It's 2008 in the San Franciso Bay Area and you own an electric car that is running low on charge. What do you do? Where do you go to re-charge? Right about now you are wishing you had your gas guzzling, carbon emission spitting, automobile back and the heck with the environment.
But wait....fast forward a few years to 2012 and the San Francisco Bay Area is now dotted with electric car recharging stations where you can grab a fresh battery or recharge yours. Parking lots, public buildings, even telephone and light poles have charging stations. Suddenly, owning a car that reduces dependence on foreign oil is looking like a good deal. And you are looking pretty smart.
Even though California could have been an innovator in the electric car biz over ten years ago (See "Who Killed the Electric Car" documentary for details on this debacle), maybe we can redeem ourselves in 2008.
A couple of days ago the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose agreed to work towards implementing, with Bay Area company Better Place, this charging infrastructure all over the Bay Area. See this report for a lot more information.
I have written about the need to save the environment, telecommute, and find alternative energy sources. This is great news!
I hope it works out, and I pledge to do all I can to help, starting with this Blog entry. See all my Blog entries on Saving the Environment.
Here is more information on Better Place's idea for an electric car and infrastructure.
I went to the gas station yesterday and paid $1.94 for a gallon of gas. For a starving blogger, this is good news. I now have more precious $$ in my pocket for other things (Did someone say beer at The Great Plate?)
Do you stop thinking about telecommuting?
Do you stop thinking about more efficient cars?
Do you stop thinking about alternative energy?
The answer is a resounding NO!
Do not be lulled into thinking the gas prices will stay low, they will go back up again...rest assured.
In the meantime, enjoy the low prices, but, continue to telecommute (or plan for it) for the OTHER reasons telecommuting is a great alternative work style:
1. It helps save the environment. Your car sits in the driveway / garage and no carbon emissions are sent into the air.
2. Productivity increases. A telecommuter has more time to work witth fewer interruptions (luckily they are not married to my wife).
3. Time. A telecommuter gains many many hours a week, month, year and lifetime. Spending an hour or two (or three or four) on the road means that time is taken from your family, from you.
4. Help keep the demand for oil low. Keep the prices low and permanently reduce the demand for foreign oil.
5. Safety. You never know when a pandemic or terrorist act will force changes to be made. Knowing how to effectively work remotely NOW will help companies better prepare for the future.
In short....do not stop thinking about telecommuting just because gas prices are temporarily low.
The benefits of telecommuting reach far beyond gas prices and touch every part of your life.
OK...we have all heard and seen T. Boone Picken's and Al Gore's plans for saving the environment. Great plans... (Political comment to Congress and the Prez: Spend the money on the future of renewable energy sources).
Today, I saw an article that stated that telecommuting is just as bad as commuting since you will still start up your car to run errands, go to lunch, etc. Interesting and, even though I don't agree, the writer of that article has some valid points. Cold starts are the worst. Soooo....if you stay home to telecommute, you will need to avoid starting your car totally to make a dent in saving the environment (note, however, that you will still save money, time, gas, increase productivity, reduce stress, and realize all the other benefits of telecommuting).
Telecommute! But to help the transition from your car...I have a plan.
YeOldeTechy's Plan to Save the Environment
OK, here is the plan. Use this with T. Boone's and Al's plans to help them succeed. Hey...I make nearly as much money as them.....yeah right.
1. Telecommute...and while you are home do not start your car. 2. Instead of using your car around town use a small electric car or a Segway. 3. If you don't want to buy a Segway or small electric car.... walk or ride your bike.
Easy as 1, 2, 3
This graphic shows the emissions saved using a Segway.
It is good for the environment, if you run around town or work at your local TeleWork Center you can get there at 12.5 MPH and you don't have to strain yourself by walking or riding a bike (even though the exercise is good for you!).
The perfect transition between car and walking or biking. Just like T. Boone's transition to renewable energy by taking advantage of natural gas.
Get on the bandwagon....or rather, Segway. Telecommute!
I am starting a new post "Label" called "Save the Environment".
Under this new label will go all the Telecommuting and some of the renewable energy articles I have posted recently.
It is time to become aware that the human race is harming the environment, endangering both animals and humans alike (we are animals....). The earth will survive. However, the earth may change drastically (possibly eliminating the culprit in the process) before the damage we are doing to this planet is mitigated.
I am starting to investigate / research ways (other than telecommuting which few people seem to take seriously) to help save the environment. I will also spotlight people who are doing their best to help.
This is not a new turn in this blog since VC / Collaboration and Telecommuting (and many technologies) can help reduce emissions, save gas, reduce traffic, etc, just a new look at how we need to change our thinking.
I've said this before....time to Telecommute....now I will show you why this is important.
