4. Working from Home

Working from home is the most common location for those following the Out of Office work style. The Bureau of Labor estimated that in 2010, 23 percent of all full-time employees worked from home and 64 percent of all self-employed workers worked from home.

That is a lot of people who have adopted this lifestyle and who are making space in their homes for business.

Strangely enough, this isn’t a new phenomenon; as much as we like to imagine the Internet as having created a new way of doing everything from working to shopping to staying connected with friends and family, much of what we think of as new is in fact ideas recycled from an earlier, simpler time.

Working from home used to be referred to as the “cottage industry.” In a time before mass transit and privately owned automobiles, when walking or traveling on horseback were the only modes of transport available, most people worked from or near their homes.

Bakers, tailors, weavers, apothecaries, and the other craftspeople essential to the running of a village or small town lived and worked in the same space. Only the inexorable pull of urban drift changed the mode of living and working in separate spaces. From this was born the commuter lifestyle that so many are now reverting from, choosing instead to combine both work and domestic life in the same space. If anything, the Internet has made the broader world into a large village, and many are finding that the best way to adapt to the Internet age is to think in terms of village/small town life rather than the metropolitan lifestyle that was seen as the future only a few decades ago. The difference is that your neighbors may well be thousands of miles from you, or even in another country, so physical proximity plays much less of a role in defining this new village. Instead, the village is defined by relationship proximity—in other words, how close an individual feels to another individual, through shared experiences, shared world views, and shared goals. This is, of course, where social technology has changed what we perceive as our village. I look in more depth at technology in Chapter 6, “Getting Organized,” but in general terms, the Internet and social technologies in particular, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram, have allowed people to create a village of their own choosing, which in turn has enabled individuals to pursue the Out of Office work style who would have previously been unable to do so for fear of total isolation.

Of course, this is nothing new for occupations outside of the information industry. Many individuals and small groups have worked from their homes for hundreds of years and continue to do so. It is only a new experience for the information worker, a relatively new occupation when measured against the total scale of human industry, that is finding the ability to move home with their work.

The ability to access the Internet is the primary requirement for the majority of information workers. As the telecommunications carriers have spread their high-speed networks across the land, particularly in the U.S., areas that would have previously been out of reach for the information worker are now viable as both home and workspaces.

Although it is true that much of rural America still does not benefit from quality high-speed Internet access, and many are still using “dial-up” connections, these numbers are declining. This inevitable spread of access poses the question of whether we will eventually witness a rural drift—a reversal of the urban drift that led so many to abandon small communities in favor of the big cities. Certainly the barriers to living in those communities are falling, and as some of them see an influx of affluent information workers, their infrastructure has to (and in many cases does) improve to accommodate the demands and expectations of their new residents.

Katie McCaskey, the Urban Escapee, has written about the potential that a rural drift offers. She posits the following in her Micropolitan Manifesto (http://urbanescapee.com/micropolitan-manifesto):

Micropolitan renewal is our best chance for economic growth and environmental repair. Renewal of our smallest cities guards against suburban sprawl and the continued destruction of farmland, habitat, and open space.

This is just one of the multiple impacts that Out of Office workers, especially those who are home based, are having on the broader world. It is important to realize that this work style is not just about individuals being happier but the economic and other impacts it has on the broader community. It has the potential to change the economic landscape of small cities and other areas that have typically not been able to attract higher wage earners because of commuting distances.

Of course, not all Out of Office workers choose to abandon the city just because they are able to work from their home. Many choose to continue the metropolitan lifestyle and take advantage of being able to access its amenities at times when the other residents of the city are unable to, such as the middle-of-the-afternoon workout at the gym, grocery store shopping in the middle of the morning when the store is empty, and so on.

As we discussed in previous chapters, it is the flexibility of working when you want (within reason) that is one of the most appealing factors in working Out of Office from home.

So if the choice has been made to bring work home from the office on a permanent or semi-permanent basis, where should it reside? How much space is required to effectively operate, and what sacrifices are going to be made to accommodate the business? Of course, much of this depends exactly on the type of work being conducted, the original domestic environment, and the available space therein.

