ABCNews.com
September 26, 2001
Virtual Office Space
Teleworking May Become Ideal In Wake of Attacks, Threats
By Romy Ribitzky

Sept. 26 - Before Sept. 11, 31-year old Tara Pietz would never have thought she would be telecommuting to work, let alone enjoying it.

Pietz, global sales account executive at New York-based TheBeast, a financial software firm, says she used to love working in the center of the financial district at her office on the 80th floor of One World Trade, the first tower hit by terrorists.

"I used to say that I would turn down a job, no matter how much they paid me, if I couldn't work downtown," she says wryly. "Now, there isn't enough money to get me back down there."

Pietz' world may have been forever changed that Tuesday, but by Friday she and most of the company's 65 employees were back in business, equipped with Blackberries, cell phones and laptops.

Not Just for Road Warriors

Telecommuting — connecting to a company's network from a remote location — is by no means an uncommon business practice.

Approximately 28.8 million employees in the United States, or one in five Americans, participate in some form of teleworking, according to a new survey. The study, conducted by Old Dominion University's Social Science Research Center in Norfolk, Va., was completed on Sept. 10, and published by the International Telework Association and Council, or ITAC.

The number of teleworkers may spike even higher, especially in the wake of last month's tragedy, suggests a separate series of studies carried out after the attacks. Aimed at understanding the shifting mood of 500 national and 500 international companies, the studies were commissioned by New York-based advertiser Euro RSCG Worldwide.

While the first wave of findings indicated approximately 11 percent of workers worldwide were telecommuters, the second wave of data, not yet published, shows 50 percent of employees around the globe are interested in teleworking more frequently, primarily because they feel safer at home.

"I think we're going to see extraordinary changes to the way people work, and I think they're going to stick" argues Ira Matathia, global director of business development at Euro RSCG Worldwide.

"Employers who may have never considered telecommuting as a job assignment are now more flexible as they deal with employees who no longer feel safe working in tall buildings," says Camille Olson, part-time telecommuter and partner with Chicago's Seyfarth Shaw's labor and employment group.

She adds, "Teleworking is a possible solution to minimizing the office disruption and emotional stress workers are still dealing with."

Do the Right Thing

Even before the attacks, Chuck Wilsker, executive director at ITAC says teleworking tended to be a win-win situation typically marked by a 25 percent increase in productivity, higher retention rates, lower absenteeism rate and highly improved job satisfaction.

"Teleworkers, especially those who are project-oriented, tend to be more focused and productive because unlike traditional employees they are judged by the product they produce rather than the amount of hours they put in at the office," explains Olson.

However, there are a few major considerations prospective teleworkers and their superviors should consider before embracing mobile life.

Technology is the top barrier, especially the limited availability of broadband, says Joseph Roitz, corporate telework director at AT&T. It's hard to work at home when people are used to the speed of the office, he adds. "We hear people say, 'if the technology doesn't work, neither do I.'"

Even with all the best equipment, managers may have a hard time with the idea that they cannot physically monitor an employee's every move. Many middle managers feel that if they don't see employees, those workers may not be needed, explains Wilsker.

But, argues Roits, "Just because someone is not working from a dedicated space in the office does not make him or her a less valuable part of the team."

Sometimes it may be less tangible aspects of the remote employee's role that can cause a problem, particularly when "the product relies heavily on team work or a synergy between units," notes Olson.

Careful Selection Is Key

Also, not every worker is the ideal candidate for telecommuting, warns Tim Perez, a teleworker and customer solutions manager of Siemens Enterprise Network, a subsidiary of electronics giant Siemens. Currently, 20 percent of Siemens' employees are full-time teleworkers and 40 percent are part-time mobile workers.

"The person best suited for teleworking is exceptionally structured, organized, self-motivated, tech-savvy, focused and adapt at drawing a distinction between work time and home time," he suggests.

Despite the obstacles, experts agree that when done responsibly, telecommuting works. "Management sees interesting cost-saving from this, increased productivity and higher retention and loyalty rates," says Matathia.

"Employees are thrilled to have more of a balance between work and home," adds Perez. "On days they have a family event, they can work from home for a few hours, take time out to go see their kids' game, and put in a few more hours when they get back home," explains Wilsker.

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of teleworking is the business continuity it can provide employees, argues Perez. "It's good for morale to get back to business."