Telecommuting is the best thing to happen to the Internet since e-mail, online dating and porn.
It behooves me that our government can waste so much time and money debating the irrelevant (or the relevant but it is obvious they will never make the right changes...I'm looking at you, healthcare bill and bailout bills) when they could be drafting legislation to promote telecommuting (maybe tax breaks for allowing a certain percentage of employees to work from home?).
To wit, telecommuting reduces our oil dependence by reducing rush hour traffic; allows for more free time for personal use; and saves money for everybody except for the people who rent out office space.
I know one of the arguments against telecommuting is that many people are too easily distracted at home to be productive. And for some people, this could be true. I'm not saying that telecommuting is for everybody.
But for the vast majority of people who spend eight hours or more in an office or cubicle everyday, transitioning to telecommuting would be smooth and result in no loss of productivity. Quite the contrary, I have experienced a morale boost from working at home and have been more productive.
I blame the Old Guard for stifling telecommuting. For example, my first high school journalism teacher taught us how to layout a page on pica-grid paper, complete with old fashioned cutting (with scissors) and pasting (with glue). You know, just in case that whole Internet thing didn't work out, we could still design a page for the Gutenberg press.
The Old Guard have failed to appreciate that the Internet makes gathering information and communicating easier and faster. As a result, eight hours is too much time to be in the office every day. Even the most industrious, busy-bodies out there can still find time to read EF'M or other blogs at the office.
I think it is only a matter of time before there are more Americans telecommuting from home than working in an office. Here's hoping for the rest of you, because I'm already living the dream.
Now THIS is America!
1 week ago
I agreed 100%. There is actually a company that has made this sort of switch - it is some box store, like Office Depot or something...anyway, I can't remember. But they did it at their corporate headquarters and it's been a huge success.
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Thanks!
Totally agree. There is a generational difference with respect to telecommuting. I personally think it's just a matter of time before it becomes more widespread and accepted.
ReplyDeleteJust got my check for $500.
ReplyDeleteSometimes people don't believe me when I tell them about how much money you can get by taking paid surveys online...
So I show them a video of myself actually getting paid $500 for filling paid surveys to set the record straight.