Thanks for reading!
Lets see.....hmmmmm, electric cars are cool. I hear if you have enough $$ that the Tesla is available....I'll go investigate. Stay tuned....
By the way...the Altamont (Hills) between Tracy, CA (where I live) and Livermore, CA is dotted with thousands of windmills. The one at the front of this blog is one picture, here are two more.
There has been some action in the news in the past week, or so, concerning the use, and switch to, renewable energy.
Although this is not an area I normally cover, I am VERY interested in the environment (and very concerned about global warming). I would like to see us change the way we use energy so we can reduce our dependence on non-renewable sources of energy (oil will go away, then what do we do?) and reduce carbon emissions.
One way to help is to Telecommute (of course, I would say that).....DUH.
Al Gore and T. Boone Pickens have other ideas. I grabbed a couple of video clips so you can see what they are proposing.
If I can quickly summarize (I hope I get this right):
T. Boone tells us that Natural Gas should be used for transportation to reduce our dependence on oil. To replace the energy supplied by natural gas, we should use wind power.
Al is telling us to switch to renewable sources of energy like wind and solar...period.
You can tell who the politician is. T. Boone tells us his plan in 4 minutes, while Al takes over 18. How funny.
BUT the bottom line is....these are folks we need to start listening to.
If you need convincing, Leonardo DiCaprio's "11th Hour" documentary will convince you that change is needed. This is the best documentary I have watched.....
UPDATE 8/14/08: Well, after spending the money, I only had 3 people express an interest in the TVO...I have had to drop the idea for lack of interest. Either many people already telecommute (Yeah!) or they are content to spend money, gas, and time on the road.
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Today, July 14, 2008, we (my wife and I) ushered in a new era.
Never before have we plunked down money (how funny that the most anti-environmental President ever is helping fund this) to advertise and to push a particular idea. But we think the times and circumstances have caught up with our ideas and that Telecommuting may now be something people will (or should!), finally, take a serious look at.
Due to my great graphic artist skills (I use Adobe Photoshop Elements) I developed what I think is a pretty cool advertisement to be placed on the web site of the Tracy Press (which as you may know, my daughter and I both write for on a volunteer basis). They get over 100,000 visitors per month (far greater than YeOldeTechy's web sites) and many of them, I'm sure, are commuters.
The Tracy Virtual Office is an old idea but in a modern form. The old idea of a Neighborhood Telecommute Center never took off. Traffic was not bad, gas was cheap, and no one was aware of global warming, terrorism, and to top it off.....connectivity was really kinda bad.
Times have changed.
Telecommuting from home, or from a Neighborhood Telecommute Center, like the TVO, is becoming more appealing now (I see an increase in searches for "telecommuting" and more people hitting the TVO web site and Telecommuting articles than ever before) that gas is approaching $5.00 per gallon, the freeways are clogged, global warming is already past a tipping point, and to top it off.......bandwidth and connectivity is plentiful and easy to get (and videoconferencing over the Internet is commonplace).
Time to change, time to telecommute!!! Spread the word.
Oh yeah....If you want to sponsor the TVO (I know many of the people reading this Blog are in the VC / Collaboration space)....call me! The more interest we get....the faster we can put it together.
If you have not yet been convinced that the time for telecommuting has finally arrived maybe you should look at what you spend on gas now driving to work.
At over $4.00 a gallon (and Stockton being the highest in the Nation) a typical commute from Tracy to the Bay Area now can cost you (assume 20 MPG in your automobile, you travel 100 miles per day, and gas is now $4.35 in Tracy): $108.00 per week or $435.00 per month!
Add to that the time spent in traffic back and forth, the adverse effects on the environment, and traffic, traffic traffic.....the time is has arrived to stand up and get your employers to jump on the Telecommuting bandwagon. They need to go green, reduce their carbon imprint, reduce gas consumption.
This is an absolutely SUPERB documentary (5 WaterTowers) about the need to reduce carbon emissions now. Not one word in there about Telecommuting, but, lots of words in there about how the human race may have already charted it's own course to extinction...very scary stuff.
3. Activate a program where you work. Become a Telecommuting advocate...it is no longer a stigma....it is a necessity.
4. Fill out our Telecommuting Survey. And express your interest in the Tracy Virtual Office: a new concept TeleWork Center we are hoping to put together in Tracy. If you need to GO to work, this could be the perfect place.
No matter what.....do not delay....the time to change is now.
This was originally published in August 1995 for the company that put on "TeleCon". The old timers in the industry should remember....the new folks....understand this: There were great times bringing this new technology we all know as videoconferencing into being.
Enjoy.
