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We're Not In Kansas Anymore, Toto ... Or, How To Combine a Career and Family Life by Telecommuting
by Dennie Heye
In the Netherlands, there was a famous TV commercial a few years ago in which a normal family was shown at the dinner table, portrayed in fifties style. Mother and child were sitting at the table, watching the father cut the meat. The camera would focus on the child, who would ask: "Who is that man that cuts the meat every Sunday?"
I'd like to share with you my experiences in trying to avoid becoming such a cliché.
I worked full time for the first four years of my career, and focused on getting job experience and building a career. I was a knowledge manager/literature researcher in an IT consultancy firm, serving approximately 150 consultants, who mostly worked at clients' offices. My work therefore was virtual in a way, as most of the research requests would be handled either via e-mail or phone. The research itself consisted almost entirely of using online databases, reachable anyplace, anytime, as long as I had intra- and Internet access.
My knowledge management projects were largely conducted in a virtual way via the same tools. These projects involved regular teleconferences with other knowledge managers across the globe, and working out plans and reviews via e-mail.
I realized that much of my work could be done from different places than the office, which became a very crowded and distracting place to work. Especially when I needed to create presentations or start a new project, the office was often not the best place to be. There were frequent interruptions, and I was often distracted by phones ringing, colleagues dropping by, or consultants using the library (my workplace) as a place to meet and discuss.
I talked to my manager, and we agreed that I would begin working from home for one day per week. He would benefit from a better- motivated, more productive employee, and I would have one day per week to get things done. We never went back on this. Besides being able to complete complex tasks without interruption, I also saved commuting time and was able to be flexible with my working hours.
When I switched employers, my new employer was also very enthusiastic about my working from home one day per week. As I now have a 7-month-old daughter, whom I'd like to watch grow up, Wednesday is my "daughter day." I start my workday at 7:00 AM by reading and responding to e-mail, wake up my daughter around 8:00 AM, change her diaper, and feed her. After that my wife wakes up and takes care of her until mid-morning, when I take the stroller and take my daughter shopping for 45 minutes. Then, it's back to more productive behind-the-computer time. Usually I take an hour off in the afternoon to play with her, go for a walk, or read her a story. In the evening, I make up for that time by working an extra hour when she's asleep.
Based on my experiences, there are some key success factors you, your colleagues and your boss need to consider when you think about telecommuting:
- Commitment and trust from your manager, your team, and yourself
Your colleagues, your boss, your family and you need to be committed to telecommuting. It comes down to establishing trust for all parties. Your boss and colleagues need to trust that you will be equally - or even more - productive from home. You need to trust that they will keep in the loop when you are working from home. Gain that trust by agreeing on set days or times when you will telecommute, how and when you will be in touch, and planning meetings that require you to be physically in the office. Your family also needs to understand when you are working and thus not available.
- Workplace culture
The workplace culture needs to allow you to telecommute. If the culture is focused on self-managing, professional teams which set their own targets, telecommuting should be fairly easy. If you have a manager that only feels you are productive when he or she sees you, you need to bring that to the table.
If you are working on projects, the early phases of a project are usually those that require face-to-face meetings. This because they are very interactive and serve to establish trust between project members. If the project has started, and the team members know each other and know who will do what and when, telecommuting is ideal.
- Communication and cooperation
Everyone should agree how you will communicate when you are telecommuting, including the hardware and software needed: a laptop, mobile phone, access to the corporate computer network and Internet.
- Competencies
When you are telecommuting, the first thing you need is self discipline. You need to be able to plan your own work and stick to your own planning.
Be strict with yourself when you will stop working, as it is often tempting to "go that extra mile" in the evening (or sometimes at night). You need a balance between work and your own life, as telecommuting often blurs that distinction.
So, even if telecommuting may seem far away, there is a yellow brick road towards it...
Dennie Heye (dennie at heye.nl) is an information scientist at a global energy firm in the Netherlands, working on taxonomies and information architecture. That said, he is still able to dress himself and carry out simple tasks.