Today@Dal

Bruce Peveril has been employed with Dalhousie’s Information Technology Services (ITS) since 2002 and earlier this year he started a new telework arrangement. He works alternate weeks at home, as Bruce and his wife live just outside of Charlottetown, PEI in a 150-year old farmhouse.

Dal’s telework policy was launched in Fall 2011 to offer some employees the flexibility to work off-campus, whether it is in their homes or an alternate location. If employees are interested in learning more about telework, they should discuss it with their manager or supervisor to determine if it is suitable given their job.

Bruce is a systems analyst in Administrative Computing, a unit of ITS, and works on enterprise-level systems such as Banner, Famis and MyCareer. He implements, configures and tests software delivered from external vendors as well as designs locally developed software solutions.

“I have found working from home to be extremely productive,” says Bruce. “Not only do I get more work done, but it seems to be of higher quality. I am sure that this can be attributed to me being more directed when I am at home and not multi-tasking to respond to all the activity around me in the office. In addition, spending more time at home over the last year has had a noticeable and positive impact on my health.”

As Dalhousie has expanded, and now includes the Agricultural Campus in Truro and the Medical School site in Saint John, New Brunswick, it is more important than ever to have the ability to work remotely for some employees, whether it is from home or an alternate location.

“As for work/life balance, the telework arrangement has been very beneficial,” adds Bruce. “While commuting weekly has an obvious cost in gas and wear and tear on my car and me, and I likely work more hours at home because of the close proximity of my “office”, it has been a great option at this point in my career and life.”

Telework was just one of the many benefits cited in Dalhousie being named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for 2013.