Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 11, 1995 TAG: 9510110049
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MEGAN SCHNABEL
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Loud co-workers.
Dress codes.
Be honest: Haven't you ever dreamed of being able to work at home instead of trekking to the office every day? More than 9 million Americans do just that, and a program called Telecommute America wants to let the rest of us in on their secret.
The program - a project of several government agencies, private companies and public interest groups - focuses on the benefits of working at home vs. commuting to a central office. Affiliated groups have been sponsoring seminars throughout the nation since August, and will observe "Telecommute America" week Oct. 23-27.
The term "telecommuting" isn't anything new - it was coined in the early 1970s. In recent years, it has come into common use to describe several working options: Telecommuters can spend several days a week at the office and the rest working at home. They can work in telecommuting centers or satellite branches that are spread throughout a metropolitan area and are sometimes shared by two or more employers. Or they can try "hoteling" - sharing office space and equipment on a drop-in basis.
What all the options have in common is a willingness to experiment with nontraditional work arrangements. These setups can cut down on commuting time and mileage, increase the time spent with family and reduce overhead costs for employers who don't have to maintain huge central offices.
Telecommute America has set up an infoline - (800) TELE-WEEK - so workers can call for more information about the program or to order the Telecommute America Guidebook ($25). The same number also will connect you to a telephone survey about telecommuting.
Telecommuting isn't limited to people who work in congested metropolitan areas like Northern Virginia, says Telecommute America spokeswoman Ann Barlow. It is designed to increase workplace choices, not just cut back on commuting time or air pollution, she says, so it can be an option for anyone who is looking for a change in venue.
Of course, not every job is suitable for telecommuting. Most teachers are still going to have to report to classrooms every day, for instance, and surgeons will continue to go to hospitals. But if your job doesn't rely exclusively on resources that are found only at the main office - if, for example, you can download software from work onto your home computer - then you may be a good telecommuting candidate.
Nationwide, there are some 9.1 million telecommuters, counting just the people who are employed by larger companies but work in nontraditional settings. If you include everyone with home-based private businesses, the number rockets to more than 40 million, says Warren Master, project director for the federal government's telecommuting initiative in the General Services Administration.
The federal government began looking seriously at telecommuting several years ago, after an earthquake in California left federal employees unable to get to their offices. Satellite stations were set up around the Los Angeles area, and workers who once faced two-hour commutes were able to get to their new, closer offices in 10 minutes. Many of them, including IRS agents and Social Security counselors, also were closer to the people they served.
"It was kind of a great awakening, a paradigm shift," Master says. The government saw that telecommuting could work well during emergencies - so why not under normal working conditions? Now, pilot telecommuting programs have been set up in 30 cities with high numbers of federal employees, including Fredericksburg, Winchester and Manassas in Virginia.
Private companies continue to lead the way, however. More than three dozen large corporations are trying some kind of telecommuting program, Master says. And Barlow says her office recently received a letter from a small herb company in Iowa that wants to try the program.
"There are lots of benefits," Master says. "They can't all be quantified in dollar terms."
by CNB