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by Mike Pihlman Published in Applied Business teleCommunications "View of the Desktop" Newsletter, 8/95
The year is 2004 and you are video-commuting from your beach front home in Malibu as part of Applied Business teleCommunications (ABC) Virtual Work Program.
7:45 AM. You just came in from your run on the beach. After showering, you put on your sweatsuit and start to enjoy your first mug of coffee as you sit down at your computer to check your video, voice, and electronic mail. You see that there will be a virtual meeting of the ABC staff at 10:00 AM to discuss the presentation you are giving at 1 PM to dignitaries at the National Press Conference in Washington D.C. At noon you and your friend of 15 years, who now lives in Hawaii, will be getting together for virtual lunch. At 2 PM, you are planning to connect to ABC's digital library to conduct research on holographic videoconferencing using Pacific Bell's new switched terabit telephone service.
8:35 AM: You check the interactive New York Times to catch up on the news. One article in particular catches your eye. It details the profitable relationship ABC and the cites in the Tri-Valley area have established because of "virtual work". Using the virtual work program, the magazine and the cities have collaborated to bring millions of 'Jobs" to the Livermore Valley, and have developed the worlds first 10 mile long walk-thru mall-and superconducting people carrier-on an abandoned stretch of 1-580. The Tri-Valley area is now called "Desktop Valley" and the number of people" virtually working" in the region outnumber those who live there by 10,000 fold. There is no air pollution and traffic jams are limited to occasional slow downs on the ATM 500 Gbps backbone.
9:00 AM: Petting your dog, you decide that it's time to see how things are going at the "office". You put on your work shirt, comb your hair, open the shutter on your camera, and drag your icon into the "Office" icon on your computer. By doing this, you electronically walk the halls of your office and as you "peek" into the offices you "see" who's in and who's not in HDTV quality video on your computer screen. Suddenly you "bump" into your supervisor who also happens to be checking to see who is "in". You both stop to chat for awhile and you notice her eyes are a bit bloodshot. She tells you she stayed up late last night to watch the Rolling Stones 40th anniversary concert on the Internet. Not seeing much action in the hallway, you decide to move your icon to the "virtual watercooler" and wait to see who else shows up. After all, this is where your team really gets most of it's work done. While you are waiting, you access CNN to catch up on the latest news and put the finishing touches on your presentation
9:30 AM: Your friend shows up at the "virtual watercooler". You chat with her for a while and "show" her the latest version of your presentation, she makes a few changes and you decide to go back to your office to practice your speech.
9:40 AM: You have finished practicing your presentation. Your computer "knocks" and you drag the icon of your secretary-who lives in New York-into your office icon. He discusses your physical trip to Chicago, but, has forgotten how to make reservations on the only airline still in existence-"Chat with Pat". You both "sit down" to figure this out together. After you make the arrangements, you call up the airline for directions to the airport, after all it has been 5 years since you have been there so you need to be refreshed on how to find the airport. They send you a map, and a video showing a virtual car drive from your house to the long term parking lot which is directly adjacent to the terminal building. You call your travel agent to reserve a car at your destination, and to see some of the hotels in the area. One hotel has a particularly nice exercise room and pool so you decide to book a room there. You have no problem getting a physical room, but all of the virtual rooms are booked. The travel agent sends you your ticket and bar-coded car key, for the laser keylock system, which you promptly print out.
10:05 AM: You drag your icon into your workplace's "meeting room" icon. As always you are a little late, so everyone looks at their computer clocks, in unison, to give you a hard time. Your partner is there from Kauai, your boss is there from Idaho, both of your team members from Wisconsin are there and there is even a live person in the meeting room who lives in Livermore. Her house is being painted today. You show them your presentation, and they make some minor changes. Everyone saves the presentation on their computers and you save the meeting video and audio for storage on the groups CD-ROM. Before, the meeting ends, you "give" everyone the article you read this morning in the Interactive New York Times.
Noon: You anxiously "knock" on your friends door and she opens her shutter. You have set up a "virtual Casa Orozco table" complete with "beer and chips". She shows you the video of her new house and then brings her handheld computer outside-using a 45 Mbps wireless video connection-and shows you around the house and grounds. She happens to be right on the beach and, in fact, heads there so she can eat lunch at the beach. The beach is very wide with pure fine sand, crystal clear blue water, and gently swaying palm trees. A background of green mountains shows you why she moved to "paradise" so many years ago. Renee tells you that the beach is the one used in the movie "South Pacific". After lunch you decide to get together again next Thursday, but this time, you'll be on your beach in Malibu.
