Legislation in action

A few legislative acts are underway and could mean more assistance to those looking for a flexible work schedule. Working Mother magazine compiled this list of potential workplace flexibility laws although the article points out that none of the laws are likely to pass this year. Working Families Flexibility Act (H.R. 1274): This legislation would [...]

Working from home no substitute for childcare

I’ve written about this many times before but it is something that really gets under my skin. In my research I am always uncovering web sites to help parents work from home. Working from home is great but it’s the sites that purport ”Spend more time with your children! Save on the costs of child care!” that [...]

Novartis faces lawsuit on sex discrimination against female employees

Uh Oh. Someone’s in trouble. Five thousand six hundred employees of Novartis are suing the company for sex discrimination against female employees. Just because a company is on one of those Top 100 Best Places to Work list doesn’t really mean it’s the top place for you to work. Working Mother included it in one of [...]

Why I love NPR

They are just so darn good at explaining things (or digging up the resources for explaining things). For instance, in this survey, courtesy of SHRM (Society for Human Resource Managment), they give us a brief and simple explanation between telecommuting, job sharing, flextime and seasonal scheduling. For example, ever heard of a results-only work environment? [...]

Tax implications can hinder telecommuting efforts

My husband works for a network storage company and many of the employees are hardware engineers. These jobs involve a lot of time at a computer. A lot. Which makes the jobs pretty amenable to telecommuting, if not full time at least a few days per week. One employee who lives over the border in [...]

Workshifting

I learned a new word today. Workshifting Workshifting is working with a virtual office. It’s not new but it is gaining popularity thanks to technology – webcasts, browser accessed software – and it is becoming an increasingly viable option. Imagine working from these lovely beach houses over the summer instead of your cube. Every Tuesday morning I workshift. [...]

Job flexibility may improve health

I love this article from Reuters that points out that “control at work is good for health.” The findings were published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Control at work, to me , includes the option to telecommute, which may cut down on stress from commuting and can provide more time for family and exercise. [...]

Sick kid = little work

My poor little one has had a fever for three days. The doctor will tell us today if it is those two-year molars finally peeking through his gums or something else. I’m glad I get to take him to the doctor myself but having a sick kid at home sure puts a cramp in my [...]

The Snow Day

Working from home is great on snowy, wintry days. I don’t need to need to dig out the driveway early in the morning, or climb into a frigid vehicle, or worry about how my giant snow boots look with a nice outfit. I just walk downstairs to my office with a cup of coffee and  [...]

Oh Lonesome Me

I can barely stand it today. The absolute, at times, maddening, loneliness of working from home, by myself, day-after-every-other day. Most days I am happy to walk down to my office and savor the quiet. The kids are at preschool, husband is at the office, and not a sound can be heard apart from a [...]