Life’s A Big Gas
Or
The Perks of Working from Home
$2.99 – that’s what the price of regular unleaded was yesterday at the Valley Forge Texaco station down the street. I’m terrified to drive past again for two reasons – one, because the price is surely to go up and two, who can afford to drive at those prices? With prices expected to top $4 this summer, it’s time to pay homage to the freelance life.
We don’t commute. We shuffle. Be it in slippers, socks or barefoot, we have the sweetest commute on the planet – from coffee pot to keyboard. Imagine the amount of gas we save annually! Why, if I were a math genius (or even a math coherent), I’d be adding up what my former 60-mile-per-day commute was costing me in petrol. (If you’re adept at addition, my car averages 29 mph highway, 22 mph city and the drive was twenty minutes of stop-and-go traffic with 20 more minutes of 70-plus speeds) I can say I saved a bundle on toll fees – I paid turnpike tolls of $11 a week prior to the last two fee hikes. My car is happier, too. No longer am I changing oil every five weeks nor am I wracking up a good 2,000 each week between work and errands/play.
It’s funny how corporate America has set off down the path of creating alternative fuel sources for autos and promoting public transportation (and doing a lousy job at both, in my opinion), when the answer is right in front of them – promote telecommuting. I’d wager that 80 percent of all jobs in this country can be performed at home (and remember, I’m a math illiterate, so I’m just grabbing a random number). Do we not work as hard as those in an office? Are our deadlines met or missed with just the same frequency? Do our working existences not depend on our performance just as much as it would if we were located in cubes five stories off the ground?
It’s all about control, in my opinion, for those who manage and run the corporations feel they need to be in control. If you can’t see your employees, how can you control their output? I’ve had conversations with numerous employers and employees alike – the mindset of the employers seems to be that employees need direct, hands-on management. The mindset of the employees is that less management means more time to produce. Frankly, it’s all moot. Employee performance is just as easy to measure from a distance as it is up close. If the work is done, you’ll know it. If it’s not, you’ll know that, too.
Go ahead and get the hybrid car. It’s still necessary to save our planet. But while you’re at it, find a better commute. How about none?
That works for me.
Lori,
I agree that more and more jobs can be done from home these days.
I love the online connection, but I am an absolute people-person, too.
I’m the type that starts to go stir crazy when I haven’t talked to a real person for a while!
I enjoyed reading your post!
Sylvia C.
Great post Lori. I agree with everything you said except the part about needing hybrids to save the planet.
The planet went through creation, an ice age, flood, meteor strikes and it’s still here. And it’ll be here long after we’re gone and some other life form has taken over.
Lori, When thinking of gas prices I also think of an analogy my friend sent me. Here is an example.
7 oz of white out is $1.39 which translates to $25.42 per gallon.
9 oz of Scope would cost you $1.49 and a gallon of the stuff costs $21.19.
This may seem a little silly because we don’t use that stuff by the gallon but in my opinion it all costs more than it is worth.
For many people, working at home would save their employers money as well. But you are right, some employers belive in the old fashion theory that employees need hands on management.
San Diego gasoline is something like $3.25 more or less… I’ve been working to see it as abundance…
When I left for Iceland, I could get gas at $2.97 or $3.03 per gallon. Now, at the end of the same week, it’s up to $3.34.
Hate it. Especially since the profits are going into the pockets of greedy bastards who could have rebuilt New Orleans by now.
I like to see this kind of attitude in the 21st century. Where I came from, we rode by horseback. I am still getting used to automobiles and I prefer flying. I’m new to blogging and I enjoyed your blog. Madame de bonne journée
One of the problems with hybrids, though, is the environmental costs of producing the batteries that the cars use. And what about future disposal?
I love telecommuting, though, when I get a chance to do it. I wish I could do it more often.
Amen sister!
I’ve been hearing about some bosses letting their employees work from home more and more. I wish my husband could do that during the days when he’s in the office most of the day. He can log on to his office computer from his laptop at home. His normal commute isn’t bad, anyway– only 15 minutes, compared to when his office was an hour away just a few months ago! And he’s got a company vehicle, and they take care of the gas. Still, they could save an awful lot of money if he could stay home and work, and then just go directly to his customer sites when needed. Ah well. I guess these things take time.