January 2004

The Virtual Commute

by Laura Armbruster

How often have you fielded questions and comments about working at home?

•Virtual Assistant…does that mean you are not really here?

•Wow, must be nice to work in your pajamas all the time!

•Pressure? What pressure? You get to stay home!

•I bet your house is always clean! You have more time to take care of things!

•Why can’t you run all my errands? You only work from home!

“You don’t have a real job,” announced my 7-year old nephew. When I asked him why he felt that way, he said “Because you don’t go anywhere for your job. You just work at home.” Ouch!!!

Isn’t it amazing the misconceptions some people have about working from home? Many people still cling to outmoded ideas of employee efficiency and productivity. “How do I know the work is getting done if you are not here for me to oversee?” Yet other, more progressive, companies embrace telecommuting for its many benefits (employee moral, positive environmental impact, less overhead, increased productivity).

It’s time to tackle the myths and enlighten everyone to the advantages of working from home! This segment will be dedicated to addressing those old-fashioned perceptions and ways to overcome them (along with sharing some fun stories). Each month we will profile stories from our readers, and highlight expert ideas to assist you in conquering those work-at-home misconceptions!

If you have a great story to share, a question or challenge, or an effective method you have used to dispel work-at-home myths, please share them with us! You can E-mail your submissions to questions@thevirtualalliance.com. We look forward to hearing from you and sharing the information in our January issue! Until then, keep on virtually commuting!

About the Author

Laura Armbruster
www.virtual-associate.com