As with the majority of this book, I focus on the information worker whose primary tools are a phone, a computer, and Internet access. For the most part, these workers require a minimal footprint when compared to other Out of Office workers.

By that measure I am absolutely swimming in space: The spare room, which I have co-opted at home for my office, is 120 square feet. That puts me on a par, if not slightly above, the space afforded to senior managers at Fortune 500 companies. Perhaps I have already achieved the “corner office” without knowing it. Of course, the reality is that although this room is my office, it is also the spare room, with a fold-out bed in it, and when we have overnight guests they become the priority for the room and I am evicted. My workspace shrinks from the luxury of 120 square feet to whatever corner of the couch or the dining room table I can commandeer.

This is the reality for a lot of Out of Office workers who are home based. Some, however, do manage to carve out permanent places for their work space.

Mandy Vavrinak, owner of Crossroads Communications, shared how she was fortunate enough to convert a space specifically for her needs:

Three years ago, we deliberately chose a new home with a great “formal living room” right off the front of the house. I remodeled it exactly the way I wanted it and developed a fabulous office space at home. It’s spacious enough for two large desks so my assistant can work from my office, too. It has client meeting space as well, so I can do pretty much anything I need to do from it.

Not everyone who works from home has the luxury of dedicating a room or particular area as an office only. Most Out of Office workers have to compromise and work around the needs of those they share the space with, whether that is roommates or relatives.

Adrienne Asaro of Infinite Impressions explains that her home office isn’t at the point where she is completely happy with it yet:

I love that I have my own room to organize my business better. I manage social media marketing and web development for four businesses and I needed a place where I could keep all their files separate and work on their projects separately. What I hate about it is that the room doesn’t have an office feel yet. It still feels like itself home and not quite a professional feeling atmosphere. I can’t quite put my finger on it; however, I’ve hired a business advisor to give me tips on organization and management tips on how to help with these issues.

The lack of an “office” feel is a common thread among Out of Office workers who are home based. It can be hard to restrict oneself to an office when it is next to the kitchen or living room and not want to spill into the residential part of the home.

Where the workspace is placed has some common needs. There is usually a need for some form of privacy—a door that can be closed or at the very least a screen that can be used to segment the workspace from the living space.

Thursday Bram of Hypermodernconsulting.com raises another consideration for selecting the space to be used for a home-based office:

I also feel that taking a full room is a good idea whenever possible. I’m still negotiating with my family as to how much space I get in our new home, but being able to close off the office is usually a good idea. It also dramatically simplifies taking the home office deduction on my taxes.

Depending on your location, the tax implications of working from home can also have an impact on the decision. Having a door that can be closed and therefore clearly delineate the office space can definitely make calculating the amount of square footage used as a home office for tax purposes a lot easier.

Lighting is very important. My office is an internal room, with no natural light, so it’s important for me to have several different lamps in the office so that I can adjust the lighting depending on what I am doing, the time of day, and even my mood.

Natural light is important for a lot of people: Many of the contributors who sent me stories about their own home offices emphasized how important it was to them to have windows that let in light and through which they could feel connected with the world.

Lori McPherson works with a stationery company that specializes in items that feature rescue dogs, called Hooray For The Underdog. For her, the choice of location in the home was clear from the outset:

We turned our third bedroom into a home office. Before we ever moved in, it was my favorite room in the house. It’s the bigger of our two guest bedrooms, so I knew it could hold more furniture. It has a large window and I think it just has a great vibe. I knew I needed a great workspace that felt cozy enough to use as living space on occasion but also felt like a place to get things done! We bought a sleeper sofa so that we could still use it as a “bedroom” but that would also double as a place to sit and take calls!

Briana Miriani, who is a realtor and also runs an online business called The Merci, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the thing she liked most about her home office:

The thing I like most about it is the view; not spectacular, but it’s got a big window with a view out into my backyard with some very nice trees, and it gets really good light. It keeps me from feeling trapped!

That feeling of being trapped at home, having no physical separation between work life and home life, is an important factor to take into consideration when placing the home office. When the office is too convenient, it can be difficult to switch off fully and in effect become a 24/7 worker, which, although it might seem ideal for an organization is usually detrimental to both personal health and performance in the longer term.

