30 million Americans telecommute at least once a week
With a transit strike looming in NYC, this Wall Street Journal column covers the issues related to telecommuting...something 30 million Americans do at least one day a week (according to the International Telework Association and Council):
Telecommuting, the fancy word for working from outside the office, was coined in 1973 by consultant Jack Nilles. Nearly three decades later, there are lingering doubts about its viability. Some people can pull it off and be quite productive. But our sense is that if allowed to work at home outside the boss's watchful eye, the threat of the Chokey and the predictable rhythms of Office Space culture, most employees would be quickly reduced to a steady routine of cheese-food slices, eBay lurking and ceiling studying.
Of course, this could be nothing more than stereotyping -- if so, we blame television. Dot-com retailer Beyond.com did telecommuting culture (and its own sales) no favors when its ads featured a naked telecommuter signing for computer-gear deliveries in the altogether. (Along with Outpost.com's "shooting gerbil" ad, this spot has to stand as one of most memorable but least effective pitches of the Web boom.)