IBM exec sees telework as viable program. At telework since 1992, working remotely from either home (or at locations other than my primary office) continues to be a significant productivity and work/life balance advantage to the company and personally. I'm an advocate of formal telework programs, based either on the nature of the business and business strategy or it being a very visible optional program for employees. George Postalian,  CIO, IBM Global Services, Markham Ontario

Canadian Government worker has flexible managers. I started teleworking when my husband, daughter and I moved to Washington in 1999 (he now works for the World Bank). His frequent travels, the commuting problems in DC and my desire to be at home with my daughter after school made teleworking an attractive option. I contacted my employer 4 months after moving here and they were keen to try it out. They knew I had a good work ethic, great experience and lots of contacts. HRDC had recently been involved in a widespread mismanagement of funds scandal, and nothing generates extra work like a good scandal. So, there was an abundance of work to go around, even south of the border. I have been working for 1 year from DC with my colleagues in Ottawa. From here, I have project-managed the delivery of a cross-country course for 1800 managers on "modern comptrollership" and results-focused management. I produced, edited and scripted videos for the course and other communications materials. Generally I spend my days working very closely with a team of 4 people: we keep each other up to date on our respective projects, consult each other on strategy, divide work--presentations, briefings, etc. I'm considered a member of the team and geography doesn't seem to make much of a difference. Luckily, my work has provided me the chance to travel quite a bit. Given the unescapable sense of isolation from time to time, it's great to get out and interact with lots of people. Monique Eady, Senior Financial Analyst, Modern Management Office, Financial and Administrative Services, Human Resources Development Canada

Manitoba consultant loves his telework. I live outside the city and about two years ago started working from my home. I spend a lot of time doing working on a national level and travel frequently. When the organization was started there were two full time staff members and now we have five full time staff all telecommuting. It's great and we all love it. G. Reid, Higgins International

Several Federal Government workers tell their telework success stories. Several departments involved. Check it out here

Fridge Factor does not affect everyone "One of the mistaken impressions of tele-work some people have is that you stay at home all day and have immediate access to the refrigerator. While the fridge might be there most of the time there are some times when getting out of the office is a necessity. In my work I try to balance being at my home office with the demands placed on me to be on site with a client or covering a story out of town. Flexibility is always the key." Roy Ponza, Port Hope, Ontario.

Young HiTech VP From Vancouver Loves Telework Head Office in Vancouver. Myself and the Creative Director (east)work from our homes. We have DSL/Cable Internet connections highend laptops and desktop computers, web cams and a full sweet of development tools. Using the phone and the cameras we connect on a regular basis with head office and ourselves. We work from our homes and meet clients at their facilities or at coffee shops mainly Tim Hortons. I have been doing this for 8 months and love it. I have a 23 month old and I am getting the rare opportunity to watch him grow. When I take a break I take it with my family. It worksd well as I am motivated and require no supervision to get the job done. The down side is that it is difficult to leave the job at the end of the day. I constantly find myself working at all hours of the day and night. My wife says I work much to hard and long!!! I love it and wouldn't change it for the world. Hines, Vancouver Canada

Telework cuts travel and preparation time for Bell manager: Project Management involves meetings with peers all across the Province and sometimes the Country. Therefore, there is no real need to go into an office. I happen to live 1 hour from my office, and Teleworking cuts 3 hours of preparation and travelling time. I have two dogs that have to be walked and make sure I go for a 30 - 40 minute walk each lunch hour. I believe this is a very important practice to keep me not getting swallowed by my job. Raymond Compton, Bell Canada, Jasper, Ontario

Manager finds telework very satisfactory: "Most of my employees are working out of their homes or in different offices in different cities. We the use of teleconferenceing and e-mail, we manage to have the work done in a very satisfactory manner. All my staff are responsible people who care." Andre Tremblay, Praxair, Mississauga, Ontario

Why do more Torontonians not telework and what is government doing to promote? "I have been teleworking for 4 years, working at a Toronto based management consulting firm. On average I work 2-3 days per week out of my home office. I would like to know why more people are not teleworking. My trips into Toronto (usually on GO transit) are becoming more crowded every week, it seems. I thought I was part of a growing trend but I am starting to think that it is not the case. What is the government doing to promote teleworking in the GTA? Some of my most productive days occur when I work from my home office environment. I would be interested in becoming more involved in bringing teleworking to the forefront. I look forward to further dialogue on this subject." D. Macpherson, Stonewood Group, Toronto.

