The Boston Globe had a great article a few days ago about telecommuting, how it began and where it’s likely to be going. The article, Telecommuters Tout Perks of Lifestyle, was loaded with interesting perceptions and tid-bits of information.
Loaded with real-life examples, the article noted a few statistics:
In 2005, 44 percent of U.S. companies offered at least some telecommuting options, according to a survey 1,043 large employers by Mercer Human Resources Consulting. That is up from 32 percent in 2001.
and quoted Jack Nilles:
Jack Nilles, a Los Angeles-based workplace consultant who is widely credited with coining the term “telecommuting” more than three decades ago, said technology has never been the main barrier to a more flexible work schedule. Instead, it has been “the idea fixed in everybody’s head that in order to do useful work you had to be someplace where the boss could keep an eye on you.”
Wow, it must have been much, much harder to find a telecommuting job back in 1976! We should consider ourselves lucky by comparison.