choice of when they have to work. They have to reach deadlines no matter how much time it takes, while in regular jobs, people work their set number of hours and they are done for the day. When people telecommute, they will have deadlines and sometimes those deadlines are very difficult to make. Telecommuters might work six out of the seven days of the week just to reach a deadline; it all depends on the workload given to them. Telecommuters might have to stay up all night just to make their deadlines. Many times that they may not be able to choose their own hours (Cochran).Extra ExpensesAdditional expenses that employers sometimes do not pay for are another disadvantage for employees. When people work out of their homes, many times they will have to provide their own office supplies, ranging from large items like computers to small items like paperclips. The supplies a telecommuter needs depends on what his or her company does and what job he or she is assigned. Some companies will pay for some of their telecommuters’ expenses, such as the Internet connection, telephone bills, computers, and other office supplies. However, there are some companies that make telecommuters pay for everything, even computers (McKinney 4).Work ActivitiesWorking alone is another disadvantage of telecommuting. Because they are working at home, telecommuters miss out on the social aspect of working for which June Langhoff coined the term “watercooler withdrawal” (Langhoff 8). In essence, employees are not around other co-workers to gossip and keep up-to-date at the water cooler. The team concept is used in many companies today. Telecommuters lack the benefits and experience of teamwork because they work alone. Telecommuters are never a part of the team concept, unless they occasionally go to the office or if they have teleconferencing quite often. They have to complete the workload by themselves. That means they have to do e...
