Use Telecommuting to Go Away for a Season

Telecommuting is a way to get out of town and still earn a living.

Am I suggesting you take your laptop computer on your vacation or sabbatical trip? No, not that. Definitely not!

Instead, consider a seasonal escape where you do your usual work in the salubrious setting of your choice for six to eight weeks.

Technically, telecommuting is not a time off tactic because you are working. So think of it as a time away tactic to use between vacations.

This tactic assumes you are a “knowledge worker,” i.e., a professional who commutes daily to reach a computer and a phone to do your job.

We'll turn it around so that the laptop and phone goes to the worker (you) instead.

How to Work From Anywhere

I will outline the steps below, but first imagine the following temporary work set-ups (but realistically, not all three!):

• February and March at your Florida condo
• June and July at a vacation rental in Idaho or Ireland
• Thanksgiving through New Year's at your son's home in another state

Sounds lovely, you say? But how is it possible?

It's a progression of steps over six months. You can start today.

STEP ONE: Change your thinking about how your job gets done.

Begin to recognize that you can work from anywhere.
This may be a new idea for you so the biggest obstacles are probably in your mind. (We'll deal with your manager separately). While not widespread, there are employees who work full time from home. Your gig is working full time from (a temporary, faraway) home for only a season. You might be inspired to read Telecommuting Full-time and Long-Distance: Can It Be Done?

STEP TWO: Arrange to telecommute from your home.

Redesign your job into telecommuting.

Don't be put off if there are some job tasks that you can't imagine being done from thousands of miles away. We'll get to that further down.

Set up remote access to your work computer. Do the 30-day free trial of GoToMyPC through WorkOptions.com for the best deal. Over a period of weeks, work an hour or so on a few job tasks in the evening or a Saturday from home. (Don't make it a habit; your goal is to prove to yourself—and eventually your manager—that you can perform your job well from home.)

Present a proposal to work from home two or three days of each five-day workweek. Telecommuting Flex Success Proposal Template is the proven tool for that.

Assuming approval of your request (most long-term, trusted employees get the green light for at least a trial period), you'll move to Step Three.


STEP THREE: Nudge telecommuting from home up to the next level.

After three months, request to work four days a week from home. (You'll use the bonus Evaluation Memo Templates included with Telecommuting Flex Success to document the success of your trial period.)

STEP FOUR: Arrange an in-person meeting with your manager to assess your telecommuting arrangement.

Your mission is to gauge your manager’s true comfort and confidence level about your work set-up.

With six months or more of solid telecommuting experience, you will have likely improved your output. (Most remote workers see double-digit productivity increases; with fewer interruptions and no socializing, what's to do but work?) This foundation, paired with your positioning as a reliable, well-performing employee your manager doesn't want to lose (right?), sets you up to get approval of your request.

Yet, you need to get a clearer view of the situation from your manager's perspective.

Is your s/he blown away at your productivity output (at which time you can reinforce the value of remote work and how it adds to your job satisfaction and achievements)? Or is your manager suggesting that four days a week working away from the office is excessive?

What else? Listen carefully (especially between the lines). Do a subtle probe of the attitude environment so you can figure your next move.

STEP FIVE: Request your seasonal remote work arrangement.

Based on the outcome of Step Four, you'll know (or sense) if and when it's a wise move to go forward with your request.

Let's say you have a good vibe about it and you're planning to ask.

Make your request at least two months before your anticipated start date; given approval, you'll need the time to make travel and accommodation arrangements.

Ask for eight weeks of long-distance telecommuting so you have room to negotiate for fewer.

If you meet little resistance and you really only want three to six weeks, confirm your travel arrangements first, then immediately alert your manager to the adjusted dates.

Fine-Tune Step Two

Looking back at Step Two, are there job tasks that can not be performed from a remote location? Let's tackle that issue by considering the possibilities.

Could those particular job tasks:

• be skipped during the weeks that you're away from the office?
• be deferred until your return?
• be delegated? (Try adapting the Sabbatical Work Coverage Ideas)
• be done in a collaborative way via telecommuting tools?
• be given work-around treatment*?

If you've set up a job sharing arrangement, Step Two has fewer obstacles.

*Imagine you had to take FMLA leave to be with your elderly parent in a faraway state during his or her hip replacement surgery, rehab and recuperation. Beyond your ability to access your office computer from your parent's home to do some work, how would you and your employer manage the other aspects of your job? There's no perfect solution, but there's usually a work-it-out solution. Think in those terms.

Fine-Tune Steps Four and Five

Do you need negotiation advice? Remember, you can arrange a free consult for this type of situation.

Make it Happen

Is this an unusual arrangement? Yes.

Is it really possible? Yes, if you followed the steps above, you may be surprised at the work lifestyle you can craft for yourself.

Redesign your job into telecommuting

Do the 30-day free trial of GoToMyPC

Learn more about the Telecommuting Flex Success Proposal Template