Mary Baier, a CPA who works from home, finds that even with a dedicated space, being available 24/7 is almost something that her clients expect because she works from home:

My office is 20-by-20 and is on the side of my home. I chose that so customers wouldn’t have to go through my home, and it gives me more privacy. I purchased a desktop PC, desk, copier, several printers, a small table and chairs, filing cabinet. My office has lots of closet space for supplies. I have a large church bench for client seating. I have a separate bathroom for clients and a handicap entrance. The office space is just perfect. I prepare taxes, financial planning, and notary services full time. The only drawback is you are at the mercy of customers 24/7, even though you have a sign “by appointment only.”

Graphic designer Faith Amon, whose work-from-home lifestyle was featured on MSNBC, also wants the room with the largest windows to avoid that “trapped” feeling:

I’ve been in business for several years now and have moved houses several times. Each move I sought out the room with the biggest windows so I wouldn’t feel trapped inside all day (even though I am—sigh).

I’ve configured our desks so that we get to look outside at the plants and the butterflies, and I think it is important to our mental health.

Taking into account personal mental health, which I alluded to in Chapter 1, “Why You Shouldn’t Try an Out of Office Experience,” is something I believe to be crucial when working Out of Office, especially working from home. Not just from the aspect of whether you are the right personality type for working from home but also whether you can cope with the feeling of being “trapped” at home. After all, for most people their home is a refuge, the place they come back to, the place they escape work.

When work life exists inside the same physical location as domestic life, there has to be ways to clearly delineate between the two, not just for the individual but also for the people who share the space.

Ruksanah Hussein, an independent business communicator and green business founder, works from her living room. I wondered how she managed to delineate between what I imagine is a fairly central area to the family and her work space.

This is how she does it:

My husband works outside the home, and I have no children or other dependents living with me. So I pretty much have my place to myself. I follow a pretty strict work schedule: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. morning hours, then lunch for an hour, and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. evening hours. Anything that constitutes home life happens either before 9 a.m. or after 6 p.m. And I do not watch television during the day or have neighbors or friends living close by that would drop in to say hello.

So even utilizing a space that many might be perceived as being central to family living, it is possible to delineate between a work space and domestic space if you are disciplined enough.

Although that is an expected answer, there is a lot more that has to go into that office space to support the computer, even though that might be the central tool to the space and to the work conducted in it.

At the very minimum, the office is going to need power, a desk and chair, and some form of lighting. From there, the needs build out quickly: storage, accessories, and other organizational tools. Pretty soon what appeared to be ample space can become crowded with “essentials” and take on the appearance of a storage room for an office supply company rather than a daily use work space for an Out of Office worker.

It is not uncommon for home-based Out of Office workers to start from simple, almost humble beginnings and gradually build out over time. Certainly that is what happened with me. As Jeff Zbar with ChiefHomeOfficer.com shares, that was his experience too:

Though I started with a length of kitchen countertop affixed to legs built of 2-by-12 lumber, today my workspace is a desk custom-built to accommodate my office and work needs. It has ample, hidden storage in drawers and cabinets; a wire chase for all the phone, power, and Internet cords and cables; an under-desk enclosure for the CPU; and is designed at the right height for ergonomic comfort.

Speaking of ergonomics, I may skimp on some things—like used file cabinets and home-build shelves—but I have never skimped on an ergonomic chair. Positive posture is essential to long hours spent at the desk.

Jeff makes a good point about identifying what is important to being able to sustain the Out of Office work style over what might seem nice to have.

I’m going to go into more depth about the difference between the two in Chapter 7, “Rule Setting.” Let’s just say that it can be all too easy to focus on the shiny things and spend money where it is less important.

What any one person may deem as necessary may not be the same as another, although the essentials tend to stay the same for all information workers. As I’ve already mentioned, a connection to the Internet is usually top of the list, immediately after the computer. Without it, an information worker would find it extremely hard to perform their role from home, or the road for that matter.

