Getting Your Virtual Feet Wet – Telecommuting and You

Starting my own Virtual Assistant business was an idea that developed as a result of my last corporate job. I was able to telecommute and work from my home office for 2+ years before I quit to start my business. For those of you who’s bosses travel a lot, this may be an option for you to consider, so that you start working from home, get comfortable with the idea and set up systems to maintain (and likely increase!) your productivity.

When I got ready to ask my boss about telecommuting, I was scared to death! But I thoroughly prepared myself (much as Libby Huffman’s article describes – How to Ask Your Boss to Telecommute – Click here to check it out) before I approached him, and to my surprise he said yes! I was able to telecommute for over 2 years before I moved back to my native CA and started my own virtual assistant business. One of the points that got him to agree was that, initially, I only worked from home when he was traveling. He traveled pretty extensively, so that worked out for me and I was able to work at home the majority of the week.

Also, I got a (firm-sponsored) BlackBerry and was sure to forward my desk line to the Blackberry whenever I was out of the office, so there was never any delay in he or his clients reaching me. And, the IT department help me set up a VPN (Virtual Private Network) so that I was able to access all of my emails and files from my work computer on my (personal) laptop at home. It wasn’t long before my boss couldn’t tell the difference between me working from home and working from the office! In the 2+ years that I was able to telecommute, we NEVER had a problem with him reaching me or my getting my work done. I was always extra diligent in making sure my boss was happy and actually got better reviews when I was telecommuting than was I schlepping to the office every day!

Many companies are starting to see the value of providing telecommuting options for their employees so this is definitely an idea worth pursuing. Prepare a proposal to outline your ideas, find out what type of telecommuting programs are available in your company, and schedule an appointment to present your idea to your boss.

You may be well on your way to becoming a first-class Virtual Assistant!

Please feel free to post any questions you have on this topic by clicking on the comments link below.