Communication Tools for Telecommuters

By Elizabeth Wasserman

When Nicole Belson Goluboff's first child was born 14 years ago, the Manhattan attorney asked the prestigious law firm she worked for if she could telecommute. The law firm declined. Back then, there was no Internet, no email, long-distance phone calls were expensive and you needed a conference room to meet with colleagues.

Goluboff eventually left a job she loved to spend more time with her family. These days, however, technology enables her to work from home in Scarsdale, N.Y. as an author and advocate on the legal implications of telecommuting. "I've got Internet access, a fax machine and phone," Goluboff says, "and I am highly dependent -- as are most professionals -- on email."

A growing array of communication-based tools available over high-speed Internet services is being credited with a recent boom in the number of Americans who telecommute, or "telework," as it's also called. Between 2004 and 2006, the number of workers whose employer let them work from home at least one day a month jumped by 63 percent to 12.4 million, according to WorldatWork, an association of human resource professionals from Fortune 500 and other leading organizations worldwide. Combined with the growing ranks of the self-employed, that means roughly 20 percent of the American workforce -- or 29 million workers -- now work remotely at least once per month.

Laptop computers, web-conferencing, digital phone, voice mail and fax options, have "fundamentally shot down most of the red herrings put up by managers as to why telecommuting is not possible," says Jack Nilles, president of JALA International, a consultant that specializes in developing telework programs for companies and government agencies. The most common manager concerns about telecommuting, including not being able to reach you or that you'll miss meetings, can now often be resolved with communication tools that you can set up in less than a day in most cases.

Tool #1: Laptop with speedy Internet access
A laptop computer and high-speed Internet access are two cornerstones of telecommuting. Opting for a laptop computer -- or urging your company to supply you one -- is smart because it can be carried back and forth to the office or home. "You only need one computer. There's no reason to have a desktop computer at work and another desktop at home," says Chuck Wilsker, president of the Telework Coalition, an advocacy group for telecommuters based in Washington, DC. Many telecommuters now use laptops with docking stations, a device that you plug a laptop into in order to use a bigger screen and a conventional computer keyboard.

Features to consider when buying a laptop include: weight (a 3-pound computer is easier to carry than a 10-pound model), screen size (a 17-inch screen is easier to read than a 12-inch version) and software programs (does your office use Word, Excel or PowerPoint?).  Wireless cards, which enable you to connect to the Internet over public or private Wi-Fi networks, are standard these days. One feature you may want to pay extra for is a built-in webcam -- a small video camera that can broadcast your image over the web, instant messaging, or a video-conferencing program.

A Broadband connection (a high-speed Internet service) is essential if you want to use webcam conferencing and get quick access to your email and Internet access.

Tool #2: New breed of phone and fax services
The cost of phone service has dropped dramatically as new options are available beyond the traditional phone service. Cellular phones and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) -- the latter of which is the routing of voice calls over your computer and Internet connection -- have made working from home more affordable and more attractive to the boss.

Long-distance calls can be free through online services such as Skype or included in monthly call-anywhere plans from cell providers. Splitting time between home and the office? Use new call forwarding features to transfer your work phone so that it rings on your home line. Online companies like eVoice, eVoice Receptionist and ConnectMeVoice will forward your voice mail to your email box, making messages accessible from your computer. Fees start as little as $9.95 a month.

Unless your work depends on faxing -- such as real estate or other work that deals heavily in signed contracts -- there is no reason to buy a fax machine with a dedicated phone line. For the occasional fax you need to send, a variety of online services such as MyFax or eFax offers faxing through your email and the web for a monthly fee as low as $16.95 per month. On eFax, you can also receive faxes for free.

Tool #3: Web conferencing
If you need to meet with colleagues or clients on a regular basis and your home office is far away, web conferencing is a good option to save on travel.

Web conferencing can be done with video or without. Other handy features include sharing your desktop so that others in the meeting can see as if they were in the room with you, annotation of your desktop as if it were a whiteboard, private chat and integrated use of instant messaging.

If you want to use a webcam so you can actually see your co-workers, you can buy one that attaches to your computer or use the one built into your laptop. Then you just need to connect with your colleagues via an instant messaging program that allows video chat (the top ones all do) or you can use an online service. Companies such as webex and GoToMeeting offer unlimited online conferencing from your computer for as low as $39 a month.

Tool #4: Telecommuter support
Associations of telecommuters can provide some of the best advice you can get on negotiating a telework arrangement with your employer and figuring out what you will pay for and what your employer will cover, and also using communication tools to get your job done, too. Groups such as WorldatWork, the Telework Coalition and the TELEWORK CONSORTIUM provide support and advice on how to use technology to create a virtual office.

"The one thing you have to do is make sure you're absolutely secure not only online, but also offline," says Goluboff, the attorney who works from her home. That means using antivirus software, a firewall and encryption, but also "making sure that family members, household employees, guests, your children's friends, nannies and caregivers don't have access to what is on your computer."