The other day my three-year-old was coughing and coughing and coughing and coughing. It was so annoying I nearly exploded and yelled “Quit coughing!” But of course he couldn’t help it and he was right where he should be – at home. It wasn’t that he was really ill, but he had a lingering cough that just needed a few days to get out of his system. He was eating fine, he was still tackling his little brother, and he was running around the house like a typical preschooler.
It got me to thinking back to my office days when someone in the next cube had that cough. The cough that never went away- constant and irritating, and, in adults, often interrupted by phlegm clearing. Hack, hack, hack, Ahegm, hack hack. Holy hell, so irritating.
Co-workers (okay, and maybe I was guilty on occasion, too) would show up because they felt fine and didn’t want to waste one of their three precious sick days, lest they should really need them. So they sat at their desk coughing, coughing, coughing, annoying everyone around them, causing all sorts of concentration disruption just so they could continue to work.
Telecommuting is ideal in this situation.Think how much more productive the office staff would be without Mr. Hack-away coughing all day long in his cube. And he is likely to be more productive, too, as he won’t be worrying about disrupting those around him.
If employers are not comfortable with telecommuting all the time they should begin by allowing a part-time telecommuting option. Telecommuting should be encouraged not only when someone ought to stay home for the day, but once a week or a couple times per month. This would give both employee and employer time to work out any issues that might arise and make adjustments for when telecommuting really ought to be implemented.
And to the cube neighbor who used to clip his nails, all I can say is some things should always be done at home.
Filed under: productivity
Telecommuting is ideal for you far outside of the sense of co-workers bringing their germs on in. It gives you the opportunity to be home with your son, even if he’s not incredibly ill. This is what is so important about the needed shift towards remote work, now all we have to do is get employers to understand that yes, even if there are distractions (such as family–and you know that’s exactly what they see your family as in many cases) you can still remain a viable, productive, and efficient worker. Cheers to you!
I get so much more done while telecommuting. I wish this was an option at all companies but then again, I’m happy where I am now working at home for myself. Water cooler chat, poking over cubes and asking questions, phone calls…so glad that is all gone.
I agree. It was hard for me at first to be so isolated but now I love it. The amount of work I get done in a few hours is beyond anything I used to accomplish in the office with all the interruptions.
This is a great post. Reduced absenteeism is one of the great benefits of telework. And in the worst case, like a pandemic of H1N1 or avian flu, it can truly be a lifesaver.