The joys – sometimes – of telecommuting

Steve has written a great piece on telecommuting.

The advice is good for anyone teleworking, I have a little of my own to share too:

• Realise that you don’t need to be sat at a desk to participate. Participating while walking can be just as good. Be careful though, that you aren’t too out of breath.
• Create the ‘I’m busy’ signs so that everyone understands when you are not to be disturbed. These need not be real physical signs, but need to be clear signals. One of the problems with modern earpieces is that people can’t see clearly that you are busy.
• Run a personal blog. Colleagues don’t just want to talk to you about work stuff, most of them also want to know about you.
• Remember that the people you are interacting with might not be from the same culture as you, aren’t having the same weather, might not even be in the same season.

I’m not actually a fan of the telecommuting or teleworking words because they have both become heavily linked to home working. Most teleworkers I know sit in an office.