12:45 PM: You put on your slippers, your "suit" top, and drag your icon into the "National Press Conference meeting room" icon. You see the audience as they are entering the auditorium, and you see your fellow dais mates. You sit and chat with them until it is time for the meeting to start. You give your presentation and everyone applauds your pioneering efforts. Glad to be "out of there", you decide to take a virtual driving tour of the U.S.A on your way back "home". You select the southem route which brings you thru Albuquerque where you decide to "visit" your friend Cindy and her daughter Erika. In a fit of nostalgia you take Route 66 to California while listening to Asleep at the Wheel sing "Route 66".
2 PM: You log into the digital library for some interesting research into holographic videoconferencing. You plan on implementing this at ABC as soon as the new terabit circuit is installed in your house. Should be week or two.
6 PM: You "leave" your office and decide to watch Monday night football. You access the direct satellite feed from your computer and display the video on the big screen in the family room. You can finally relax, change your shirt and sit down for a relaxing evening with Joe Montana and his broadcasting crew of Deion Sanders and George Foreman (the oldest heavyweight champion at 55 years of age).
6:30 PM: Suddenly in the corner of your screen is your daughter at the University of Kansas. She is having a problem with her homework and is calling to see if you can help. You interactively work with her from your remote control unit. After you are done, she shows you her new dorm room in McCollum Hall and you meet one of her "classmates". You are surprised to find out the he is from the same town in New York that you were bom in .... small world. Right then and there you decide that you have to make the time to access the latest multimedia clip from KU and see what changes they have made-with all that money from your alumni credit card-in the past ten years. It's been a long time since you've done your virtual "Memorial Run" through campus. Maybe tomorrow but right now.
Gas is nearly $4.00 a gallon.Traffic is horrendous.Now is the perfect time to start telecommuting.
You probably have all the technology you need:A telephone, a computer with all the required applications, and Internet connectivity.In the old days, putting all this together was difficult.Not anymore. Now everyone can be fully connected 24x7.
The options for telecommute locations have also expanded.In the old days, you worked at home. Period.Now you can work from home, the airport, the train, a hotel, Barnes & Noble, Starbucks, McDonalds, or from a TeleWork Center (which Tracy does not have..….yet).Cell phones, text messaging, instant messaging (IM), email, and the availability of WiFi hot spots make staying connected a snap.
In addition, advanced applications are now available that allow you to communicate with your remote colleagues as easy as if you were in the same physical location.
You can share your computer, give a presentation, or work interactively on any document, drawing, or program with products and services such as WebEx (www.webex.com), Glance (www.glance.net), GoToMeeting (www.gotomeeting.com).There are many more but I need to keep this article within 500 words. JI have used Glance and WebEx (and evaluated WebEx on my YeOldeTechy Blog).They are great.
If your boss is an OFB(old fashioned boss)and wants to “see the whites of your eyes”, you can videoconference.Free videoconferencing is available….. all you need is a web cam.ooVoo is one such service (www.ooVoo.com) that allows you to meet with several of your colleagues, exchange files, and chat via IM. See the picture of yours truly talking with friends in Chicago and Paris.
Other, standards-based (H.323 over the Internet), videoconferencing (VC) products for your desktop or laptop computerinclude Mirial Softphone (www.mirial.com ) and Polycom PVX (www.polycom.com) .I have tested videoconferencing from McDonalds, Barnes & Noble, and Starbucks.It works great!Of course there are more advanced (and expensive) VC products for your home or office (using your DSL or cable Internet connection) from vendors such as Polycom, Tandberg (www.tandbergusa.com), Lifesize (www.lifesize.com ), and, the ubiquitous, Cisco (www.cisco.com).No more excuses that if you are not seen you are not working….now you can be seen.
The old concept of TeleWork Centers in your neighborhood never took off.However, modern versions of this concept are popping up.These centers provide (for a low monthly fee) WiFi access, videoconferencing,a conference room, and casual (or more formal) work areas for the commuter who wants to spend a day or two a week closer to home. You may need a group to meet and work.Rather than everyone meeting at Starbucks, a TeleWork Center may make more sense.
The world is changing.Save gas, save money, save time, save the environment.Stay connected and see your colleagues and boss (make sure they are working too!)….telecommute.
Save money, time, and the environment, reduce traffic, increase productivity, and maintain business continuity.
As we have seen, telecommuting can have significant benefits for both the employee and employer. But not everyone is allowed to telecommute. Not every company has a telecommuting program. And I can see why.
Starting a telecommuting effort is probably the most complex issue in the telecommuting process. Every situation is different and every company, or management team, has its own culture, fears, and prejudices. Your management may be open to new ideas, or they may stifle anything that is new, or out of the norm.
That said, this article will not try to identify every area of possible concern, but, will give you a broad stroke overview of what it may take to start a telecommuting effort at your company and what you need to accomplish, at home, to start telecommuting.
