Running head: TELECOMMUTING: A GROWING TREND IN THE WORKPLACE

Telecommuting

ENG122

July 14, 2014

Telecommuting a Growing Trend

With today's technology, a telecommuters office is no longer restricted to the walls of
their workplace. The traditional workplace has seen many changes in the past decade, among
which telecommuting stands out as the most promising trend to grow. With that in mind, the

TELECOMMUTING: A GROWING TREND IN THE WORKPLACE

most important factor for telecommuting to be successful is communication. Including,

technologies such as computers with high-speed internet email, voicemail, fax, and video
conferencing has made staying in contact with the office much easier to do. Working at home is
a job opportunity that many workers would dream about being able to do. Certainly, without
telecommuting where, would the workplace be today? Telecommuting is a rising practice for
many companies, and predicted to become even more widespread in the next decade.
Nevertheless, over the past three decades telecommuting has become a shared practice in
the workplace for many. However, the overall the acceptance of telecommuting is not showing
the same growth with everyone. By considering telecommuting, or working from home, the
employer will become familiar with the benefits of having flexibility in the workplace. For that
reason, education on telework is essential before implementing it in the office.
Telecommuting is performing work duties or working from a workplace other than the
central corporate office. This is where technology plays an important role. As a result,
technology, among other things, has and will continue to shape the future of telecommuting.
Technology provides the means by which telecommuters communicate with, and stay connected
to the office, and it also provides the means by which telecommuters get their work done while at
home(Handy, 1996). For many telecommuters, work is not just a place to go, but also an activity
that to be done, anywhere and at any time.
Undoubtedly, telecommuting is an emerging trend in the workplace. It has been a great
advantage for the family and many of my extended family members, giving the opportunity only
to commute to the workplace once a week. In addition, the U.S. federal agencies are providing
some family friendly policies that include alternative work schedules, part-time employment, job

TELECOMMUTING: A GROWING TREND IN THE WORKPLACE

sharing, and telecommuting or telework. Not driving into the office daily is what attracts many
that want to work from home.
Technology has changed the workplace a good deal in the past ten years and is advancing
at a fast pace. As a result, conducting work from home one or more days a week has had a
positive effect on many people, such as, being a more efficient worker, better concentration, less
stress, and better family life. In addition, another great benefit of offering a choice to
telecommute in the workplace is the broader talent pool. You will get job candidates that once
lived too far are now available for that job. Many of the companies that made the 100 Best
Companies to Work For allows employees to work from home at least 20% of the time. The
ability to telecommute has helped employees obtain balance between work and home
responsibilities, which has resulted in them having more control of their family and home lives.
Meanwhile, the Eurescom project did a study on the influence telework has on one's
quality of life. The three main factors used when studying teleworkers include control,
flexibility, and concentration (Eurescom 2001). Control includes self-determination, autonomy,
freedom, lack of personal initiative, and judgment. Flexibility includes complete flexibility,
work hours flexibility, and flexibility in the workplace. Concentration involves easy
concentrating, easily distracted, or noisy home office. The conclusion of the study revealed
teleworkers are more productive, because of the flexible work schedules, and because of
improved concentration at home and control over how the works performed.
A few of the companies that have successfully implemented flexible work arrangements
include Pitney Bowes, IBM Corporation, AT & T, Merrill Lynch, U.S. federal agencies and
Cigna. IBM is one of the most progressive companies for developing groundbreaking training
and telecommuting arrangements (Hamilton, 2002). In addition, IBM Corporation implemented

TELECOMMUTING: A GROWING TREND IN THE WORKPLACE

the telecommuting program in 1992 and has now reduced its need for central office space by two
million square feet. In addition, cities such as New York require fewer commuters driving on the
city streets during rush hour. As a result, this has forced many companies like Merrill Lynch to
start their own telecommuting program. This continual rise in telecommuting is likely due to the
growth of wireless internet access, cost of rising fuel and commuting. Now employers are more
willing to embrace work-life balance. Most telecommuters would discover that working from
home is a more comfortable environment and they would be more productive if they are selfmotivators and stay focused on their work.
Nevertheless, careful consideration is necessary when selecting employees who are best
suited for these work arrangements. Some of the personal and working characteristics that are
necessary include a willingness to be flexible if needed, self-motivation, good time management,
organizational skills, the ability to maintain a well-balanced lifestyle, strong communications
skills, Trustworthiness and Reliability. To be successful there must be a strong perception of
trust between the employees and their management.
Possibly, social isolation is the leading disadvantage to working from home. If isolation
is a concern, try telecommuting only two or three days a week. Because, if you are the type of
person that flourishes on exchanges with others, telecommuting may create a sense of isolation,
and emails, phone calls, and video conferencing cannot replace face-to-face interaction.
Working from home could also interfere with daily family life, and cause one to feel as though
work is always there, and they cannot get away from it. In addition, having an environment that
teleworkers stay in the loop, about formal and informal office activities may help to keep them
feeling affiliated with the organization. Undoubtedly, some may find they are more productive at
work having their workplace in their home. Since some telecommuters do not have a set

