Reflections on OTTO

IBM, the acronym king, coined OTTO (other than traditional office) for those of us who regularly work from our homes. IBM has itself been the subject of many pet acronyms over the years -- I've Been Moved, I Bring Manuals, and most recently, I'm By Myself, which is a reflection of how many IBMers are now OTTO workers.

I was one of the early pioneers of telecommuting at IBM, starting my first OTTO job on August 1, 1990. Since my last day working at IBM will be July 30, 2010, that makes me a 20 year OTTO veteran, which is most likely close to a record.

I could probably write a book about what works and what doesn't when you spend a huge chunk of your career as a telecommuter, but at this point, I'm more interested in the impact when you retire.

First symptom of a bigger issue -- where's the retirement party? Even if my frugal employer would spring for a party (or my friends and co-workers would throw one on their own nickel), where would it be and who would come? For the past 20 years, I've had a number of different telecommuting jobs at IBM, all of them rewarding and all with many great colleagues who have become friends. None of my jobs has involved coworkers who live less than a 90 minute drive (at the least) or a 3 hour plane ride (more typical) from my home office. I keep in touch regularly with electronic means (e-mail, Facebook, instant messaging), less frequently on the phone, and occasionally in person (when I'm "on the road").

As I approach retirement, I'm discovering that some of the characteristics that have made me a great OTTO worker have also left me with a shortage of friends or even close acquaintances who live just around the corner or within reasonable commuting distance for a retirement party.

Characteristic #1 -- I'm an introvert. My friend Kelly continues to question this because I can comfortably present to a room filled with 1,000 strangers. But despite her skepticism, I'm definitely an introvert. That means I do well working at home. I don't crave constant social interaction (although I do notice that if I go weeks on end without a business trip, I get a bit squirrelly). Unfortunately, introversion also makes me less likely to actively seek out new people in my community who can be my local "friends."

Characteristic #2 -- A demanding and fulfilling personal life. I started my first OTTO job when I returned from a long maternity leave after baby #3. Christie was about 18 months; Cindy was 6 and Jeff was 9. The opportunity to work part time from my home was HUGE for our family. I am eternally grateful for the many years I was able to "be there" for the kids and still have an interesting and exciting career. Employers certainly benefit from people like me who are highly motivated to prove that telecommuting can work, and who produce great results so we can hang on to those OTTO jobs for dear life. But that juggling act didn't leave me much time for activities that didn't revolve around either work (with my remote colleagues) or family.

This isn't a moan and groan story. I have some great friends and acquaintances, and I'll make the effort to find a few more. But it is a cautionary tale for others who have spent a big chunk of their work lives in OTTO mode. We used to scoff when Bill Gates built his all electronic house and talked about virtual "dates" where people sitting in different cities would watch the same movie together and chat about it afterwards. He proved prescient, as usual. I've actually started to adopt the practice of scheduling virtual lunches with some of my remote colleagues so we can catch up on each other's news.

I'm very grateful that I have many friends and acquaintances across the country and around the world (many of whom we hope to visit in person on our travels). But I'm also very aware that as a long time OTTO worker, I need to make a conscious effort to get out there in my own community.