Fundamental Ingredients
The fundamental management and employee ingredients to a successful telecommuting program can be summed up in three words: Trust, communicate, and quantify.
Without these, any telecommuting effort is doomed to fail.
Management must be able to trust their telecommuting employees and, conversely, the telecommuting employee should trust their manager. This includes trusting the employee to work when not in the office, and trusting management to fairly represent the telecommuting employee when it comes to their career and raises.
Management and the telecommuter must communicate effectively and often. Not every minute or every hour, but, on a regular basis. Part of that communication needs to include feedback from the telecommuter to management if they are feeling telecommuting is not working out, and from management to the telecommuter to help them smooth out any bumps in the road.
If telecommuting is not working, then both may agree to terminate and work together to fold the telecommuter back into the “normal” office work environment.
Before starting to telecommute, management and the telecommuter must agree to the specific goals and deadlines to be met. These can be any well defined, easily measureable, goals or tasks such as: number of sales per week, number of new clients per month, or meeting design deadlines. The manager and telecommuter can adjust these goals as appropriate and should regularly monitor and measure progress. If the goals are not being met, the manager works with the telecommuter to identify the problem and try to fix it. If the problem cannot be resolved the manager, per the agreement, can bring the telecommuter back into the office.
Qualities of the Telecommuter’s Manager
We have touched on the qualities of a good telecommuter, but, have not yet listed what would make a good manager of a telecommuter.
Simply put, the manager should possess many, if not all, of the following traits.
The manager should:
• be comfortable managing by results not by the physical presence of the employee. • be organized and able to set reasonable deadlines for goals and tasks. • be a good communicator. • be trustworthy. • want telecommuting to succeed. • be flexible and willing to make adjustments if needed.
The manager is not a micro-manager, will not demand that the telecommuter be in constant contact or on IM (Instant Messaging) all the time, and does not expect perfection.
A manager who says “They are not working unless I see the whites of their eyes” would not make a good telecommuter manager (unless he meant by videoconferencing). By the way, that came from a conversation I had with someone in line at the Movie Theater in Tracy.
Formal or Informal
The telecommuting effort can be formal or informal. Either way, it is a good idea for the manager and the telecommuter to sit down together and generate a written agreement of what is expected.
This document will list the number of days to be spent telecommuting, what resources are available for equipment, deadlines, goals, and other productivity measures each expect. This document should be mutually agreeable to both, and both should agree to terminate telecommuting should it come to that.
In NO instance should a statement like this be part of the agreement: “The company can terminate telecommuting for no reason”. There has to be a reason. Both manager and telecommuter should agree to the terms and sign the agreement.
If the company is formally starting a telecommuting effort, a “Telecommuting Administrator” should be assigned. This person is then responsible for planning the breadth and depth of the telecommuting effort.
Some of the tasks include, but, are not limited to:
• Evangelizing telecommuting within the company • Developing telecommuting guidelines, agreements, and training material • Recruiting the assistance of Human Resources and the IT Department • Recruiting and training supervisors and telecommuters • Monitoring progress and results • Providing timely information via a blog, newsletters, and / or email
Training is very important for both the manager and telecommuter. Each needs to understand what tasks are involved and what the “do’s and don’ts” are to make the experience the best it can be.
Preparing to Telecommute
As the telecommuter, you are in a position to prove that telecommuting is of benefit to everyone, not just you.
That means you should work extra hard to meet the goals and deadlines you and your manager put down on paper before you started, and you should strive, on your telecommuting days, to remain in close contact with your boss and your colleagues.
What do you need to do at home to prepare?
You should have a work location designated where you can spend eight, or more, hours per day. This location should include an ergonomically correct chair and desk, a computer with the firewall turned on, office productivity tools (document, spreadsheet, email, instant messaging), and antivirus software, a phone line and telephone (or a cell phone), sufficient lighting, office supplies, and an Internet connection.
You need to inform family members, and friends, that you are at work when you are at this location, and that you are not to be disturbed when you are there.
It is important to maintain a set schedule as if you were commuting to work. Get up at the same time everyday, and get ready the same way. Take a shower, get dressed (if you normally wear a tie to work, you can probably be more casual on telecommute days), and “commute” to your work location.
The only difference is that now your commute takes a second (about 5,400 times shorter than a normal 90 minute commute).
Avoid the temptation to work too hard. Take breaks (this is my problem….constant sitting without a break), take lunch, and quit at a reasonable time or quitting point. Turn off the computer, straighten up your desk, and “commute” back over the threshold to the family. Watch out for heavy traffic: two-year olds running back and forth, dog lying in the threshold, etc.
