Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with telecommute

Best practices for keeping telecommuters connected?

SomePerlGeek — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:33:16 -0800

I'm looking for suggestions of good ways to keep telecommuting software developers fully involved in the team. Recommendations for technical solutions or morale-related ones are equally welcome. I'm part of a small-ish team of software developers. We have 7 onsite team members, and have recently added two telecommuters. I'm looking for creative ways to ensure that the offsite folks are as much a part of the team as the onsite ones.

Much of our team communication already takes place in a chatroom and by private IM, so in that respect, the telecommuters are on a level playing field. But, having worked offsite myself at a different job, I know that it's very easy to begin feeling disconnected from the rest of the team.

This previous AskMe had some great ideas, but since it's pretty old, I thought there might be some relevant technological advances since then.

Making a case for telecommuting.

Anonymous — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:44:21 -0800

How can I make a strong case for telecommuting? Problem: I don't have the job yet. I'm currently employed, but I'm looking for new jobs (hence anonymity). I've found a position in New York City for which I'm actually rather well-suited. Problem: I live in the Midwest and I cannot move for three years.

What I have going for me: the job is asking for a somewhat unusual combination of skills in rather particular language. I've got them. I'm well above-average at some of them, but meet all of their requirements and preferred qualifications. The work is largely programming and statistics, which I think are fairly proven areas in which telecommuting can work. I don't live in NYC, so salary goes a bit further for me, if that might be a factor (sorry to undercut you, New Yorkers). I also interviewed with a similar (very well-known; they'll know who I'm talking about) company for a similar role a couple of months ago that was a telecommuting position by default.

Are you an HR specialist/manager/employer? If so, what would make you consider a telecommuter? Are you someone who has successfully argued this case? Let me know how you pulled it off.

Thanks in advance for all your help - I'm excited about this job, anticipate failure, but want to take the best shot I can. Throwaway email: telenewyorker@gmail.com

What are some flexible jobs?

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 16:20:08 -0800

What are seasonal, part-time, telecommute-friendly, or otherwise flexible job options? I want to support myself for anywhere from six months to a couple years while I pursue some non-commercial interests of mine. Ideally, I'll be able to find a source of income that won't tie me down to a particular place year-round. Barring that, I'd like to find something seasonal or part time.

I'm young, healthy, with no dependents, so I don't need a lot. I'm hoping for a minimum of 12k a year, although preferably I'd make more. This won't be for another year so I have some time to prepare - please feel free to suggest jobs that require skills & experience that could be picked up over the course of a year.

Here are some skills & interests of mine, in no particular order:

~ good mentor & tutor for people of all ages, especially gifted children, with a particular flair for coming up with good teaching activities
~ writing: fiction, non-fiction, technical, editing & copy-editing
~ some computer programming proficiency, in a couple of fairly arcane languages (most well-known is Matlab), and I know some html/java/css
~ extensive experience doing human subjects research, surveys, study design, data analysis, etc.
~ aptitude but not a lot of experience with mathematical/quantitative work - special interest in probability and modeling
~ I've done waitress and secretarial work before, and would be more than happy to do so again, if they can give me the flexibility I want
~ various other quirks and skills, such as an eye for design, the ability to bake well, very good at giving advice and mediating conflicts

However I'm very open to ideas beyond that - these are just things I've done before and know I can do.

I'm intelligent, creative, hard-working, organized and friendly, and I pick things up really fast, so I feel like I should be ably to get by. I'm just looking for ideas to pursue.

I need to teach and grade from my little hole avoiding their little hole.

stormygrey — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 22:23:06 -0800

I need to create web based learning modules and need some advice. Is there some industry standard for a program that will allow you to intergrate some form of content presentation, followed by a quiz, that will then report the scoring back by individual?

I am putting together training sessions, but some of the training is for relatively few people that live on opposite ends of the state and everyone is under major travel restrictions because of money, so web-based seems the way to go. I can throw a ppt up, I could do survey monkey, but those two options together don't really give me the integrated, cool solution I need.

We use contribute to do basic web stuff and then we have both a web group to do substantial changes and a "decision support" group that can make us databases, however, they don't communicate very well so what we get either works great but is hard to navigate and ugly, or its beautiful but doesn't really do anything. So, I am looking for something that I can just either link to or grab in some way to not have to involve everyone in the company to do this.

We might possibly also have use of a polycom system but, that seems like more trouble than its worth for the kind of content I am delivering.

Does anyone have any advise on training using web based content? What do you think about it? Is there anyway of making sure they are actually interacting with the content rather than just hitting go and walking away? I mean, I guess that is just making sure that the questions are detailed enough to ensure compliance. What do ya'll think?

