Anita Blasius, manager of commuting alternatives at the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, said more employers are accepting of the idea that employees don't work in the office, but there are still some managers who tremble at the idea of supervising people they can't see. Part of the reason for increased productivity could be the type of worker companies allow to telecommute. Beth Dempsey, a spokeswoman for Gale Research, where 10 percent of the workforce telecommutes, said working at home isn't for everybody. Telecommuters must have a proven track record that shows initiative and an ability to work without supervision, she said. If it was somebody involved in meetings every single day, who needed to touch base with a lot of departments, it wouldn't work.
Companies also use telecommuting as a way to keep good employees.
We have very full employment, and employers are looking for ways to retain valued employees. Bloom had worked five years for Gale, which publishes reference books and sells them to schools and libraries. But in April 1995, he turned in his resignation to Gale because he couldn't face another Michigan winter. Gale couldn't face losing a good salesman. He went home to California and was given the western states as his sales territory.