Describe how telecommuting benefits employees and employers. List guidelines for setting up your home office for telecommuting.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Telecommuting mutually benefits employers and employees. Employers do not have to pay for the physical infrastructure (including office space and parking) for the employee, and telecommuters often work more hours than those who physically commute to an office. Employees benefit from not having to commute and from having a comfortable work environment. The following guidelines describe how to set up your home office for telecommuting:• Choose a location in your home that is free from noise and distractions. If your home is occupied by others during the hours you plan to telecommute, your office should be located away from potentially noisy areas. For example, an office next to a room where someone else is watching television may not be an ideal choice.• Make sure your office has a comfortable desk and chair. Although it may be tempting to sit on your couch with your laptop while you work, having a professional workspace will increase productivity.• Consider how you will store important documents: as paper copies in a file cabinet or digital documents in the cloud.• If required, verify your office has a sufficient Internet connection. Be sure your wireless network is encrypted. Consider setting up one network for business and another for personal use or by clients.• Make sure the office has a phone to place and receive calls and videoconferences. If you will be relying on a mobile phone, verify your phone can receive a strong signal and has a conveniently located charger and power outlet.• Use a headset with your phone to minimize background noise.• Obtain supplies that typically are found in an office setting, such as writing utensils, paper, tape, a stapler, paper clips, and sticky notes.• If your employer does not provide a computer for your use, make sure your computer is sufficiently equipped to complete your job tasks. Make sure you also have accessories, such as USB flash drives and other external storage media, if necessary.• Consider obtaining an all-in-one printer that can print, scan, and copy, as well as extra ink cartridges.