My day job is in the tech sector where I work for one of the largest producers of software and software based services in the world. They have a great work from home policy. As most of my job is accomplished in the virtual world created by computers and networks it really doesn’t matter where I do the work from.
I call into a conference line for many meetings removing the need for me to be physically present at them.
Most of what I do at work is virtual; most meetings can be held virtually. They even pay me with virtual money that is ‘direct deposited’ into my accounts, I never actually see a check, heck even my paystub is virtual as it’s online.
I use a decent laptop computer for the majority of my work; I have a ‘work’ station both at work and at home, the core environment: two LCD displays, keyboard, mouse and docking stations are duplicated at both sites. You could say they are virtually identical – pun intended.
Connecting to my employer from home is simple enough. A broadband connection at home, some software installed on my laptop that allows me to connect to the VPN connection my employer provides. It’s simple and clean overall. The only time I really notice I’m ‘remoted in’ from home is when I need to push a large file out from my home network, a 512K upload speed may sound fast, and it generally feels that way until a large file is uploaded.
There are many other upsides to working from home. I don’t burn 2-3 gallons of gas during the commute. I don’t add wear and tear to my car. I don’t spend 2+ hours in the car sitting in traffic. I can work in shorts and a tee-shirt, oh wait; I can wear shorts and tee-shirts to work as well. At home I can be more focused as my phone isn’t ringing every 10 minutes and I don’t have the random person walking into my office.
Still it turns out the one thing I miss is the interaction with people, as disruptive as having someone stop by my office can be I miss hearing about their weekend or being invited to make a coffee run.
Personally I’m not a fan of email, or IM, or any technology that breaks the ‘person to person’ connections I have with my coworkers and customers when we are physically in the same room. I’d much rather discuss an issue on the phone then in email, or even better; face to face. I hate IM, it’s the ultimate randomizer of my day. Some of my co-workers use IM for everything, there is a constant ‘ding-ding’ from their laptops as the IMs roll in.
So – I Guess I’m fickle; I don’t want the interruptions at my door as I try to work yet I miss connecting with people face to face. I want my cake and by god, I want to eat it too.
Computers were supposed to herald the age of paperless offices, instead they account for an increased need for paper in the workplace. Wasn’t technology supposed to make communications easier? At times technology meets this expectation a bit. Still for me, email and IM have no soul, you can’t see the other person (and no, I don’t believe having a webcam and sharing real-time video will alleviate what I feel is missing.)
Sometimes, a handshake, a genuine smile and a shared laugh are what the relationship needs to keep it ‘human’.
