Inside Telecommuting: Exploring Remote Work Opportunities

• Versatility: Telecommuting can include jobs that may require off-site work like researching or reporting.
  
  
• Historically onsite: Telecommuting can be a flexible arrangement where employees have dedicated space at an onsite office and occasionally work elsewhere. If working offsite, that location is often within a reasonable commute of an employer’s physical office.
  
  
• Communication: Telecommuters may use a phone, email, and other enterprise remote working tools. They may not be required to be in constant communication with their colleagues.
  
  
• Broad scope: Because of the flexibility of the arrangement, telecommuters are often empowered to manage their own work and time. 

• Permanently offsite: Remote work positions are exclusively offsite roles where employees are not expected to visit a physical office. In fact, some remote workers are hired by companies that have no physical offices at all—these employers might use small business remote working tools to handle operations and communications.
  
  
• Work from anywhere: Remote workers can work from any distance away from their employer—even from the other side of the world. Remote workers can work from anywhere with a stable internet connection.
  
  
• Communication: Remote workers use messaging and video conferencing solutions that require stable internet connections. While remote workers don’t have to work onsite, they are expected to be available as if they were at the office.
  
  
• Fixed scope: Remote workers typically have regular duties and deliverables that they are expected to manage in a timely manner.
  
  

The term telecommuting can be applied to a variety of workplace arrangements. Here are a few examples:

• Full time: The employee works outside of a physical office environment all the time. This can also be described as a remote work arrangement.
  
  
• Part time: With a part-time arrangement, the employee spends most of their working hours at an onsite location.
  
  
• Hybrid: Similarly to part time, employees with hybrid work arrangements work both on and offsite. The employers may have a fixed requirement of how much time must be spent on or offsite, or they may work with the employee to find a balance that works best.
  
  
• Temporary: Employees with temporary telecommuting arrangements have the flexibility to work offsite for a fixed period of time. Examples could include a life-changing event, a medical recovery, or participating in an offsite development course.
  
  
• Hoteling: Also called hot desking, hoteling is where employees work at non-dedicated spaces (like desks with laptop docks and monitors) on those occasions when they have to work onsite.
  
  
• Work from anywhere: Another term for remote work, work from anywhere means that employees can complete their tasks from any location as long as they can virtually connect with their employer.
  
  
• Freelancing, gig work, and contracting: Like their onsite counterparts, these employees work on a limited project or for a fixed period of time—but in this case, from a remote location like a home office.

The benefits of teleworking are varied and include:

• Cost savings. Employees working from home can cut down on transportation expenses that would normally go towards commuting. Employers can also reduce expenses like heating and cooling larger offices if staff are only onsite infrequently. Telecommuting for small businesses may even eliminate the need for physical offices, saving money on rent and other real estate costs. 
  
  
• Time savings. With commutes reduced, employees have more time in their day. This could be more time for work, shifting their schedules to work the hours when they’re most productive, or personal time. Employers may see their telecommuters actually spend more time working than those who commute to physical locations. 
  
  
• Improved work-life balance. Telecommuters have the flexibility to tailor their work schedules to fit personal commitments, significantly reducing the stress of juggling both. The benefits of telecommuting extend to employers too, leading to improved job retention rates and increased, hybrid productivity. Happier, less stressed employees are more productive and more likely to stay in that role, reducing the need for training and onboarding.
  
  
• Reduced environmental impact. Reducing commutes reduces greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles—one of the most exciting fringe benefits of telecommuting. Fewer cars on the road also means improved air quality, which contributes to the overall health of people in dense areas. Remote work can also lead to reduced demand for office space, which in turn can decrease energy consumption associated with heating, cooling, and powering office buildings.
  
  
• Increased productivity. Telecommuters typically take the time to create a dedicated work environment, such as a home office. Without common workplace interruptions, telecommuters are free to focus on getting their jobs done. Tools like Teams Phone, Teams Rooms, and Teams Premium keep telecommuters connected while also helping them get their jobs done faster.
  
  
• Greater access to jobs and talent. People looking for full-time, remote positions can search for jobs in any location. This affords them the chance to work and grow their careers in ways that might otherwise be limited in their geographic area. It also means that they can live where they want and find work. For employers, this is one of the greatest benefits of telecommuting because it opens up the field of candidates to anyone around the world. They have more options to find the right candidates for their company, especially if a role has specific experience requirements that might be hard to find locally. 

While the benefits of telecommuting are substantial, they can come with some challenges for both employers and employees. A few of the disadvantages of telecommuting include:

• Social isolation. For employees accustomed to working in a physical office, it can take some time to learn how to work from home without daily social interaction. It’s up to employers and employees to find creative, remote-friendly ways to meet these social needs within telecommuting arrangements. 
  
  
• Lack of communication. Employers and employees may both feel like they aren’t communicating with each other as much as they would if they had an onsite work arrangement. Employers can use technology solutions to manage remote teams and keep lines of communication open with employees. 
  
  
• Workspace costs. While many employers will provide telecommuters with basic work equipment (laptop, mouse, dock), purchasing additional equipment like a desk and office chair may be the responsibility of the employee. Creating a dedicated work-from-home setup can come at a substantial cost to the employee. 
  
  
• Outside distractions. Even with a dedicated home office, personal and professional lives are not always easy to separate for telecommuters. And in homes where a dedicated office isn’t an option, the separation is even more fragile. Flexible work arrangements and tools that set expectations for availability can help employees balance their personal and work lives in the same space.
  
  
• Risk of burnout. The stress from feeling like you aren’t leaving work can negatively impact productivity and job satisfaction. Remote work solutions with time management features can help telecommuters know when it’s time to log off. And employers can set expectations of when telecommuters are supposed to be working and when they’re not. 
  
  
• Technology issues. IT support can be tricky when employees don’t work in the same building as their help desk. While a great variety of technology issues can be handled remotely, this is one of those instances where it helps to have an alternate means of communication (like a phone number or mobile app) to reach out for support.
  
  
• Security concerns. Telecommuters may be trusted by their employers to handle sensitive data like customer information, financial records, or proprietary secrets. With a remote work arrangement, security is the responsibility of both the employer and the employee. The employer can provide technology solutions to safeguard sensitive data, while the employee is on the hook for using good cybersecurity hygiene like locking their device and connecting only to secure networks.