When you are working at home, avoid the temptation to eat too much. Many new telecommuters tend to gain weight. But, do, feel free to take the kids to school, pick them up, and run an errand or two during the day.
Remember….your “goals” are what drive you, not the fact that you are “present” at work. Stick to your goals, meet your deadlines, stay in contact, and everyone will be happy.
If you become lonely, seek out other telecommuters in Tracy and meet for lunch. Or virtually go to work with videoconferencing (Part 5).
Summary
Make sure you and your manager communicate well and have set up reasonable goals and deadlines. Telecommute!
Part 4 of this series will introduce the “basic” technology needed to telecommute.
Reminder: If you telecommute now (or want to) and want to share your experiences in Part 6 of this series, call Mike at 209-836-0472, visit the Tel Bit Consulting web site, or write to Mike at mike@telbitconsulting.com.
Here is a nice ad from Tandberg about telecommuting:
Part 2 of my series is now online at the Tracy Press Web Site. Posted below is the unedited version. Hmmm, I need to finish Part 3 now. I better get to it! :-)
Before you read, this is interesting.
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Part 2: Telecommuting wants you!
TeleWork vs Telecommuting
Since I co-wrote a Telecommuting Plan many years ago, a new term has appeared:TeleWork.Some experts argue that “telework” is more accurate than “telecommuting” since it describes the act of “working” while telecommuting emphasizes the act of “commuting”.That may be good for others, but, we live in and around Tracy, CA and the fact of the matter is: We commute.And we commute a lot.Sooooo, for this series, I believe the word “telecommute” is more accurate for our particular situation even though I may insert “telework” occasionally just to keep current.
Who can telecommute?
If your work day is typical of what was described in Part 1 of this series (that is, you spend most of the day on the phone, on the computer, designing or researching, or in meetings) you can telecommute one, two, or more days a week.
The ideal telecommuter is someone who can work independently and is not easily distracted by the need to wash clothes, mow the lawn, or play with the dog.For that person, the telecommute day can, productively, be used to think, to catch up on writing, to place calls to prospective clients, or “virtually” attend meetings anywhere in the world.
Where can you telecommute?
In the old days, a telecommuter had two choices of work location:home or a telecommute center.For various reasons, telecommute centers never really took off, so the vast majority of original telecommuters worked from home using a telephone and a yellow pad.Yeah, the concept of telecommuting has been around a long time.
These days, technology is such that with a cell phone, a laptop computer, and Wi-Fi Internet connections a person can telecommute effectively and fully from virtually anywhere:Hotels, restaurants, airport, train, or the wilds of Montana. In Tracy, I have connected to the Internet, via excellent Wi-Fi connections, at McDonalds, Barnes & Noble, and Starbucks.In fact, since I have been working full-time at home, there have been times when a trip to Barnes & Noble to work has been a sanity/marriage saver.
Telecommuting Benefits
Although many of the benefits listed below focus on the telecommuter (you!), please don’t misunderstand:Telecommuting should not be thought of as a privilege solely for the employee.Instead it should be considered an alternate work environment that has significant benefits for BOTH the employee and the employer.
Save money
One of the most easily definable cost savings for the telecommuter is the money you can save on gas.Since gas prices are being manipulated to higher and higher prices, the less you drive your car, the more you save.
Let’s look at some typical gas costs and savings.
My friend, Clint Wadsworth, drives everyday from Manteca to Berkeley.Clint’s drive is about 150 miles per day round trip.He drives his pickup truck which gets about 15 miles per gallon (not atypical for a commuter with an SUV). At the time of this writing, Chevron, off of 205, was selling gas at about $3.25 per gallon.
Let’s do some calculations (get your calculator out and check my math) based on Clint’s typical work week (By the way, Clint has a job that qualifies him to telecommute):
150 miles per day x 5 days = 750 miles driven to and from work per week.
750 miles/15 miles per gallon = 50 gallons of gas consumed per week.
50 gallons x $3.25 per gallon = $162.50 for gas per week (or about $8125 per year assuming a 50 week work year). Yikes!
If Clint were to telecommute one day a week he would save $32.50 per week ($162.50/5) or about (again assuming a 50 week work schedule) $1625.00 saved per year.If he were to telecommute 2 days a week, double the savings to $3250.00 per year. That works out to a monthly savings of about $135 to $270 per month.That isquite a chunk of change if you were to invest that in an IRA rather than global warming.
Save time
Looking at an even more valuable commodity, Clint can save time by telecommuting.Clint tells me that he takes about 1.5 hours getting to work and another 1.5 hours getting home. He does this by starting his day at 4 AM and leaving work at 2 PM.If he left during the height of rush hour, that time could easily stretch to 2 hours or more.Believe me, I know.
