With the exception of restaurant work, every single job I held throughout the past twenty plus years could have been done on a telecommute basis. Of course there are bits and pieces throughout those years that would have required me to come in once in a while like filing (way back in the day) and in house meetings, but, for the most part, I could have done my work at home with the help of some Wi-Fi and a few networking tools.

Though I freelanced for most of the past eight years that I’ve been working out of my home, I’ve also held a full time job and currently hold a full time contract, all while working out of my home office. In fact, my current job is based in California and I talk with people all over the country.Would it be convenient for me to pop into the main office to take care of business rather than wait for a good time to schedule a conference, call? Absolutely. Is it necessary for me to be close by to do my job well? No.

So here’s what I can tell you about telecommuting:

• I’m more productive when I work at home. I’m more focused on my tasks and not distracted by the goings on of my co-workers. I’m not subjected to the latest gossip, nor do I have to deal with the co-worker who is always talking loudly into the phone or someone else’s bad hygiene.
• I work better alone. I don’t have anything to hide, but I’m never comfortable with someone standing behind me breathing down my neck. You can’t really tell a superior to step out of your personal space, though. Can you? At home it’s all my personal space.
• I save money. I save money on gas, food, clothes and supplies. Most of my business expenses are either reimbursable or tax deductible.
• Businesses save money. If every worker in an office environment telecommuted, businesses would be able to cut down on large expenses such as rent and insurance. Even with a home base and a few employees telecommuting there would still be a savings of a variety of overhead expenses.
• It doesn’t take much effort or expense: In most cases telecommuting only requires a computer and a wifi connection. Some businesses might require a bit more heavy equipment, but, really, it doesn’t take much more than that.
• It’s good for the environment. Less pollution from cars. Less bottled water. Fewer fast food containers.
• Technical glitches are isolated. If there’s a power outage, fire, server glitch or other issue at the main office, telecommuters aren’t affected. They can continue to work
• Fewer sick/vacation days: Though we do like to take time off for ourselves, we don’t take as many sick days because we generally work through our colds. We might take to our beds in extreme cases, but sniffles and a bit of nausea don’t generally keep us from our jobs. Also, we don’t have to take full days off to attend recitals, doctor appointments or class events. We might need to take an extended lunch hour, but since most of these things are close to our homes, the time away from our work is minimal.

There are some downsides to working at home as well:

• Distractions. While I’m less distracted at home, my house has better distractions. The TV, the fridge, music, the web, outside, the pool, etc. The secret to not giving in to distractions (for me) is in scheduling time for everything, but that doesn’t mean these things don’t call to me during inopportune moments.
• Kids. Sometimes my son likes to throw a tantrum when I’m on a conference call. An office with a door is a good remedy for this, but kids have needs during working hours. I mostly work while school is in session but summer can be a challenge. Day camps and after care programs are a big help and many of these are tax deductible.
• Loneliness – There are times when I wish I wasn’t home alone, but that’s rare. I talk to so many people for my job during the day, online and by phone, that I don’t feel as if I’m alone. Plus, I go for a walk with neighborhood friends every morning and meet friends for lunch every now and then.
• Blurry Lines - When you work at home the lines tend to blur. You don’t pack up at 5:00 and leave for the day. You’re always at your job and work always calls.

This is what I miss about working outside of my home:

….I got nothing.

Why some businesses won’t consider a telecommute option:

Truthfully, many business owners don’t trust their workers to stay focused at home. They feel that when everyone is sitting at their desks in the cube farm they’re more productive. I think it works on a case by case basis. There are always goof offs. Generally, the person who goofs off at the office will goof off more at home. Focused productive workers will do well regardless of whether or not they’re working at the office, home or coffee shop.

Also, many business owners like having people close by for meetings or to answer questions. While this is convenient, it’s also something that can be done from a remote location. Thanks to Skype, email and the cell phone we can still reach the people we need to reach at the time we need to reach them.

There’s also meetings. While many of us can agree they’re huge time sucks, meetings are necessary for communication and so everyone is on the same page. This is easily solved by allowing people who work at home to come in for meetings, or to have conference calls or telemeetings.

Really, most arguments against telecommuting have a reasonable counterpoint.

Can everyone telecommute?

There will always be jobs that aren’t open to teleworkers, for example the gas station and the grocery store. However, most desk jobs can be done at home.  While more businesses are allowing a telecommute option, for most it’s a privilege offered to proven employees. However, most writers, bloggers and social media people don’t need to go into an office every day to get the job done.

If whole businesses can outsource to other countries, certainly they can allow their people to work at home.

Edited to Add: Since writing this post, my comedian friends on Twitter (I’m talking to you Chris Garrett and Laura Spencer) are expressing their pleasure at the fact that the Starbucks coffee guy and family doctor don’t work out of their homes. Well, yeah. Not every job should have a telecommute option. However, many business-y, office-y, jobs can and should, but don’t. Very funny, guys.

What do you do? Can it be done at home? What is your best argument for or against telecommuting?

Many Community Manager jobs have a telecommute option, which is awesome. As most of my friends know, I have no intention of ever returning to a traditional office job. I enjoy the flexibility of working at home and spending the time with my family. I became spoiled as a freelancer and now I’m spoiled as a telecommuting Community Manager.

That doesn’t mean it’s all bunny slippers and Oprah, however. If you’re hoping to land a gig where you can work from home, let me turn you on to a few things to consider first:

1. Folks don’t always respect your time - It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do. People will think that because you work at home your job isn’t so important. They will call you during your working hours, and drop by for coffee. Friends and family will ask for favors and wonder why you don’t get enough house stuff done during your working hours. Remedy this by establishing working hours and making sure everyone knows you’re not available during this time.
2. Working at home is hard – Flexibility is good, but you have to make a lot of compromises of your time. I spend free time and “lunch hours” driving children to various activities or running errands. It’s very rare that I go out to lunch with friends or co-workers and any time spent doing children’s activities during the day is made up well into the evening. Plus there are constant distractions: The phone, the TV, the Internet, the fridge. You have to be very disciplined to work at home without a supervisor standing over you.
3. You’ll work more hours at home than you do at an office job - Home workers are constantly checking and responding to emails and tweaking projects, even after “office” hours. If the computer is on, you’re checking on work, no matter how often you vow to stay away.
4. If your Skype is on you must be working – Many times your superiors or co-workers don’t consider your weekends or evenings as private time if they know you are online. If they see you on Skype or Twitter, they might contact you with some extra things to do. This happens often among homeworkers. Don’t be afraid to set boundaries.

Working from home is the best thing for me and my situation. However, telcommuters must have discipline and a good work ethic. Are you up to the challenge?