Telecommuting can be a great option if you’re interested in a stable, permanent job but need to be able to do it from wherever your family happens to be stationed at any given time. You’re an employee of an organization, and responsible for regular work output, generally on a daily or weekly basis. Telecommuting work may be part-time or full-time, depending on the agreement you have with your employer. As with place-based employment, you’re likelier to have benefits such as vacation and sick time, health insurance and possibly tuition reimbursement if you’re a full-timer.
According to estimates from the Global Workplace Analytics/Telework Research Network, approximately 3 million U.S. employees telecommute full time. Of those, 76 percent work for private-sector companies, and of those, larger companies are more likely to allow telecommuting than smaller ones. So, if you’re looking for these types of opportunities, you’ll probably want to target large private-sector companies.
Types of Telecommuting Jobs
What types of work lend themselves to telecommuting? By far the most prevalent off-site or geographically remote work is call center/customer support work, which involves working with an organization’s customers to take orders (“in-house sales”) and reservations, provide technical support, and respond to customer inquiries. These jobs generally pay in the range of $10 - $20 an hour.
But many other types of work can be done remotely: data entry, document coding, business and market research, technical writing, accounting, graphic design, medical and legal transcription, computer programming, website management, content management, remote sales, and being a virtual assistant to a company executive. Essentially, if a job is easily done on your own, without the ongoing input of co-workers, and/or is mostly computer-based, it may lend itself to a telecommuting option.
Making the Case for Telecommuting with Your Current Employer
First, check to see if your potential (or current) employer has an official policy regarding telecommuting. If so, you’ll just need to make sure your request conforms to the stated requirements, then do a good job of convincing your boss that you have the professional maturity and responsibility to work on your own.
If, however, there is no set company policy, and/or very few employees telecommute, assume you’ll need to lay out a detailed description of how your proposed telecommuting arrangement will benefit the company (studies cite improved productivity, lowered costs, and high employee morale). Be ready to lay out how your boss will be able to ensure your performance accountability and the steps you’ll take to create and adhere to a professional working environment in your home office. Because many employers (and supervisors) equate telecommuting with all-day goofing off, be prepared to answer lots of “what if” and “how will you handle” questions to reassure your employer that you’ve thought these things through and are prepared to handle circumstances professionally.
Looking for Telecommuting Jobs
What if you’re interested in finding a permanent job with a company that will enable you to telecommute? This can get tricky because you want to make sure than any telecommuting jobs you consider are with reputable employers, rather than one of the many work-at-home scams out there. So we’ll cover this topic next month!
Resources
Organizations
Global Workplace Analytics/Telework Research Network
www.teleworkresearchnetwork.com/
A terrific source of information about telecommuting, and why this is such a great financial choice for companies. You’ll find good information here to help you make your case for telecommuting with an existing employer.
TelCoa: The Telework Coalition
TelCoa brings together information about telecommuting as an economic, business, and career option, and the resources necessary to support the growth of telecommuting solutions.
Making Your Case
5 Reasons Employers Should Implement Corproate Telecommuting Programs
http://mobileoffice.about.com/od/getmobilized/tp/employer-benefits-of-telework.htm
How to Negotiate a Remote Work Agreement
http://mobileoffice.about.com/od/getmobilized/ht/negotiate-a-remote-work-arrangement.htm
Making Your Case for Telecommuting: How to Convince the Boss
http://www.quintcareers.com/telecommuting_options.html
What to Include in a Remote Work Proposal
http://mobileoffice.about.com/od/getmobilized/f/writing-remote-work-proposal.htm