Shannon KeoughCurrently, the trend of telecommuting is becoming more and more popular amongst companies because of advanced technology.
For those unaware of what it is, telecommuting is taking advantage of technology and working in more comfortable environments, in most cases, one’s own home.
Now regular work places are being replaced by the Internet.
No more long hours of work, rush hour traffic and short lunch breaks.
Brittany Lavin, senior English and communication major, is currently telecommuting for an internship at an independent company that puts out a monthly online newsletter. So what is a normal day like for Lavin?
“A normal day for me is 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. I make sure to be up by 7 a.m. to prepare myself for the day. At 8 a. m. I log on to my e-mail to check if my supervisor has sent me any new information. If she does, I work on that. If she doesn’t, I work on projects I have yet to complete. Most days I edit articles and research articles. I make sure to be in contact with my supervisor through e-mail, phone and IM during those hours,” Lavin said.
Because of high gas prices, commuting to work everyday has become a struggle for many people. Telecommuting helps solve that problem.
“It also helps me to save me money on gas, which is great nowadays,” Lavin said.
Popular jobs that offer telecommuting to their employees, for example, are Web designing, data entry, writing, publishing, sales, programming and engineering.
Telecommuting also allows women to have a career and raise a family.
“Telecommuting is definitely an option I would consider in the future when raising my family and balancing a career,” junior elementary education major Ali Ashjian said.
On the other side of the issue, bosses may be wary about having their employees work from home.
Lloyd Princeton, owner of a consulting firm with offices on both sides of the coast, has seven employees working for him, including one who telecommutes. Princeton said he ponders about what his telecommuting employee does with his time.
“The biggest issue I have is tracking time and knowing when he’s working. The doubt starts to happen when he has offsite meetings,” Princeton, President of Design Management Co. said to CNN.com.
Aside from the worries, Princeton said that his employee gets the work done and quality work for his clients.
Telecommuting may become the new wave of the future replacing work places.
Although it may seem like a dream come true to work everyday from home, or more comfortable environments, work is work and you still have to get the job done no matter where you are working from.
“I would definitely recommend telecommuting to other Cabrini students because many companies are using telecommuting to accomplish tasks and experience in this new area of communications is important,” Lavin said.
