the employee’s tend to work anyways because they do not actually have to leave their homes. The list can go on and on so as you can see it truly benefits an employer to hire a telecommuter.

Now what are the benefits for you as the Telecommuter?

Wow the benefits! I could think of a million reasons it would be nice to be a telecommuter. Most telecommuters truly enjoy the flexibility of working out of their homes and setting their own hours. If you are a mom then you will totally appreciate the fact that you can work your hours around the needs of your family! You can take breaks as needed, and take the time off for school functions or other family outings as long as you meet all deadlines that the employer sets for you. As well as you save money on lunches, the commute, and the cost of daycare for your child or children. That it in itself can be very expensive these days. Another big one that is attractive to most women is that you can wear whatever you want to work! You can literally wear your pajamas and slippers while you work and no one will even notice! So as you can see the benefits of being a Telecommuter are huge!

As with everything though, there are downfalls to telecommuting as well. Telecommuting can be very lonely, if you are the type of person that needs interaction with others then you may not enjoy telecommuting as much as someone that doesn’t mind working alone all day. You also miss out on company functions, meetings, lunches and parties that you might normally attend if you work in a traditional office setting. You also do not have that face-to-face help of fellow employee’s or even your supervisor when working on a project. So as you can see there are many benefits of being a telecommuter but there are also those downfalls that might keep it from being a appealing to some.

Is Telecommuting right for you?

When deciding if telecommuting is right for you there are some things you should first ask yourself. Below we have listed a few questions that you should stop and think about before making a decision to become a Telecommuter.

• Are you self motivated?
• Do you enjoy working alone without constant supervision?
• Do you feel that you could meet deadlines given by your employer without having someone standing over you to get the project completed?
• Do you have trouble with procrastinating or being easily distracted when unsupervised?

These are all questions that you should ask yourself before you even attempt to become a Telecommuter. You must be Self Motivated, work well on your own with little supervision. You must be able to meet deadlines without procrastinating and being distracted easily. By asking yourself the questions above it will give you a little insight as to whether or not telecommuting would be a good option for you.

We hope this has given you a little information and explanation as to What Telecommuting truly is, as well as maybe helped you decide if it’s right for you. Next week we are going to talk more about
“Where to go about finding Telecommuting jobs”. So, be sure to watch for that next week!