To me I think yes for personal time management, more efficient use of time for myself.
To the overall project schedule - probably no.
The reason for one to be efficient in home, is they can earn extra time for own stuff, not to earn extra time to speed up the project. Saving Changes...
Kimberly McCoyProject Manager| TekSystems - ContractorZanesville, Oh, United States
So I would have to agree with you here. When working from home, I am able to actually also be productive on my lunch breaks, do some cleaning, read, watch tv, or even take a nap.
I would have to disagree that this has any impact to project schedule, and here's why...
I have my own office (seperte space in my home) in which when I am working, i am away from all the distractions my home has to offer. This room does not have a TV or bed, or any comforts that I would look for. I also live at home with three dogs, two of which are still puppies, and in order to continue managing projects, I keep them in their kennels during meetings, or when I know I have a deadline. These small changes ensure that when I work from home, there is nothing that would prevent my from doing my work as if I was on the office. Saving Changes...
Anton OosthuizenSenior Business Analyst / Project Manager| Self EmployedPretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
Working from home can be just as productive, and even more productive than in an office environment. It depends on the individual. For the individual who sits daydreaming in the office all day a home office will be worse. It required self-discipline. In an office, I have to contend with people talking, laughing and having stand-ups next to me. Again some people are oblivious of their surroundings.
Agree with Kimberly - have a dedicated office space, not a laptop tray in front of the telly. Get up and dress like you would go to the office, obviously, you can dress down a bit if your normal office attire is very formal. And stick to a schedule for taking a break. I get a minimum of 50% more quality work done at home, QUALITY being the key word here. Saving Changes...
Wade HarshmanScrum Master| GDITIndianapolis, In, United States
This varies widely depending on the situation. For some people, working from home makes them more productive because it eliminates the commute and gives them the chance to set their own environment. This is especially true if you work with distributed teams.
Many people I've talked to prefer to work in the office because there are too many distractions at home. They want to work, but the TV is in the other room, there are chores that need to be done, etc. It helps them to have a physical separation between work and home.
For me, I prefer working in the office because not everyone in my house respects the fact that the office doors are closed. Also, as a project manager, I like being co-located with my team as much as possible, and I like having the ability to find the people that I need. People can ignore my email, but they can't ignore me when I'm standing in their office. Saving Changes...
It depends. type of work you do, your personality, your office and home environment, etc. Saving Changes...
Eric SimmsSenior Program ManagerBaltimore, Maryland, United States
I prefer working at home, for I can get much more accomplished. I work from home four days a week, and when I go into my office on the fifth day I'm always amazed how much time I lose engaging in conversations. These are just part of the normal human interaction coworkers engage in, but at home I can skip that and devote 100% of my time and energy to work. Saving Changes...
Justus NScrum Master| BCBSTXArlington, Tx, United States
I have found this to be true for me. However, it is not for everyone as some team members can't seem to accomplish tasks while they are at work; one can only imagine what if they worked from home? Saving Changes...
Product Operations Program ManagerBarcelona, Cataluña, Spain
The best answer is... it depends! I am more inclined to believe that efficiency depends on the way of working, and this does not have to necessarily change depending on the work place. Working in sprints - by sprint I mean to focus on one thing for a certain amount of time with no interruptions, no phone calls, no e-mails checking - is the way to go to increase productivity / efficiency. And this could be done at work, at home, at a library, or even at a Starbucks. Saving Changes...
I agree with many of the above comments and although I don't work at home very often, sometimes it is a much better alternative than sitting at my work desk.
I work with distributed teams and when they are in the same building, I like to talk to them personally. When they are located remotely, it is less distracting for my coworkers when I am not talking on the phone next to them all day. Similarly if I am sitting on the phone all day for a virtual conference, it doesn't make sense to drive into the office to do so when my home office is more comfortable (and unlike Anton I don't dress up for that.)
When I do a lot of writing, either documents or for presentations, I think better walking/pacing than sitting, and it helps to speak out loud to polish my wording.
You can actually find yourself in the opposite problem that you work too much when you are getting a lot done and just keep working. You need to have the discipline not only to get things done, but also to stop and go back to home life. Saving Changes...
Jochen ThomasProject Manager| SASSanford, Nc, United States
The work from home option really depends on what needs to be done. There are significant pros for telecommuting but it requires some discipline on the PM. I generally have an open door policy for my subordinates and it tends to me not getting lots of work done..... Saving Changes...
Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
I find face-to-face communications most effective. Audio- or video-conferences are good but cannot replace co-located teams and meetings. Saving Changes...
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