You are here: Home Work Issues Work: At Work Working For An ... Is Telecommuting For Me?
Information about all aspects of finances affected by a serious health condition. Includes income sources such as work, investments, and private and government disability programs, and expenses such as medical bills, and how to deal with financial problems.
Information about all aspects of health care from choosing a doctor and treatment, staying safe in a hospital, to end of life care. Includes how to obtain, choose and maximize health insurance policies.
Answers to your practical questions such as how to travel safely despite your health condition, how to avoid getting infected by a pet, and what to say or not say to an insurance company.

Working For An Employer From Home 101

Is Telecommuting For Me?

Next » « Previous

5/12

Telecommuting either part time or full time may be useful to you:

  • As a job accommodation if you are able to perform the essential functions of your job but need some leeway because of your health condition. For instance, telecommuting may be ideal if you are experiencing temporary nausea as a result of medications. Likewise, if you suffer from diarrhea or fatigue as a result of your illness, telecommuting may help you manage your symptoms while remaining productive.
  • To help you transition from disability back to work after a period of disability.
  • Full-time to save the time and cost involved in commuting.
  • Part-time to save time and money, yet allow you time in the office for meetings and other functions which can best be done in the office.

If you are considering telecommuting, realistically assess what your wish to accomplish, your personality, and your home setting.

What you wish to accomplish.

  • If you are considering telecommuting one or two days per week because of adverse reactions from medication or treatments, be careful about indicating to your employer that you will be able to be more productive from home. If, in fact, you are experiencing such difficulty from treatment that you will be unlikely to work from home as well. This does not mean that you can't come to some type of arrangement with your employer, just that you should be honest about what you can and cannot do so the employer can have a reasonable idea of what to expect.
  • If you are considering telecommuting in order to deal with other issues such as childcare or caring for a sick loved one, recognize that handling the task of caregiver in addition to getting your work done at home will be difficult. You will likely need to make arrangements for assistance in your caregiving activities in order to remain productive as an employee.
  • If you think you will be able to do less work, think again. Not only will your employer expect you to be productive, but s/he may even expect that you will be more productive.

Your personality.

For example:

  • Do you need interaction with other people or are you comfortable working on your own? There are people that thrive telecommuting and there are those that indicate it is a very isolating experience. If you are someone who needs to be around other people, you may consider if telecommuting would really be an ideal situation for you.
  • Are you self-motivated, or do you need guidance from others? People that lack self-motivation or that do not tend to work well on their own are generally not good candidates for telecommuting.

Your Home Setting

Do you have a residence:

  • Where's it's legal to work.
  • Where you can work in the kind of atmosphere you need.
  • To store your work equipment without fear it will be trashed -- or in the way.
  • Which can support your needs. For example, if you live in a rural area, can you get high speed internet access if you need it?

To Learn More

More Information

Real Earnings Accommodation

Please share how this information is useful to you. 0 Comments

 

Post a Comment Have something to add to this topic? Contact Us.

Characters remaining:

  • Allowed markup: <a> <i> <b> <em> <u> <s> <strong> <code> <pre> <p>
    All other tags will be stripped.