Calgary teleworker wouldn't have it any other way: "I live in Calgary. I have gradually moved into telework quite by accident. Now I wouldn't have it any other way."  Brent Johner, Calgary, Alberta

Federal Government teleworker writes: "My colleague and I share an office, and are responsible for 35 government departments each. We provide advice on ADM proposals and org design ultimately resulting in a Treasury Board Submission (for senior levels). I telework Mondays and Tuesdays and my colleague teleworks Wednesday, Thursday and Friday." Ralph Scott, Treasury Board Secretariat, Ottawa

BC resident sold on telework: "I run a small consulting firm employing myself full time and two or three other consultants part time. I began teleworking when I moved back to BC in 1994. At that time, Bridges.com - an internet-based career and lifeskills website- was just starting up. I was hired as their first content writer even before I fully understood what this new medium (the internet) was all about. I was given office space for the first month of work and then I was sent home to work. I had done some consulting work from my home when I lived in Alberta, but this was the first time I worked full time from my home. I was living and working the life that Bridges.com was predicting for workers of the future. I've never looked back. I've built my business on my education, skills and accumulated experience. I operate with extremely low overhead and have the flexibility of bringing other consultants into my projects as I need them. None of my sub-contractors have storefronts. Because of my low overhead, I can offer my clients more of my time for every dollar they spend. My fees are comparable to other consultants operating out of downtown offices - but my clients know they get more from me. My office is located in a separate area of my house. I can, and do, put in extremely long days (15 hours is not uncommon) when my clients need fast turnaround or when the volume of work increases. At the same time, I feel I can work these hours around my family commitments. Even when I am extremely busy I have time for my children in the evenings and we always cook and eat our evening meal together. I know this would be impossible with a storefront. My clients include a number of government Ministries, local governments and federal and provincial government agencies....." Barbara Levesque, Vernon BC

Bell Canada Developer:  telework from home allows me to concentrate on reports, phone calls and stratagy with less immediate interruptions, Also, the benefit of not paying for parking, commuting and maintaing a vehicle constantly. Plus, with the addition of Sympatico's high speed service to the home and the capabilities to VPN into the company's intranet, I have all the technolgy benifits ,too. Gary Frazer, Burlington, Ontario

Injured on the job and unemployed, but willing: I am presently trying to get into teleworking. I was injured on the job on May 23, 2000 and really don't like sitting at home doing nothing. I also don't know how long I will be off with this injury and would like to be able to support myself in the meantime. I have been trying to find Canadian resources on the internet and have been having trouble doing so. I am relieved to find one so comprehensive. Hopefully, I will find something here. Nancy Godfrey, Orillia

Alberta teleworker can't imagine life without telework.... says it's the best decision she ever made: "I started working for Alberta one call in February 2000. I applied for the job because they were looking for people to telecommute. I spent 4-5 months in the office training, then started working from my home in July 2000. I thoroughly enjoy working from home, especially on those mornings when there is 4 inches of snow on top of 1 inch of ice, I don't have to tackle the roads. I like the fact that after my shift is over, it's over, no travel time, no rush hour, no added stress, and because I work mostly early morning shifts I am able to pick my daughter up from school and spend a few hours just her & I before dad gets home. I find I am less irritable & much happier since I started this job. I also want to note that at 27 years old I was already sick of dealing with the office politics & playground mentality found in most office environments, here in my "office" there is none of that, well except when my 6 year old is home, but I expect it from her. I can't imagine how I managed to get thru the last 10 years working a traditional office job, I'm surprised I am still sane after all those years. Now it's just me, my computer & my phone, most of the time. What's extra nice about doing this for Alberta one Call is that they go out of their way to make us telecommuters feel like we are a part of the "office4" environment. For instance the supervisors at the office had planned a pot luck lunch and contests for the staff on Halloween day, they also planned to have the telecommuters meeting that day so we could all participate in the festivities. So I don't have to deal with the negative aspects of the office but I still get to enjoy the fun stuff. This is the best decision I ever made." Jennifer McQueen, Alberta One Call

