Fiction Rather Than Fact Often Hampers the Road to Telecommuting to Work

Will Rising Gas Prices, Increasing Real Estate Expense and Even the Bird Flu Pandemic Help Spur Telecommuting?

Almost everyone dreams of telecommuting rather than driving to work. Who wouldn't when it means avoiding the traffic congestion and the lengthening commute times, the surging fuel prices and yes, even the downtime inherent in dealing with traditional office chatter and politics that eat into our productivity.

Yet it's still a reality for so few despite the fact that technology - from high-speed access, to hardware to software and beyond - has made it increasingly possible to do with great success. The statistics are all over the place for the numbers who telecommute at least part of the time, from eight to eighteen million Americans who work from home one day or more per week. Strangely enough, the number telecommuting has not grown significantly in the past few years, despite changes in technology and accessibility that make it easier to accomplish.

"Employers are still reticent for many reasons," states M.J. Jensen, a former office recruiter. She says she found 20% or more of applicants for almost any position sought a telecommuting option while less than two percent of the available jobs she handled offered any work-at-home options.

"Even future-thinking employers have a serious issue with telecommuting, fearing they won't get top productivity or attention out of their non-office employees. At best, some will consider telecommuting for independent contractors because it's easier to fire these people without the repercussions of terminating a full-fledged employee," adds Jensen.