Working away from the office: Benefits and drawbacks

WORKING AWAY FROM THE
OFFICE:
Benefits and drawbacks
Rhonda Bracey EAPAA
August 2014
#cybertext

“The virtual office has existed for at least a century...
Clothing factories used to drop off piecework at the
homes of stay-at-home mothers who would sew the
pieces together and receive payment on a per-item basis.
…it’s simple enough to give a worker a remote login to
your network, a high-speed Internet connection, or
whatever other connectivity service she requires.”
Lee, TJ. The Virtual Office: Part 2
www.thenakedpc.com/articles/v02/20/0220-03.html
© CyberText Consulting Pty Ltd

“I’m sitting in a traffic
jam, in the car that I need
to get to work, so that I
can pay for the house
that I’m never in.”
How many minutes of this per day?
10? 20? 30? 45? 60? More?
3 © CyberText Consulting Pty Ltd <date>

How far/long is your daily commute?
4
RAC WA Horizons, June/July 2014, p9

Only to face this for 8+ hours…
5

6
Just 3 minutes walk away…

 Worked remotely full-time since Feb 2007
 Several long-term clients in that time (WA, Qld, Tas, Israel, US)
 Main client since late 2008: Chevron (Gorgon LNG Project)
 Rarely, if ever, meet my clients/work colleagues
 Mostly do technical editing for large teams of authors
About me

Positives
8
No commute; no madly running errands on the way home; no
ironing! More time for family, leisure activities
More discretionary
time
Reduce or cut out: expensive lunches, snacks, drinks (coffee!);
parking, public transport, tolls, fuel, car wear and tear; wardrobe
updates, laundry, shoes/stockings, makeup/hair/nails
Reduced costs
(~$10,000 pa saved)
No/fewer meetings; no water cooler chat; few ad hoc
interruptions (prairie dogging); little office politics
Greater
productivity
Few interruptions = meet deadlines; work hours to suit body
clock/commitments; not rushing; fewer take-outs/meals out;
more time for exercise; don’t catch/transmit bugs
Less stress/
better health
Not running car as often; not consuming as much
Reduced footprint
on Earth

Negatives
10
Miss ad hoc work and social relationships with co-workers; out of the
loop; no body language/facial expression nuances Isolation
Possible increase in power/internet/phone costs; equipment/software
costs if employer doesn’t provide; dedicated office space and furniture
Increased
costs
Family/friends may assume you’re ‘always available’ to do other tasks
(chores, shopping, kid taxi, coffee/lunch etc.)
Interruptions
Managers/co-workers may assume you’re doing nothing or doing
things other than work
Perceptions
Can be too easy to work Overworking all hours and not separate home/work life
Self-discipline is essential otherwise you’ll get nothing done; beware
of distracting yourself with non-work tasks Underworking

Self-distractions….
11

It’s about managing…
12
Yourself and your time (discipline/routine)
Perceptions of others (ALWAYS be available during core hours)
Interruptions (train your spouse, family, friends)
Your workspace (dedicated is best, with a door)
Your mental and physical health (exercise regime, social contact)
Your employer/manager (who pays for what; negotiate core hours)

Helping hands: If you have these…
14
Existing/
suitable
work/
network
Consider
remote
working
(at least some of
the time)
Existing
reputation
Supportive
employer
Supportive
family
Appropriate
environment
Good self-discipline

Who is remote working for?
 Any worker who DOESN’T need to:
 interact face-to-face with others
 use specialised equipment
 work in a specialised location all the time
 NOT suitable: e.g. trades, retail, reception, hospitality
 Look at remote working from various points of
view:
 you may be able to work remotely
 you might recommend this option to your clients
15

Conditions conducive for remote working (1)
 Suitable work types: ANY! Occasional, temporary,
PT, FT, permanent, consultant, contractor…
 Suitable time periods: ANY! Full-time, few days a
week, occasional, temporarily FT for a period…
16

Conditions conducive for remote working (2)
 Physical health issues: e.g.:
 long-term conditions such as chronic fatigue
 short-term conditions such as a broken limb
 recovering from illness/hospital stay
 temporary or permanent physical limitations
 Mental health issues: e.g. anxiety disorders
 Personal issues: e.g.:
 death in the family
 primary caregiver for an extended period but can work some of
the time
 need time to meet/consult other professionals (e.g. dealing with
financial/car/trades issues, health issues, addiction issues, etc.)
 workplace harassment/abuse
17

