Unable to work a 40-hour week and think that going on disability is your only alternative? Think again! Telecommuting can be the ideal solution for people with arthritis. Imagine—a job that allows you to work when you feel like it…
Thank God for disability/SSI. Some of us are truly disabled or will go through a period of disability and without disability funds, how would we survive? In fact, most of us will endure a transition phase—that period of time between contracting rheumatoid arthritis and learning how to care for ourselves—and without an income, we wouldn’t be able to care for ourselves at all.
Once we get through that transition phase, though, how many of us are truly disabled? Is being too sick to work—say, 5-15 days a month—considered disabled? That’s a tough call…especially when a full-time job is simply beyond our reach. A part-time job may not be the solution, either…after all, who among us can predict when we’ll have our next flare? There aren’t too many employers can tolerate an absentee rate of 5-15 days a month.
Except for telecommuting employers, that is. More and more companies are learning to appreciate the advantages of telecommuting: low overhead, more flexibility for working moms and the “disabled”, and—surprise!—a higher production rate. And—since you can set your own hours—telecommuting is an almost ideal solution for people with arthritis.
What the Heck is Telecommuting?
Telecommuting is working at home while linked to the office by means of a telecommunications-equipped computer system. In non-techie terms, that means working on the Internet. Often, companies that offer telecommuting set up an extranet: an internal TCP/IP network that has been selectively opened to its employees. You may receive your assignments through email or you may have a “queue”, i.e. a list of assignments given to you through the extranet.
Telecommuting jobs run the gamut from menial (e.g. data entry) to highly specialized technical work…and each are reflected by their respective paychecks. Some companies contract out their telecommuting jobs—which means you are responsible for keeping up with your taxes—and others only offer part-time work. However, there is full-time telecommuting work out there, which means health insurance, paid vacation time and sick leave.
Advantages of Telecommuting
Make Your Own Hours
The most obvious advantage, of course, is that—unless advised otherwise—you can absolutely work your own hours. Even better, you don’t have to work all those hours in 4-8 hour segments. Feeling sore? Getting stiff? So shut down the computer and knock off for a while; after you recuperate you can log on again. Or, if you are in a flare, you could work one hour on, one hour off or even hit the couch for a day! As long as you get your hours in, it doesn’t matter when you work.
No Outside Distractions
In fact, you’ll be surprised by how much work gets done without the distraction of office politics and gossiping office mates. Telecommuting is great for those with a wide independent streak: the rebel, the non-team player, or anyone who doesn’t appreciate a supervisor breathing down his neck every 15 minutes. And, since you don’t have those outside distractions, you are free to create your own distractions! Listen to Internet radio. Plug in a nearby TV. Sing “Take This Job And Shove It!” to the top of your lungs. You will absolutely not get fired for it (as long as you don’t type it!).
Fire the Babysitter
Along with the radio and singing, a crying baby is entirely appropriate in a telecommuting environment. In fact, many “non-disabled” working moms are transferring to a telecommuting position. Work while your children are in school or schedule work time according to the baby’s nap schedule.
Work in your Jammies
Or your bathrobe. Wear that T-shirt with the obscene slogan. Or work stark naked if that is your bizarre raison d’etre. Comfort is—for some of us—a major reason to telecommute. And the low overhead is not only for bosses…you save money on work clothes, dry cleaning, gas/auto maintenance, babysitting, etc.
Disadvantages
Loneliness
Alas, if you are truly a “people-person” (as opposed to fully 90% of us who tell prospective employers this because we think it’s what they want to hear), this is not the job for you. True, there is no office gossip but there is no office camaraderie, either. Also, if you are struggling with a problem, you can’t just pop into the next cubicle to ask for help…and waiting for technical support can keep you idle for hours.
Work Can Be Tedious
These usually aren’t glamorous jobs. Often, telecommuting positions are reserved strictly for clerical-type work; there isn’t much room for creativity. True, if you are proficient in DreamWeaver or Photoshop, you could probably get some freelance work in web design, but you’ll find many more data entry telecommuting positions than those for web design.
