Work-at-home culture thrives in Medford Lakes

by Julia Hays on May 8th | Email

A newspaper, cup of coffee and cell phone were on the kitchen table between single mother Jacquie McGinnis and her 13-year-old daughter, Becki.

The family pet, a white and brown Cavachon puppy named Chase Utley, pranced around on the hardwood floor and barked for attention.

Jacquie McGinnis picked up the paper.

"What should we discuss in current events this morning?" she asked her daughter.

"Ah, school budgets," the 45-year-old said, pointing to the lead headline.

Becki listened while checking her pink cell phone.

It was almost 8 a.m.

"Oh, they're here," Becki said, getting up from her seat.

She led her mother through a pair of curtained French doors, through an office to the entrance of their gray ranch-style home in quaint Medford Lakes. McGinnis kissed her daughter, who was off to Neeta School with friends.

McGinnis about-faced to her computer. She had started her day around 6 a.m. to walk her 15-year-old son Jonathan to the bus for Shawnee High School.

"It used to be frantic trying to figure out who was going where and how," she said. "This is my dream come true. I never saw it coming."

McGinnis works from home for The Printing Fulfillment and Mailing Group, a printing, advertising and mailing company owned by her friends Kathleen and Chip Schindler, who live nearby. She is part of the borough's growing culture of people who telecommute.

Borough officials say that culture has grown since the 2000 Census showed approximately 6 percent of the borough's 2,276 working population do so from home. That's about twice what the Census shows for other municipalities that don't require mercantile licensing, including Cherry Hill and Evesham. It's also greater than the state's mark of 2.7 percent and the national estimate of 3.3 percent.

Acting manager Julie Horner-Keizer says there's an incentive to work from home in the walkable, 1-square-mile borough.

Both residents and officials say the community emphasis helps keep highly taxed property owners from leaving the borough, which has around 15 commercial ratables.

Some home-operated businesses in town include a family corrugated cardboard operation, a husband and wife CPA firm, and computer and salt shaker businesses. Full-time home workers in the borough are also attorneys, Realtors, CFOs and salespeople.

Borough code specifically permits residential work such as dressmaking, radio repair and carpentry, as well as medical, architectural and engineering businesses. Code prohibits home businesses from selling goods and services in a retail setting, using heavy machinery that can disrupt neighbors or promoting goods or services with signage or displays visible from outside.

At least four of the 10 candidates running Tuesday for borough council work from home. Incumbent Mayor Paul Weiss, an attorney, cherished the time when he worked from home for a telecommunications company he left about 12 years ago.

"It's great. You get to be around when the kids are coming out of school," he said. "My office was the kitchen. I used to start at 7:30 a.m. and wouldn't stop until dinner time."

Less than 1 percent of workers do so from home in Camden's urban environment and in Swedesboro, a smaller town than Medford Lakes. Regional planning experts believe jobs in economically disadvantaged areas probably aren't as conducive to telecommuting since equipment may not be as accessible.

Over the past decade, the Environmental Protection Agency and private organizations, such as South Jersey's Cross County Connection Transportation Management Association, have encouraged businesses to offer telecommuting to employees. Proponents believe it can increase productivity, decrease stress and disruptions and promote better family life.

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission conducted an EPA trial about 10 years ago encouraging companies to establish telework programs to help reduce carbon emissions in exchange for credits that could be traded in an open market.

"It was challenging to get companies to participate for a hypothetical benefit, even with free training and expertise," said Stacy Bartels, a DVRPC manager.

Experts said people should be wary of companies who promise dream jobs from home via television and online advertisements. Residents can verify a New Jersey business with the state Treasury Department.

Most telecommuting programs implemented in businesses are requested by employees having trouble with the balance between work and personal life, according to a 2009 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management. Other reasons for the plans were a higher demand for 24/7 work schedules, off-site work and rising gas costs.

With telecommuting, most companies in the survey of 511 businesses reported employee absenteeism and productivity remained the same, while 32 percent said productivity increased and 42 percent said absenteeism decreased.

"I haven't used a sick day all year," quipped McGinnis, who dresses business casual in case she has to meet one of the company's 400 customers off-site.

"In a snowstorm I can still work. I just put on sweats and shovel my driveway."

After closing a commercial office for their company, the Schindlers set up shop in McGinnis' house about two years ago. They converted what was a playroom for her kids into a space with four desks, filing cabinets, book shelves and business plaques and paraphernalia hanging on the beige walls. It was supposed to last six months, they said, but everyone enjoyed it and the business could "stay here forever."

Becki has mixed feelings about her mom working from home. She likes having her mom take her out during school lunch hour and having her watch her lacrosse, basketball and soccer games.

"Sometimes it's not good, like when I have friends sleep over or there's no school," she said. "We have to be quiet or go outside to talk."

McGinnis works about 40 hours per week and carries over about 15 percent of her work time to nights and weekends. She said working from home has helped her be a better mother and worker.

"With other people working here, it keeps me from the home distractions," she said. "But I can throw a load of laundry in or start prepping dinner around 4."

Reach Jeremy Rosen at (856) 486-2456 or jrosen@gannett.com