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#ACES2015
WORKING AWAY FROM THE
OFFICE:
Benefits and drawbacks
ACES
March 2015
Rhonda Bracey
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Worked remotely full-time since Feb 2007
Several long-term clients in that time (Australia, Israel, US)
Main client since late 2008: Chevron (Gorgon LNG Project)
Rarely, if ever, meet my clients/work colleagues
Mostly do technical editing for large teams of authors
About me
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“The virtual office has existed for at least a century...
Clothing factories used to drop off piecework at the
homes of stay-at-home mothers who would sew the
pieces together and receive payment on a per-item basis.
…it’s simple enough to give a worker a remote login to
your network, a high-speed Internet connection, or
whatever other connectivity service she requires.”
Lee, TJ. The Virtual Office: Part 2
www.thenakedpc.com/articles/v02/20/0220-03.html
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“I’m sitting in a traffic
jam, in the car that I need
to get to work, so that I
can pay for the house
that I’m never in.”
How many minutes of this per day?
10? 20? 30? 45? 60? More?
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How far/long is your daily commute?
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RAC WA Horizons, June/July 2014, p9
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Only to face this for 8+ hours…
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Just 3 minutes walk away…
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Positives
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More discretionary
time
No commute; no madly running errands on the way home; no
ironing; more time for family, leisure activities
Reduce or cut out: expensive lunches, snacks, drinks (coffee);
Reduced costs
parking, public transport, tolls, fuel, car wear and tear; wardrobe
(~$10,000 pa saved) updates, laundry, shoes/stockings, makeup/hair/nails
Greater
productivity
No/fewer meetings; no water cooler chat; few ad hoc
interruptions (‘prairie dogging’); little office politics
Less stress/
better health
Few interruptions  meet deadlines; work the hours to suit body
clock/commitments; not rushing; fewer take-outs/meals out;
more time for exercise; don’t catch/transmit bugs
Reduced footprint
on Earth
Not running car as often; not consuming as much
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But it’s not
all roses…
Negatives
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Isolation
Miss ad hoc work and social relationships with co-workers; out of the
loop; no body language/facial expression nuances
Increased
costs
Possible increase in power/internet/phone costs; equipment/software
costs if employer doesn’t provide; dedicated office space and furniture
Interruptions
Family/friends may assume you’re always available to do other tasks
(chores, shopping, kid taxi, coffee/lunch etc.)
Perceptions
Managers/co-workers may assume you’re doing nothing or doing
things other than work
Overworking
Can be too easy to work all hours and not separate home/work life
Underworking
Self-discipline is essential otherwise you’ll get nothing done; beware
of distracting yourself with non-work tasks
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Self-distractions….
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It’s about managing…
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Yourself and your time (discipline, routine, distractions)
Perceptions of others (ALWAYS be available during core hours)
Interruptions (train your spouse, family, friends)
Your workspace (dedicated is best, with a door)
Your mental and physical health (exercise regime, social contact)
Your employer/manager (who pays for what; negotiate core hours)
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Helping hands: If you have these…
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Existing
work/
network
Existing
reputation
Appropriate
environment
Consider
telecommuting
(at least some of
the time)
Supportive
employer
Good selfdiscipline
Supportive
family
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Work types conducive for telecommuting
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Suitable work types: ANY! Occasional, temporary,
PT, FT, permanent, consultant, contractor…
Suitable time periods: ANY! Full-time, few days a
week, occasional, temporarily FT for a period…
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Temporary situations for telecommuting
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Physical health issues: e.g.:
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short-/long-term conditions (e.g. chronic
fatigue, broken limb)
recovering from illness/hospital stay
temporary or permanent physical limitations
Mental health issues: e.g. anxiety disorders
Personal issues: e.g.:
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primary caregiver for an extended period but can work
some of the time
need time to meet/consult others (e.g. dealing with
financial/health/car/house issues etc.)
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Connecting Technologies
Takeaways:
 Internet essential—the faster the better
 Remote access and collaboration tools are
getting better all the time
 Keep in contact—have regular voice
meetings with manager/colleagues
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Internet
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MINIMUM: Fast broadband/fiber connection
Websites, email, social media
Conference calls: phone and/or video
Transfer/backup data files
Connect securely to another system (VPN)
Work on another system as though you were there (Windows
Remote Desktop: free)
Instant messaging (e.g. Microsoft Lync in corporate environment)
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Telephony
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Landline, mobile, VOIP (e.g. Skype, Cisco)
Skype:
• Computer to computer (free)
• Smartphone app, conference calls, video calls, chat, voicemail,
file transfer, screen sharing...
Cisco IP Phone option if already used in office:
• Office phone directory
• Dedicated local number/extension
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Web conference/screen sharing tools
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A Google search for web conferencing applications gives >92 million
results! Many apps are suitable for tablets too. Examples:
Provider
Pricing (in US$, as at June 2014)
Website
WebEx
Free (up to 3 people); $24/month (up
to 8); $49/month (up to 25)
www.webex.com
GoToMeeting $49/month (up to 25); 30-day free trial
www.gotomeeting.com
Adobe
Connect
From $45/month; also ‘pay per use’
option: 32c/user/minute
http://www.adobe.com/pr
oducts/adobeconnect.html
Microsoft
Lync Online
Various prices depending on Office 365
subs, corporate installations etc.
http://www.microsoft.com/
en-us/office365/lynconline.aspx
Join Me
Free; Pro version from $13/month
www.join.me
Fuze Meeting Free (up to 25); $8/month (up to 125)
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https://www.fuzebox.com/
pricing
Remote access requirements
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If you need to
access:
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your own
system
while on
the road
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a client’s
system
from
anywhere
then you’ll
need this
information…
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Domain name, username, password
Client sys admin to allow VPN access
Tools to provide access, such as:
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Remote Desktop (Windows; free!)
