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> Even in companies that officially allow telecommuting part- or full-time, a
> control-freak manager can (and will) insist on seeing you at your onsite
> desk or in face-to-face meetings. When you are working off-site, this type
> of manager will expect you to be available for frequent 'progress check'
> phone calls, and to respond instantly to email messages about administrative
> and project-related details. The reduced productivity due to this
> time-consuming micro-management can then be used as justification for
> pulling you on-site.
I think the reasoning behind such micromanagement is probably due to the fact
that most people do not work when off site. They sit around their house and
procrastinate all day.
I used to let writers telecommute. I stopped it when I had to rescue 2 projects
in a row after the telecommuting writers did not do their work. One writer
tried to argue with me that going to the gym and talking on the phone with her
boyfriend for hours and hours was work-related.
Telecommuting should be a reward for people who have repeatedly proven that
they have the self-motivation to get a job done on-time. In my experience
probably 1 in 20 employees falls into that category.
So if you want to "break into" telecommuting - work your butt off on-site
FIRST. Most managers will not (and should not) let you telecommute on day one.
Just because you telecommuted in your last job proves nothing. You have to
prove yourself on-site to the new manager first. Then you can get the perks of
telecommuting.
Andrew Plato
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