Thanks To Telecommuting, Snow Days No Longer Fun

Faster computers, broadband connections and free public Wi-Fi are taking the fun out of snow days, reports USA TODAY.

The federal government was shut down for the second day in a row and many offices were empty in the nation’s snowbound capital, but work continued – in homes across the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia region. It showed just how seamlessly well-equipped workers can soldier on even through disruptions such as heavy snowstorms.

With more snow expected today, some businesses are extending teleworking plans.

At Adaptive Marketing, an Internet marketing services company based in Norwalk, Conn., employees have been told to call a toll-free number to find out if the office will be open. If not, they can use their work-provided laptops to log in and do business from home.

“We’re going to be hit, and they’re saying it’s going to be huge,” human resources Vice President Marcella Barry says. “But whether we’re open or closed, it will be business as usual.”

For many companies, it’s the information technology departments that keep business running smoothly. Employers need to be sure they have sufficient network capacity.

“Telework works with the right policy, procedures and process combined with IT. Then you wouldn’t have a problem,” says Chuck Wilsker, president and CEO of the Telework Coalition. “The burden is when you haven’t planned ahead.”

The ability to work from anywhere also means snow days no longer offer a break from work. Many are like Nicko Margolies, a communications assistant at the Sunlight Foundation, a Washington-based non-profit.

Photo by Associated Press.

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