I came across this study commissioned by my employer regarding the assorted pros and cons of telecommuting. Then I was asked to write a blog entry on the topic as I telecommute on a semi-regular basis.

The study has some dichotomous findings. My paraphrased summary is this – Companies are beginning to support the idea of telecommuting. However, workers are leery, thinking that if the boss doesn’t SEE them working that the boss will believe the worker is just off goofing around. 64% of people also believe it may lead to their being passed over for a promotion

So there are a couple sides to this, right? First off, there is the side of the manger. Here is an article from the Chicago Tribune. It is clear that the manager in this story is struggling because he can’t “see” his employees so he doesn’t necessarily know what they are doing. I have some insight to offer at this point. Just because people are in the office does NOT mean they are working on work. They are cooing to their two year olds, filling out there office pools, and watching March Madness streaming live. [note: I have no personal experience with the aforementioned – I have friends at other companies who tell me these things]. Look, the truth is people who can work independently and have been producing good work aren’t all of a sudden going going to telecommute and turn lazy.

Next, there is the side of the worker. If you work from home, there is always that pull to the pantry. Mmmmmm leftovers. Imagine how hard it would be to pass that up every time you walk by. Seriously, though, people who work at home have a hard time ‘turning it off.’ They tend to work more hours. There is also a concern that you won’t be caught up with the social scene at work (I have not been part of the social scene since 3rd grade kickball). The key if you are going to work from home is to be comfortable. Click here for my suggestions.

So my solution to this is to work at Panera. I love Panera. You can sit there for hours and work, all for the cost of a cup of coffee (my tip – soda’s are free refills). I throw my headphones, plug into Pandora and since there are no interruptions (see my brilliant post on interruptions), I can really cook. Ballpark, I would say I am 3x more productive when I am at Panera vs. in the office.

Additional survey findings include:
• 80 percent of respondents believe telecommuting is a trend that will continue to grow over the next five years.
• 32 percent of respondents telecommute.
• 46 percent of respondents’ companies allow them to telecommute.
• 62 percent of respondents believe companies prefer them in the office to prevent a lack of communication; 41 percent believe it is because of the cost of the technology involved.
• 61 percent of telecommuters do so to balance their family and work life, and 37 percent do so to reduce their carbon footprint

So how has this telecommuting worked out for me…….well, I’m the VP of this blog, so I’m on my way.