Telling Your Boss About Telecommuting Absenses
We all have reasons to be out of the office during the work day: doctor’s appointments, banking business, and even an extended lunch are a few that come to mind. When you work in an office, you probably shoot your boss an email about your absence. As a telecommuter, it may seem strange to follow that same practice, since your boss probably wouldn’t even notice your absence.
It can be tempting to leave your telecommuting work without telling your boss, and they may in fact not even notice, but doing so hardly seems worth the risk. Telecommuters tend to be scrutinized more than office workers so a small indiscretion like forgetting to tell your boss that you’ll be out could escalate into a major offense. It’s harder to build, and especially regain, trust from a remote location. Telecommuting is a pretty sweet deal, so you should be extra careful not to jeopardize you ability to work remotely.
Also, few of us use all of our personal time in a given year. As a telecommuter, the same thought process that makes you work when you’re sick, may inspire you to skimp on personal time. Skipping out on work without telling your boss is bad enough to begin with. Not using personal time (which you’ll probably end up forfeiting at the end of the year anyway) is just plain stupid. The best way to ensure that you can continue telecommuting for a long time is to handle situations at least as cautiously as you would in the office. Using personal time and informing your boss of any brief absenses are both the right thing to do. You might be able to get away without doing either, but the consequences of getting caught hardly seem worth it.
