Imagine not having to commute to an office or work place anymore. Imagine working from home for the rest of your life. That is telecommuting for you.

Though successful in the West (30-40m people in the US are home based workers), the concept of telecommuting is yet to make major inroads in India. The main reason is ignorance about the concept, rather than any tangible technology constraints. Telecommuting is the "use of information technology to do work away from a traditional workplace." Here work goes to the workers, instead of workers going to work.

The advantages of telecommuting:

It increases productivity

It decreased stress as there is no commuting

Work quality improves because the worker works at personal
"peak" times

The emphasis is on employee trust and responsibility.

Absenteeism is low.

The labour pool is bigger.

There is better employee morale

Office upkeep overheads is low or almost nil.

Management is by objectives and not observation

It results in more flexible work and family schedules

There is increased job satisfaction

Telecommuting can be via Satellite offices which are remote office locations within a large concentration of employee residences. Here employees at a single company share office space and reduce the time and expense involved in commuting to and from the main office. The employee may also work from home by designating workspace at home to conduct business functions.

Sometimes a fixed location may be preferred. Office staff report here and up to six people could use the same desk and equipment formerly assigned to one employee. Mobile workspaces with cubbies and lockers can be reserved by the hour, day, week.

Jobs that are suitable for this concept

Information-based jobs which involve minimal face-to-face contact.

Physically portable jobs where the equipment the telecommuter needs to do the job can be taken home in a briefcase or box, or can be accessed via a telephone line.

The software industry.

Marketing.

Electronic data processing.

Insurance and in service departments.

The recent deregulation permitting broadbanding, ASPs and Wireless Applications Protocols will solve many of the technical hitches associated with telecommuting.

A frequently voiced fear regarding telecommuting is the loss of human touch from the lack of face-to-face communication which might lead to loneliness and isolation. But the right attitude on the part of employer and employee can take care of this.

Organisations need to change direction - from information hoarding to knowledge sharing. An amiable environment can counter concerns about isolation.

Knowledge is no longer power. In today's world, sharing is power.