Telecommuters find that the loneliness and isolation of always working at home may make working from home less attractive in the long run unless human contact can be created to offset the problems of “working remote”.
From EMarketer
When Chuck (Tom Hanks) was stranded on a remote island in the movie Cast Away his only conversation was with a deflated volleyball he called Wilson. Wilson wasn’t much of a talker but he was a terrific listener and was of great psychological assistance as Chuck tried to survive with no other human contact.
Working remotely is perhaps not quite as challenging as surviving on a remote island. But Chuck’s need to chat to Wilson underlines how humans are social animals. It should not, therefore, be surprising that some people find it more difficult than others to work separately from everyone else in their organization.
However, a new report commissioned by the Robert H. Smith School of Business suggests that only 11% of all US workers telecommute either full-time or part-time. The report also indicates that even if workers had the option to telecommute regularly the majority would prefer to brave the traffic and come into the office.
janet tass on February 8th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
I’m very hardworking and want to utilise my communcation skills in a way that could benefit myself and the people who employ me.