Fred Harteis News Articles - Working From Home Comes With a Price

Fred Harteis News Articles - Tired of the traveling required as a private manager in IBM's consulting group, John Zeising thought a job transfer to a home-based role seemed like the perfect option. But as the years slipped by, he discovered that working from home came with a price.

"It just got old," he said. "Every year it got ... progressively more isolating. I felt like a hermit. ... You just kind of sit there looking at the walls wondering what you're doing with your life."

Zeising said he went months at a time without having any face-to-face interaction with other IBM employees. In January 2004, he attended an IBM sales and marketing kick-off meeting with 25,000 employees. He didn't see any of those employees again until 9 months later, when he met his manager at a Kinko's to turn in his laptop.

Zeising isn't alone in shunning work-from-home arrangements. Although 25 percent of employees have the option to telecommute, just 11 percent do, according to the 2005-06 National Technology Readiness Survey.

This may seem puzzling for employers, who are increasingly adding telecommuting arrangements to their benefits packages. As fuel costs rise and the labor market tightens, 27 percent of hiring managers said they will be more willing to allow employees to telecommute, according to a survey by CareerBuilder.com and America Online.

Working from home does have many perks for employees, notably the 30-second commute, which saves time and fuel costs. Telecommuting also benefits those who work well independently or in silence, or who have children and often work off-hours to make up for lost daytime productivity.

But it's not a viable option for all workers. Forty-three percent of senior executives surveyed by OfficeTeam, a subsidiary of Robert Half International, said telecommuting arrangements are best for staff-level employees. More than two-thirds said their senior executives rarely or never telecommute.

"Effective management requires plenty of 'face time' with employees," said Diane Domeyer, executive director of OfficeTeam in a press release. "Supervisors should have an open-door policy, and that means being available to staff who need guidance with projects."

Domeyer says upper-level employees also tend to travel often, so when they're on-site, they frequently need to set up meetings with support staffs or garner project approvals.

But being a telecommuter doesn't necessarily mean stalling your career progress. The key, Domeyer says, is making sure you stay visible. For many workers, this means occasionally coming into the office -- even if you don't have to -- but being strategic about it and scheduling meetings with key teammates.

When you're working remotely, remind your boss and teammates that you actually are working. Send weekly or periodic progress reports to demonstrate everything you have accomplished.

Finally, make sure everyone knows the best way to reach you. When on-site workers can't reach a colleague by phone, they can simply walk to her office. But that option isn't possible for telecommuters, so they need to designate multiple channels through which they can be reached. If you'll be away from your phone, give your co-workers a way to contact you via instant messenger, e-mail or cell phone.

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About Fred Harteis : Fred Harteis leads Harteis International. Fred Harteis has a background in agriculture and has created many successful business ventures.