I personally still prefer a desktop machine in my office; I also have a physical connection to the Internet connected to it. I have a laptop that I also use primarily when I am on the road; it is connected wirelessly to the network and then to the Internet. I guess I am old school enough to want the larger box as the office machine. I also use two monitors to allow me to split my focus between work and social without confusing the two.

My main monitor is where I put Microsoft Word, email, and certain Internet browser windows. Everything else, everything that can be classified as entertainment, goes on the other monitor. This includes music as well as Internet browser windows with Twitter, Facebook, and so on. Separating the two allows me to know where my focus is, because I physically have to turn my head slightly to use the second monitor. If I find myself becoming too distracted, I can simply turn that monitor off and just focus on the main monitor.

When Haralee Weintraub of Haralee.com chose her home-based office, she made it an exclusive space for her business:

I chose a back bedroom for my office, 11-by-12 feet. There are two desks, two computers, two desk chairs, two book shelves, one four-drawer file cabinet, one printer/fax, and one landline phone. The entire room, including the closet, is office-related materials. The office is used for business, not for family use.

It is interesting to see that Haralee has been able to clearly delineate her office space and makes it clear that it is not for family use.

When an office space contains so many items that can be utilized by other family members, it can be hard to ensure that line is respected. For example, John Miller of Miller Marketing shared the trials he faces with his wife and children:

One other thing that can be extremely frustrating is the fact that my family thinks my desk is a dumping ground and that my office supplies are there for everyone’s taking. I just had a conversation with my family that my office supplies (pencils, pens, stapler) are not for the taking. Trying to start my work day without pens or pencils can be seriously frustrating.

I’m sure many of us have been through that experience while working in a traditional office environment of co-workers “borrowing” items from our desks or cubicles. When I last worked in a traditional office environment, it was not unusual to return to my cubicle from a meeting to find that my chair was missing and that it had been dragged to an adjoining cubicle so that a couple of co-workers could have an impromptu meeting. Although that can be frustrating, having your limited resources in your home office being commandeered by family members is probably even more frustrating.

Once I started working out of our spare room, I found that, for some particular reason, it is the most effectively cooled room in the apartment. Although this has its advantages at the height of the Texas summer, it’s less of an advantage in the fall and winter as the temperatures start to drop.

I don’t want to heat the whole apartment just to stay warm in my office, so I end up wearing an increasing number of layers to work in the office. Even those who have adapted part of their home as a permanent office find the challenges of something as simple as controlling the temperature a factor to be worked around.

Eric Nagel of Eric Nagel & Associates has a dedicated space in his home. It happens to be a converted attic space, which has brought with it some challenges:

My office is in our walk-in attic, the third floor of our house. It’s approximately 200 square feet, and sits in the front dormer, so I have a nice big window overlooking the street. I specifically bought the desks to give me a u-shaped desk, which wraps around the inside of the dormer. I like that the office is on its own floor, which keeps things a bit quieter when my kids are home. However, heat rises, so it can get quite warm in the summer. Also, because it’s technically an attic, there’s no heat up here, so in the winter I’m typically bundled up, or I open the door and let some heat rise up.

Eric specifically wanted that space for the view and the space it offered. He even bought a desk to fit that space specifically, but even with those advantages he still faces some of the challenges that a converted space poses over a purpose-built space.

One of the other reasons to have a dedicated space for some people is the need to accommodate clients. I have never had to meet with clients in my home office. I prefer to meet at their offices because it tends to increase their comfort level. However, for some this is not a practical solution, and for others still it is just a preference.

Having a client sit on the end of a guest bed while you discuss business might not provide the best of business impression, so for those who meet clients in their home, a dedicated, nonshared space is very important.

Shel Horowitz, green marketing/publishing consultant, copywriter, and author of eight books, provided a description of his workspace, which I have to say sounds Sylvanian in the way he outlines the space and the view he has. Shel emphasizes why he choose the particular room he did with his clients in mind:

Since we moved to our current home in 1998, I’ve worked from the former parlor of a 1743 farmhouse on a working farm in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts (my neighbors have 400 cows and 50 chickens). I chose this room because not only does it have a magnificent view of the mountain behind our house and some of the farm fields, but it’s also directly off the front entrance, and therefore clients don’t need to walk through the living areas unless they need the bathroom.

