Here’s a fun one to end your day on. Employees who frequently telecommute may damage or kill their chances to advance within a particular career. Over 60% of 1,320 global executives surveyed by executive search firm Korn/Ferry International said they believe that telecommuters are less likely to advance in their careers in comparison to employees working in traditional office settings. Company executives want face time with their employees, the study said. Oddly enough despite this assertion, 48% of respondents indicated that they would consider a job which involved telecommuting on a regular basis and the vast majority 78% stated that telecommuters are either equally or more productive than those who work in offices. When asked which type of flexible working arrangement they found most attractive, 46% of respondents most preferred the option of working flexible hours, Korn/Ferry said.
The study’s results fly in the face though of a growing movement . Since 1990, 1990, the number of teleworkers has grown to over 45 million from about 4 million says the Telework Coalition. Even President Bush and other top administrators have championed telework as a vital part of business-continuity plans. Gas prices, traffic congestion and housing costs are also factors driving telecommuting.