‘Quiet’ tasks suitable for remote working
 Phone/internet counselling
 Conference calls,
teleconferencing,
videoconferencing
 Recordkeeping, data entry
 After-hours work
(e.g. one-on-one counselling)
 Making bookings, appointments
 Calling, emailing
18

Knowledge tasks suitable for remote working
 Report writing, updating case files, form filling
 Evaluations, assessments, audits
 Researching, reading
 Thinking, analysing
 Reviewing, editing
 Writing
 Planning
 Media/social media
engagement, writing blog posts
19

20 Connecting Technologies
Takeaways:
 Internet essential—the faster the better
 Remote access and collaboration tools are
getting better all the time
 Keep in contact—have regular voice
meetings with manager/colleagues

Internet
21
MINIMUM: Broadband connection (>1.5 Mbps)
Websites, email, social media
Conference calls: phone and/or video
Transfer/backup data files
Connect securely to another system (VPN)
Work on another system as though you were there (Windows
Remote Desktop: free)
Instant messaging (e.g. Microsoft Lync in corporate environment)

Telephony
22
Landline, mobile, VOIP (e.g. Skype, Cisco)
Skype:
• Computer to computer (free)
• Smartphone app, conference calls, video calls, chat, voicemail,
file transfer, screen sharing...
Cisco IP Phone option if already used in office:
• Office phone directory
• Dedicated local number/extension

Web conference/screen sharing tools
A Google search for web conferencing applications gives >92 million
results! Many apps are suitable for tablets too. Examples:
24
Provider Pricing (in US$, as at June 2014) Website
WebEx
Free (up to 3 people); $24/month (up
to 8); $49/month (up to 25)
www.webex.com
GoToMeeting $49/month (up to 25); 30-day free trial www.gotomeeting.com
Adobe
From $45/month; also ‘pay per use’
Connect
option: 32c/user/minute
http://www.adobe.com/pr
oducts/adobeconnect.html
Microsoft
Lync Online
Various prices depending on Office 365
subs, corporate installations etc.
http://www.microsoft.com/
en-us/office365/lync-online.
aspx
Join Me Free; Pro version from $13/month www.join.me
Fuze Meeting Free (up to 25); $8/month (up to 125)
https://www.fuzebox.com/
pricing

Remote access requirements
25
If you need to
access:
 your own
system
while on
the road
 a client’s
system
from
anywhere
then you’ll
need this
information…
 Domain name, username, password
 Client sys admin to allow VPN access
 Tools to provide access, such as:
 Remote Desktop (Windows; free!)
 remote access to server and networked
PCs via web
 Microsoft Outlook Web Access (if using
Exchange Server)
 commercial desktop and web tools

Commercial remote access tools
Examples:
26
Provider Pricing (US$, as at June 2014) Website
GoToMyPC
$10/month for access to one PC (30-
day free trial)
www.gotomypc.com
LogMeIn From $99/year (free trial) www.logmein.com
TeamViewer From $699/year www.teamviewer.com
Soonr From $30/month (3 users) www.soonr.com

IT help
27
 If no access to corporate IT help, consider ‘pay per
use’ on demand on-site or remote services
 Some have pre-paid cover plans, managed IT
services
 Examples:
 Geeks2U (www.geeks2u.com.au)
 PC Guru (www.pcguru.com.au) (remote support from
WA; alliances with local companies for on-site work)
 Search for: IT support Sydney personal PC

Example collaboration tools
28
Document sharing tools (e.g. Google Drive, Office 365)
File sharing tools (e.g. Microsoft OneDrive, DropBox)
Project management tools (e.g. BaseCamp, ToodleDo)
Microsoft SharePoint: Tries to do all the above in the one
package; success varies…
Other: Content management systems, wikis, forums, blogs,
Twitter

29 Home Office
Takeaways:
 Essentials: dedicated space with a door
 Get a GOOD chair

Minimum equipment
33
PC and/or laptop
Modem/router (preferably with WiFi)
Printer (multifunction for single footprint—copy, scan, print, fax)
Headset (or microphone + speakers [often built-in to laptops])
External, portable hard drives/thumb drives
Phone (smartphone is ‘one device to rule them all’)

