When I mention to others that I’m able to work from home, many immediately think that I have it made. Who can complain when they can work from home in their yoga pants? Unfortunately, one of the main issues that comes from working from home – and that many online instructors experience – is isolation. Being separated from co-workers, colleagues, and students and not having the day-to-day interactions that many have within a traditional workplace environment can have a negative impact on online instructors and cause them to seek other types of employment.
Personally, my level of job satisfaction within my current role as a full-time instructor for a major online university is overall quite high. I find the work to be challenging but I am able to set goals and achieve them — both within my classroom and within the administrative roles I fulfill. Some aspects of the job are monotonous and disheartening, but there are other aspects, such as truly connecting with students or helping adjunct faculty members, which make up for those tasks. Of course, there are difficult aspects of the position and several employees who I would prefer not to engage with, but overall, I enjoy my job and I feel that I am helping others. The largest benefit and probably the single element that impacts my job satisfaction the most are the working conditions. As an off-site employee I am able to work from home, which allows me more flexibility and more time with my children.
Since I work from home quite far from my colleagues, I do sometimes experience isolation. Studies have shown that the main issue isolation seems to cause is turnover. However, through various types of technology I am able to interact and have meetings with my colleagues frequently. No, it isn’t the same as face-to-face interaction and some have found it to have an overall negative impact on job performance. Various studies have proven that more face-to-face and communication-enhancing technology can reduce the impact.
I think I am able to avoid many of the negative impacts of a career in online education because I do avoid isolationism. I try to reach out to my colleagues and I see at least one of my friends daily for personal one-on-one interaction. I also have a busy family life and while that doesn’t help with on-the-job isolationism, allows me to still connect socially and leave the house often.
As more and more individuals work from home as online instructors, it is becoming increasingly important to access how they can do so effectively and with the highest level of job satisfaction. While I personally love telecommuting, I definitely see the value of face-to-face interactions. I was able to meet two colleagues at a conference last year and it was very beneficial to my level of job satisfaction. Meeting them in person allowed for our relationship to strengthen and make working online easier moving forward.
About the Author
Jamie Weitl is a WAHM teaching for several online universities and raising three precocious little ones. In her spare time she enjoys writing, baking, and running. For more info, see my Google Plus Profile.
