文/ 梅拉妮·皮诺拉 译/杨心彤

By Melanie Pinola

Before You Decide to Telecommute在决定远程办公之前

文/ 梅拉妮·皮诺拉 译/杨心彤

ByMelanie Pinola

A work from home arrangement isn’t always for everyone.

在家工作可能并不适合每一个人。

Telecommuters (a.k.a., remote workers or teleworkers) enjoy many great benefits, but there are also downsides. Before you decide to explore a remote work arrangement or ask your boss to let you work from home, here’s what you should consider and ask yourself.4 questions you can ask yourself before you consider becoming a telecommuter:

居家办公一族（也称作远

距离工作者或远程办公者）享有许多优势，但也面临诸多问题。所以，在你决定尝试远程工作的模式或向老板要求在家工作之前，请先思考下面的这些内容。

在决定居家办公之前先问自己4个问题：

1. Do the telecommuting pros outweight the cons for you?

1．远程办公对你来说利大于弊吗？

It might seem like working from home—and ditching the commute—is the ideal work situation, but there are tradeoffs as well. Telecommuters enjoy:

More flexibility and controlover working environment and schedule.

Increased productivity:Fewer distractions from coworkers’/bosses’

在家工作摆脱了通勤的奔波，看似理想，实则充满了权衡与妥协。居家办公一族享受：

更强的灵活性和支配力：无论是对工作环境的选择，还是对时间的安排。

更高的效率：来自同事、老板的干扰更少，还可以按照自己的节奏工作。interruptions and the ability to work at your own pace.

Less stress:Avoid rush hour, office politics, cubicles, and harsh lighting.

Greater work/life balance:Stay closer to the people you love and more flexibility with scheduling non-workrelated events.

However, telecommuters are also more vulnerable to:

Isolation:You may feel left out of or miss office socializing.

Distractions at home:chores, home deliveries, family interruptions, etc.may replace office disruptions.

Becoming a workaholic:without firm boundaries, you may feel like—or end up—always working.

2. Do you have the personal qualities needed to be a successful remote worker?

Not everyone is cut out to work remotely, and that’s okay. If you don’t have certain qualities, however,remote work will be a bust for you and you won’t be happy attempting it.Teleworkers need to have:

Self-sufficiency and motivation:Since no one’s watching over your shoulder, you need to be self-motivated.

Good communication (especially writing) skills:Email and phone will replace most in-person communications.

更少的压力：避开了上下班高峰时段，不用参与办公室政治，不用在狭小的隔间和刺眼的灯光下工作。

工作与生活之间更好的平衡：离你爱的人更近，能够更好地安排与工作无关的事情。

然而，居家办公一族会更加脆弱，因为他们需要应对：

孤独感：你也许会觉得被冷落，或者会想念办公室的社交活动。

家中的干扰因素：家务、送货上门服务、家人的打扰等都可能取代办公室中令人分心的事物，成为新的干扰因素。

变成工作狂的风险：因为没有严格的界限，你可能会想（或最终）没完没了地工作下去。

2．你具备成为一名成功的远程办公者所需的个人品质吗？

并不是所有人都适合远程工作，这也无妨。但如果你不具备某些特定的品质，远程办公的尝试终将以失败告终，而尝试的过程也不会使你感到愉悦。……