Andy Walker Cyberwalker Media Syndicate Fast Internet connections, Web cameras and other online tools are making the virtual office very real. But digital advocates who use high-tech tools that make telecommuting possible warn that the tools are not always a good substitute for human contact.
Benefits are measurable.
The Kensington Technology Group, which makes technology and ergonomic equipment for the office, did a study in April 1998 that showed the majority of telecommuters in the United States accomplished at least 30 per cent more work in the same amount of time. There is a corresponding price to be paid, Sweeney cautioned. You have to commit to making time for socializing and in-person meeting. Building those relationships is the glue that holds it together. Sweeney's company employs four full-time workers but the team grows to as many as 25, as projects come and go.