The Remote Worker's Survival Guide

The Remote Worker’s Survival Guide: Get Beyond the Challenges to Reap Benefits

Telecommuting sounds so blissful. You can work from the comfort of your own home, with a cat purring on your lap, while you blast your favorite music at top volume. You don’t need to waste any time on a highway during rush hour traffic. And, with no interruptions, you can be productive. Why wouldn’t anyone want to work remotely?

That description of remote work is true, every bit of it. You get independence, flexibility, and more control over your work environment. But it has its challenges and tradeoffs, and woe betide the remote worker who tries the lifestyle without acknowledging and responding to those issues. Herein, you find out how to make a success of telecommuting, whether you are an individual telecommuter, a team member, or a manager.

A Laptop Computer and Pink Bunny Slippers

If you’re drawn to work outside a traditional office, you aren’t alone. In recent years, employers have become more sensitive to work/life balance and the benefits that attract top-quality candidates. As a result, it has become more common for businesses to permit, and even encourage, remote work, at least on an occasional basis.

It’s easy to understand why so many people want to escape their standard office jobs, the ones with florescent lights, a pitiful excuse for coffee, and a despicable open floor plan. According to the online employment site FlexJobs, telecommuting has grown 103 percent since 2005, with 3 percent ...