Telework
Are you in search of work-life balance? Consider telework/telecommuting. Telework is when you work from home or a telework center instead of going into the office. Depending on your employer you may be allowed to telework as few as one day a week or the entire work week. Not only can eliminating your commute just one day a week save you money but it can help your overall morale and your family and work balance. Telework can help you avoid peak rush hour traffic, allow you to be home to see your kids off to school, and permit you to have non-weekend time to accomplish errands and other personal business.
Want to know more? We’ve tackled the why and the how below.
Why Telework?
Teleworking creates a less stressful and less rushed work day. You won’t believe how easy and quick it is to begin your work day. Imagine not having to make the mad dash from work to pick up your child before preschool/daycare closes…or having time to run to the grocery store right after work and still getting home early. You’ll need less time to get ready in the morning and when the work day is over the good news is, you’re already home! With the rising gas prices, not only won’t you miss the commute to work but you’ll also be helping the environment and saving money! Telework also allows you to better manage your leave usage. Many working parents find they are always running low on sick leave and annual leave after using their supply during maternity leave, and then once back at work because of unexpected illnesses and lapses in child care. Do you find yourself taking a half or whole day for doctors appointments and other personal matters? If the doctors and businesses you frequent are located near your home, once you telework, schedule your appointments on your telework day so that you can just take off the time used for your appointment and then you can easily return home to continue teleworking after your appointment. You'll be able to schedule home related things on your telework day so that you won’t have to do them on the weekend. Obviously, to keep your telework day you have to be productive, so avoid scheduling things that will prevent you from completing your work. Many people find their telework day the ideal time to have their house cleaner come and to schedule deliveries. Its often easier for moms to work extra hours on their telework day because the commute is eliminated.
How?
The first thing you need to do is figure out what your company’s telework policy is and whether your job is suitable for telework. If your job can be completed away from the office with the use of a computer or phone, chances are you are a good candidate. If you work for the federal government, go to www.telework.gov to find out what your agency’s telework policy is. Almost every federal agency has a telework policy because there are laws requiring them. Congress has also recently passed a bill creating minimum telework requirements for federal employers. If you work for a state, most states similarly have telework laws and aggressive policies in favor of telework. So go to your state government website to find out what the law is in your state. If you work in the private sector, look around the office, if you know someone who teleworks talk to them about the approval process. You can also check with the human resources department. If your supervisor is a proponent of telework certainly talk to him or her.
Once you know the policy, follow the procedures established by your employer to apply for telework. If your employer does not have a telework policy you can still submit a proposal requesting telework. No matter who your employer is visit www.teleworkexchange.com to calculate commuting costs savings. The website also features research and studies about the success of telework and other things you should highlight in your proposal. If you need help putting together your telework proposal, click here where you can purchase a telework proposal template. The template includes background research and lays out the proposal in a concise and easy to use format that you can modify to meet your particular needs.
You may be wondering what equipment you’ll need to telework. Some employers offer laptops for use by teleworkers, but many also have remote or mobile access that allows employees to log into their work station from their own home computer. At a minimum you’ll probably be required to have a phone, computer, and possibly a printer. Having a fax machine can be a plus, but with the widespread availability of scanners, most documents can be transmitted by email.
Telework is not a form of childcare, so if your child is at home, make sure you’ve got someone to take care of him/her. Also make sure you have a nice quiet place where you can work uninterrupted.
If approved for telework you may be required to sign a telework agreement. Be sure to read this over so that you know what’s expected of you. If you haven’t already, take a look at our Telework Blueprint. It was created to help you bridge the gap between working at the office and teleworking at home. We’ve thought of everything you’ll need to keep you organized and productive on your telework day! Good luck and if you have questions or comments we’d love to hear from you. Email us at info@mommyblueprint.com
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