Exec mom finds telework a great balancing tool: I am the National Sales Director for an internet consulting services firm. Our offices are in Toronto and Calgary, and I live just north of Ottawa. I work one week in Toronto and the alternate week at home and I love it! I spend the week in Toronto meeting with clients and team members, and the week at home doing all the follow-up paperwork, phone calls, etc. Believe it or not, this arrangement allows me to spend a lot more time with my kids than when I was schlepping into Ottawa 5 days a week. Now I can volunteer at their school every second week, go on field trips and just get more involved because I can 'make up' the time in the evenings. One word of caution, you can only do this with the enormous support of your spouse (which I'm lucky enough to have). Amanda Dexter from Wakefield, Quebec

Moving to Northern Ontario and hoping to telework  I am recently engaged and will be moving to Northern Ontario. I approached my bosses to inquire about teleworking since a large portion of my current position is computer and phone based. They are supportive but want more information. So as part of my research for supporting data, I am looking for others in my situation with watchouts and success stories. Orford Patti, Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals

Telework helps mother switch gears & watch children grow  I started teleworking in an effort to spend more time with my two young children (Rita -4, and Victor 1). I enjoyed a hugely successful career in an international management consulting firm but found the 60 hour weeks a little strenuous. I was slowly feeling like I was losing control over my life and that of my children - it was time to make a change. Due to the nature of e-commerce and the dynamic of consulting, the two mix nicely and many of the consultants from our firm moved into e-industry, dot.coms, start-ups and the like. Luckily for me, we had a fantastic rapport and I had a skill they needed now that they had little or no support staff. I have continued to work with the people I enjoyed so much, and they receive a vital service which is cheaper than hiring a full time staff member - no benefits, equipment, over-time, etc, etc. I am always available, have two incoming fax lines, two separate ISPs and two emails - hopefully having conquered technology for now! I love my life now - I do the work I love and watch in amazement as I finally have the time to watch my children grow and experience life. Too often we forget the wonder in our world and become enslaved to our employers. Now I call the shots...and we are ALL loving it!! Jennifer Garbin, Toronto

Telework part of master's degree project: I am currently finishing my master's degree in urban planning at the University of Calgary. As part of my master's degree project (thesis) I am proposing the (re)development and integration of a "synergy centre" within a dilapidated inner city school as a means of improving the quality of life for area residents. The synergy centre concept is in response to current trends in telecommuting, City of Calgary planning documents and policies, and need for urban planners to realize their pivotal role in the telecommunications-era. Most importantly urban planners and the planning profession need to provide and accommodate (multi-use) facilities that enable individuals to work, live, and play within their community. James Q. Mazak, University of Calgary

Killer drive sparks telework desire: I am not Teleworking, yet... but am researching it very seriously. I live over an hour away from my current position, and the drive is killing me. Jane Angelo, Mississauga, Ontario

Cape Bretoner sees major benefits of telework. "...I believe telework offers the opportunity for skilled persons located in rural Canada to generate a national level wage for work. Due to the economic climate on Cape Breton it is unlikely that businesses would be able to pay for my services. This combines with a slowly evolving understanding of the use for technology in business to create a situation stat requires me to be a gun for hire outside of my geographical region. Telework allows persons to shop their abilities to the wider marketplace. Increasing their ability to get the type of work that suites their skills, appeals to range of interest and be fairly compensated for thier efforts. It is likely given the current situation in Canada (The general lack of skills for embracing the "New Economy") that telework will continue to pay a significant role in bridging the gap between the needs of private enterprise and those with skills to create the solutions. Hats off to your organization! I'm proud to have become a member."

Telework a positive experience for BC government worker  Since November, 1999 I have worked from home 4 days a week, and once a week I go to the office. I provided a secure self office in my home. The employer provided the furniture and equipment. I have a separate telephone line installed. I am able to work comfortably from home with no distractions. My productivity has increased and the cost to the employer has been minimal compared to the results and benefits we both received. At this time I am the only one on the pilot project and my hope is that it will be extended to allow others the opportunity. The final evaluation should be completed in the next month or two. It has been a very positive experience for me both work and personal life has improved. Irene Landman, Victoria BC

Hearing impaired person seeks telework: I am hearing-impaired and originate from South Africa and now reside in Canada. My last two jobs in Canada have been unsuitable for me and I am now very keen on working from home. Despite my hearing loss, I do speak very well (with SAfrican accent). I note that a lot of telework jobs out there are extremely high-tech or the companies post jobs directly for highly skilled persons. I don't have all the high-tech skills but nonetheless I am seeking telework employment in the area where I can do typing, wordprocessing, administrative duties.I plan to work on a part time basis in order to balance my family and work life. I found your site really good and extremely informative, one of a kind - especially because it is Canadian based. KN Beer, Richmond BC

