5 Personality Types NOT Cut Out For Healthcare IT Telecommuting
Story Highlights
Do you think your life would be complete if you could work in your PJs? Before you consider making the case to work from home, take a good hard look at this list of five personality types that are not cut out for telecommuting. By Gwen Darling.
With gas prices once again on the rise, work/life balance issues hanging over your head like a noose twisting in the wind, and that Sunday night “Where did the weekend go?” dread getting worse by the year, chances are very good that you’ve at least dreamed about the possibility of working from home.Or from Starbucks.Or from anywhere that isn’t situated right next to Veronica.We all know a Veronica – that annoying co-worker who feels it’s part of her job description to hang her rather large self over your cube wall and regale you with her expert (according to her) opinion of last night’s American Idol castoffs, Dancing With The Stars’ winners, Grey’s Anatomy love-triangles, or. . . well it just depends on what day it is.
Ah yes. . . the lure of working from home.In your PJs, favorite coffee mug in hand, with your faithful, thrilled-that-you’re-home dog at your feet.Sounds like heaven, doesn’t it?And it can be.But it's definitely not for everyone. Before you consider making the case to work from home, take a good hard look at this list of five personality types that are not cut out for telecommuting.And then take an even harder good look at yourself – if you recognize yourself as a Social Butterfly, a Strong Silent Type, a Meeting Lover, a Double-Checker, or a Slacker, you’re better off staying right where you are.
1.The Social Butterfly:This is aforementioned Veronica. This type of person is a people person, an extrovert, the water-cooler king or queen who thrives on personal social interaction, the intrigue of reality TV, and telling stories.Long stories.Veronica would shrivel up and die as a telecommuter, or, at the very least, would wile away the hours on the phone, on Twitter, or on IM, to replace those riveting Desperate Housewives conversations.The Veronicas of the world are not cut out for telecommuting.
2.The Strong Silent Type:Type #2 is the antithesis of Veronica.We’ll call him “Clark.”Clark is a very hard worker – focused, steady, and quiet.Very quiet.In fact, if he had it his way, Clark would be perfectly happy keeping his head down and his thoughts to himself for days on end.As long as he’s getting his work done, what’s the big deal, right?The problem is, when you work outside the office, your accountability instantly becomes an issue, so it’s imperative to communicate with the home office – often, regularly, and voluntarily.The Clarks of the world are not cut out for telecommuting.
3.The Meeting Lover: Yes, there are actually people out there who love meetings, and if you’re one of them, we’ll call you “Skip.”Skip whistles as he walks down the hallway, hand in his pocket jingling loose change, spring in his step – Skip is a happy guy.Skip most likely played team sports in his youth and thrives on face-time, teamwork, whiteboards, and agendas.Skip gets a natural high from brainstorming with his colleagues, and is happiest and most productive when he’s able to problem-solve using the group approach.But alas, Skippy, that whiteboard tends to get a bit dusty when you’re working from home.The Skips of the world are not cut out for telecommuting.
4.The Double-Checker:This type of personality has a bit of a confidence problem.We’ll call her Daisy.Daisy is steady, reliable, and happy being a supporting player.But Daisy is unable to take initiative and make decisions on her own.You will often hear her say things along the lines of, “Does this look okay?” or “I’m not sure, is this what you wanted?” or “Can you proof this for me, one more time?”A successful remote worker needs to have the confidence to move their day forward, without constant validation from colleagues.The Daisys of the world are not cut out for telecommuting.
5.The Slacker:Of all the personality types least suited for telecommuting, this one tops the list.We’ll call him “Peter.”Peter is smart, fun to be around, and more than a bit unorganized.He tends to miss deadlines, the beginnings of meetings, and his ID badge, but he never misses lunch.Some laugh and call Peter “scattered,” others whisper that he’s “lazy.”The only thing between Peter and a pink slip is the fact that he’s aligned himself with someone who keeps him on task and on track – someone who recognizes his talents in spite of his slacker ways.Working outside the office requires a level of discipline and self-direction that not all employees possess, especially someone of this type.The Peters of the world are definitely not cut out for telecommuting.
Telecommuting is a career lifestyle that brings a level of freedom that most working people dream about, and the Healthcare IT industry offers many virtual/remote opportunities. But with freedom, comes responsibility.Can you live without water coolers, built-in communication, meetings, constant validation, and a whip-cracker?If the answer is no, you may need to leave the PJs for after hours.