5 Common Lies About Telecommuting
Boulder, CO (PRWEB) June 16, 2014 -- Despite the 118 percent growth in work-from-home opportunities over the last year, career expert Alexandra Levit finds there are still historical stigmas and myths that surround telecommuting.
“Even though working from home is a more common business practice, pervasive myths and lies about telecommuting still persist,” Levit told FlexJobs. “The bottom line is that telecommuting is more ‘the norm’ now, rather than that weird thing your neighbor does for a living where they get to stay home all day.”
In an article on the FlexJobs job search blog, Levit details the misconceived notions both employers and job seekers have about working from home.
Some of the highlights of her five telecommuting lies include:
Lie: Telecommuters are less productive than in-office workers.
Truth: According to most current research, telecommuters are actually more productive than office workers.
Lie: Telecommuters work less or are slackers.
Truth: Telecommuters often work more.
Lie: Telecommuting jobs are limited to computer programming and data entry.
Truth: Nearly every industry has telecommuting jobs available.
Lie: Telecommuters are all introverts.
Truth: Extroverts can make great telecommuters because they're communicative, and more communication (not less) is required when working from home.
Lie: You're not already working from home.
Truth: Most professionals work from home at least an hour a day.
“Alexandra Levit’s points help to shine a light on the misconceptions that are generally held about work mobility and remote jobs,” Sara Sutton Fell, CEO of FlexJobs, stated. “The simple fact is that our workers and workplace technology are very different than 25 years ago, and it is counterproductive to think that the way we worked then – in offices on 9 to 5 schedules – is still the best way to work now. It’s time we bring the workplace into the 21st century, and clearly look at the benefits that telecommuting options can provide to both employers and employees.”
Despite these common misconceptions, the research indicates telecommuting is a growing trend and will rise to include 43 percent of U.S. workers by 2016. According to Forrester Research, this growth is fueled by worldwide broadband adoption, better collaboration tools, and growing management experience. Based on 2014 data from the Families and Work Institute, growth in telecommuting has been happening for the past decade with 38 percent of employers allowing some of their workers to work from home on a regular basis, up from 23 percent in 2008.
For more on the five lies, visit: http://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/5-lies-about-telecommuting-and-the-truth/
About FlexJobs
FlexJobs is the leading online service for professionals seeking telecommuting, flexible schedule, part-time, and freelance jobs. With job listings in over 50 career categories and opportunities ranging from entry-level to executive, freelance to full-time, FlexJobs offers job seekers a safe, easy, and efficient way to find professional and legitimate flexible job listings. Having helped over a half million people in their job searches, FlexJobs has been featured on CNN, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Good Morning America, among hundreds of other trusted media and is a proud partner in the 1 Million for Work Flexibility initiative.
Chelsea Gladden, FlexJobs.com, http://www.flexjobs.com, +1 (866) 991-9222 Ext: 4, [email protected]
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