Telecommuters extol its perks

YORK, Pa, Mar 10, 2013 (York Daily Record - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Yahoo recently said it was ending the telecommuting option for its employees.

After it was criticized for the decision, the company issued a brief, follow-up release, saying it was not offering a broad judgment on the practice of working from home.

In recent years, telecommuting has become a more viable option for some professions as work moves to online platforms that are accessible from any computer.

Local telecommuters have said they are glad for the option to work from home or outside a formal office environment because it eliminates the distractions of the office.

"I think it makes for a nicer work environment when I can go home at noon, shut myself in a room and keep focused," said David Kiger, a lead engineer for Idea Tree, a software company in York.

Kiger also travels to London every few months to visit his fiancee. Through Skype and email, he is able to work with his colleagues in York.

"Sometimes, though, there is no replacement for walking around the desk and pointing at someone's monitor," Kiger said.

A recent study revealed that employees who work from home, at least some of the time, work more hours than employees who come into the office -- and they seemed happier.

Nicole Matero, a quality management specialist with Community Behavioral HealthCare Network of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, knows she works longer hours at home.

"You have to be disciplined about stopping work at the end of the day," she said. "And I'm less likely to take a full lunch break at home." None of Jason Konopinski's colleagues at Third Idea Consulting share an office. The advertising agency was based in Gettysburg, but now is completely virtual.

Konopinski lives in Hanover but often does his work as lead copy writer out of the Central Market in York or local coffee shops.

"As long as I have a strong Wi-Fi connection and my phone, I'm working," Konopinski said.

Kiger believes telecommuting works better for more experienced staff.

Someone right out of college might not yet have the experience or knowledge base to back themselves up and figure their way around roadblocks, Kiger said.

"That's where walking over and pointing at a monitor is really helpful," he said.

When Konopinski first heard the news that Yahoo was ending telecommuting, he said he was a little bristled.

"As a telecommuter, I thought it was a horrible decision," Konopinski said.

But once he thought about it from Yahoo's point of view, he was a little more lenient.

Because Yahoo's CEO, Marissa Mayer, is attempting to save a floundering company, her decision was made to fix a culture that is not working, Konopinski said.

"I feel privileged to telecommute, but I know it's not a right," he said. "It's not for every industry or personality type." ___ (c)2013 York Daily Record (York, Pa.) Visit York Daily Record (York, Pa.) at www.ydr.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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