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This is a four-part series on telecommuting in the healthcare industry. In Part 1, I discussed privacy concerns and in Part 2, I gave some tips for how to manage the practical aspects of telecommuting. In Part 3, I’ll talk about the personal aspects of telecommuting.

Preparing Yourself for Telecommuting

• Set reasonable goals for your work time away from the office. Know when to stop and avoid overworking. Don’t let your work spill into personal time for yourself or with your family and friends. On the other hand, don’t be a slacker either so that you don’t get as much done at home as you would in the office.
• Give yourself a few months to assess how well telecommuting works for you. Not everyone enjoys bringing work into the home and some can’t get as much accomplished.
• Don’t forget to take breaks. In the office, people might come to chat with you, you have to go elsewhere for lunch, or you have meetings to attend. At home, it’s just you (unless you have a child or pet to take care of).
• Don’t lose your self-control. At the office, there are certain restrictions like no smoking that don’t apply at home. Some telecommuters apparently develop weight gain and other bad habits as well. I can personally attest to this!

Preparing Family, Friends, and Neighbors

Telecommuting should be a fairly common occurrence now, so no one will assume you’re just hanging out at home taking it easy. Nevertheless, you may have to ask everyone to be a little more considerate.

• Tell everyone how you feel about being interrupted. For example, just because you’re home, doesn’t mean people should feel free to drop by unannounced or think you’re free to babysit.
• Make sure everyone understands that office equipment, such as laptops, are not for common use.
• Be clear that you are working at home, and not free to do favors or errands.
• While freelancers like me can work dependent care around projects, some full-time healthcare jobs may not be able to accomodate this 100%.

Regularly assess the time you spend telecommuting. If you are successful, then your career will be a success too. If you’re perceived as not putting in as much effort as others at your healthcare organization because you’re telecommuting, then you’ll be passed up for promotions and other bonuses. Don’t let that happen to you.

In Part 4 of Telecommuting in the Healthcare Industry, I’ll summarize the do’s and don’ts of telecommuting.