Shel obviously realized that providing easy access to his office, not only for him but for his clients, was going to be a primary factor in the choice of his office space and how he laid it out. He goes on to list the essential items in his office:

...an ergonomic (Balans-style) backless typing chair, a multifunction printer/scanner/fax, the latest in a series of Macs dating all the way back to 1984, and a broadband Internet connection.

The ergonomic chair was a common inclusion in the stories people shared with me—from the Aeron chair to many other forms of ergonomic chair, the need for a comfortable place to spend long hours at the desk was a common thread.

Desks, on the other hand, ranged from a piece of kitchen countertop through student-style desks from places such as IKEA to more elaborate purpose-built designer items. Of course, what you are willing to spend on your desk is likely to be a function of your available funds. I picked up my lawyer’s desk in a consignment store for a fraction of what a similar piece would have cost new. It is a wonderful piece of solid furniture, one that I think will probably outlast me.

Beyond the practical items in an office, gadgets were the next most included item when people shared with me what they had in their offices. I have to confess to being a geek and loving technology. I try very hard not to buy gadgets for the sake of buying them but rather to ensure that they have a purpose and provide a solution to a business problem. Still, there always seems to be some things that just seems to accumulate (in our house, it seems to be adapters and power cords for cell phones). We have a box of them that we dip into every now and then when one of us leaves an adapter or power cord in a hotel room or somewhere else on our travels.

Other than that, my desk is also home to extras such as an external USB hub, a powered speaker system (I love to listen to music while I am working), several lamps, an external microphone, and a webcam for recording videos and conducting video conferences.

However, if you were to go through the drawers in my desk, you would find a whole lot more gadgetry, from mini-power strips that I use when I am traveling to external speakers for my laptop, external batteries for my cell phone, and a hand-held video camera. You would also find a small radio-controlled helicopter—not exactly a business essential but something to use while I am thinking, or at least that is my excuse. The one other item (not a gadget, but one that you will find not only in and on my desk and other locations around the apartment but in the bags that I travel with) is a notebook. I am never without one.

The Out of Office worker based at home also has greater opportunity to furnish their office in a way that reflects their personality. Many organizations, especially those in the U.S. who have to comply with strict rules about workplace safety imposed by OSHA, have had employees remove items from cubicle and office space because of noncompliance. Items such as coffee makers, space heaters, and other electrical devices have gone. In addition, the need to use the space primarily for work often leaves cubicle workers with little room for self-expression.

The home-based Out of Office worker is less constrained and can, with only a few limitations, express themselves and their personality throughout their office.

Dayna Steele, keynote speaker and author, shared with me that she enjoys having a TV in her office:

I love, love working from home and having TV/CNN in my home office.

There are very few people who work in a cubicle that I would envisage being allowed to have a TV with them! Of course, for some businesses they are a workplace essential, but for the majority it would be seen as a distraction and an impediment to an efficient workplace.

Another of the conflicts that arises when organizations examine Out of Office working is that what works in the organizational environment probably won’t work in the home setting, and vice versa.

The technology that people rely on to enable the Out of Office work style is as varied as the people themselves.

Dan Ramirez, a social media manager and publicist, relies on Google products to stay in touch wherever he is:

I have to say that Google has to be the best platform out there. With Gmail, Google docs, Google+, Calendar, and more, you can’t go wrong. I’m able to automatically sync everything between my two computers and my phone. Google has made it possible for me to hold my office in my hand.

I think that Dan has hit on a really important element of the way technology is enabling many more people to explore the option of Out of Office working: “to hold my office in my hand.”

Beyond a few select futurists, who would have imagined two decades ago that holding all the devices that enabled people to do their job would be contained in one small device? If you think back to the information workers space as it first appeared, there was the computer or a terminal connected to one, a fax machine, a printer, a telephone, perhaps a voice recorder, maybe an answering machine or a message-taking service. In some offices, perhaps there was a radio or even a television to allow people to stay connected with current affairs via the news.

All of those devices or their replacements are now embodied in a phone or tablet that fits into a pocket or bag. In addition, there are more options available: Those devices can now be used for video conferencing, and they can be used as a camera that not only can take photos and video but also share them with as many people as the person using it wants to share them with.

