4/01/2006
Exit Interview, Pt II
If you could add or change a benefit at Company X, what would it be?
One topic that continues to come up is telecommuting. At headquarters, this may be a commonplace practice, but in the New York office it’s a very different story. In Dept.A it seems as though certain individuals receive preferential treatment when it comes to telecommuting. Granted, not every job can be done from the comfort of one’s home. It’s a given that the individual’s role needs to have the flexibility present to take advantage of this benefit.
However, the preferential treatment became rather obvious during the New York City transit strike last December. My entire team (the Idiot Boss included) relies on public transportation to get to and from work everyday. When the strike was imminent, Miss Manager told me that both me and my team (consisting of 2 people) had to be present but that she was going to work from home. Meanwhile, I have the ability to work from home (as does my team). One of my employees, Worker-1, lives in Funky Town which is close to where Miss Manager lives (the not-so-funky part). Worker-1 made the 2 ½ hour trek in to work on the first day of the strike, meanwhile my Idiot Boss stayed home. Why was that? On that same day, I suffered from a severe tooth infection (which incidentally was extracted in an emergency procedure that same day) and was on painkillers (as my managers were aware). But at 6am I was on my way to the office and I was there early. Again, Miss Manager was home.
This telecommuting policy needs to be scrutinized a little more.
Copyright 2006 Pied Piper Consulting
One topic that continues to come up is telecommuting. At headquarters, this may be a commonplace practice, but in the New York office it’s a very different story. In Dept.A it seems as though certain individuals receive preferential treatment when it comes to telecommuting. Granted, not every job can be done from the comfort of one’s home. It’s a given that the individual’s role needs to have the flexibility present to take advantage of this benefit.
However, the preferential treatment became rather obvious during the New York City transit strike last December. My entire team (the Idiot Boss included) relies on public transportation to get to and from work everyday. When the strike was imminent, Miss Manager told me that both me and my team (consisting of 2 people) had to be present but that she was going to work from home. Meanwhile, I have the ability to work from home (as does my team). One of my employees, Worker-1, lives in Funky Town which is close to where Miss Manager lives (the not-so-funky part). Worker-1 made the 2 ½ hour trek in to work on the first day of the strike, meanwhile my Idiot Boss stayed home. Why was that? On that same day, I suffered from a severe tooth infection (which incidentally was extracted in an emergency procedure that same day) and was on painkillers (as my managers were aware). But at 6am I was on my way to the office and I was there early. Again, Miss Manager was home.
This telecommuting policy needs to be scrutinized a little more.
Copyright 2006 Pied Piper Consulting
