Bennett explains the performance management program instituted by his company was re-designed in part to better manage the growing telecommuting workforce. We emphasize the results of their efforts now and not so much the appearances they make or how busy they seem to us as managers to be. There are matters of a more tangible concern facing companies that want their workforce to telecommute. I use a personal email address for some company correspondence because the company doesn't want to allow access to our system from outside. If there is sensitive information sent to me, I have to read it only at work and on a work computer.
Companies also look with a wary eye at growing government regulation of telecommuting.
In January 2000, the Department of Labor issued, and soon retracted, an advisory letter indicating that employers were responsible for workers' safety in home offices. Nevertheless, the benefits of telecommuting to employers are many. Not only are cost savings very real, but it also boosts morale that affects retention and proves to be an attractive perk in luring new hires. What Telecommuting Means to Job Seekers Telecommuting has increased 30 percent in just the last two years, according to Telecommute America. The forecast for the workplace calls for telecommuting, as a trend, to continue to grow as technology changes the way business is conducted.