Telecommuting
A good friend, teacher, grad student, and former hi-tech consultant, recently blogged about and eWeek article which noted that many executives think telecommuting is a limiter to career growth. I posted a reply over on Libby’s blog but also thought it deserved a bit more thought. I will try to describe my experience with telecommuting for a large technology company.
Let me preface that I accept most of what the eWeek article states and I do not feel I have been wronged by my employer for being a telecommuter.
Meetings, brainstorming sessions, reviews, Q&A - all are faster, easier, and have less ambiguity when conducted in the presence of the workers involved. If a significant part of your work day is comprised of these activities, then telecommuting is not beneficial to your career.
For anyone who has “dialed in” to a conference room full of people as a remote participant, you can describe first hand how much less effective a participant you are when compared to those in the room. In the room, sidebar conversations quickly hone ideas before they are presented; support for ideas is built before contentious aspects are aired; and misunderstandings are telegraphed by expressions, body language, and soft-spoken comments. None of these aspects translate well from the live group dynamic to the remote individual.
In addition to not having all of the fidelity of communication available to co-located workers, the telecommuter has another disadvantage - “the relationship”. No, I’m not talking office romance; I’m talking about “trust” which is built over time from repeated interactions with co-workers. It is a fact of business that a lot of things happen (good and bad) because of the individual relationships that are built over time. The Japanese culture has a strong basis in developing long term one-on-one business relationships inside and between companies.
Imagine you are on a deadline, and person you’ve worked with for over a year, sends you a text message. Odds are good, you will reply, let them know you are busy but can help if it’s quick. Now, let’s assume the person text messaging you is someone you have never heard of. Are you likely to answer the message? Might you reply with “I’m on a deadline” or the dreaded “OTP” just to avoid the interruption?
Can the above experience be improved? Yes, but at a cost - “reduce everyone to the least common denominator”. Make everyone participate as if they too were a remote worker. Clearly, this is not a good solution. However, it is one of the techniques used both in conferencing (audio and web) as well as what happens in SecondLife.
Not all telecommuting is strictly personal choice. Corporate cost cutting is driving telecommuting behavior. While business travel is an obvious expense, companies can achieve significant savings from work-at-home, mobile, and non-office work designations. One company estimates approximately $17,000/yr for each employee who does not have an office at a corporate facility.
Many companies publicly evangelize the “global team” as a strength - where email, teleconferencing, shared workspaces, web conferences, and instant messaging erase the boundaries of distance. Unfortunately, this is rarely reality.
One reason for my low “in office” presence is that my projects, for the most part, have been on teams at other corporate sites. Even when I am “at the office” it is not at the same facility as the majority of my team. My company has facilities all over the world. While I have been based in Massachusetts for many years, my teams have been located in Ireland, Germany, the South-East United states, and China. In these situations, being in a corporate building in Massachusetts is no better than telecommuting from my home office. (I should point out that my home office is a real office, just located in my home. It has all the function of a corporate office, but with better decor.)
Over the last 3 years, my “in office” time has steadily decreased to my current situation where I telecommute 100% of the time for extended periods (currently going on 4 months without stepping foot in a company facility). I won’t presume my contribution as a remote worker is equal to what it would be if I were co-located with my team. The truth is collocation makes a significant contribution to the efficiency of a team. I know that. I agree with that. Decisions are easier and faster when people are face-to-face.
So, given that telecommuters are second class to co-located workers, “why am I a telecommuter?” I have already admitted my career growth would benefit if I were in a corporate office with my team. I’m not a slacker. I have worked hard to advance within the company and I am disappointed if my annual reviews are less that glowing. I’ll admit, I want to be recognized as an over achiever. So why do I handicap myself? I can sum it up simply as “work / life balance” (which, by the way, should be “life / work balance” but I will save that for a different article). I could move to a major city and deal with the horrific commute and I would most definitely have more opportunity for growth, more easily be perceived as a superior contributor, get easier reviews, yada, yada, yada. I might also have ulcers, high blood pressure, live in a postage stamp sized condo (and pay through the nose for the privilege), yada, yada, yada.
My point is that people, today, should consider “working remote” as a choice, not a right. And choices have consequences. In the case of telecommuting, the savings to the company is a cost to the team.
Addendum: I should attempt to impart a little wisdom on telecommuting. First, look at the whole “remote worker” as a work / life balance issue. Weigh the benefits and costs to yourself, your family, friends, and of course your career. Second, consider what jobs are more suited to the telecommuting work-style. As I have pointed out, if everyone on your team is a remote worker, then you are on a more even playing field. If your job is a lot of meetings, brainstorming, etc. and most of the team is co-located, then being a remote contributor is a handicap.
Thanks to Libby for getting me thinking (and writing) about this topic. I think it will grow and evolve over the next several years. However, I do not think it will improve – just become more obvious.