Telecommuting in New York City for a few days, help!

Rocket26 — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:28:17 -0800

Best coffee shop to do some telecommuting in New York City? I'm in New York for a few days with my partner but I need to keep up with my workload! Anybody have any recommendations of good coffee places where I could get some work done during the day this week and next? I have to use the phone a bit too, but mostly internet. I'm in Manhattan, I know I can find wifi a lot of places, but anybody have any personal favorite work hang out spots?

How do I convince my boss to get us an office and/or do more team building?

gchucky — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 09:11:18 -0800

How do I convince my boss to get us an office and/or do more team building? I work for a consulting firm where most of us telecommute to work. Some people are on projects where they have to be in an office every day, but the majority of us work from home. I've been on a project for several months where I go to an office every day, and that project is scheduled to end soon - so it looks like I'll be working from home for the foreseeable future.

My problem is that I'm unsatisfied by this. It's been really nice to go into an office and interact with people; working from home can be very lonely, and after days or weeks of doing it, the walls can really close in on you. Furthermore, I see my coworkers once a month, and that's only if enough of us plan an event. Most of us don't see each other for months on end.

The firm has an office, but it's very far away. Some of us have been trying to convince management to open an office closer to home (in NYC, if it matters), but they haven't budged so far.

So my question to you guys is: how do I convince my bosses to open an office? Or, failing that, how do I get them to understand that intra-company morale is fairly low, and us seeing each other more often would be beneficial?

How can I attract Facebook users to my telecommuting Facebook Group?

ckohrman — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:23:28 -0800

How can I attract Facebook users to my telecommuting Facebook Group? I've been working to create a community on Facebook for people who want to telecommute. We're up to 100 members, but it has taken several weeks to get to that point. I've invited my friends on Facebook, and announced it once or twice on Twitter. Conversations are starting now, but I'd like to see a lot more going on in the group... and hoping more members will help. What else can I do to get the word out to people?

J'ai ce travail à faire, Montréal

asuprenant — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:48:23 -0800

What are good spots (cafes, libraries, etc.) for laptopping in Montreal? I'm working remotely in Montreal for a week. Where should I go to spend some time working on my laptop while also seeing a bit of the city?

Basics
Wireless network, electrical outlets, can comfortably stay for a few hours, accessible via public transit

Gravy
Atmosphere, nice music, good food, great coffee

Self-Derailing Bonus Round!
Any must-see stops (hilarious roadside attractions, etc.) on the drive between Montreal and NYC? I'd love to hear about them!

What to learn for decent-paying telecommutable jobs?

ggypsy — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 06:48:58 -0800

Help me find the right track for my job, MeFi! What do I do to find a $20-$30/hr travel-light/telecommutable job? I'm 24, and I just realized that I'm wasting my entire life working. I've got a great job, a nice house, a new car, and good clothes... and absolutely no time to enjoy any of them. So I'm changing this. First things first, I'm paying off what debt I hold - aside from my car, this should be done in the next month or so. Then I'm paying off my car and building up a savings while I cut back on other expenses. However, here's the most important part:

When I imagine the ideal job for myself, it's something in the pay range listed above. This pays for my bills, and allows some savings for travel/emergencies. Anything above and beyond that is a blessing, but that's what I need to make. Ideally, I'd be able to telecommute with flexible hours as long as I meet deadlines, but regular hours from a home office would be all right too. Ideally, I'd be able to telecommute from anywhere, but occasional commitments locally would be all right.

I know, I know, and why not ask for a gold-plated sink, too? I think this is very doable, as long as I redirect my focus to learning the skills needed to make myself attractive in such a job. I worked my way from being homeless to a job with a company credit card and six-figure potential in a year, so I think I can accomplish most things I put my mind to. So what do I need to learn? What sort of job fits my criteria?

Help me MeFi, you're my only hope!

Can't see the blackboard, so the camera needs glasses.

whycurious — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:11:55 -0800

What (pro)consumer-level webcam should I get that will let me read the marker board my coworkers are using to brainstorm? I've recently moved across the country and am telecommuting with the ol' firm. Collaboration with my friends and coworkers tends towards brainstorming on marker-boards. Being used to the intimacy of in-person participation, the built-in webcams on our laptops just aren't up to snuff.

Sound isn't a problem on either end (thanks to Blue's Snowball), but I can't see anything unless it's right in front of the laptop. We're big ideas, not big org, and so full fledged dedicated rooms are too large and too pricy.

Any suggestions? What's worked for you collaborating in a creative environment?

