I've been working from home since November 2016 & wouldn't trade it for anything.
Did a little tele-work for a couple of years and then retired. Took a part-time job doing only virtual, and it's the only way for me to do this job now. My son is creating public policy recommendations to implement broadband coverage for all of America so we can all fully telecommute and get virtual healthcare in future.
I've been working from home since November 2016 & wouldn't trade it for anything.
Did a little tele-work for a couple of years and then retired. Took a part-time job doing only virtual, and it's the only way for me to do this job now. My son is creating public policy recommendations to implement broadband coverage for all of America so we can all fully telecommute and get virtual healthcare in future.
I've been working from home since November 2016 & wouldn't trade it for anything.
hobbitt has been telecommuting since about '97. Full time since 2002. We wouldn't have been able to move cross country in order for me to look after my mother in her last years. It has been a blessing.
He's retired as of April '20, finished his consulting in October. The only thing that's different in this household is that I no longer make his lunch.
my better half was teaching/zooming from home for months and the stuff that popped up was hilarious, eye opening and some of it was just sad
Zoom's interface isn't really ready for prime time. I use it maybe once a month and depending on who is hosting the meeting, buttons seem to be in different places.
My wife can do that but doesn't like to because of the interruptions. This cat want out, this dog want petted, this dog wants to go for a walk.....yadda yadda yadda. She can't stay focused at home.
That is precisely why I do most of my writing in coffeehouses.
My tasks are simpler and the people I support are not in my office anyway - I communicate with them primarily via phone and email. I am pretty much 100% responsible for two very industry-specific programs used to help engineers and managers take decisions about system design. Those engineers and managers are scattered across the state. If I need to meet with them personally I have to travel anyway.
Maybe you should start lobbying to give up your office space. In the interests of cost-cutting, that is. Just the space; not the job.
hobbitt finds it a bit less-than-ideal to telecommute, though. For him, being able to bounce ideas off his colleagues and draw design charts on white boards is a helpful thing.
And, fwiw, I didn't find my colleagues annoying for the most part, unless it was one of those support people asking me the same damn question over and over and over. But being in the office means being on-call. It sucked. I had this argument with my boss over and over - what work do you want me to do? Test, upgrade, install and debug new software which you're paying me the big bucks for? Or answer stupid call center questions all day? You pick. (She was not amused with my attitude, though she understood.)
My tasks are simpler and the people I support are not in my office anyway - I communicate with them primarily via phone and email. I am pretty much 100% responsible for two very industry-specific programs used to help engineers and managers take decisions about system design. Those engineers and managers are scattered across the state. If I need to meet with them personally I have to travel anyway.
I can't help but imagine I would benefit from being away from the gaggle of EXTREMELY annoying humans I have to endure at the office.
hobbitt finds it a bit less-than-ideal to telecommute, though. For him, being able to bounce ideas off his colleagues and draw design charts on white boards is a helpful thing.
And, fwiw, I didn't find my colleagues annoying for the most part, unless it was one of those support people asking me the same damn question over and over and over. But being in the office means being on-call. It sucked. I had this argument with my boss over and over - what work do you want me to do? Test, upgrade, install and debug new software which you're paying me the big bucks for? Or answer stupid call center questions all day? You pick. (She was not amused with my attitude, though she understood.)