Telework can save the day during relocations "When my husband was sent to Washington on a military posting from Ontario, I tagged along and managed to obtain work at a large American travel agency working on cruise.com. When he was unexpected returned to Ottawa, my company asked if I would continue working for them. (Our office already allowed us to telecommute once a week). So now I do the same job long distance and it has worked out quite well." Grant from Orleans, Ontario, Canada

Manager oversees team of remote workers  I have recently taken a position that involves managing recruiters for Royal Bank, who work remotely across Canada. I am interested in your organization with respect to information on management of remote employees as well as issues and challenges. Karen McQuade, Recruitment Manager, Royal Bank Financial Group

Executive Business Assistant from Nepean, Ontario provides service: I am actually an off-site professional and administrative business support services company designed to assist businesses and individuals with office overloads, time critical projects and peak periods. I provide dependable, economical business solutions with first time quality. Dale Sara Forrest

Federal employee sees the good and the bad I've been teleworking for the last 10 years - usually 1 day a week. I have multiple sclerosis so the home office thing is a great way to conserve energy!! My feelings towards teleworking varies - when I'm productive, I love it - when I'm too distracted at home, then I wish I had stayed at the office. I find teleworking great when a deadline is looming & I'm in my go-away, don't-bother-me state of mind!!! It also provides a nice balance between having "social" workdays (i.e., going to the office & interacting with others verbally) and having a serene workday at home. I think its merits for helping those who have a physical disability has probably not yet been maximized so I'd be interested in doing some work on this front. Now that more colleagues are teleworking, it's also becoming fun to communicate on-line with them while we are in our respective residences. Thank god for policy jobs that are so conducive to teleworking!!! I would definitely not accept a job that didn''t allow for it. Lynn Nessrallah, Public Service Commission of Canada

University student focuses on telework I am currently completing my first year of my Masters Degree in Planning at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Environmental Design. I am hoping to do my Master's Degree Project on the information revolution and how it has/will impact urban form and how cities are developed. Telework is a major component of this, so I am interested in becoming involved in CTA. John Lewis, University of Calgary

Long distance teleworking executive saves time: "My residence is in Kingston, Ontario but the only place I could find reasonable work was in Ottawa. After three years of commuting and being away from home, the office decided that I could provide the same services from Kingston through telecommuting." Terry Barker, Director, Development and Quality Control, C-TEAM Systems Inc.

Veteran teleworker still loves it "I've been Teleworking for five years now. Started as part of our company's teleworking trial working from home 3 days a week. After the trial was over, I changed to four days per week, going to the "big" office on Mondays. I'm currently supporting a system housed in Saint John's NFLD ... so it doesn't really matter where in Nova Scotia I'm physically located now does it! Campbell John, Xwavesolutions

Calgary programmer finds telework handy, but with downsides: "There were two downsides that I noticed. As I was a full time employee, much of the things that I needed (specs, documentation, manuals) were at the work site (although, some stuff was starting to be made available through the corporate web pages). The other downside was human interaction. I find that bouncing ideas of people can often get me out of mental rut. Working at home, this doesn't happen often. Sure, I could phone someone (if I had a second line) but it's not quite the same. If I had to do it full time, I would try to get into a situation where I could spend at least part of the time at the office." David Andrews

Long-distance teleworker from Stittsville, Ontario finds it wonderful. I am a Marketing Manager for a large electronics company in Montreal. I am responsible for the North American Marketplace in my position. I work out of my house, when I am not meeting with military customers in downtown Ottawa/Hull or traveling to the US as required. I have been doing this for almost one year and find that the benefits of being at home for my family, when I am here, are wonderful. I also have no problem with being alone, as I find that the stress levels are reduced substantially from being in the typical office situation. Wendy Allterton

Tele-trainer from Scarborough, Ont. does it over the phone "I train on both legal/financial/corporate CD Rom and on-line products over the telephone. The telephone training actually began with the launch of our new on-line products in November of 1998, and actually happened by fluke. I simply started to train our clients over the phone. It was easy, cost effective and timely....We now have another telephone trainer who specializes in teletraining the CD Rom material...It appears that as we move forward the teletraining model is gaining momentum, and I believe more and more of Carswell's training will involve this vehicle." J. Laura Clementi, Scarborough, Ontario

