Web Worker Daily

WWD’s Mike Gunderloy recently commented on Sun Microsystem’s study of the impact of telecommuting on a worker’s carbon footprint. Coincidentally, on the same day policy changes in the UK may mean that telecommuting sees a sharp increase as the options for actual commuting rise in cost and narrow the ability of people to travel into urban centers.

Following the success of London’s congestion charge, launched in 2003, other UK cities such as Leeds, Cardiff, Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol have begun to explore similar schemes. The UK government approved a congestion charging programme for Manchester - the country’s defacto second city - which would charge inbound morning commuters the equivalent of $4-6 and outbound evening commuters around $2. I guess that’s around a gallon of fuel each day by US standards!

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By Justin Draeger

Teleworking has been gaining traction for years and now more than 2.44 million people spend at least part of their work week at home.

But recently some major employers have been pulling telecommuters back into the office. The goal of any would-be teleworker is to show your boss how working from home will benefit him and the company.

If you’re having trouble getting your point across, here are some possible reasons he wants you in the office.

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By Jake Kuramoto

Back in 2003, I worked in a cube farm at Oracle’s corporate headquarters in Redwood Shores. I had been commuting an hour and a half each way, five days a week, since 2001, and I really wanted to work out a telecommuting arrangement with my manager. I started out working from home a couple days a week, and eventually, I grew into a permanent web worker.

After five years of working remotely, the one problem I’ve yet to solve is the conference call. Or more accurately, the conference call where I’m the only one on the phone. If you telecommute, you’re savvy to this problem, and even if you don’t, you can probably relate.

Here’s the scenario: it’s a handful of people sitting in a conference room and one person on the phone. The more people in the room and on the phone, the bigger the problem.

All typical meeting problems become amplified when you’re on the phone.

(Photo credit: Flickr user morecoffeeplease)

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Imagine a work life that includes two or more days a week of working from home and a compressed work schedule that gives you an extra day off every other week, covers half the cost of installation and service fees for home broadband, and the ability when you are in the office to take up to three work hours a week to attend on-site fitness instruction. Does the Department of Defense come to mind?

You might not believe the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) would be a hotbed of telecommuting, but it is. The federal agency, made up of 5,000 civilians and 1,600 to 1,700 military personnel, provides information systems support for the DoD.

According to Jack Penkoske, the director for manpower, personnel and security, about 40 percent of the highly technical workforce is doing what the agency calls “teleworking” either on a regular basis or ad hoc.

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