There are many benefits to working Out Of Office but realising them can be compromised by a variety of factors. Stephanie A. Rogers identifies ten common pitfalls that can derail the success of telecommuting.

1. Distractions
2. Lack of a routine
3. Increased workload
4. Isolation
5. Out of sight, out of mind
6. Communication problems
7. Data security
8. Limited equipment
9. Inability to separate work and home life
10. Dealing with distrustful employers

Read Stephanie’s article in full on MNN.com.

Although it might seem a bit late to bring your attention to one of those “things to watch in 2012″ blog posts, this one from Entrepreneur magazine is worth looking at if you haven’t seen it already.

I found it particularly interesting that 6 out of the 10 trends are related to Out of Office work styles. That’s not surprising to us, but might be a rude shock for organisations that haven’t given it any thought yet!

Living an Out of Office work style isn’t only for the self-employed. In fact, one of the main reasons we wrote our book was to help employees gain more flexibility and freedom in their work.

However, being self-employed does have its advantages, and the world is moving slowly and surely towards more self-employment and less tenure in long-term employment.

That’s a topic for another day! But if you’re employed and thinking about becoming self-employed, here are Corbett Barr’s three reasons for taking the plunge:

1. Working a job gives someone else control over the majority of your life.
2. When you work for someone else, life is just comfortable enough to keep you from asking the really important questions.
3. Working for yourself is one of the most challenging and rewarding things you will ever do.

Read the full blog post here.

One of the recurring themes in Out Of Office is Create Space, which covers topics such as setting up a home office. The Telecommuting Journal has published a useful article that tackles creating a home office for the budget-conscious Out Of Office worker.

Before spending any money the article suggests that you first define your office needs and your office space. Having done so you can set about creating your home office. Five ideas are provided for doing this on a tight budget:

• Re-purposing: re-use or recycle existing furniture and equipment that is gathering dust in the garage or basement.
• Swapping: try swapping unwanted items for something you need.
• Craigs List, Classifieds & Goodwill Shops: search on-line and print classified advertisements or visit local second-hand shops.
• Custom Build: you don’t have to be a craftsman to assemble furniture from odds-and-ends. Ask for advice from the staff at your local hardware store.
• Recruit the Kids: involve your children (if you have any) so you can teach them about your work and educate them about the rules of your workspace. They can also have great ideas.

Read the full article for all the details.

Courtesy of CreditDonkey

Ipsos/Reuters conducted a global on-line poll of 11,383 people, and found that about one in five workers telecommute frequently with 10% doing so every day.

Telecommuting rates were highest in India, Indonesia, Mexico, Argentina, South Africa and Turkey, and lowest in Hungary, Germany, Sweden, France, Canada and Italy. Reuters have published further details of the poll.

Telecommuting is a trend that has grown and looks likely to continue to do so as technological advances continue to make working remotely easier.

Growth in telecommuting was one of our key predictions for 2012.

Kevin Purdy writes for FastCompany.com on How To Work From Home Like You Mean It . He provides three excellent tips on how to work effectively from home:

• Look the Part, Be the Part
• Schedule offline social time, batch your online social time
• Realize when the problem is motivation, not space

Read Kevin’s full article at FastCompany.com.

Out Of Office workers often use laptops but their ergonomics can be poor, especially when used for extended periods. The video below illustrates some of the problems and how to fix them.

Welcome to 2012!

Have you been thinking about how to make your team more productive this year? If so, think about giving them more freedom and flexibility by letting them work more Out of Office.

Oh, sure, there are the usual objections about whether they will goof off, how you can keep track of their work, and so on. But if you’re worried about this sort of thing, read Gayle Turner’s article Treating Employees Like Adults Instead of Like School Children for a different perspective!

ZDnet’s James Kendrick offers the following five tips for maintaining productivity when working Out Of Office:

• Have a clearly defined work area
• Maintain a standard work schedule
• Take breaks
• Don’t eat lunch at you desk
• Music soothes the soul
• (bonus tip) Video chat with colleagues

We offer similar tips and more in Out Of Office.

I’m not sold on James’ tip to listen to music. I think the effect that listening to music has depends on the task you’re performing, the music you’re listening to, and your ability to focus. I sometimes find music playing in the background to be a distraction.

Read James’ full article on ZDNet.