Posted on Dec 17, 2013
What's your thoughts on military "telecommuting?"
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Alright folks, how many of our awesome RallyPointers out there have actually 'teleworked,' 'telecommuted,' or worked remotely; whatever we choose to call it, who out there has actually done it? So, what are your thoughts on the practice... are you for it, or against it, and why? If you're experienced with the telecommuting... what are the pros and cons? ...and how might it be made better, more reasonable, or more efficient? The goal here is to have an open and informative discussion, raise awareness, improve practices & performance, and hopefully learn a thing-or-two in the process... just one rule, as always: respect for all members, of all ranks, all branches, statuses, ages, etc. That said, this should be a great conversation; I really look forward to hearing your thoughts and lessons learned, now grab those keyboards, and... see you all in the discussion threads!
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Edited 11 y ago
Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 30
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Isn't that what drone pilots do? Oh for the day an 11B can telecomute. I might reenlist from my xbox that day.
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My wife and I live in rural Alaska, on the Kenai River. We both telecommute. We previously lived in Oregon, where we had a business which primarily worked on Alaskan projects. I've had home office based business in addition to other jobs for the last 6 years. It's often a good way to get a startup off to a solid financial start by cutting or sharing overhead. I believe the success of telecommuting is dependent on several things but there are many benefits as well. The nature of your business has to be one which is conducive to telecommuting also. Here's a few things which help in a home office situation:
Your office needs to be set apart, it should be a place where you go to work. Clear it of distractions, and make sure that family understands that when you're in the office with the door closed....you aren't to be disturbed. I've found that clients and co-workers don't take you serious...and can even get resentful when they find out you are working from home. In our previous home we converted our back family room into an office space because it was a separate wing of the house. Everything in that space was work related. It helps you to get into "work" mode. We even took our son to daycare in the morning, and returned to the office.
Setting up office hours is helpful. Going to work....is helpful also. Get up, shower, make coffee, GET DRESSED, then walk to your office. It's about a mindset. Productivity is vital to telecommuting. You are going to be expected by your employer to be MORE productive working from home.
This go around...up in Alaska, my wife has sectioned off a portion of our master bedroom suite to be her office. She loves working with a panoramic view of the river. It's also insulated from the rest of the house, so it's quiet. We have a 2 year old son, we take turns being "on-call" or primary, for watching him while working.We're saving over $1K a month in daycare expenses. I love it. My office is downstairs, but still has a view of the river. We're 45 minutes from the closest small town. We generally go to town once a week. Amazon provides most of what we need, and our weekly town run supplies the rest. I make my own hours, and my vehicle fuel bill has gone from nearly $1K a month down to $150. While I get dressed daily, I don't have to wear slacks & a tie (though I actually miss that), my clothing and laundry bills have dropped drastically. It allows us to live in a larger place.
There is definitely a stigma that surrounds working from home though....its assumed by many that you sit around, sleeping until 10, wear pajamas, watch tv and screw around. When my wife first started...she did just that. I had to step in and instill some discipline, which shot her productivity through the roof. She likes the big paychecks, so she's much more self disciplined now.
Watercooler talk takes on a whole different dynamic...but my office partner still steals the last of the coffee and doesn't make a new pot. Office politics spill over into home....lol. At least I don't have to worry about a sex harassment charge from my office partner.
Your office needs to be set apart, it should be a place where you go to work. Clear it of distractions, and make sure that family understands that when you're in the office with the door closed....you aren't to be disturbed. I've found that clients and co-workers don't take you serious...and can even get resentful when they find out you are working from home. In our previous home we converted our back family room into an office space because it was a separate wing of the house. Everything in that space was work related. It helps you to get into "work" mode. We even took our son to daycare in the morning, and returned to the office.
Setting up office hours is helpful. Going to work....is helpful also. Get up, shower, make coffee, GET DRESSED, then walk to your office. It's about a mindset. Productivity is vital to telecommuting. You are going to be expected by your employer to be MORE productive working from home.
This go around...up in Alaska, my wife has sectioned off a portion of our master bedroom suite to be her office. She loves working with a panoramic view of the river. It's also insulated from the rest of the house, so it's quiet. We have a 2 year old son, we take turns being "on-call" or primary, for watching him while working.We're saving over $1K a month in daycare expenses. I love it. My office is downstairs, but still has a view of the river. We're 45 minutes from the closest small town. We generally go to town once a week. Amazon provides most of what we need, and our weekly town run supplies the rest. I make my own hours, and my vehicle fuel bill has gone from nearly $1K a month down to $150. While I get dressed daily, I don't have to wear slacks & a tie (though I actually miss that), my clothing and laundry bills have dropped drastically. It allows us to live in a larger place.
There is definitely a stigma that surrounds working from home though....its assumed by many that you sit around, sleeping until 10, wear pajamas, watch tv and screw around. When my wife first started...she did just that. I had to step in and instill some discipline, which shot her productivity through the roof. She likes the big paychecks, so she's much more self disciplined now.
Watercooler talk takes on a whole different dynamic...but my office partner still steals the last of the coffee and doesn't make a new pot. Office politics spill over into home....lol. At least I don't have to worry about a sex harassment charge from my office partner.
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Col (Join to see)
TSgt Larson, thanks for your response, the basic rules that you've underscored for successful telecommuting exist in some form in the Federal Government variation of the practice. Also, you've brought up some other issues that very likely come-up in most orgs learning/cultural curve. Awesome post, great insight and observations... thanks again for sharing!
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SSgt John Oldham
I would be careful in today's military about allowing personnel to telecommute or reduce work loads, this might actually lead to further reductions in man power. Who then will be there to fix the crap when it breaks in the middle, as it so often did in the Air Force. You know bailing wire and chewing gum only last so long, then you resort to duck tape.
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I could do 99% of my job from home. I drive to work to mainly answer emails.
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Maj Walter Kilar
I know the feeling. I broke my leg last year and negotiated to telecommute for a month or so, and I got more work done in one month that I would in one year at the office!
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