20 December 2005 Blog Home : December 2005 : Permalink
Many people seem to think that jobs that can be done at home aren't real jobs. Never mind that home-office dwellers are their own cafeteria staff, shipping-and-receiving clerks and janitors. They never get credit for cutting an employer's costs, or saving commuting time to do more work. Instead, managers believe that if they aren't there to witness someone working, it can't be happening. They envision homebound workers getting away with something, like lounging in their bathrobes and watching "General Hospital."
It's as if they believe that the people working under their noses don't waste a tremendous amount of time talking about last night's college basketball game, making bids on eBay, or reading only like-minded blogs while on company time. The misconceptions are yet another indication that vacuous symbols of productivity, rather than productivity itself, are all that really count.
As the article says one definite minus is the lack of respect you get from office-bound colleagues or mnagers who seem to think that working from home = skiving. This is especially true if your home is on the Côte d'Azur :) but it flat out isn't true, yes it is possible to goof off at home, but as a highly experienced procrastinator I can say it is just as easy to sit at a desk in an office and do no work whatsoever. Blogs and the Internet are the same everywhere and while it is true that no one (other than the spouse) can see you if you start cruising more dodgy bits of the information superhighway, the potential embarassement factor is only delayed because you still have to meet those deadline thingies or suffer the inconvenience of not being paid. Another minus, albeit one rectified by Skype, is the lack of chat time with fellow workers. It can, to be honest, be boring and lonely workign on your own and that means it can also be hard to summon up the enthusiasm to actually work.