Pay is Often Low
Sad, but true. On the other hand, many telecommuting positions offer full benefits…and how much are you making on disability, anyway?
Where to Find Telecommuting Jobs
Department of Rehabilitative Services
I once asked my DRS counselor why DRS wasn’t doing more to create and/or find telecommuting positions for its clients. She replied that when government cuts their budget so deeply that each counselor had more than 176 clients apiece, it didn’t leave a lot of time for research and recruitment (Remember that next time you’re in the voting booth). Still, DRS does offer many vocational opportunities, including telecommuting positions, so it can’t hurt to register…and don’t wait for them to call you. Call them.
Employment Agencies
Personally, I haven’t found employment agencies—either government or private—to be very helpful in this regard…but that may not be the case in a large, metropolitan area. When you speak to them, be perfectly frank about your abilities and your limitations. Don’t soft-soap your symptoms or you may find yourself in a job that you can’t handle! Also, watch the fees. Some of these agencies are worse than loan sharks…tell your recruiter that you are only interested in fee-paid positions.
The Internet…But be Careful
Yes, Virginia, there are legitimate telecommuting jobs to be found on the Internet—but they are few and far in between. Here are a few tips to separate the scamsters from legitimate employers:
* Search “telecommuting”, not “work at home”
Stay-at-home moms and disabled people are easy prey for con artists. You can eliminate many “biz-op” scams by entering “telecommuting jobs” into your favorite search engine. There will still be plenty of con jobs listed, but you’ll be able to recognize them by the inflated promises. (By the way…no one is going to pay you to stuff envelopes. But you already knew that, right?
* Register With On-line Job Agencies
There are also many legitimate on-line job agencies…although some of them still don’t quite understand what is meant by telecommuting (e.g. one agency confused telecommuting with “willing to relocate”…still don’t understand that one).
* Forget About Better Business Bureau
Most people don’t realize that all you have to do to be recommended by the BBB is to pay a fee. If you get a complaint, you can clean your record by sending a one paragraph letter of explanation…even if the explanation is utter nonsense. Furthermore, if a business is completely unscrupulous, the BBB is not authorized to do anything about it…including divulging their nefarious doings to people clever enough to contact the BBB before working for an agency. Instead, watch for:
o Inflated promises i.e. “Get Rich!” “Retire Early” “Work Only Three Hours a Week!”
o No business address listed or offered
o Business is located in another country not regulated by the F.C.C.
o No actual job description, other than “Get Rich!” etc
Go After It!
Tired of waiting for job offers? Then go after it! Dust off that resume, take your one suit to the cleaners, and hit the pavement. Don’t bother sending off your resume; if you do, you’ll be lucky to get a form letter in return. Wait until you are having a “good” day and visit a local company. Ask to speak to personnel or the manager and pretend that you are already on a job interview. Just because a company doesn’t already have telecommuting positions doesn’t mean that they can’t be created. In fact, many companies haven’t even heard of telecommuting, so educate them. Emphasize that you don’t want to be on disability, you want to work…the idea of someone who is already on disability—and deservedly so—who still wants to work is always impressive.
No Bites, Yet?
Okay, suppose you registered with DRS, you harass the employment agency at least once a week, you check the Internet daily and your hand is about to fall off from all those pre-employment handshakes…and nothing is happening. Maybe you need to learn some new job skills. DRS can be a big help in vocational training and finding the funds to pay for them. There are also a few online certification programs, like Brainbench, who can teach you PowerPoint, Access, Publisher, etc. for a fairly reasonable fee. Plus, more and more colleges and universities are offering online classes…perfect for the future telecommuter!
And if you think that your hands are too affected to type , ask DRS to help you pay for Dragon Naturally Speaking dictation software. It takes a while to “train” it, but if you practice enough, it can keep up with normal speech patterns, “learn” new vocabulary and even work online!
There is no shame in being on disability; that’s what our tax dollars are for, to take care of us when we need help. But never feel that just because you have arthritis, that you have no other options. There are always options…even when you have RA.
Tags: people with arthritis, telecommuting employers, working at home, working moms