TELECOMMUTING: A GROWING TREND IN THE WORKPLACE

schedule to work and to have the pressures of home all around them, there is never a break.
Some of the challenges include difficulty distinguishing between work and home time, limited
interaction with management, feeling hostility or resentment from coworkers, and insufficient
equipment or lack of technical support. Therefore, proper technology for working from home is
crucial in being successful in everyday life. Although, some jobs may require you to use more
technology than others will. With these considerations, telecommuting could be very successful
in a growing company.
Telecommuting can be an approach that combines the best of different worlds. For some,
telecommuting is a great advantage. A few advantages of telecommuting include, saving time
and money when not commuting to and from work daily, saving in parking fees, gas, and car
maintenance. As well as, having less contact with sick people, and having more flexibility at
home and work are benefits to enjoy. In fact, Telecommuting provides flexibility to manage
work duties and personal and family priorities. Consequently, this flexibility will improves the
quality of work accomplished by many. A number of researchers have identified the need for
flexibility as the main motivation for telework (e.g. Van Sell and Jacobs, 1994). After all,
reaching stability with work and personal responsibilities, ultimately, helps individuals gain
control over their lives.
Global Workplace Analytics did research on potential teleworkers, discovering if
everyone with a compatible job performed work from home, at least half of the time, and the
national saving would total over $700 Billion a year. For example, a company would save
$11,000 per person per year. The teleworker would save $2000 - $7000 a year. Studies also
show teleworkers prefer a private office in a quiet area with natural light and a view, as well as,
teleworkers need adequate job resources and prefer the flexibility in their work schedule.

TELECOMMUTING: A GROWING TREND IN THE WORKPLACE

The State of Telework in the U.S. conducted an American Community Survey (ACS) on
teleworkers. Results show that 45% of the US workforce holds jobs that are compatible with
part-time telework, and it showed that regular telecommuting grew by 61% between 2005 and
2009.
Still, not all jobs are compatible with telecommuting arrangements. However, the
concepts of working at home may work for many employees. Nevertheless, working from home
is not for everyone. Nevertheless, Telecommuting does not have to be all or none program.
Considering all the pros and cons, trying some amount of telecommuting in a workplace may
enable both the employer and employees to experience some of the pro and cons of
telecommuting (Washington Post, 1996). Although some people revel in the ability to working
from home, other people will miss the companionship and face-to-face daily contact with
coworkers at work.
Furthermore, with a flexible schedule, telecommuters have time to run errands or
schedule appointments, without missing a full day at work. It is having respect for the work you
do, wherever you do it (Thompson 2012). Overall, telecommuting has assisted in bridging the
gap between work and family. More flexibility in their work and personal schedules will lead to
days that are more productive. Technology has always been an important aspect for
communication, but now with technology growing, telecommuters are able to do even more
work from home.
Indeed, telecommuting is a growing trend in the workplace. However, with todays
growing technology, work can be anywhere. What was once considered a traditional workplace
is becoming a new more flexible workplace. However, as long as technology continues to
flourish, telecommuting will also continue to grow.

TELECOMMUTING: A GROWING TREND IN THE WORKPLACE

References:
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Globalworkplaceanalytics.com,. (2014). Latest Telecommuting Statistics | Global Workplace Analytics
Retrieved 4 July 2014, from http://www.globalworkplaceanalytics.com/telecommuting-statistics
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TELECOMMUTING: A GROWING TREND IN THE WORKPLACE

Washington Post, . (1996). Career Coach: The pros and cons of telecommuting. Retrieved 23 June 2014,
from http://m.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/career-coach-the-pros-and-cons-oftelecommuting/2013/03/22/fee86bfa-9196-11e2-bdea-e32ad90da239_story.html