Work at home

Black Enterprise, July, 2004 by Tanisha A. Sykes

Q

I am currently seeking to supplement my income through part-time telecommuting, However. everything on the Net seems to be questionable. I check out each organization through the Better Business Bureau. Is there a simpler way to find the right business to work with?

--S.R. Blythe

Dayton, OH

A

I found lots of useful information by doing a general search on the Internet under key word "telecommute," Check out the International Telework Association & Council (www.telecommute.org), a nonprofit organization that holds seminars and conducts research in telecommuting, for more information.

Also try work-at-home.com (www.2work-at-home.com/telecommute.shtml), which offers a listing of telecommuter-friendly companies, and IDC (ww.idc.com/research/viewsearchres.jsp?_requestid=203923), an advisory firm that offers information about IT and telecommunications industries. But it's up to you to find out if the company really offers telecommuting as an option. For example, consider the company's capability to provide communication technology, such as e-mail and videoconferencing. And if you need to interact with customers daily or if there is sensitive information involved, you may not be able to telecommute.

Don't forget to research articles about the best places to work or the top companies to work for. They may tell you whether their employees telecommute. And lastly, pick up Telecommute! Go to Work Without Leaving Home by Lisa Shaw (John Wiley & Sons Inc.; $14.95).

--Tanisha A. Sykes

Mail your consumer empowerment questions to Ask Your Advocate, BLACK ENTERPRISE, 130 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10011 or send an e-mail to sykest@blackenterprise.com.