5 Telecommuting Misconceptions and Myths

Telecommuting is considered the best of both worlds -- making a living and having time for family or personal pursuits. However, telecommuting isn't the be-all solution to work-life balance. Here are five common misconceptions or myths about telecommuting.

1) Telecommuting is ideal for parents. It's unreasonable to think you can fit full-time or even part-time work around raising children. Children don't allow for hours of uninterrupted time needed to focus on work. Most telecommuters make childcare arrangements such as sending the kids to pre-school or hiring someone to watch their child while they work.

2) Telecommuting allows you to work whenever you want. Work-flexibility isn't automatic with telecommuting. Many employers that allow telecommuting want you to work set hours whether that's 9-to-5, a swing shift or weekends.

3) Telecommuting jobs pay salaries and benefits. Some do, but most don't. Most work-at-home jobs are contract-based that pay by the hour or by project. That doesn't mean that the work isn't steady or regular. There are many advantages to contract work such as tax deductions on your home office. However, contract workers must also make arrangements for health insurance and retirement.

4) Telecommuting eliminates hassles. Telecommuting eliminates commuting, but not necessarily the hassle of getting a kids to school. Plus it can create new hassles such as nosey neighbors, no boundaries between work and life, and employers who think you can work any time since you live at your office.

5) Telecommuting eliminates office politics. You might be able to reduce the angst that goes on at the office, but you can't eliminate it all together. Regular contact with your boss or manager is crucial to a successful telecommuting situation. Because much of this contact is done by email -- which lacks facial cues and voice tone -- misunderstandings and hard feelings can occur. If you're not careful, you can get involved in email gossip that can come back to hurt you if your email is shared with the wrong people. Politics is a part of work, even when you telecommute.

There many advantages to telecommuting, but you cannot assume that working at home will solve your childcare or other issues that make it a challenge to have a traditional jobs. Work-at-home jobs have perks, but can come with their own set of headaches. That is not to say telecommuting isn't worth the effort. A bad day working at home, is still better than commuting to a job. But you need to be aware of and deal with the challenges that come with telecommuting as well.

Get FREE work-at-home jobs, resources and a free newsletter at http://www.WorkAtHomeSuccess.com. Leslie Truex is the author of The Work-At-Home Success Bible (2009 Adams Media). She has been telecommuting and running home businesses for over 15 years and helping others to work at home in jobs or home businesses since 1998.

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