Others find that a particular piece of hardware has become indispensable for them to be able to work Out of Office from the home or on the road.

Arthur Cooper, who runs Optimum 7, can’t be without his iPad, not just for the sake of the gadget but because of what it enables him to achieve:

My iPad, with Wi-Fi and cellular enabled. I can use critical apps like LogMeIn to access my home/business network. FaceTime to chat with my wife and see her at the same time (I get the better of that deal). I also use it to browse the Web, read the news, weather, sports, entertainment, etc.

The iPad is one tool that enables both work and pleasure; it is little wonder that working Out of Office is on the rise. Tools that enable individuals to be as effective at home or on the road as they were in the traditional office setting and at the same time provide ways for them to avoid boredom are providing individuals with choices about their workspace and work time.

Notice that among the benefits Arthur listed was the ability to stay in touch with his wife. Out of Office workers are likely to be more flexible in their approach to working hours, but they are equally more likely to want to be more connected to their personal lives.

With the rise in popularity of “Bring Your Own Device” (the arrangement where businesses are allowing employees to connect to the company-owned infrastructure via their own phone, tablet, or computer instead of providing the employees with them) in many organizations, employees now expect that the device they are using for work can and will also be used for personal entertainment. This further blurs the lines of when someone is on work time and when they are on their own time.

If an organization expects their employee to answer emails on their device outside of normal office hours, can they, in all fairness, expect to control the use of the device for other activities?

For those who work from home for an organization and are supplied with equipment to enable them to do so, this is a tricky question. If your company provides your computer, without which you are unable to do your job, should you also use it for personal social media? I do know of individuals who maintain two computers in their home office: one supplied by their company and one for personal use. They feel that this is the only way in which they can adequately and appropriately divide their work life from their personal life and still retain a sense of freedom and personality in their online life.

Each organization handles this differently, mostly in ways that match the overall culture of the organization. Those that tend toward the more conservative, perhaps more controlling management style, will also tend toward imposing stricter controls on the use of employee-owned devices. I know of at least one organization that implemented strict rules governing the use of employee-owned devices for accessing business email, including the requirement that monitoring software be placed on the device and that an eight-digit password be implemented. Many of the employees simply declined to use their personal device any longer to access work emails, with of course the subsequent decline in productivity.

For those working Out of Office for an organization, that luxury is unrealistic; they cannot simply refuse to connect back to the parent organization because they own a device. It is more likely that they will seek to obtain a device from their organization, particularly a computer, rather than use their own. Again, this leaves the employee in the unenviable position of having to draw a distinct line between home and work while at the same time being in only one location: home.

Human resources, information technology, and line managers responsible for managing and supporting Out of Office workers face the challenge of providing an environment that is conducive to the efficient productivity of the employee while at the same time maintaining company policies regarding security of information and addressing other concerns that organizations of any size face when dealing with data.

There is no “one size fits all” solution, and as technology advances and enables increased connectivity from an increasing number of locations, organizations will need to find ways to adapt and meet this changing landscape of the workplace. Far from being a minor detour in the path of human work life, I really believe that Out of Office working is the direction that many roles will take in the near future.

Of course, not everyone agrees with this vision. Marisa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo!, raised eyebrows in 2013 by announcing that all Yahoo! employees would be required to work from the Yahoo! offices in San Francisco. Although this was seen by some as taking away a privilege, others saw it as a move to unify a fractured organization. However, the tech giant wasn’t the only organization to make this move. Best Buy, the U.S.-based retail organization, terminated their flexible working arrangement after eight years, also in 2013. Both organizations have stated that their moves are not a comment on flexible working but rather moves that are right for their particular organizations.

It is difficult to make sound observations on these and other organizations that are moving away from the Out of Office work style without knowing the internal dynamics involved. Certainly it is true that some Out of Office workers, especially those based from home, abuse the situation to their own advantage. Mayer cited employees who had created start-ups from their homes on company time while working from home for Yahoo!.

