Working from The Keys

2006-02-27T15:43:00+00:00

Answering a couple emails on my Treo this morning got me thinking about working remotely. That and an article in The Miami Herald about a growing traffic problem. Businesses are concerned about the growing costs of commuting. The only solutions mentioned in the article are ‘build more roads’ type solutions. I was suprised not to see any talk of working remotely to avoid commuting. Working remotely hands back to the employee both the cost of the commute, and the time lost to the commute. These benifits alone are enormous, but there are others.

Productivity

The modern cubicle based office is littered with bad feng sui. Interuptions, distractions and negative energy are always present to varying degrees. Einstein said most people can only concentrate for a second, but he could concentrate for a minute. Workers who have the option of choosing their work location are more likely to put together valuable seconds when needed.

Creativity

When doing some thinking outside the box, there’s nothing better than being out of that cursed cube. Not every job description calls for creative thinking, but nearly every worker can benefit from it. In Jack Welch’s book Winning he quotes a GE employee who said “For 25 years you had my hands when you could have had my brains as well … for nothing.” Workers are often the first to see flaws in the system. An occasional day working from home can help to clarify, document, and address problems.

Office Space

Additionally, a productive worker at home frees up a cube and worstation in the office. Companies that allow workers to spend a couple days woking from home accumulate additional savings by creating a shared pool of workstations. And if you haven’t seen it, get the movie Office Space.

Micro Management

A manager concerned about trusting a worker at home may have a problem with micro management. If micro management is a disease, working from home can be a cure. A successful project executed at home builds trust between a worker and manager. There’s no substitute for success. Trust can relieve a manager of excessive worrying about details, and free a worker from needless interuptions.

Back to The Keys

Now no work location is perfect. I’ve heard children crying on conference calls, and I hear some women out by the pool right now. But above are just some of the benefits of working remotely. I’d go on, but you get the idea. I’m heading to the pool.

!the keys

Martinicity: Working from The Keys

Working from The Keys