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Dirty, Naked And Guilty... But Productive -- The Latest On Telecommuting

from the the-benefits-of-working-from-home dept

Mon, Mar 13th 2006 6:45pm — Mike Masnick

Over the years, we've followed the changing perceptions of telecommuting -- and it's become quite clear that it's not for everyone or every company. Plenty of people just don't like it, while managers still can't help but think their telecommuting employees are slacking off. Of course, the truth is that everyone is different -- and what works for some people doesn't for others. The latest study in the space seems to reveal some of the odder stats concerning people who telecommute -- while backing it all up with the self-reported claim (from about 75%) that telecommuting increases productivity. Those that say so also claim that their managers would agree, but the study doesn't seem to actually follow through by asking those managers (which seems like a fairly obvious thing to do). Of course, "telecommuters believe themselves to be more productive" isn't a very interesting headline, so of course they also had to dig up the fact that noticeable percentages of people claim to work naked, not shower, watch TV... and feel guilty about all of this while telecommuting. The numbers seem pretty high when you think about it. It's not surprising, for example, that some people might like to work sans clothing, but one in eight male telecommuters?

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MilwJack, 13 Mar 2006 @ 7:14pm

Naked and guilty
I would have guessed that most guys feel guilty when they're sitting naked in front of the computer, but it never would have occured to me that it's because they're telecommuting. Must be that Catholic upbringing . . .
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nonuser, 13 Mar 2006 @ 7:36pm

weight gain
Has anyone done a study on telecommuting and weight gain? One of the underrated benefits of working in an office is that you get trained not to stuff yourself all day. Usually the company helps by keeping the vending machines loaded with the most unappetizing, sugar- and transfat-laden fare possible.
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LordVader, 13 Mar 2006 @ 8:24pm

Naked and Telecommuting
Sounds like fun!! Just kidding, I think that telecommuting is a great thing, I wish I was doing it. I work tech support for a major software provider for the radio industry. Telecommuting is an awesome option for tech support, because they can track your work. Calls come in and you answer them. That is trackable. Now a software developer the only way you can track his/her work would be to make them submit their work everyday and the quality of the code. Sorry I am rambling. I think that my point is, that more companies should telecommute.
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MetalMan, 14 Mar 2006 @ 2:32am

It's true
I code for a marketing firm 700km away. Most of the time I work naked, or at the very least wearing boxers. I'm a lot more productive working from home, I've run it by the boss and he agrees. The quality of my work has gone up because I'm doing it in a more comfortable atmosphere, and I can't stress enough, without pants. There does seem to be a correlation with weight gain; more accessible food and less of a chance to be moving around. I put on 10 pounds since January, and probably lost 5 in muscle mass, so I've just gone out and renewed a gym subscription. Other than that it's ideal, and in my case the article's accurate.
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Clothed Coward, 14 Mar 2006 @ 6:41am

If your telecommuting and your naked, maybe you work for a porno site? or maybe you live in a nudist colony? I can see skipping a shower (in the morning at most), but working naked during the day seems odd. How do you wash a chair seat? (eeeewwwwwhhhhh)

The benefits of telecommuting are the reduced commute, which for me adds 1.5 hrs a day to either my work time (for increased productivity), or for family time (and increased time to re-charge my batteries). It all works out to having a happier employee.

It may be easy to slack off while telecommuting, but not all that much harder than if you were at the office (for all the jobs I've had). You should be judged based on your output, not the effort.
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CADillacMan, 14 Mar 2006 @ 8:18am

Naked for 60 years so far...
As a life-long nudist and a graphics/advertising/page-layout designer, I do work at home and, of course, am nude. (As for the clueless poster who asked about the techniques of "cleaning a chair seat," we nudists are long-accustomed to the courtesy of providing and sitting on a towel. Wasn't that simple?) Previously I had to go to an office every day to do my work, but computers (and ADOBE!) have made that trip unnecessary now. The Good News/The Bad News: Lose clothes: Yes!; Gain Weight: Yes...
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Jeff, 14 Mar 2006 @ 11:54am

I showered and dressed, I promise....
I believe the study. I worked from home for about 2.5 years and not only did I feel more productive, my manager confirmed that assessment on several occassions. They key is having self discipline and being an excellent and responsive communicator. Your office bound coworkers need to feel you're available and getting the job done. It's not for everyone. And I did shower every day and get dressed...

Having a workspace far from the tv and kitchen helps too.
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