Plenty of takers for telecommuting jobs

Stuck in legendary Dubai traffic, have you ever wished that you could work from home? Well, you are not alone, as almost three quarters of the region's professionals favour working from home or telecommuting, as it is popularly known, according to a new survey.

A Bayt.com poll on telecommuting in the Middle East workplace says 72 per cent of the region's professionals believe it is a good idea for both the employer and employees.

Data for the poll was collected online between October 4 and November 17, with a total of 9,923 job seekers participating in it.

Talking to Emirates Business about the sectors in which telecommuting is popular and the reasons why people choose to work from home, Lama Ataya, Head of Marketing and Corporate Communication at the recruitment website Bayt.com, said: "Telecommuting has traditionally been a very viable avenue for call centres, sales, telesales and client service roles in many industries including leisure, recreation, entertainment and transportation. However, recently roles such as public relations, market research, management consulting, as well as different roles in the publishing industry have also become widely amenable to a telecommuting arrangement with the accelerated use of the internet and the 'virtual offices' it has allowed.

"Telecommuting is popular for many reasons. It allows parents to spend more time with young infants, minimises the costs, hassles and logistical aggravations associated with commuting over long distances and offers flexibility in work."

According to the survey, 87 per cent of job seekers said telecommuting was beneficial, with just 12 per cent stating it was not a good idea. However, some of those that cited it as beneficial were split as to who actually benefits from this – employers or employees.

When asked how telecommuting would benefit employees, 44 per cent of respondents said it was a mixture of providing a good work-life balance, promoting more productivity and encouraging staff loyalty.

Almost a third, 32 per cent, said its advantage was solely due to the fact that it allowed employees to secure a good work-life balance, and 12 per cent said it was because it inspired greater productivity. Just five per cent agreed that the main advantage of telecommuting was the fact that it promoted company loyalty.

Interestingly, respondents were divided over who they think would be able to telecommute. For the most part, 40 per cent of respondents agreed that self disciplined employees with excellent performance records would be able to telecommute, while another 18 per cent agreed that employees who do not have to interact face-to-face with customers or colleagues would suit telecommuting.

A further 11 per cent said telecommuting would suit working mothers, while another 24 per cent of respondents said telecommuting would be ideal for all three of these groups.

Ataya said: "It is interesting that so many of the region's respondents feel that telecommuting would be most suited to employees that are self-motivated and good workers presumably because of the perception that with telecommuting comes a number of distractions mainly when working from home and also from the idea that without the watchful eye of a boss or other colleagues, some employees would not always be inclined to work. On the other hand, the region's job seekers also perceive that telecommuting works for those people that already work individually, suggesting there would be no point in telecommuting if employees still have to work in a team, or service clients."

Asked what they perceive the secret to be behind successful telecommuting, an overwhelming 52 per cent said it is a combination of clear guidelines between the employer and employee, trustworthy employees who are capable of working well independently, supportive management who will oversee and guide the telecommuting system, and a proper training programme for the employer and employee in new procedures.

Another 16 per cent said clear guidelines in themselves are the most important priority, followed by trustworthy employees at 10 per cent, a proper training programme at nine per cent and supportive management at eight per cent.

When it came down to it, employees have a number of concerns about telecommuting and more than a quarter, 27 per cent, cited the main concern as underperforming in their work due to no direct mentoring. Interestingly, a fifth had concerns about the capability of their boss to manage them from a distance, and another fifth said that they were concerned about their absence from the office having a detrimental effect on their career development opportunities. Feeling isolated with lack of contact with colleagues was a key concern to 11 per cent of the respondents, while at the other end of the spectrum, 10 per cent were concerned that they would end up overworking, because of the lack of distinction between their home and office.

Almost a half of the respondents, 47 per cent, said that telecommuting is allowed or supported within their organisation.

"Overall, the feedback from the poll vis-à-vis telecommuting concerns suggests that employees are very conscientious and want to ensure they are still doing a good job, but doubt either their individual capabilities, or those of their boss," said Ataya.


Babysitters and other telecommuting secrets

Working from home is fraught with possibilities for failure. Being woken up by an irate client who is waiting on a proposal while you've been sleeping an extra hour, kids screaming while you're trying to close a deal, the cat that spills coffee across your keyboard – these are just a few of the nightmares that can have you yearning for an open-plan office again.

From someone who's been there, done that, my tips on telecommuting: 

- Get a home office. You need somewhere quiet to work from, and I don't mean the bedroom. Ban family from here, unless the house is on fire. 

- Get dressed to go to work (right). Nothing kills creativity like working in pyjamas. 

- Set work hours. Even if you're home, you're not in home mode. The family need to know they can't dump their problems on you all day long. No vacation planning either – unless it's your break.

- Set daily targets. If you're not ruthlessly efficient, you'll find yourself cleaning the bathroom instead of finishing that presentation.

- Stay connected: Remember that out of sight is out of mind, so check in regularly, but keep in short. 

- Hire help. You can't both babysit and work.

- No TV, Facebook or sleeping. It's hard to go back to work after you've just vegged out in front of Oprah.

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