CityPainter
Active Member
Member Bio
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2010
- Messages
- 447
- Reaction score
- 313
- Location
- SLM/Old Town/Distillery/Corktown
I work remotely, and I live downtown, so I guess I'm a fly in the ointment of this theory. But as with most people who work remotely, there are times when I do need to be accessible for meetings, so living reasonably near your employer is important. Most employers require at least one or two face-to-face meetings before trusting you to work for them out of sight.
Also, many telecommuters do not work solely for one corporation, but are freelancers or consultants who need easy access to numerous clients to sustain business. This is most easily found in an urban area with a concentration of similar businesses. Finally, there will always be a limited number of jobs that can truly be done remotely (web development, programming, graphic design, writing, etc.) Many jobs, including things such as managerial, producer, media and sales positions, require many meetings and hands-on interactions.
On the whole I think telecommuting is great for those who have the right skill-set for it, and the right personality to enjoy the alone-time and self-motivate (many I talk about it tell me they'd hate the isolation of working from home and would have a hard time getting anything done due to distractions). For me, lack of a commute opens up more hours in the day for working and introduces opportunities for flexibility that makes work less stressful. It also benefits the rest of society because of the reduced environmental impact and by opening up more space on our roads and transit for those who need to commute. I certainly have never linked it to a sustaining of suburbia: if anything, I think telecommuting is more of an urban phenomenon.
Also, many telecommuters do not work solely for one corporation, but are freelancers or consultants who need easy access to numerous clients to sustain business. This is most easily found in an urban area with a concentration of similar businesses. Finally, there will always be a limited number of jobs that can truly be done remotely (web development, programming, graphic design, writing, etc.) Many jobs, including things such as managerial, producer, media and sales positions, require many meetings and hands-on interactions.
On the whole I think telecommuting is great for those who have the right skill-set for it, and the right personality to enjoy the alone-time and self-motivate (many I talk about it tell me they'd hate the isolation of working from home and would have a hard time getting anything done due to distractions). For me, lack of a commute opens up more hours in the day for working and introduces opportunities for flexibility that makes work less stressful. It also benefits the rest of society because of the reduced environmental impact and by opening up more space on our roads and transit for those who need to commute. I certainly have never linked it to a sustaining of suburbia: if anything, I think telecommuting is more of an urban phenomenon.
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