RE: Down the Rabbit Hole...(telecommuting)

["Guru Kamath" <guru -at- bom5 -dot- vsnl -dot- net -dot- in>]

Hello Bruce,

As a dedicated telecommuter, I have always appreciated the need for
face-to-face communication and meetings. Meetings are therefore inevitable.
In fact, I flew to Guam, USA, for discussions before I worked on the
telecommuting projects back in India. Similarly, I have visited Dubai
several times.  Here are some answers (**) to your questions (-).

What I'd like to know is: does anyone else have a similar arrangement? If
so:
-are you satisfied with it?
** I do not have a monthly meeting plan.  I have had to visit sites for
discussions, work on application program, etc.  This was done on a need
basis. I was very satisfied with the visits.

-is the monthly office visit too stressful for you or your family,
especially if you have young children?
** My standard contract lays down that if the duration of visit is more than
60 days, then air ticket and accommodation for wife and daugther will be
provided. Indeed, it is a bit stressful, if the period is long.  Some of my
typical on-site visits have been for 3-4 months. I refused several on-site
projects as it would disrupt my family life. I think such visits are
stressful for the spouse.

**I have ensured that I am never away from my family for more than 4 months.
Typicaly, I time it in such a way that my family joins me for a few
days/weeks on location in the middle of the projects (say after two months).

-how do you plan your visits so that you can get the most done in the
shortest time?
**My tasks and role have been simple. Write user manuals. Obviously, having
the documents and other material with you before meetings would be very
useful.

**Having an agenda for the visit would also be useful.

-did you have any unexpected problems with the arrangement? If so, what are
they and how did you overcome or minimize them?
** My wife and daughter were refused US visa -- so they could not visit me.
Naturally, I cut short my visit and returned to India.

-Maybe I shouldn't be so cautious, but the offer looks too good to
be true, and I'd be more satisfied if I could see a downside or
two before I made a decision. :-)
** I hope the offer lives up to your expectation. I do not see any downside
to telecommuting opportunities. My take on this is: technical writing itself
is tough.  Getting SMEs and programmers to talk to you.  Getting the
programs to work! Telecommuting only adds a blindfold to you. You are now
supposed to deliver the same or superior results -- without seeing the
software, without enough interaction with the programmers. Of course, you
can use video conferencing and international calls.

The several downsides of telecommuting to me are:  a) Nowadays I have the
ability to work on a 18-hour schedule, seven days a week (18x7). Meaning my
work starts as soon as I get up in the morning and ends when I go to sleep.
With as many breaks as I need in between (including many full days of no
work!) b) Being a home bird -- I have become a fat slob. c) Plenty of time
and money.  Thanks to telcommuting, I have plenty of time up my sleeve.
Similarly, dollar payments have spoilt me. I am comfortable working only 15
days in a month and earning for the whole month and more!

One tip:  Use ICQ (http://www.mirabilis.com).  It is a blessing. One can
always send short messages to our counter parts or have short Chat meetings
when both are online together.

Guru
guru -at- bom5 -dot- vsnl -dot- net -dot- in
Telecommuting technical writer based in Mumbai (working mainly for US
companies in USA or in India!)