Telecommuting Can Be Bad For Those Who Don't

SirLurksAlot writes "An article up on Ars Technica reports on a study of telecommuting from the point of view of those who show up at the office every day. The study discovered that telecommuting can have adverse effects on the office-bound. Researcher Timothy Golden 'found that in-office employees took less satisfaction in their jobs and felt less of a relationship and obligation to their company as the number of telecommuting coworkers grew. In-office employees in his study became disappointed at having fewer and weaker relationships. They also got frustrated at a perceived increase in workload and difficulties that telecommuting can present to finishing projects and building strong working relationships.'" The article notes that telecommuting is "not an exact science." Some good insights in the discussion forum too.

Comments

Re:I agree with this

[ddig83]

No, No!

First they commit the code, then you build it, then you have the users test and sign off, THEN you pay them.

Too many 'oh we must have a different jdk version' or 'but we thought JBOSS and WebSphere would behave the same' mistakes have taught me this.

Re:I agree with this

[labeth]

And what, exactly, is wrong with it being "my time" after 5PM? If I already spend a third of my day working, why should I be expected to put in more than that? You may perceive it as a lack of work ethic, but realize also that you are putting undo pressure on people who do have personal lives or obligations that would keep them from spending three or four extra hours at the computer, plugging away at something that could easily be left to the next day without any real detriment. Before someone makes assumptions (particularly because I'm female), I am not saying this as an angry parent whose child-related obligations get in the way of their career success-- like you, I have no interest in children (although I could certainly see how someone who does choose that lifestyle might be a little bitter). But really, working so many long hours is detrimental to your health and sanity-- it's a buzzword, but "work/life balance" does have its place.