The 4 “E”s of Telecommuting

Have you ever wondered why women and men decide to work from their homes instead of going out the door to work?  What is the attraction?  How can this benefit anyone? 

Well, you are not alone.  Many individuals have only just begun to realize that this type of work arrangement even exists. Many of those who have known that telecommuting existed, wouldn’t have any idea of the why’s, what’s, or how’s of working from home.  Although people love the idea and have the ability to work from home, they never investigate the possibilities because they simply do not know how to go about doing it. 

After much reading and research into telecommuting, we have come to the conclusion that the best way to describe the benefits of working from home is to describe four reasons why this type of work arrangement benefits everyone, especially the woman/mother.  We have called these descriptions the ‘4 E’s of Telecommuting’ as we feel these are the main reasons that working from home is so appealing to many.

Let’s start with the first “E”- Elasticity.  Elasticity would refer to the flexibility that telecommuting offers.  Individuals, namely moms, have many desires and needs that are put on a back burner.  Unfortunately this is quite the norm because mothers usually lack a flexible schedule.  Everything is centered on ‘time’.  How many times have you said, “I’ll go shopping later whenever I have the time” or “I’ll visit whenever my schedule allows me”?  Time is always an issue and something that we are constantly lacking.  Women don’t go to work outside of the home because their available time to contribute to a job is very limited in most cases.  Telecommuting lends you the time.  When you are working from your home, although there are deadlines and schedules also, you have a bendable schedule.  If you cannot start working at 8:00am sharp or if you have to leave for an appointment or stop what you are doing just to fix lunch, you have the available time to do so without major repercussions.  Once you learn to manage your time effectively, you have won half of the battle.

The second “E”, Equilibrium, is a balance between work and home.  How many women do you know that work outside of their homes and find it difficult to balance their schedules to meet the demands of a career and a family?  My guess would be that most do not find this to be an easy task.  As a matter of fact, mothers/women working outside of their home find it almost impossible to keep up with everything.  Something always suffers and more times than not, it is your family.  Realizing today’s need for more than one income, there is a happy medium.  That medium is telecommuting.  First, keep the idea that nothing is perfect because nothing is perfect all of the time.  That is realization.  However, balancing your career and family life can be much more comfortable and rewarding by working from your home.  The simple fact that you are home, even if you are working while you are there, is an overwhelming advantage.

The third “E” of Telecommuting is Earnest.  Security, honest, eagerness all relate to this term.  Security is something that employers just cannot guarantee.  Job security is more uncertain now than it has ever been.  Long-term employees really don’t know if they’ll have a job tomorrow.  Telecommuting has a tremendous advantage in job security.  Putting it plain and simple, no one can fire you or lay you off.  Sure, companies can cut back and perhaps terminate your services, however, there are several more opportunities where that came from.  Companies that are downsizing still need support.  Telecommuting offers these employers a less expensive way to meet their needs.  Your skills and experience are more widely recognized because you have no competition.  Many times you are communicating with just one or two individuals.  An honest, eager telecommuter can build an impressive portfolio with the most important ingredient, ‘word-of-mouth’ references.  Individual, personal references are the most valuable asset you can have when you are working for yourself.  Telecommuting gives you the opportunity to build these sorts of relationships and usually develop into return customers.

The fourth and final “E” is Esteem.  Do you have high self-esteem?  How do you regard yourself?  Do you feel that you are doing the best that you can do to feel good about yourself?  These are questions you should ask yourself.  Chances are your answers would reflect on the idea that you could do better.  Even your most successful business people could not say there is no room for improvement in their life.  As a matter of fact, high positioned employees don’t even consider this an important subject.  They are too busy making ‘company’ money.  They run their selves ragged for someone else.  If you were to put all of that ambition and energy into yourself, your self-esteem would soar.  When you choose telecommuting as your means of a career, you are improving yourself while you are providing a service.  Every job that you complete, every employer that you satisfy teaches you new things and develops a positive working attitude.  If you feel that you have accomplished something positive, it will display in your attitude.  You will undoubtedly feel good about yourself.  The key to having others look upon you in a positive light is for you to see yourself in that light.  Telecommuting is a path in that direction.

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