Businesses Still Cool to Telecommuting

Despite advances in technology that make virtual offices a reality and blur the need for people to come into the office, most firms are still reluctant to let their employees work from home. Chalk it up to old ways of thinking running smack into new workplace and home life realities. Datamation explains.

Despite high costs for maintaining acres of office cubicles and the attendant facilities expenses, many U.S. companies are still skeptical that employees can be as productive working from home as from a regulated office environment, according to a new study.

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) commissioned the online survey (available here as PDF), which found a sizable disparity between workers’ and managers’ viewpoints.

“Sixty percent of respondents to the Microsoft Telework survey — conducted among 3,600 employees in 36 cities nationwide — say they are actually more productive and efficient when working remotely,” said a statement accompanying the survey results.

However, 59 percent of employees in the survey said their employer has no formal policy enabling them to work from home or other remote locations.

Read the full story at Datamation:


Businesses Still Slow to Let Workers Telecommute