Telecommuting is fast changing the way that people do business. Instead of just being a place where people go, work is now something that they do. Currently the most popular option, telecommuting involves little or no outlay in time or cash for employers and is well-liked by employees. Perhaps the main reason people are telecommuting now is simply because they can. In the United States, 5.5 million people telecommuted in 1991, consisting of company employees working at home, on part time or full time basis.
Jobs are more portable than they once were. The United States used to be largely an industrial nation. In fact, in 1950, only 17 percent of the workers were in information or service businesses like sales, public relations, personnel, banking, health care, and publishing. By 1980, that number grew to more than half--and by the end of the 1990s, it is expected to jump three-quarters of all workers. Also, while not essential, computers and other hi-tech communications equipment can make telecommuting easier. Employees who use personal computers at the company can just as easily use them at home. Telecommunication increases employee productivity, but more important, it increases job involvement--which makes for happier employees and ultimately, increased company profits.
Telecommunication can now keep in touch via such innovations as facsimile machines, electronic mail, and voice mail. While these factors may make it possible to telecommute, others may make it necessary. Some of the changes in lifestyles dictate a need for a change in work styles. For example, the standard eight to five or nine to five schedule was designed around a traditional family that does not exist anymore. Picking up and dropping off small children at day-care centers, arranging after school care, or even handling the growing demands of elder care, cause many employees to need more flexibility in their schedules. While telecommuting ...