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Is telecommuting a career mistake?

Posted Oct 20th, 2009 at 9:46 AM and seen
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Start bettering your career.

While telecommuting (working from your computer at home) may seem like the perfect job, it's important to know that it can also be more difficult than an office job.

Telecommuting is more common than ever, due to technology advancements and more flexible workplace cultures. However, there is still an undeniable sense that the lack of face time in an office setting might make it easier for a boss to lay you off. Also, people have a tendency to build lazy work habits over time. These bad habits are far more visible in a telecommunication environment.

Learn more about how telecommuting might be bad for your career.

By Catherine Faas.

 Catherine Faas

Comments (5)

Oct 21, 2009
Lee Provoost said...
well what you see in big consulting firms is that if you are always working remotely at client locations/home/sattelite offices/... that the old saying "out of sight is out of heart" applies. you're more likely to get pay rise, promotions, nice projects, etc if you are frequently in the head office
Oct 21, 2009
Bilal Jaffery said...
It would depend on the work culture. In my case, our teams are all over the place and we don't necessarily have a 'main' office for our team. Experts are in States, Canada, UK etc.

We do work-around that by having tele-conferences and web meetings though. It keeps people exposed and on equal ground. However, it definitely helps if you are one of the lucky ones who share the office/city as your main manager.

Oct 21, 2009
Frank- Career Search said...
Great Article! I think that there needs to be more telecommuniting opportunies that companies can offer. I know many people with children can benefit from this greatly.
Oct 21, 2009
Rebecca Newton said...
I've been telecommuting since 1994 and it hasn't hurt my career at all. I get a lot more work done and connect with a lot more people via telecommuting than being inside 4 walls. Facetime is huge on twitter and we're not all in one big giant office are we? It's not for the younger folks in the work force, in my experience, but it certainly doesn't hurt your chances at advancing if you're dedicated, communicative, and adept. You have to remind people to include you and don't allow yourself to fade into the background. The only downside is it is very quiet and your senses adjust to quiet and not much visual or audio stimulus. That's important to remember when you DO go visit an office.
Oct 21, 2009
Keith Brooks said...
It's not for everyone and if you are in a larger organization it usually is out of sight out of mind, BUT if you provide good work, more people know about it because you can interact with anyone, when you are remote.
We try to hire remote admins/devs whenever possible as it reduces our costs, enhances productivity and provides employees/contractors families with a better state of mind.
The downside is some nights or dinners missed if you are not careful.
The future, for better or worse, is not going to be based on your office, if you even have one, but on where your people are and how you can get the work done.
The issue is when businesses will finally accept that just because someone sits in your office doesn't mean they do anything. It works both ways. Sitting at home, or in a Regus office is just another "remote" office and it's likely to be the future offices. Our houses are too small or not feasible to work from for everyone.

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