When the Weather is Bad, Do you have to go to Work?

Gear Diary is reader-supported. When you buy through links posted on our site, we may earn a commission at no cost to you.

You can learn more by clicking here.

Icey Cold Winter Weather

With much of the country in the grip of some of the coldest weather we have experienced in years I thought of one thing: Do you have to go in to work? With current technologies allowing you to work almost anywhere with no issues are snow days a thing of the past? For myself and many like me that is the case.

With the invention of technologies like WebEx, GotoMeeting, Conference Bridges, VoIP Softphones, VPN and many other technologies it’s possible to act like you actually are in an office when you really aren’t. Many, like myself, work from home all the time. However, it’s becoming increasingly common even for people who do regularly commute to an office to work from home when the weather is just too bad to go out. With parts of the US covered by almost 2 feet of snow, even with good snow removal it can take some time for life to return to normal.

So the question is: Do you have to go to work when it’s too dangerous to drive or can you work at home? If you do, then what technologies do you use to get the job done?

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks for your support!


About the Author

Joel McLaughlin
Joel is a consultant in the IT field and is located in Columbus, OH. While he loves Linux and tends to use it more than anything else, he will stoop to running closed source if it is the best tool for the job. His techno passions are Linux, Android, netbooks, GPS, podcasting and Amateur Radio.

3 Comments on "When the Weather is Bad, Do you have to go to Work?"

  1. My job requires a mix of being there and telecommuting ability. We haven’t closed down, but had a bad taffic accident take out a local substation that powers half of town two weeks ago … everyone headed out to other places when we learned there wouldn’t be power for at least 4 hours.

    But since I work in a ‘traditional manufacturing industry’ (i.e. Corning, maker of Gorilla Glass, etc) it makes more sense to need to be there on occasion … but it is also great that things have evolved to the point where location is much less of an issue.

    • Thats the way it was when I was at the college. In my new job it’s much less of a concern. I can do my job from anywhere. From the house, usually but I can even go to my parents house, the library or coffeee shop and get things done. Although now that I think about it the library is probably not the best place as I need to be able to use the phone without disturbing others. 🙂 I guess I can if I can grab a room there but not all libraries have them.

      We use WebEx, IM, E-mail, conference bridges, VoIP Softphone and mobile phones. With this tech I can be IN the office anywhere. The need to travel to clients is much less now than in the past and it saves money both for the client and the company for me to do it remote.

  2. I love MegaMeetings because it gives me high quality communication with my superiors and colleagues, also is excellent for creating meetings of friends and coordinate outings, is a tool more business use but can be used socially, I can even communicate with my family if I’m late for work. I doesn’t bother about weather conditions and health issues.

Comments are closed.