Using his 1.5 hour estimate, the time Clint saves in transit by telecommuting one day a week is about three hours per week, or 150 hours per year.150 hours means that six full days are now available for Clint to be with his family, or to devote extra time working for his boss.If he were to telecommute two days a week, that saving would double to 300 hours per year, or 12 full days.A bit of his life regained.
Over the course of 20 years, Clint regains 3000 to 6000 hours of his life and saves $32,500 to $65,000 in gas (assuming $3.25 is the max price, and we all know that ain’t gonna happen). Imagine how much you could save by telecommuting three or four days a week, or for the whole week!
Other benefits
The above are just the “hard” calculations.What about the “soft” benefits?How often do you find yourself needlessly passing a slower vehicle and cursing at them (and they back at you)?How often do you find yourself in gridlock and stressed to the max because you are going to be late for work or a meeting?How many accidents happen in a typical day on 205 or 580?One or two days a week telecommuting reduces the risks and studies have shown that a telecommuter is less stressed, happier, and works harder.
That is where your employer reaps the benefits, and more:
Employee productivity increases
Employee satisfaction is higher
Employee retention is higher
Office space is freed up, as are parking spaces (Berkeley Lab, where Clint works, has an acute parking problem)
The organization can save money on utilities
The employer can hire qualified people regardless of where they live
The organization can begin to meet anygreen initiative goals they may be striving for
From a state and local government perspective, fewer cars on the road means there is less need to build, or expand, roads.Fewer cars being started and driven means less pollution in the air which means a better environment and a happier Al Gore. Telecommuters may go out to lunch near home helping to contribute to Tracy’s local economy.
Long range pessimists are encouraging telecommuting in the unfortunate event something happens again that prevents people from getting together in a single workplace.
The events on 9/11 decimated entire companies.Because of that day, many companies now understand the benefit of geographically dispersing employees.It is very hard for terrorism to reach everyone when they are scattered.Personal note: The Internet is very robust. That September morning I worked (from home) with folks at Columbia University in NYC to provide them with Internet-based telephony and videoconferencing via our gateway in Berkeley. Columbia was on-line and operational when others were down.
If a pandemic like the avian flu develops (and many experts predict it will) then working from home allows the company to stay afloat, and governments to keep running, while saving lives by limiting the spread of the virus.
What are the downsides?
From the employees’ perspective, there is the fear that their career potential will be negatively impacted if they are away from the office. Unfortunately, this may be a valid concern (see below). They also fear isolation and can miss the camaraderie at work (this is why telecommuting 1 to 2 days a week is a nice balanced approach to start).
Personal Note: When I was telecommuting, there were times when I did get a bit lonely, and I am the type of person who enjoys being alone.However, thanks to videoconferencing, when the lonely bug struck, I simply connected by video to the office. I was “virtually” there.I could hear the cubicle chatter and see people walk by my cube.Occasionally someone would wave to me, or come into the cubicle to chat.Not to get too far ahead of myself, but, it is very easy to set up a videoconferencing system by the watercooler (a virtual watercooler), or in a break room, to encourage interaction with remote personnel.
From the employer’s perspective,the OFB, old fashioned boss, (many of who are still working and teaching young future bosses (YFB) the same values) wants to see their employees “hard at work” in their cubicle.The OFB thinks that if an employee is not there, they are not working.The OFB can also fear the loss of control over the employees work.They like to have their employees close at hand. Word to YFB’s:Telecommuting is good!
There may be costs involved such as:providing support, providing computer and other equipment, or paying for Internet connectivity.There is also the need to develop, and deliver, training to both the employee and employer and the OFB or YFB must work with the employee to set up specific goals to measure the telecommuters’ effectiveness.
In Part 3, we will take a look at what the employer and employee must do to make the telecommuting experience a positive one.
Until then, give telecommuting a try, stay home one day and work!
BEEEEPPPP. BEEEEEPPPP.Arrrgghhhh.It’s 5:00 AM and your alarm clock is announcing the start of a new day.You hurry to get ready for work, then climb into your trusty automobile (or climb aboard the ACE train) for the, sometimes stressful, one or two hour commute to work.If your day is normal, you might: talk with clients on the phone, spend a few hours on the computer, design hardware or software for the next great product, research ways to save the environment, write reports, or attend hours of meetings (none of which are pointless, right?).
At 5:00 PM, you climb back in your automobile (or aboard the homeward bound ACE Train).If there is an accident, or cows on the rail, don’t count on being home before 8 PM.All of the time you spend in transit leaves precious little time for a quality family life: helping the kids with homework, cleaning up the yard, or getting to know your neighbors.If you are getting older (like me),sleep beckons, because you know that the alarm will, before you know it, hark the arrival of a new day.