remote access to server and networked
PCs via web
Microsoft Outlook Web App (if using
Exchange Server [or VPN to use Outlook])
commercial desktop and web tools
Commercial remote access tools
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Examples:
Provider
Pricing (US$, as at June 2014)
Website
GoToMyPC
$10/month for access to one PC
(30-day free trial)
www.gotomypc.com
LogMeIn
From $99/year (free trial)
www.logmein.com
TeamViewer
From $699/year
www.teamviewer.com
Soonr
From $30/month (3 users)
www.soonr.com
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IT help
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If no access to corporate IT help, consider ‘pay per
use’ on-demand, on-site, or remote services
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Some have pre-paid cover plans, and/or managed
IT services
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Example collaboration tools
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Document sharing tools (e.g. Google Drive, Office 365)
File sharing tools (e.g. Microsoft OneDrive, DropBox)
Project management tools (e.g. BaseCamp, ToodleDo)
Microsoft SharePoint: Tries to do all the above in the one
package; success varies…
Other: Content management systems, wikis, forums, blogs,
Twitter (!)
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Twitter examples
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Home Office
Takeaways:
 Essentials: dedicated space with a door
 Get a GOOD chair
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Minimum equipment
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PC and/or laptop
Modem/router (preferably with WiFi)
Printer (multifunction = smaller footprint—copy, scan, print, fax)
Headset (or microphone + speakers [often built-in to laptops])
External, portable hard drives and thumb drives
Phone (smartphone is ‘one device to rule them all’)
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Nice to have…
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Tablet (iPad, Samsung [Android], etc.)
WiFi connection (built-in to later laptops; on phone/tablet)
Webcam (built-in to later laptops; on phone/tablet)
Travel-sized bits and pieces (mouse, cables, chargers [portable
battery])
Digital voice recorder (try your phone/tablet)
Digital camera (or phone/tablet camera)
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Stuff for your body
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Decent desk + chair (you’ll spend a LOT of hours at both, so don’t scrimp)
Quiet/free from distractions (noise-canceling headphones, ear plugs)
Good lighting
Temperature control
Exercise
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Just for video and conference calls
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Check background for inappropriate, messy, personal items (test!)
(watch for things growing out of your head; use fake background image or screen
to cover mess)
Ban pets, children, others from the room (lock the door, ‘On Air’ sign)
Work in a silent room if possible (no background noises: screeching
birds, barking dogs, vacuum cleaners, drills, microwave beeps, etc.)
Mute any room noises (e.g. phones, alarms, notification pings)
Screen sharing (minimal desktop icons; ‘clean’ file/folder names)
Watch for bright lighting (can distract, wash out, or make your face dark)
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Just for video calls
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http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/118944-five-video-skype-tips-background
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Facts and figures
Takeaways:
 Costs of commuting are huge—time, money,
mental health
 ‘Employers of choice’ are those that offer
flexible approaches to where/how you work
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Some facts…
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UK companies spent £24 billion on business travel in 20111
It costs UK employers £7000 per person per desk for office workers1
90% of office workers would like to work from home some of the time1
35% of tech professionals would sacrifice up to 10% of their salaries for
full-time telecommuting2
Microsoft dramatically reduced its Australian office rent by encouraging
employees to telecommute and ‘hot desk’3
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From "Home of the future" Episode 2: Work (TwoFour Broadcast Ltd, 2012; presenter Chris Sanderson)
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/040511-it-telecommute.html
http://www.afr.com/p/tech-gadgets/don_bother_coming_in_microsoft_plans_4awi53i0X9pUPfK5hk6KnK
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Results from studies on commuting…
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Lengthy, unpredictable commutes affect physical and emotional wellbeing1
Commuting strain  nervousness/tension, pain/stiffness, irritability, fatigue1
>10% of parents in paid employment spend more time each week
commuting than with their children1
On the IBM Commuter Pain Index2 (1 to 100), Beijing and Mexico City = 99,
Sydney 40, Toronto 32, Los Angeles 25, New York 19, Houston 17
31% surveyed3 said traffic was often so bad they turned around and went home
(69% in Beijing!)
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From Flood, Michael and Barbato, Claire (2005) Off to Work: Commuting in Australia, Australia Institute, Canberra.
IBM Commuter Pain Index (2011): http://www-03.ibm.com/press/au/en/pressrelease/33560.wss
IBM Commuter Pain Index (2010): http://www-03.ibm.com/press/au/en/pressrelease/32029.wss
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Effects of commuting on mental health
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Main article: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/nov/01/secrets-worlds-happiest-cities-commute-property-prices
Swedish study: http://www.samfak.umu.se/english/about-the-faculty/news/newsdetailpage/long-distance-commuters-get-divorced-moreoften.cid160978
Stutzer and Frey (German study): http://ideas.repec.org/p/zur/iewwpx/151.html
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Resources
Takeaways:
 Search for ‘remote working’, teleworking’
‘telecommuting’, ‘working from home’
 Plenty available on benefits/costs of
telecommuting and convincing arguments for
your boss
 List of some on my blog:
http://cybertext.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/
resources-for-remote-working-presentation/ (all
links checked and updated January 2015)
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Just for fun….
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Thank you…
Any questions?
Contact me:
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Email: rhonda.bracey@cybertext.com.au
Website: http://www.cybertext.com.au
Blog: http://cybertext.wordpress.com
Twitter: @cybertext
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rhondabracey
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