Thanks to telecommuting, snow days are no longer fun

Thanks to telecommuting, snow days are no longer fun

By Stephanie Armour, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Faster computers, broadband connections and free public Wi-Fi are taking the fun out of snow days.
The federal government was shut down for the second day in a row Tuesday 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."

Not all government officials get to take a snow day: Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has shown up every day this week in a suit to work. With the cafeteria workers off, staffers have gotten coffee from local downtown cafes.

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.

With the federal government shut down, his office closed. Margolies worked at home.

"No snowstorm, no matter how big, will keep me from working. I lost heat, but I had my space heater and network access, so I kept on trucking. It's actually a seamless transition from home to work," he says. "The only difference is I'm in my pajamas."

But some employees lament the days when a big storm meant no work. Joe Starkey, a marketing associate with the Advisory Board, a Washington-based research firm, plans to work at home today.

"We might have extenuating circumstances here (like the storm), but we don't get to take time off," Starkey says. "A snow day just means you don't get to work at the office."