The Dark Side of Telecommuting to the Office

The perk that many, many people want? The ability to work from home-either part time or full time. In fact, so many people want this that a lot of companies have implemented telecommuting policies. For those of us who love working from home, this is fantastic. No commute. We’re home when UPS brings our packages. When the washing machine starts pouring water out the door and through the ceiling (I speak from experience), we don’t have to take a day off to wait for the technician to come.

But, what has happened at the office? Not everyone loves working from home, and a culture that ends up encouraging telecommuting can often make the people who prefer to work in the office unhappy. The New York Times reports on new research by Professor Rockmann and Michael G. Pratt, a management professor at Boston College that talks about this dark side of telecommuting. They write:

To keep reading, click here; The Dark Side of Telecommuting to the Office

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2 thoughts on “The Dark Side of Telecommuting to the Office

  1. I can work from home when I need to, but I don’t have a good setup and prefer to work in the office. Plus, I get a little stir crazy if I’m home all day everyday. Going to the office regularly gets me out of the house.

    Also, my neighbors have decided that they all need really loud and annoying dogs who bark. all. day. At. everything. >_<

  2. >> “culture that ends up encouraging telecommuting can often make the people who prefer to work in the office unhappy.”

    As someone who has been unhappy, stressed, distracted, and less productive in the office for over 25 years now, I have to say I find it difficult to feign not sympathy. From the NYT article:

    “Many of these people came into work because they desired social interaction, and yet they found themselves deprived of the convivial lunches, spontaneous hallway interactions and impromptu office conversations that can be so energizing. ”

    I don;t go to work for social interaction. I go to work to… work. Then I go home.

    A hint. Many of your co-workers want to avoid those so-called “convivial lunches, spontaneous hallway interactions and impromptu office conversations”. They’re not energizing; they’re draining. Roughly half of your co-workers (more or less depending on the job) are Introverts and your “need” for social interaction at work is ruining our productivity and causing us stress.

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