Working from home has been a hot topic of conversation ever since Yahoo’s CEO (Marissa Mayer) made her stunning announcement that working from home is no longer allowed, and everyone is expected to come into the office.
I know this sparked much debate where I work for my “real” job.
There are people who feel very strongly that working in the office were everyone is in one place allows sharing and expanding ideas, and “water cooler” conversations that allow more collaberation.
I think there are advantages to that for sure, but just because someone is in the office doesn’t mean they are actually getting work done! Back in the days when NO ONE worked from home, there were those that spent most of their working hours walking their coffee cup around the office.
Some one that is not that interested in getting work done will find many creative ways to not work, regardless of where they are spending time.
I have also had people tell me that they cannot work at home, as the allure of the work needed in the garden, or any place else in the house, was stronger than sitting at a desk being productive.
And there are the people that never respond when they are “working” at home – in these days of Instant Messenger it is easier than ever to find out if they are around!
All of that being said, there is a lot to be said for working from home.
I spend more time working when my computer is there and on all the time than I did when I had to shut my computer down to come home. I actually find it easier to focus at home where there are not all those folks wanting to chat throughout the day.
The people on my team are scattered all over the country, and even though there are several offices, many are missing from that location so you never have them all together anyway.
There are many, many conference calls throughout the day too, and at home I can use my wireless headset and walk around (getting my steps in!) while on the call without disturbing anyone. (Just pacing behind my desk, not “doing” anything else. There are many articles published on the research around the health risks of sitting too much or for too long at a time).
People that work from home need to be accountable in some way that they are actually accomplishing what they are meant to do. There is quite a nice conversation about this on an article on the New York Time’s Small Business site, among women owner’s of small businesses (Read it here). They talk about accountability and how some jobs lend themselves to working from home and some do not. But in the end, it still boils down to the person and how they handle their responsibilities.
Lia Seth also brings up another point regarding PWD – people with disabilities. Sometimes it is very hard for them to get to an office depending on what is happening with their conditions, and it can put them at a disadvantage to be expected to be in the office at all times.
What are your thoughts about working from home?
