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Telecommuting Not Right for Everyone
July 08, 2009
Huge corporate headquarter buildings may be going the way of the Model-T. With business entities increasingly focused on finding means by which they may reduce expenses, investing in real estate to house offices and cubicles is coming under increased levels of scrutiny. Combine this factor with a younger work force that expects to be able to work from anywhere and at any time, it is little wonder that more and more businesses are openly encouraging telecommuting.
It turns out, however, that all employees might not be equally successful at working away from a structured office environment. A growing body of research demonstrates that some people are simply not wired for telecommuting. Some employees require a certain amount of interpersonal interaction, and for these people, forcing them to work from home leaves them feeling isolated.
The telecommuters who seem to thrive tend to be “extroverted curiosity seekers who are quick decision makers and super Type A personalities.” To the extent they need to, these people will reach out no matter where they are.
Interestingly, highly disorganized people perform better in an office environment where workplace structure provides a certain amount of reinforcement. The most successful mobile workers tend to extremely well-organized by their very nature.
Among those employees who require more interpersonal interaction, managers can help them succeed in a mobile environment simply by actively reaching out to them with some frequency. To the extent possible, those efforts to connect should involve lots of face-to-face contact. Where distance makes that less feasible, videoconferencing is preferred over electronic communications.
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