The Shortest Commute
Working from home never looked so good, thanks to hurricanes, high gas prices and high stress from long commutes.
Speakers today at the International Telework Association & Council' s annual conference in Arlington will discuss benefits to employers from "distributed work" -- the buzzword for working without regard to location. Among them, the council says: expanding hours of customer service, reducing overhead and increasing the labor pool.
Some companies see a 20 percent productivity gain, improved morale and reduced turnover, according to Chuck Wilsker, president of another work-from-home advocate, the Telework Coalition.
Wilsker figures he saves 2 1/2 hours a day working at home in Rockville instead of on Capitol Hill. Workers also spend less on gas, dry cleaning, lunch and parking -- and gain time for pets (like Wilsker's Italian greyhound), kids or causes.
"You do put in more hours," he said, in part because the commute is so short -- and the only refueling stop is a trip to the fridge.
-- Vickie Elmer
