The Benefits of Telecommuting Are Plentiful Here Are Unexpected Ones

The Benefits of Telecommuting Are Plentiful Here Are Unexpected Ones For many, telecommutingalso known as teleworking, e-commuting, or working at homeis a coveted benefit that boosts productivity for employees and employers alike.Flexible work policies are growing in popularity as remote work becomes evermore feasible with technology.A lot of companies are hiring telecommuters, who are employees who dont make the daily commute to the geschftszimmer space because they dont work in the companies buildings. Instead, they do home-based work, whichoffers a lot of perks. For example, a flexible work arrangementcan offer employees a better work-life balance and, therbeiefore, often results in higher job satisfaction, too.Along with controlling your time, creatingyour own work environment and having the flexibility of walking your pup over lunch, there a few unexpected benefits of this work arrangement.1.Youll be given theopportunity to become a better listener.Theres no guarantee that youl l become one because its a choice and requires effort. But you will be given the opportunity to stretch your listening muscles and strengthen your employer-employee relationship. How? Well, listen. When youre remote youre forced into a unique dialogue structure professionally, you can learn a tremendous amount. (More tips on listening here).2. Youll learn how to ask good questions.When youre not listening what are you doing? How do you properly interject into a conversation that is happening hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away? A seasoned telecommuter doesnt just talk but they also know how to ask really good questions. Questions that both help projects and peopleand also questions that reaffirmtheir presence on the team.3. Youll build an executive presence.What do all those questions, good listening skillsand the ability to interact with a team from afar help build? Executive presence. A telecommuter has to learn how to show up from a distance. Video conferencing and technolo gy like Slack help, but when youre on a conference call with 10 or more people, many in the same room, its an art to have your voice heard without steamrolling and interrupting the natural conversation. How do you do this? You learn to develop your presence and own style. You know youre doing this right when people abflug to ask for your input after long stretches of you not talking, since even without constant chatter they know that youre there.4. Youll learn how to sit with yourself.Do you like being around yourself all day? Do you like being yourself? These questions may seem more appropriate from a therapist but they come up while telecommuting. Youre around yourself all day. Sometimes you might not see anyone else all day. Sometimes you might not talk to anyone for hours. Whats that like for you? If you dont know, youll learn quite soon. Some people revel in it some people despise it some are in between and it can really affect employee morale.Many people find working from hom e a little isolating. The trick is to observe your preferences and then create an environment that will untersttzungsangebot your style as best as possible. This means possibly getting a membership at a co-working space, if you realize after the firstsix weeks that you are going batty alone, or creating a really inspiring home office or workspace, if you find yourself being tempted by Netflix or the fridge. Or it might mean embracing your love of solitude5.Youllhave moredowntime to do what you want.No matter the business, industry or your level, all work has some downtime. When you work remotely, you have a fascinating new insight to your own instincts and comfort level with slow days. Are you comfortable powering down? Do you find yourself creating more work for you and your team that isnt really necessary just to seem busy? Do you take the time to read about industry trends or start online shopping? If youre unsure, or youre unsure what I mean, consider this On a slow summer day i n the office, many people will take a long lunch, a few more coffee breaks or maybe even duck out early. Because of the collectiveness of the shared space and the social agreements of the office this is usually fine. Working from home it can feel a little different. What do you do at 330 pm on a Friday when theres nothing left to do? (Now enter back my questions about creating work, logging off, idly shopping or refreshing your expertise). A telecommuter will quickly learn her own instinct.It might sound hokey, but some of the most unexpected, yet most helpful, learnings telecommuting offers are insight to you, and the benefits of telecommuting are plentiful. So if youre lucky enough to be one of those telecommuters with the opportunity to work remotely and really work on an ideal work-life balance for you, take the time to focus on productivity (and design a work office space that allows this), work on how you exert your presence without face-to-face interaction or face-to-face com munication and build that employee-employer relationship so you can ensure job satisfaction with your flexible work.Say goodbye to the traffic congestion and costs of your daily commute in our fast-paced society and say hello to remote work from your living room couch. Home-based work is the way of the future.___Jane Scudder is a certified leadership, career, and personal development coach, facilitator, and workplace consultant based in Chicago, IL. She helps individuals and group navigate their careers, teams, and personal lives. Find out more atjanescudder.com.