THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 22, 1995 TAG: 9508220001
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
With advances in communications technology, more and more American workers are coming into the office less and less. Telephones, fax machines and computers enable them to work one day or more a week at home or at a computer station in the suburbs.
These arrangements are called telecommuting because those who do it are not shuttling between home and work. Telecommuting gives workers more time with their families (because they aren't on the road) and eases the rush-hour crush on roadways.
Many months ago, the federal government established telecommuting centers in Fredericksburg and Winchester in Virginia and in Hagerstown and La Plata in Maryland. Scores of workers from several agencies work from each center. The General Services Administration has recommended establishing similar centers in 30 other areas, including Hampton Roads. Sounds good.
Now some Northern Virginia governments that have been experimenting with telecommuting are poised to expand their programs. Arlington and Fairfax counties intend to incorporate telecommuting in all county-government departments. Forty percent of Loudoun County's 1,200 employees may ultimately be telecommuters.
Employees who must deal with the public face to face will not be telecommuters, of course. But many government employees do much or most of their work alone on computer terminals. They are logical candidates for telecommuting.
The Northern Virginia jurisdictions preparing to increase the number of telecommuting employees report gains in productivity, morale and attendance by workers enrolled in their pilot programs. Arlington officials calculate that the 10 employees in the county's pilot program drove 9,000 fewer miles a year by staying home one day a week.
Nancy Mathewson, a member of the Arlington telecommuting task force, told The Washington Post that telecommuting ``seems to work for people who are mostly mid-level professionals, like planners and analysts who spend a lot of time in front of the computer. They must also be highly motivated.''
A New York research firm counts 9 million telecommuters nationwide - 10 percent more than last year. Telecommuting is sure to grow, though no one can know how much. Not all employees work well independently, and performance of many tasks is improved by the interaction of employees working in the same building even if the work can be done in isolation.
But the telecommuting option for some employees is surely appropriate, a way to save time and money and wear and tear on workers, motor vehicles and roads. Hampton Roads' cities and counties should plug in to the trend. by CNB