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For many Marin workers, telecommuting has become an option [The Marin Independent Journal, Novato, Calif. :: ](Marin Independent Journal (CA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sept. 01--For increasing numbers of Marin residents, going to work each day no longer means driving to an office. With the advent of powerful, affordable personal computers and cellphones, working from home or a cafe has become an attractive option for people who work for large companies and government agencies, as well as the self-employed. "The smart companies are much more sensitive nowadays to people needing to balance the needs of their family along with career," said Jim Geist, a regional vice president with Nelson & Associates, a Sonoma-based employee recruiting firm. "So there is much greater acceptance to working from home. Mobile technology has made it almost ubiquitous." Lori Wong, director of benefits for San Rafael-based Autodesk, one of Marin's largest employers, said instead of a formal teleworking policy, Autodesk has "guidelines which allow for flexible work for our employees." "When business situations permit, managers can allow employees to work from alternate locations, with home-based teleworking as the most common example," Wong said. "Working at home part-time can complement working in the office, especially when the need for 'heads down' work exceeds the need for face-to-face interaction." County flexible The county of Marin, Marin's largest employer with more than 2,500 employees, takes a similar approach. "We have a policy that allows for telework, and it is subject to the approval of the department head," said Marin County Administrator Matthew Hymel. "We do offer that as a benefit to our employees; but we need to make sure that they're achieving the goals of providing good public service to our residents." Samantha Klein, an administrative services manager in the county's probation department, said she has been working from home one day a week for the past three years. Klein said that until recently she lived in Petaluma and working at home once a week saved her from spending an additional two hours in congested traffic each week. Klein has since moved to Marin; but she still values the day she spends at home because it provides her with the solitude she needs to do analysis and write reports. "It's nice to work from home without interruption from colleagues," Klein said. "There are no phones ringing. It puts my head in a better space." Tom Tiller, a long-time building inspector in the county's Community Development Agency, said he began working from home most of the week about a month ago after the county closed a branch office in Novato, where he had been based. Tiller, who has worked for the county 34 years, lives in Bodega and was facing the prospect of moving back to the Civic Center and adding another 40 to 60 minutes a day to his commute. He was already spending 90 minutes to two hours a day commuting to Novato. Tiller said he would have retired rather than do that. Tiller, however, said teleworking has some downsides. He said when he worked in an office he regularly discussed projects and problems with his co-workers. "Now I have to make a phone call if I want to ask a coworker their opinion on something," Tiller said. He said it is also harder to leave his job at the office now. People seeking inspections often call him at home during off hours, sometimes waking him up early in the morning. And he said he still needs to drive to the Civic Center office about once a week to use the computer there. Mayer's comments Yahoo Chief Executive Marissa Mayer famously created a debate about the effectiveness of employees working from home in 2013 when she put a stop to the practice there. In her memo announcing the edict, Mayer wrote, "Some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussion, meeting new people, and impromptu team meetings. Speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home." In January, Marin County Assessor-Recorder Richard Benson took similar action, ending a popular telecommuting program that many of his department's appraisers were using. With the number of appraisals needing to be done rising along with real estate prices, Benson said, "We wanted everybody back in the office in more of a team setting." Benson said employees working in an office can benefit from mentoring and interaction with other employees. "Conceivably telework could do all those things; but it is more difficult, because you have to create the communication system," Benson said. "It's not as easy as just being part of a conversation." Marin General Hospital, the county's second-largest private employer, also uses teleworking sparingly. Jamie Maites, a spokeswoman for the hospital, said, "At Marin General, the vast majority of our staff work either directly with patients, or support those who do. Only a handful of employees are able to perform their duties via telecommuting." Marin County officials said telework hasn't provided any cost savings due to a reduced need for office space. They say most employees are still in the office at least three days a week and need their own work space. Cost savings For people who are self-employed, however, working at home provides obvious cost savings along with other amenities. Kate Stohr runs her digital curating business, 99 Antennas, out of her two-bedroom house in Sausalito. Her husband also works at home, and they have a 7-year-old daughter. Stohr, 40, formerly spent two hours a day commuting to work in San Francisco at Architecture for Humanity, the nonprofit disaster-relief organization that she co-founded. "When I left, I was just longing to be back freelancing from home," Stohr said. "You have a lot more control over your day. I'm more productive if I'm not interrupted." Stohr said she can't care for her daughter during the day while she is working. But she said, "The fun part is that I have the flexibility to pick her up if it turns out I'm free." Former Novato resident Michael Kolosey said he operates his general contracting business, Valley Ford Construction Corp., out of his home in Petaluma. "I usually take my kids to school first thing in the morning and then come home and work on estimates," Kolosey said. "At the end of the day, I pick them up." Kames Cox-Geraghty, a 23-year-old web designer who spends most of his work day in local coffee houses such as Royal Ground and the Aroma Cafe in downtown San Rafael, said he likes the "low overhead." Cox-Geraghty said working a straight eight-hour day is not productive for him. He said, "I've noticed for me that both the morning, as soon as I get up, and the later evenings are the best." How does Cox-Geraghty safeguard his capital equipment when he has to wash his hands at his impromptu office settings? He said he either asks another patron he trusts to watch guard -- "or you trust that you can run real quick and make it back." ___ (c)2014 The Marin Independent Journal (Novato, Calif.) Visit The Marin Independent Journal (Novato, Calif.) at www.marinij.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |