Work at Home
By ET
Slashdot has a nice discussion about the pros and cons of knowledge workers working at home. To me, the point is not one about saving some money for the company (office space, etc.) or the individual (transportation cost, etc.). What really matters is how this change may affect the productivity of the workers. If staying at home really helps workers to worry less about family issues and concentrate on the work when they want to, then work at home (WAH) is something good for a company. It is even better if a worker can feel more comfortable to avoid office politics.
On a second thought, it seems obvious to me that there is no rule for firms to follow. Whether to WAH has to be decided case by case. Not only the job requirement is to be considered, individual heterogeneity has to be taken into consideration.
This is something I call “the principle of no principle”. 
April 5th, 2006 at 7:34 pm
I remember working in a hanger for an airline the last few months of my job there. I spent most of my time studying web sites, trying to find the way I could make enough money to quit my job.When I discovered that it was possible to make a living from just using my computer, I was on fire everyday. I was instantly a horrible employee. I did VERY LITTLE work on airplanes, and ALL my work surfing the internet. Managers would kick me off a computer, and then I would walk to the other side of the building and start surfing on a different computer.
Many of my co-workers were angry with me for not working on the planes, and many thought it was just comical because they hated working for the airline as much as me. They all thought I was whacked though – a total dreamer with his head in the clouds. My family members did too, as I recall. Of course my wife Betty believed an internet business was possible. Thank god for that.
As fate played it out, the airline shutdown the base three months later. By that time, I had begun building my first little web sites. When the day came that the pink slips were handed out I was getting really excited. I knew that soon I would be working FULL TIME on my sites.
When the day came that we all had to pack up our tool boxes and roll them out of the building, I was beside myself with excitement. This was in stark contrast to hundreds of my co-workers who were preparing to commute to a different city. I was almost dancing around the hanger because I knew in a few hours I would be free to pursue internet marketing.
When I handed in my ID, keys, passes, etc. to the manager, I quickly walked out and yelped YES!. (the guys thought I was really whacked at that point) I was out of there! and the next morning I was hard at it – Working At Home On My Computer. I left my toolbox in the hanger and to this day, Im told, it still sits there in the corner. I left the drawers open for anyone who might need to borrow (or steal) a tool. I put my name on the top of the toolbox in big black felt pen because I knew some of the managers would cringe when they walked by my box.
I hope that internet marketing ruins many employees, and I hope these large companies lose many good employees to internet marketing. As one of my friends said, Screw the man, Im working for myself
I know that to some people, this kind of attitude is childish and unprofessional. Maybe it is, but its an attitude Ive always had, and always will have. Some of us just will not be happy working for someone else.
My goal is to create a way in which I can show thousands of people a way to become free of the man as well. I was very lucky though, because I was laid off, and that gave me some money for 1 year. Im not suggesting people quit their jobs, or get fired. I suggest people think like the character ORR in the book CATCH 22? – quietly punch the clock and practise working your online business when no-one is looking.
If employers dont want to lose anymore good employees to internet marketing, they had better:
1) allow their employees to arrive at work whenever they feel like it
2) start paying them at least 4 times what they are presently paying them
3) give them all holidays every month
4) give them a raise every week
5) start paying their employees even when they dont show up for work
Those steps would be a good startbut propbaly not enough to keep an internet marketer.