telecommuting

[Shirley Chester <shirlchester -at- YAHOO -dot- COM>]

Thanks to those of you who took time to respond to this informal
survey of techwr-l telecommuting experiences.  Here is the information
I gathered from nearly 40 responses.  These results are far from
scientific and  I'm generalizing quite a bit instead of giving
"statistical" results.

1.  When and where did you telecommute.
        Some people telecommute half way around the world and have never been
to the office.  Most of the respondents telecommute less than 50 miles
from their homes to their offices.

2.  How did you get the telecommuting job?
        Most of the people who got jobs that were "advertised" as
telecommuting jobs got those jobs via friends or coworkers from
previous jobs.
        Many of you had jobs that valued you already so you  were able to
make arrangements for telecommuting when your personal circumstances
made it difficult or impossible for you to continue working at your
offices on a daily basis.
        A few people requested and were granted permission to telecommute a
day or two a week as a condition of accepting a job offer.

3.  Off-site only or both on- and off-site.
        Very few respondents work off-site only.

4.  Relative time and circumstances for off-site and on-site work.
        Most of the respondents work 2 or 3 days off-site and 2 or 3 days
on-site.  Meetings and interviews with SMEs take up most of the
on-site time with most writing being done at home.

5.  Contract or captive?
        A few more people who responded are contract workers than full-time
long-term employees.

6.  Income comparisons.
        Virtually everyone said that there was no loss of income due to
telecommuting.  A couple of people who have telecommuted long
distances for more than a year commented that they had received raises
and bonuses just as they had before they started telecommuting.  A
couple of contractors noted that they seemed to make more when they
telecommuted.

7.  Additional software and hardware.
        Most of the people who contracted already had equipment that was
adequate for telecommuting.  In some cases the companies added
specific software so the contractors could access intranets.
        Most of the full-time employees were provided with all the hardware
and software they needed by their companies.
        In a couple of cases there was no electronic connection between home
and the office, just diskettes being used at both sites.

8.  Comments.  These are the main questions and comments I received.
If you have answers or more comments, please post them to the lsit.
        Are their any good sources for locating telecommuting jobs?
        Does anyone know of relevant web sites?
        You have to be self-motivated and enjoy being alone to be successful
at telecommuting.
        This would be a good topic for STC or other formal, statistically
appropriate research.

Thanks again to everyone who responded.
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