Article originally published on PGiGreenBlog.

 

LG: When did you start telecommuting at PGi?
EC: I began telecommuting during my second year at PGi just one day a week. That progressed into two times a week the next year, and then last year it really started getting more regular. This year I work from home close to 100% of the time, but am available to come into the office if necessary. But that only happens a few times a year, actually, if at all.

 

LG: Why telecommuting?
EC: Well, of course it’s the whole “working in your PJs” thing, but it’s bigger than that. I’m able to work in a more relaxed state, in a more natural environment when I work at home. Not to mention that I don’t have to fight traffic. When I first began working from home, the drive into work ranged from 45 minutes to three hours, depending on the time of day. That’s serious money and time saved to spend with family or doing whatever I want.

 

LG: Speaking of family, I know that you’re a new first-time dad. As a full-time telecommuter, what special advantages does this bring to your relationship with your son?
EC: So many things. I don’t have to get up first thing in the morning and leave him; I can put him down for a nap, I can have my routine and work with his. And actually, both our routines are more stable as a result. And I don’t miss out on those sweet, small experiences that most dads who work in an office definitely would. The main thing—the really big thing—is that I can be a bigger and more active part of his life every day by telecommuting.

 

He’s a year and two months old now and—with all the new challenges that I’ve taken on both professionally and personally—I don’t think that I could have succeeded without telecommuting. The flexibility and the work-life balance that working from home affords just makes life . . . easier. That’s why I gradually tried, each year, to take this a step further and work remotely 100%. I kept on pushing for each day away from the workplace.

 

LG: Getting to the point of telecommuting 100% of the time—did you have to prove yourself? How did that work with your supervisor? Within your department?
EC: I don’t really know. There haven’t been any complaints. My boss trusts his employees. He’s not a babysitter. All PGi developers telecommute at least partially. Our tools make it very easy to coordinate and get things done. If I had to rely solely on email and a phone, I’d have to sit at a desk most of the time. Our video conferencing and web conferencing tools are a natural fit for telecommuters, so we’re really able to take advantage of that as employees of the company.

 

LG: Since you are remote, what steps do you take to ensure that you are efficient as a telecommuter?
EC: I try to keep myself to a routine and be online during standard office hours, but if there is a big project coming up, I code at odd hours like any other developer. In fact, I was actually working too much, 14-15 hours a day, because I was telecommuting. Sometimes this happens when you work from home. Telecommuters work longer hours and can over-compensate because sometimes people question whether you’re actually working because you’re working from home. I think that as telecommuting grows in popularity this misconception will diminish, plus you just have to play your own game. I’m going to work regardless of the setting, and I’m going to get the work done. I have a great boss and he says “I really don’t care where you work from, just make sure that your tickets get addressed and that you’re getting the work done.” Basically, I just make sure that I’m closing tickets.

 

LG: Do you see a difference in your level of productivity now compared with when you worked in a traditional office environment?
EC: I feel a lot less stress because I can work in my own office at home, my own environment. Developers often wear earphones so they can “zone out,” but for me coding at the office was hard because people would randomly come up and interrupt me with questions—sometimes work-related, sometimes more social. It would interrupt the flow of work and my thinking, making it a challenge to maintain concentration and productivity during the days I was in the office. When I started telecommuting, I found that my most productive day was Thursday because it was the day I would work at home.

 

LG: How have you set up your home office? Any advice for our readers?
EC: Well, my wife also telecommutes every day, so we both have to make it work.

 

LG: You’re kidding. [We both laugh.] How do you make this work?
EC: I’ve commandeered the “computer lab,” and she tends to hang out in the living room and in more casual settings. I don’t frequent internet cafes or Starbucks; for me, they defeat the purpose of telecommuting, but that’s just a personal preference.

 

LG: What advice would you give to a newbie telecommuter like myself and for readers who are looking to improve their practice?
EC: Wireless is a must-have. You need it so you can be freer in your house. You don’t want to be any more chained to your desk at home than you do at work. Honestly, I love my new laptop from PGi—it’s just that much easier to work remotely, and my tools are seamless. With iMeet, I have voice capability, so I don’t even need a phone to have a meeting.

 

Battery backup is also helpful. If you ever have a power outage, you have 15-30 minutes of “just in case” power so that your computer doesn’t go out on you in a flash. It’s always good to have redundancy.

 

Web development is an ideal career for telecommuting, but the right tools are essential for success. At the minimum, you’ll need:

• VPN access
• Strong, reliable hardware
• Smart phone—this will help you connect and do repairs in a pinch

 

 

Do you have any telecommuting tips you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you here at PGiGreen.