Sorta, kinda, previously.

What are your favorite smallish New Zealand towns?

nitsuj — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 08:37:13 -0800

What are your favorite smallish New Zealand towns? My S.O. and I will be spending a few months working (as telecommuting tourists) and living in New Zealand (among other places). We'll be flying into Auckland, but I'd rather find a smaller (but not too small) town to find a short-term, furnished, Internet-ready apartment to rent. Where do you recommend?

Bonus points for any tips on finding said apartment aside from the obvious (Craigslist, local newspapers, etc.).

Grant Writing -- Is it a good career?

valannc — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:18:12 -0800

Grant Writing -- Is it a good career? I would like to hear from anyone who has earned a living providing grant writing services. Is it hard to break into? Is there a steep learning curve? What do you like and dislike about the work? I'm returning to the workforce and need to work at home. I'm exploring various career options. Several people have told me I might be good at grant writing. I was a project manager in corporate America for many years. I'm a good researcher, and have written many proposals.

There are many resources out there explaining how to write grants for your own organization. But I don't see much about grant writing as a career. Anyone know a good training course?

TelecommuterFilter: Please help me find the perfect landline phone for talking to the mothership!

browse — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:15:49 -0800

TelecommuterFilter: Please help me find the perfect landline phone for talking to the mothership! I work from home for a big tech company. I'm looking for the ideal telephone to use for dialing into meetings.

My criteria:
It needs to have a wired handset, for optimal sound quality.
It should have a speakerphone with adjustable volume and a mute button.
It should have a port for a headset, so I can pace around the room.
I don't need multi-line support, or an answering machine, or CallerID.

Telecommuting jobs?

nadawi — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:41:59 -0800

Help me find a telecommuting job! I'm looking for resources to stop driving to work (pages, companies that mostly telecommute, firms to stay away from) . what telecommuting work is out there for someone with 8 years or so in tech support (end user and internal, computers, connectivity, cellphones, wans, lans, windows, some unix, some mac, too many software suites and ticketing softwares to list)?

I'm in denton, so if it's 50-75% telecommute and based out of dallas, that's fine too.

IT work from home

Bonzai — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:14:12 -0800

How can I make money in the IT industry working from home? For various reasons I am now living in a rural part of Wisconsin and I will be here for at least another year. I have over 15 years of experience programming on the AS/400 (a.k.a iSeries, eServer iSeries, System i, IBM Power Systems)

Does anyone know of a way to get short term contracting jobs on this platform? Barring that, I can pick up another language fairly easily if need be, but are there any places I can find short term contracts that I can do completely from home?

Barring THAT, is there ANYTHING (i.e. not programming) one can do from home if you have IT skills to make any sort of money? At this point even minimum wage would help me out.

How to negotiate telecommuting salary?

just another other — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:35:08 -0800

I'm currently living on the East Coast and considering taking a job based out of California. Because it's a job that doesn't require me to be on-site, I will have the option either to relocate or to telecommute. I intend to pursue the latter, which leads me to my question: how do I negotiate my salary? If I were doing comparable work for a local company here in my city on the East Coast, I would be making around $50,000. However, if I were living where the company is based in California (where the cost of living is much higher), I would expect to make something more like $60,000. Should I negotiate a salary based on my location or the company's?

Cover letter for a full-time job that shouldn't be

tigerjade — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 16:21:35 -0800

Help me write a winning cover letter! I'm trying to convince a company looking for software engineers that I could be a great addition even though I don't want to work full-time. I'm trying to write the perfect cover letter that'll convince a company that's looking for a software engineer that they'll benefit from hiring me on a part-time and/or after hours basis.

I have a job that I love, but we have a baby on the way and I'd like to get some more work to get into better financial shape (nesting doesn't just refer to painting the nursery!). I've found a job posting that looks ideal; they even want telecommuting. I have the intro paragraph down, and the teaser about how great I am ;> , but I can't figure out how to word the paragraph where I suggest that I would be a great fit on their team, just not from 8-5.

Or would it be better to just let it wait until they contact me to tell them I don't want a full-time day-time job?

Thanks to all!

[AustinFilter] What are your favorite places to work from in Austin?

nightwood — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 19:51:20 -0800

I'll soon be telecommuting, but I'd rather not work from home all the time. Being in Austin, of course, we've got hundreds of places with WI-FI access. What are some of the best places to sit and work in Austin? I would need network access (free or paid) and access to an outlet for my laptop. I don't spend much time on the phone, so I don't need privacy for conference calls, etc.

