Re: Not permitted to be productive at home

[wswallow -at- nycap -dot- rr -dot- com]

> For a couple of reasons (not least of which is my need to be 
> within a few 
> feet of a washroom, but that's probably Too Much Information), I e-
> mailed 
> work this morning to say I would be working at home and people 
> could send me 
> stuff to work on. Since my new boss is at a conference, along with 
> most of 
> my teammates, I paged him to let him know. His response was to 
> take a sick 
> day instead: "[We] have been fairly strict with the group when it 
> comes to 
> working from home... [it must be] pre approved..."

I can see your boss' point of view to a point. The boss is away, the team is away, and you would like to work from home, presumably due to an illness (given your washroom comment). If you are sick, your productivity comes into question, whether home or not, thus (probably) the sick day suggestion.

> This WAS announced as policy late last year, but it was to prevent 
> people 
> from slacking off. Management doesn't recognise that the 
> environment itself 
> (open cubicles backing on common walkways, phone and other 
> conversations, ad 
> hoc meetings behind one's chair, co-workers pulling up to have a 
> chat, and 
> so on) can reduce productivity considerably, but we have all 
> adjusted fairly well.

Sorry to play the devil's advocate, but this sounds like general complaining more than an actual issue. The environment you describe is not uncommon, and can easily foster increased productivity due to the open communication that seems to thrive in this environment (phone interruprions notwithstanding). Measures can be taken to avoid frequent interruptions, from simple solutions like putting a "do not disturb" sign up ourside your cube when you are very busy or wearing headphones to block out area noise, to more involved coordination with others who share your environment concerning area ground rules and so forth.
 
> Now, nothing is stopping me from working a regular shift and being 
> productive here at home, and I can always find something to work 
> on wherever 
> I am, but department policy is actually preventing me from logging 
> hours to 
> a project or regular task because of my location. So now I have to 
> deplete my bank of sick days.

Well, you're bringing up several different issues here. One, the project should allow for flexibility due to resource availablility. Two, your productivity isn't being challenged, rather a policy is being enforced. And three, I assume the sick bank is there for you to use in times just like these.

> Does anyone else have a company policy that's AGAINST infrequent 
> telecommuting?

We don't have a policy currently, but are working on one to set ground rules for telecommuting. Some previous employers had no policy and trusted you were busy and productive if telecommuting, and others had a strict policy against it for a variety of reasons.

If the case is that you truly are under the weather, take advantage of the sick day and rest, and save the stress of challenging this policy for another day when you are feeling well.

FWIW,

Bill


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