Teleworking from small town (1600) in the Yukon. "Telework is the best option when the closest major centre (Whitehorse) is 5 hours away in the winter. Also, -40 to -50 degrees C temps make telework very attractive." Sylvia Riessner, Yukon

Oracle manager's motivation to telework: "Oracle has a decent telework policy. My main motivation for telecommuting is, of course, elimination or travel time and costs. It is a bit of a pro-environment statement as well (electrons moving down the wire do not produce any exhaust fumes ...)." Jiri Dvorak, North  Vancouver, BC

Realization prompts Nortel manager to telecommute:  "I started telecommuting when I realized that I was going into the office to spend the day on the phone, that was over 3 years ago. Since that time I have reported to a number of different managers, moved cities and gained a number of additional responsibilities." Stephen Redshaw, Kanata, Ontario.

Computer consultant/teleworker says check out company before teleworking: "My current telework situation was a very rocky one. I was contacted by a recruiter for a Computer Consulting position, which is located in Dallas. The recruiter asked if I was willing to relocate and when I said no, they opted for me to work from home. I was suppose to start work on 10/11/99, but things did not start coming together until 11/08/99. This company did not have all their I's dotted or T's crossed, I was have many doubtful reservations about the move that I made, but after I continuously stayed on top of things, then I actually started supporting the Client. Although this situation is neither humorous or encouraging, I chose to share it with you, so that teleworkers make sure that all aspects of the position are in place before they commit - a thorough investigation or extensive questioning is good." Stephanie Clay, Euclid, Ohio

Hi tech worker likes his telework. "It is a best way to manage your times, exercise your skills. Companies benefit a whole flexibility in terms of management, controls and taxes. This is a way to ignore the company's politics and focus totally on the work and objective. Denis Lam, Hamilton, Ontario

Sociology professor teaches courses from home via the Internet. "In the spring I teach 3 out of my 4 courses on-line, including a new course justly titled, for a teleworker, the 'Sociology of Cyberspace". Over the past 3 years I have had to make considerable adjustments to working at home and have earned the pseudonym of 'virtual Mac' at my place of employment. Telework has been our households way of combining the demands of two working adults with raising three young children. So far it has worked!"  M.A. Nelson, Vancouver, BC.

Telework saves time and reduces "Because space is at its minimum on our floor, one of the solutions that management came up with is sharing of offices. So, now , I am working from home two days a week. It saves me having to travel 2 hours a day and the atmosphere at home is a lot more relaxed." Carol Gagnon, Industry Canada employee who lives in Aylmer Que.

Surfing parent finds ideal telework situation. "I had worked for UBC RED for about 6 years, in Vancouver. My wife and I wanted to move to Victoria on Vancouver Island, for two reasons: houses are much more affordable, and it is close to our main recreational pursuit, surfing. I started searching for jobs in Victoria and got an interview with an organization that works quite closely with our organization. I told my managers about the interview and at the same time suggested that I stay on with them as a full-time consultant. My work is in setting up distance education courses, so there is very little face to face meeting required. They went one step further and offered to keep me on a full-time employee telecommuting from home. I was surprised that they offered this and accepted their offer. Now I work from my home office and go to UBC twice a month, for 4 days in-office time. I am very happy with this arrangement, as I get to be home to watch my young daughter grow up and I get to be near the surf. I am quite careful to make sure RED is happy with the situation as well, and as far as I can tell, they are more than satisfied. A win-win situation!" John Bridal, University of British Columbia Real Estate Division

Telework situation, prompted by hospital stay, too good to stop: "I have been working from my home as a Rehabilitation Consultant since 1993. I originally started with a National Rehab. company but went out on my own in 1997. The experience has been wonderful. When I was first hired in 1993, I was pregnant. I made a deal with my employer that I would only take the equivalent of my sick days off when I had my C-section. (about 9 days). As it turned out, I had complications requiring hospitalization so I set up my telework station in my hospital room and continued to work from my hospital room. I have also supervised other consultants in Alberta and across the Maritimes who were all telework employees. I love technology and the fact that I can juggle my home life much easier by working from my home office." Heather Clarke, Kingston, Nova Scotia

See dozens of other telework stories in our telework story archives