Posted on Dec 17, 2013
What's your thoughts on military "telecommuting?"
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Alright folks, how many of our awesome RallyPointers out there have actually 'teleworked,' 'telecommuted,' or worked remotely; whatever we choose to call it, who out there has actually done it? So, what are your thoughts on the practice... are you for it, or against it, and why? If you're experienced with the telecommuting... what are the pros and cons? ...and how might it be made better, more reasonable, or more efficient? The goal here is to have an open and informative discussion, raise awareness, improve practices & performance, and hopefully learn a thing-or-two in the process... just one rule, as always: respect for all members, of all ranks, all branches, statuses, ages, etc. That said, this should be a great conversation; I really look forward to hearing your thoughts and lessons learned, now grab those keyboards, and... see you all in the discussion threads!
Military Career
Civilian Career
Motivation
Mentorship
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 30
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I wish DoD would use more telecommuting, not just for the civil servants, but also for the active duty members. 50% of my job could be done more effectively at home, with 40% of it being classified work that belongs in a secure area and 9% being face time with contractors wanting an official government decision and 1% being face time reading PowerPoints to the Colonels and Generals in order to elicit a decision. I would love to work from home just two days per week and focus office time on classified and story time for the Colonels.
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We use it regularly to mitigate travel expenses. It definitely allows for the quick and cheap distribution of information, and provides an opportunity for real time dialog over long distances. The downside is that it typically has to be a scheduled event with a maximum allotted time for collaboration. This stifles productive work sessions when the time runs out before the good ideas do. The second issue is that while it brings together people who might not otherwise meet, it takes much more effort to develop the solid inter-personal relationships which most often produce the best results. All in all despite its limitations, it's worth the investment in time & technology.
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Col (Join to see)
I agree Senior Chief, there are certainly drawbacks although at the end-of-the-day, definitely worth the time and investment! Well said, and as always... thanks for sharing!
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SPC(P) Johnson, thanks for your question, you bring up an excellent point, a definition is very likely in order to begin the conversation. There are many definitions out there and policies (to include the USG), to get us started here's a universal definition (paraphrased from about.com):
Telecommuting is a work arrangement in which the employee works outside the office, often working from a home office or an approved telework location close to home. Rather than travelling to the office, the employer “travels” via telecommunication links (keeping in touch w/ coworkers and employers via telephone, email, conference calls and VTCs).
I hope this sheds a bit of light on the subject; IMAs have had a telecommuting option for years now, I've also worked at agencies w both military and federal gov't that have telecommuting agreements. Hoping to hear a variety of experiences here... thanks again SPC Johnson for your question!
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SSG (Join to see)
I guess I would fall into the telecommuting. Everyone in my CMD is connected through a Black Berry for secure e-mail access and staying in touch if needed at anytime. Therefore if I'm out of the office I can still have conference calls, sign paper works electronically, or push and forward docs. in a timely manner. In my line of work telecommuting is a great way to stay connected with my soldiers and leadership. I'm able to push information out to my solders in mass. But sometime a face to face is best for certain situation.
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Col (Join to see)
SPC(P) Johnson, I hope that this is helpful, here's a brief synopsis of telecommuting (telework), it isn't all-encompassing, but does give a basic overview: "Telecommuting is a work arrangement in which the employee works outside the office, often working from a home office or an approved telework location close to home. Rather than travelling to the office, the employer “travels” via telecommunication links (keeping in touch w/ coworkers and employers via telephone, email, conference calls and VTCs)."
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If your civilian job requires mostly organization and communication through email or phone, tele-commuting not only makes better use of your time, but saves the environment (less commuters on the road) and less overhead for a corporation.
However, I feel that anyone in a managerial position should be in the arena with their subordinates, else how are you able to manage them. I cold "trust" my employees, however, without direct interaction how am I to counsel them or review them. In the military I believe this is especially important for anyone in a command position. Therefore, I do not believe anyone in the military should tele-commute. As stated previously the military is about team as well and it is very difficult to build teamwork and Espirit de Corps, while not engaging actively, face to face with the team.
However, I feel that anyone in a managerial position should be in the arena with their subordinates, else how are you able to manage them. I cold "trust" my employees, however, without direct interaction how am I to counsel them or review them. In the military I believe this is especially important for anyone in a command position. Therefore, I do not believe anyone in the military should tele-commute. As stated previously the military is about team as well and it is very difficult to build teamwork and Espirit de Corps, while not engaging actively, face to face with the team.
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Thank you all for your responses. I guess my concerns come from my 20 years if infosec and being a security engineer. Regardless if it is happening now or not, everyone knows that 1) sensitive information can be sent over unsecured media. 2) even the most secure network outside of the NSA net are in one way or another open to penetration from enemy states. It is just a huge risk to put this stuff out there when there is no need for it. Get up, go to work, salute the flag, make life long friends and go home.
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PO1 Greg Mitchell
I can do 100% of my job from my bathroom! but I go to work everyday because work is not just about the job but is about human interaction. Plus, don't get too comfortable, the civilian world is going away from telecommuting. Just sayin.
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Suspended Profile
I regularly telecommute and also telecommute during snow days. In today's world of business technology, it's hard to imagine a professional who couldn't accomplish their job remotely.
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Sometimes I'll try to do a half day in the office and half day teleworking.
My computer/internet is so much faster at home, that if I'm doing something that doesn't require access to NMCI it's more efficient to work from home.
My computer/internet is so much faster at home, that if I'm doing something that doesn't require access to NMCI it's more efficient to work from home.
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PO1 Greg Mitchell
That's because you are in the Navy and are a slave to NMCI. Great idea, horrible execution.
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