Working Net Connection on a Train?

yellowbkpk — Mon, 07 May 2007 14:23:07 -0800

What's the best way to get net access on the train from Minneapolis to Milwaukee? I work on the Empire Builder going between Minneapolis and Milwaukee (and back again) quite frequently. I'd like to be able to use my company's VPN to retrieve e-mail and do occasional source code updates from the SVN server while on the train.

I currently use the GPRS modem in my Cingular phone to get a connection, but it tends to be very slow and intermittent. Without a solid net connection for at least 30 seconds or so, the VPN connection gets dropped.

There are two train stations along the way with open net access points, but that only gives me 1-3 minutes of network connection to do all the internet conversations I need.

Anyone have any better ideas that I'm missing?

PS: It'd be interesting to hear user opinions on whether or not a long chain of 802.11 access points would work along the track.

Getting hired as telecommuter software engineer?

SomePerlGeek — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 10:56:29 -0800

I am an experienced software engineer and was laid off recently. I'm currently applying for positions. My ideal would be a telecommuting gig, which is the type of position I had most recently. A certain job mailing list I subscribe to has a lot of promising positions, but many of them are marked "onsite". Here's my question: shall I apply for some of these "onsite" positions in the hope that my qualifications will impress the hiring person enough to consider hiring me as a telecommuter? Or would this just be a waste of time for everyone concerned? Obviously, I would carefully consider whether the job as described actually seemed to require someone's physical presence, and not apply if that were the case.

But my impression is that a lot of people/companies have perhaps not really considered the option of hiring someone who would work offsite, and might be open to it if there were a well-qualified candidate with a proven track record as a telecommuter (e.g. me).

San Francisco Telecommuting

mto — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 09:13:57 -0800

I just moved to San Francisco and I am looking for good places to work that have either free WiFi or cheap WiFi. It's not hard to find a cafe or something to work from for a day, but it's a big city, and so I am hoping folks can give me hints on the good places to work. The kind of places where you can really get some work done, are comfortable, and have cheap/free wifi, etc. Sometimes I even need to use Skype for my work, so if it's the kind of place I can talk on the phone that'd be good too (but is not necessary, I often work from places I can't easily talk).

Good answers look like "I have worked from place XYZ, it's awesome b/c of 123, I get lots of work done there." Bad answers are ones like "go to any cafe, library, etc", which is to say finding a place to work from is not a problem. Rather I am looking for informed recommendations on places to work from, based on experience.

How do I explain my international telecommuting arrangement to border authorities?

beerbajay — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 03:51:35 -0800

How do I explain my international telecommuting arrangement to border authorities? I am an American living abroad under a tourist visa. I've been abroad for the last 9 months. I am telecommuting "to" my programming job for a US university. I'm travelling from the UK to Sweden next week, my stay in Sweden will probably be the full 3 months allowed by a Schengen visa.

The last time I crossed borders I was asked "How long have you taken off from your job?" My response was an awkward attempt to correctly describe the situation to someone nontechnical. I was trying to allay thier fears that I was seeking a job in the country. They seemed somewhat skeptical, but let me through anyway. I want to avoid this situation in the future. I realize now that they might have concerns with my actual arrangement since I would be "working in the country" but not paying taxes, etc, even though it's not for any business or organization in that country.

Is there any way I can honestly answer such a question without raising suspicion from border authorities? Should I just say I'm on indefinite leave so I can travel? Any other ideas?

Automatically decompress all files on a Mac disk?

designbot — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 12:58:36 -0800

Is there a way to have ZIP files automatically decompress when they are copied to a remote Mac server via FTP? I'm sending files from my Mac here in Atlanta to a Mac OS X-based fileserver on the west coast on a daily basis. I want to compress my files so they won't take as long to send, but I don't want someone to have to go in and manually decompress them every time I send them. Is there a way to have incoming ZIP files automatically expand on the fileserver once the transfer is complete? I thinking of something like the old "watch folder" function in StuffIt, but I'm not sure whether that would work on a disk-wide basis. If there is a way to transparently compress them before sending, too, so I don't have to worry about it, that would be nice as well.
I can request to have software installed and configured on the fileserver.

Gee, Ma, I Wanna Go Home

buddha9090 — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 05:56:46 -0800

Any U.S. Federal Government employees teleworking? Can you please share your experiences: job duties, length of time at job prior to teleworking, distance from main office, frequency of going in to the main office, how you requested the accomodation, any advice on making the request?
I am currently a judicial law clerk set for a two year appointment. I would very much like to move to a different city for my second year, almost entirely so I can be closer to my s.o. Trying to get some materials together to make a persuasive pitch to my judge. Any help is much appreciated