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    working from home?

    Back in April when I did neuropsych tests, they recommended a quieter, less distracting work environment. I work in a cube farm & 80% of the time when I'm at my desk, there are 3 people around me on conference calls.

    I'm considering asking to work from home one day a week so I can have some quiet work time. We have a pretty flexible work arrangement in general & people do work from home sometimes.

    I'm a bit concerned about formalizing it though because it would be in my HR record then. I've been reading about the ADA & telecommuting doesn't have a very good record as a reasonable accommodation legally.

    Has anyone here done this successfully? Anyone have repercussions due to asking to telecommute?

    I think it would actually make me MORE productive as I get so distracted at the office...it's not a plan to get out of work. Just wondering what others have experienced.

    #2
    trevvian - just a suggestion here. Have you thought about wearing those big headsets to block out the voices of your co-workers? Years ago, when I worked in a school, we had young students who were easily distracted wear them during quiet work time and it seemed to help them stay focused. If you didn't want to seem so obvious, how about ear plugs?

    I hear you though~ I have trouble now with extra noise and can't concentrate because of over stimulation. Luckily, I no longer work.

    Good luck to you and hope something works out that is more accommodating!
    1st sx '89 Dx '99 w/RRMS - SP since 2010
    Administrator Message Boards/Moderator

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      #3
      Working from home doesn't have to be an ADA accommodation, as there are many reasons for working from home. Lessened commute time for the employee, lower real estate costs for the employer (if they can use a smaller office space because people work from home) are just a couple.

      Why not talk with the other employees who work from home and ask them how they made their arrangements? That could give you an idea of how to approach the subject with your manager.

      I used to work for a company that "didn't allow" telecommuting until I had an excellent employee move away. Her skills were difficult to replace so we set her up as our company's first telecommuter. It worked so well that other departments also began using telecommuters.

      We had to do a lot of research and present it to the CEO as a well-grounded business proposal. It's a lot more complicated to set it up than you might think.

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        #4
        I work from home, full time. My work is all computer based, but I have to discuss things with others at my company many times a day, so that's done by email or phone call. My speech is slurred, so the joke is the reason I'm allowed to work from home is that they wouldn't want me answering the phone at work as a customer might think they're talking to someone who's had one too many. Actually it's a valid point.

        The real reason I could not work in the office as I would be affected by noise and constant sensory overload.

        There are several other folks who work from home, and not for health reasons. Those of us who work from home tend to have jobs that are not your normal 9-5, sit at your computer job, but work assignments that need to be worked on or monitored during the day, possibly at night, and on weekends. Since I'm home anyway most of the time, it's perfect from me, plus gives me the flexibility of making dr. appts. etc. However, the company I work for is relatively small, about 40 employees, I think.

        My husband is a manager at his place of employment (Larger employer, approx 3500 employees), and in his department there are several people who work from home a few days a week.

        The work is IT based, and the folks who work from home have proven themselves to be as effective, or more effective, at home as in the office.

        As far as your employer...you won't know until you ask., But since you said some others work from home, and that the company is flexible, I don't think I'd frame it as needed for your MS, but rather that you feel like you could be more productive if you were at home and could dedicate your entire time to the job/project you are working on, without distractions.

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          #5
          I have worked from home two out of five days a week for years. Even before this ms mess. I would just ask your boss if it is possible, I would explain that it is distracting with everyone talking around you all the time. A headset is a really good idea too, I listen music on mine all day at work.

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