Chances are you’re seeing more and more job opportunities offering telecommuting or remote work. But what’s the difference? While the terms telecommuting and remote work may appear interchangeable, it is worth exploring some slight differences between the two.
What is telecommuting?
First used in the 1970s, telecommuting referred to employees who worked from locations that were different from the traditional office, often from satellite offices closer to their homes. The telecommuting changes were offered to reduce commute time.
As technology evolved and shaped work capabilities, telecommuting came to encompass employees working from home or any other location, like a café or coworking space. Typically, telecommuters are full-time employees who have the same schedule as their in-office colleagues.
Telecommuting carries some important nuances. It often refers to employees living close enough to the office to attend in person when required. Telecommuters may split their workdays between the office and locations outside the office. The term also helps indicate a telecommuter’s location on days when they’re not in the office.
What is remote work?
Remote work implies more flexibility than telecommuting. It usually allows employees to work from virtually anywhere, as long as they have access to the internet and any other tools they may need to work effectively.
A remote worker can work from a home office, a coffee shop, a coworking space, or nearly any other location. They may live in a different state or even a different country from their employer. In most cases, remote workers rarely, if ever, visit the office.
Remote work often allows for more of a flexible schedule than telecommuting. For instance, remote workers may be located in different time zones, and they may adopt a schedule that accommodates other commitments, such as caring for children.
How can you use Jotform to make telecommuting and remote teamwork easier?
Working together as remote teams or teams where some members telecommute can present challenges. To make it work, all team members need to work collaboratively, and it requires the right technology.
Jotform offers valuable solutions that are tailored to support these types of work arrangements.
With Jotform Tables, you can access table templates designed for project management. Those templates are easy to customize to your needs, and they have a Kanban feature that can help your team work together on a single project. The Kanban feature provides a clear overview of the project’s progress at a glance, allowing for easier and better project management.
When employees are in different locations, staying updated on project progress is essential for managing individuals effectively and keeping the team on track. Jotform’s telecommuting form templates facilitate clear communication. Forms like the employee end-of-day report let employees easily and quickly share updates on their progress and accomplishments.
Even when employees are not in the office, their approval requests still need to be processed promptly so they can move on with their work. Jotform’s workflow templates help to streamline the approval process with automation like autoresponder emails. These templates can better organize requests and make it easy for employees responsible for approvals to see the requests they need to review.
Whether employees are telecommuting or working remotely, these tools can help keep employees connected with your in-office team, so all your staff can collaborate effectively.
How can you distinguish between telecommuting and remote work opportunities?
While these definitions of telecommuting and remote work are a good place to start, the terms are often misunderstood and used interchangeably. If you’re looking for telecommuting jobs or prefer the option to work entirely from home, it’s a good idea to ask the recruiter to clarify the work environment, structure, and expectations of the role.
Photo by Elle Hughes
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