A newsletter subscriber raised the issue of where to find telework opportunities after reading what Bob Smith had to say about telework trends earlier this month. I talked to Smith - who is executive director at ITAC, the telework advisory group for HR association WorldatWork - about the benefits of a formal telework program. When businesses implement structured as opposed to ad-hoc telework programs, the potential for economic savings is greater, Smith says.

After the newsletter was published, a reader wrote in asking for suggestions about finding telework positions with companies that have formal programs in places. After working for more than four years as a full-time teleworker, the reader is about to lose her job. Her employer, a software company, has had a formal telework program in place for some time, but the program is going away now that the software company has been acquired.

"Unfortunately, the company was recently acquired by another company whose business model does not include teleworking; they are very much ingrained in the old tradition of keeping everything and everyone 'under one roof' and are rapidly eliminating their remote employees," she writes. "They’ve taken a highly successful teleworking model and reversed the trend."

Finding companies amenable to hiring remote employees has proved challenging, despite having a head start, she says. "I’ve followed groups like ITAC and WorldatWork over the last couple of years and kept a list of companies they’ve recognized with formal telework programs, just in case I might someday find myself in the situation I’m currently facing. I’m finding as I look for employment, it’s very difficult to identify companies that would consider or have already set up formal teleworking programs…. Do you have any suggestions of companies or recruitment agencies that specialize in placing teleworkers?"

I wish I had a great answer for this reader, but I don't. I'll blame it on the fact that I only recently started covering telework industry news and trends. So I'm relaying the question to the entire Telework Beat audience: Do you have any job search ideas for a fellow telework advocate?

One possibility that comes to mind is the federal government. Government agencies are required by law to offer telework options to eligible employees. With Congress taking greater steps to force agencies' compliance, there may be emerging opportunities in that sector.