| | My employer prides itself on its extremely mobile workforce. One of the ways that this is apparent is by the way that they issue everyone a laptop. Desktops literally do not exist at this company. Laptops for all! (This sounds really chic and hip and cool until you actually start to test the limits of said laptop's performance.)
Another way they demonstrate their desire to have a mobile and flexible workforce is their Virtual Private Network.
Granted, they kind of HAVE to be this way, since most of their employees are off-site at some client site. So they HAVE to be able to do that kind of thing, otherwise no one but the blood suckers known as Corporate Services (of which I am one) would be able to use the network.
At any rate, the VPN is a very attractive thing to us Corporate Services people, because it gives us the ability to be on the company network while not actually being at the office. We could be, say, at home, for example.
However, I personally have not had much success with this. Whenever I tried, it wouldn't work. It refused to allow me on. So I took LOTS of time this week calling people in India to get it to work. And my efforts have paid off!!! For 2 hours of my workday this morning, I sat in the study of our little home, fielding emails and organizing meetings, doing research, and even accessing the company intranet! Then, when I did finally decide to head in around 9:30, my commute was reduced from the hour it has been since school started to 20 minutes. Duuude. This could catch on...
As a part of my job, recently I got to do some research for telecommuters. Specifically, what kind of legal liability the company can incur by having employees who do that. As a part of that research, I got to come across some of the information on this style of work, its benefits, and its risks. Until now though, my knowledge of the subject was purely academic. Now, I have 2 whole hours of practical experience under my belt!
Frankly, I find it kind of helpful for me personally as a way to work. I especially like the fact that if I work a couple hours in the morning, I miss the commute. Plus, it breaks up my work day so that instead of 8 hours with a 30 minute lunch break, I can do some of the tasks at home before I leave, and then have a break as I commute (in a quicker amount of time) and then be a little refreshed to tie right back into it. Given the fact that my boss is a 100% teleworker (he lives in Kansas; most of his subordinates are located here in Virginia or New York), there may be some future in this for me. Already, 95% of our team telecommutes on Fridays as a matter of course. They don't even bother to come in. So maybe I could join them...
The savings in gas alone are worth any extra cell phone charges I may incur. Though even there, I can take one of our IP phones home, plug it into my home network, and log in and have my office phone at home. How sweet is that??
Another benefit is more time with my wife. Frankly, that time I spend commuting, I would rather spend with her. Obviously you have to be disciplined enough to accomplish work while also being at home, but I think that doing 3.5 years of Oak Brook has kinda helped me prepare for that. But still - the immediacy and ability to just BE there is also beneficial.
So, I don't know where I will take this. It could be interesting! The biggest benefit I'm seeing is that if its all icy out there this winter - no problem! So long as my cable is hooked up, I'm good to go. 
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| | Posted 9/14/2007 2:01 PM - 34 Views - 2 eProps - 2 comments
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