That said, it is hard to imagine that the situation for Yahoo! or Best Buy was such widespread abuse that the issue couldn’t be managed on an individual level rather than in broad brushstrokes that will leave many employees looking for a new position or at least feel that the company they work for is no longer supportive of them.

I am not implying that any organization that doesn’t allow Out of Office working and in particular work-from-home scenarios is draconian. Every organization finds a way to motivate, manage, and retain employees differently. However, I do believe that this style of working is now becoming part of the consideration set for employees when choosing where to work. Just as employers are seeking greater flexibility from their employees, so too are employees seeking greater flexibility from their employers. As always, the conversation about working conditions has to be two-way and cannot be simply dictated by one side or the other.

The work-from-home discussion is being mirrored on many levels at corporations. Not the least of which is the access to social media sites. As I outlined earlier, if an employer wants an employee to be accessible via email outside of working hours, is it not a fair expectation that an employee might have access to personal Internet use during working hours.

Arguments flow back and forth around this point, with those against it citing productivity, security, breach of confidentiality, and so on. Of course, technology has made all of these arguments moot. There is nothing to stop an employee bringing an internet-connected device to work and using it at their desk; in fact, many already do in the form of their smartphones. So by blocking access on a company-owned computer, has the organization really achieved anything or have they simply moved the access to a more covert action?

This also speaks to the issue of trust. Does blocking access to certain websites convey a message that the organization lacks trust in its employees? Does it say that they don’t feel they are mature enough to be allowed to blur the lines between personal and professional?

Equally, it can be argued that by allowing workshifting or telecommuting from home, an organization gains a more flexible employee, who, because they feel valued, will be more productive at a lower overall cost to the employer. Although the proponents of this work style rally around this argument, employers are not all convinced.

Just as with access to certain websites, the granting or denying of the ability to work from home can also be seen as relating to the level of trust an organization places in its employees. Does not granting the ability say more about how employees are viewed than it does about an organizations logistical ability to support the work style?

Without doubt an organization making Out of Office working an option is sending a message that they place a great deal of trust in their employees to conduct themselves as professionals—a message that, in most cases, will be met with a degree of professionalism that is hard to measure and to achieve in a purely in-office environment.

The truth is that change is hard, and at an organizational level, change can be extremely hard. Often, it is a long process of evolution rather than revolution. I don’t believe that we have seen the last of the evolutionary steps at Yahoo!, Best Buy, and other organizations that have apparently recanted their belief in the work-from-home/Out of Office work style. Whatever organizational priorities have created the about-turn in their attitude are likely to be resolved, and I am certain we will see the reintroduction of some form of Out of Office work style from these companies in the future. Of course, just as those organizations are evolving, so too is the work style itself and the technology that enables it.

Although we are still a long way from the home of The Jetsons (an American cartoon from the 1960s that envisaged automated homes with robot assistants), the amount of domestic home automation that we are seeing being introduced will ultimately have an impact on the Out of Office worker based at home—from smartphone apps that control lighting, heating, entertainment, and other electronics in the home, to appliances that are connected to the Internet to enable them to interact with services independent of the owner. Devices that allow motion gesturing such as the Xbox Connect, developed by Microsoft initially for gaming purposes, are being adapted to have business applications. They also allow for video conferencing to take place away from a computer (rather they can take place as part of the whole home computer). Because these lines blur at an increasingly rapid pace, we will also see the lines between work and home life blur. When time and location become truly irrelevant and an individual can be a virtual presence at an office anywhere on the planet and is able to physically interact with objects (or at the very least interact with virtual objects) at the same time as their co-workers, the possibilities for Out of Office working become endless.

The evolution of the home and what that word means to individuals will have perhaps the greatest impact on those working from home. In many urban environments, the cost of housing has risen so sharply that cost per square foot means affordable accommodation is shared, and tends toward the functional rather than the futuristic, especially in the rental market.

For those living and working in these hubs, the choice to work from home is unrealistic; they can, however, work Out of Office in other locations, so perhaps we will see a divide in the Out of Office work style where those who live in areas that have affordable accommodations that provide sufficient space to realistically entertain working from home will do so, and others will find and create new working environments, ones that we have only barely begun to consider.