Repeat 200 plus times a year…..for years, and years.
There has to be a better way.As it turns out, if the first paragraph accurately describes your typical day at work, chances are you can work at home at least one or two days a week and maybe more.You can telecommute.
The concept of working at home has been around for quite a long time, but, there have always been “barriers” blocking the wide acceptance of telecommuting or telework.Some of these barriers are cultural, and others are (or were) technical.
With the growth, and increased reliability, of the Internet and the availability of affordable high-speed connections to the home, as well as improved computer and network technology, the technical barriers are pretty much a thing of the past.But, the much harder cultural barriers remain.One such barrier is the old fashioned opinion that you need to be at your desk to be working. If you are not there, you are not working.Right?WRONG!
In this day of increasing gas prices, nearly continuous traffic congestion on 5, 205, 580 and 680, long commutes from the bedroom community of Tracyto the Bay Area, global warming, terrorism, the threat of disease (remember the bird flu?), the need (yes, the need) to telecommute is increasing. In short, times have changed: Telecommuting was once thought of as being a benefit, or perk,for the employee (and could quickly be taken away).Now it is clear that telecommuting benefits BOTH the employee and the employer and is fast becoming critical for an organization, for example, to remain operational in times of distress.
This series of articles, written with the Tracy commuter in mind, will, over the next month or two, introduce you to:
Part 2: The concept of telecommuting, its advantages and disadvantages, and who may be able to telecommute.
Part 3: The basics of telecommuting including what the employer and employee must know, and accomplish, to make the telecommuting experience the best it can be.
Part 4: The basic technology (phone, Internet, computer, network) needed to effectively telecommute and how to keep your computer as safe and reliable as it can be.
Part 5: The advanced technology (videoconferencing and collaboration) that may help to overcome many of the cultural out-of-sight out-of-mind issues and allow the remote worker to more effectively participate in the “normal” workday.
Part 6: Interviews with Tracyites who telecommute and some companies that allow telecommuting in the surrounding area.If you telecommute now, and want discuss your experiences, please email me at mike@telbitconsulting.com.
We have posted a very short Telecommuting Survey on the Tel Bit Consulting Web Site.
We will be gathering information (more specifically from folks in the Tracy, CA area but will gladly accept take other input as well) and posting the results sometime in the near future (if we get enough respondents).
If you have a few seconds, and telecommuting is of possible interest to you, please fill out the survey!
Check out this buzz word filled video about TeleWork. Even though it appears to be a marketing thing for the TeleWork Consortium, it is, nonetheless, informative and interesting.
Read this article published Sunday, Sept 30, 2007 in the Tracy Press. It describes how commuting can be detrimental to family life in general. All the more reason to: Telecommute! -------------
For years, I have been evangelizing the value of telecommuting, only to be met with deaf ears. Hoping to drive home the value of telecommuting, I wrote an article several years ago that predicted the future (hmmm, the "future" in that article has arrived, that's scary) by describing how 580 in Livermore was being used for pedestrian traffic since cars were no longer driving on it....
How wrong was I !! Not only has this NOT come true, but, now 205 and 580 are BOTH bumper to bumper...and the problem is getting worse!
All I hear and read about (in the Tracy Press and other media) is; building new roads, widening 205, carpooling, using mass transit...never do I see, or hear, anyone speak up for the single most effective way to get cars off the road....telecommuting (or telework).
Now, I know all of my readers (yes, both of you!) cannot telecommute....certainly, I would not want Dr. Yu telecommuting, or Pat who cleans the pool. BUT, many hundreds, if not thousands, of super commuters in the local area CAN.
If they took 1 or 2 days a week to keep the car in the driveway (since everyone has the garage full of junk) they would realize ALL of the following benefits.
1. It saves you GAS and MONEY
2. It saves you TIME (no more 2.5 hour commutes to Berkeley...ONE WAY..geeez how ridiculous is that, I speak from experience)
3. It reduces our dependence on OIL, which is going away.
4. It reduces TRAFFIC (for Dr. Yu so he can get to work faster)
5. It reduces carbon EMISSIONS and help put some brakes on Global Warming. A car not started will not emit....
6. It reduces your STRESS (and slows you down in Tracy) so you can enjoy life more
7. You are more PRODUCTIVE (yeah, you can actually work without endagering others while you are on the cell phone, or text messaging, while driving...how dumb is that anyway?)
There are MANY more...
The downside to telecommuting has in the PAST been "out of sight out of mind". How backward. See my other blog entries....videoconferencing takes care of that. You can virtually be in your office at work all day long and all night if you want to be.
The only downside remaining is gaining weight. The refrigerator is too close and the food is free...so watch that.
