| December 2006 |
| By Audrey Walker |
I’m a Mainframe software developer, and I work on contract with a Health Care Claims system written in COBOL and Assembler. The system is over thirty years old, and most of my work is batch maintenance. Sounds dull? Actually, this contract is both rewarding and useful and I have learnt a great deal technically, and also about new ways of approaching and tackling problems. What’s more, I haven’t seen my colleagues in over a year. I work from home.
Government regulations, new and improved plans, and intense competition require constant extension and improvement to my system. My day begins with email, barring meetings or emergencies. I get rid of the easy stuff, and then begin to plan my work. New changes require that I open a checklist, mentally arrange blocks of time, and consider who to contact and how. We communicate via Lotus Notes, Sametime chat, and the good old telephone. IBM runs the show on this contract, so I use SCAM for library control, UTST for testing, and FROG for most other things, plus, naturally, TSO/ISPF. We have a very good website, where workers can see pictures and gather information about each other. My colleagues are very proficient in all the required skills, so I try to keep up-to-date on any new techniques.
Understanding Health Care requires knowledge of the complex and changing legislation behind it. There are many different carriers and plans, and regions and States have different regulations. To impose some sort of order on all this, a common Health Care processing template was designed, containing a series of loops and sub-loops, each relating to a different aspect of the claim. Major areas of processing are Front-end, Pricing, Back-end and Adjudication. Most programs that I deal with use the basic template. There are also three major ‘scrubber’ areas that perform clean-up on incoming claims data. Many of my colleagues have worked in the Health Care arena for 10 years or more, and it takes years to have a thorough knowledge of this business.
Working from home requires a specific mind-set. Don’t approach telecommuting with the attitude that it will be easy, forgiving of mistakes, or devoid of pressure. I believe that working from home, done properly, is more efficient than working in the real world with an office full of people. Here’s what I’ve found.
You have to get started at the same time each working day. If you’re not feeling 100%, get up and work. You’d do that if you had to clock in, I hope. You can be unshaven and untidy, but you must be alert. Get yourself a routine for tackling problems. Working from home entails arranging your day ahead of time, but being flexible about it. Email, chat, and the telephone are very important. Urgent matters require chat, but if a person is not available, shoot off an email. Use the phone only when necessary. Our Sametime system allows various levels of approachability, up to ‘Do not disturb’ and ‘I’m not here’.
When I worked in an office and wanted to contact someone, I would phone, ask to step by, and wander over. I’d probably exchange a few pleasantries, and then get down to business, possibly showing some documents or code. Today, I marshal my thoughts first. I have to be clear in my mind on what I require, and what I’m going to say. I won’t be face-to-face. I’m using bandwidth, I’m using time, and neither is unlimited. Nowadays, I have far fewer interruptions, and I don’t lose momentum. This state of affairs only exists because I have disciplined myself in the ways of working from home.
I work with folks from places as far apart as Los Angeles, Toronto, Miami, Bangalore, and points between. I feel as close a working relationship with them as I ever did when working between four walls with someone I could see face-to-face.
For anyone in the tech or engineering fields who wants to try this type of work, there are several ways of going about it. One way is to set up a search for ‘Telecommute’ on Dice. Another is to talk to your agent, if you are a contractor, or your prospective employer if you’re looking for fulltime work. Bear in mind that many places will consider employing you as a telecommuter if you are willing to come to the office when required or if you are willing to train in the office and prove your worth first. When talking to a prospective employer, convince him or her that you are serious, and that you understand what working from home really entails. Comments such as ‘It will be great, rolling out of bed and working in my pajamas,’ will not impress.
Working from home, in an engineering or technical capacity can be very rewarding, and I recommend it highly.
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