My new job allows me to telecommute at least a couple of times a week. I’m only on Week 2, and so far I can say it really is going to save my sanity. It saves me money and time, plus gives me a break from the (sometimes physical — can you say stiff neck?) stress that can come with a commute.
So it was interesting to read about the downsides to flexible time in this blog post from the Wall Street Journal. The poster writes about how people who are able to work from home often spend more time working because, well, they can. The line between work and home life gets blurry when you tell your husband you’re just going to log on for a minute and don’t turn off the computer till he and the baby are both fast asleep.
It’s too early for me to tell whether this is going to be a problem in my case. My first telecommuting day, I had to work on a special project. I was logged on from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. I got to feed the baby during my lunch break and actually ate my lunch in front of my laptop. Was it worth the long day to have the chance to feed my daughter during lunch? I think so.
