For someone as steeped in network techology as I am, you may be surprised to learn that I’m vehemently against the idea of telecommuting, or any other form of working from home.

While on the surface, it may seem convenient for an employee to work from home (due to inclement weather, illness, etc.), you’re actually losing money when you telecommute! Take a look at the facts. When you go to work, your employer pays for the electricity, phone, water, heat, and so on. If you’re working from home, you are paying for all of the utility bills; your employer’s not compensating you for them.

Financial considerations aside, there’s a much bigger reason why I don’t believe in working from home. For me, work is work: when I’m in my office, I’m there to work, not relax or fool around. When I go home, I leave work behind, forget about it until the next morning, and enjoy my hobbies. If you’re working from home…then you no longer have a home. You have another office. Your time is now your employer’s time, your space is now their space. There’s no separation of home and work anymore, as they’ve become one and the same. While one may pride themselves on their home, if you’re telecommuting, tough shit: you’re firmly planted in your employer’s domain, no matter where your physical location may be.

I speak from personal experience; shortly after college many long years ago, I worked on various freelance projects to pay the bills until I acquired a full-time position. My bedroom became my office (as that’s where the computer was), and in the span of a few short months, I felt like I had to nowhere to go to unwind. The bedroom was where I did nothing but work and sleep. Even if I went into the other room to watch TV or read a book, it didn’t really matter, as my office was right next door. (Would you loiter around your job during off hours? I don’t think so!)

As such, I maintain a sharp divide between the office and my home: they are never to mix. The whole point of going home is to relax after a long day at work! If you prefer to telecommute, then why not just move into your company’s office and sleep on a cot? You’d save money that way.