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The Wall Street Journal for Wednesday, Jan. 31, had an article pertinent to
this discussion on page B-1: "For 'Extreme Telecommuters,' Remote Work Means
Really Remote." How timely! The article describes the pleasures, pains, and
productivity of workers who "live countries -- even continents -- apart from
their companies' home offices, indulging a way of life others only dream
about."
The article goes onto say that, "Even though companies are getting more
selective about who their telecommuters are, the phenomenon is still growing
world-wide. In the U.S. last year, an estimated 24 million people regularly
or occasionally telecommuted, according to the International Telework
Association and Council, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit group that promotes
telecommuting. That is up 21% from the year before. In Europe, estimates
have the figure at about 10 million for the ast two years. And in 16
Asia-Pacific countries, at least 3.3 million workers telecommute at least ne
day a month, up 27% from a year earlier, according to consultants at Jala
International Inc., in Los Angeles."
The so-called "extreme telecommuting," say from Bali to NY, is still the
exception. According to Gil Gordon, a telecommuting consultant in Monmouth
Junction, NJ, "If it happens, it's usually one of two reasons: They are
entrepreneurs of some kind and their work is ultimately portable. Or, they
are highly skilled people and have their employer over a barrel."
And later in the same article, "But just as many companies and workers are
finding that run-of-the-mill telecommuting isn't everything it's cracked up
to be, the extreme telecommuters have their troubles, too." It goes on to
detail some of them.
Anyway, I thought that these excerpts might help the discussion and give
some real numbers from a respectable source, even though they're not limited
to tech communication. You may be able to view the entire article online
(though it may be limited to subscribers -- not sure), or you may be able to
find the entire paper at your local library. I think it's worth reading, and
maybe worth dreaming about working from an exotic locale on a dreary
February morning!
Marguerite
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