Nice to have…
34
Tablet (iPad etc.)
WiFi connection (built-in to later laptops; on phone/tablet)
Webcam (built-in to later laptops; on phone/tablet)
Travel-sized bits and pieces (mouse, cables, WiFi dongles)
Digital voice recorder (try your phone/tablet)
Digital camera (or phone/tablet camera)

Stuff for your body
35
Decent desk + chair (you’ll spend a LOT of hours at both, so don’t scrimp)
Quiet/free from distractions (noise-cancelling headphones, ear plugs)
Good lighting
Temperature control
Exercise

Just for video calls
© CyberText Consulting Pty Ltd <date>
36
Check background for inappropriate, messy, personal items (test!)
(Is anything growing out of your head?; use fake background image or screen to
cover mess)
Ban pets, children, others from the room (lock the door, ‘On Air’ sign)
Work in a silent room if possible (no background noises: screeching
birds, barking dogs, vacuum cleaners, drills, microwave beeps, etc.)
Mute any room noises (e.g. phones, alarms, computer notification pings)
Watch for bright lighting (can distract, wash out, or make your face dark)

Just for video calls
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/118944-five-video-skype-tips-background
37

38 Facts and figures
Takeaways:
 Costs of commuting are huge—time, money,
mental health
 ‘Employers of choice’ are those that offer
flexible approaches to where/how you work

Some facts…
39
UK companies spent £24 billion on business travel in 20111
It costs UK employers £7000 per person per desk for office workers1
90% of office workers would like to work from home some of the time1
35% of tech professionals would sacrifice up to 10% of their salaries for
full-time telecommuting2
Microsoft dramatically reduced Australian office rent by encouraging
employees to telecommute and ‘hot desk’3
1. From "Home of the future" Episode 2: Work (TwoFour Broadcast Ltd, 2012; presenter Chris Sanderson)
2. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/040511-it-telecommute.html
3. http://www.afr.com/p/tech-gadgets/don_bother_coming_in_microsoft_plans_4awi53i0X9pUPfK5hk6KnK

Results from studies on commuting…
40
Lengthy, unpredictable commutes affect physical and emotional wellbeing1
Commuting strain  nervousness/tension, pain/stiffness, irritability, fatigue1
>10% of parents in paid employment spend more time each week
commuting than with their children1
On the IBM Commuter Pain Index2 (1 to 100), Sydney is 40, Brisbane 34,
Melbourne 32, Adelaide 22, Perth 19 (Beijing and Mexico City = 99)
31% surveyed3 said traffic was often so bad they turned around and went home
(69% in Beijing!)
1. From Flood, Michael and Barbato, Claire (2005) Off to Work: Commuting in Australia, Australia Institute, Canberra.
2. IBM Commuter Pain Index (2011): http://www-03.ibm.com/press/au/en/pressrelease/33560.wss
3. IBM Commuter Pain Index (2010): http://www-03.ibm.com/press/au/en/pressrelease/32029.wss

Effects of commuting on mental health
41
 Main article: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/nov/01/secrets-worlds-happiest-cities-commute-property-prices
 Swedish study: http://www.samfak.umu.se/english/about-the-faculty/news/newsdetailpage/long-distance-commuters-get-divorced-more-often.
cid160978
 Stutzer and Frey (German study): http://ideas.repec.org/p/zur/iewwpx/151.html

‘Employers of choice’
 Offer working from home as a part of a flexible
approach to work, leading to:
 reduced absenteeism
 retention of good staff
 enhanced job productivity
42

43 Resources
Takeaways:
 Search for ‘remote working’, teleworking’
‘telecommuting’, ‘working from home’
 Plenty available on benefits/costs of telecommuting
and convincing arguments for your boss
 List of some on my blog:
http://cybertext.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/
resources-for-remote-working-presentation/

Just for fun….
44

45 Thank you…
Any questions?
Contact me:
 Email: rhonda.bracey@cybertext.com.au
 Website: http://www.cybertext.com.au
 Blog: http://cybertext.wordpress.com
 Twitter: @cybertext
 LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rhondabracey

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