A tremendous amount of energy is required to produce transportation equipment such as a 3. Promotes Safety by reducing highway use by people rushing to get to work. There are thousands of traffic-related deaths every year and thousands more people severely injured trying to get to work. In addition there is substantial property loss. More and more people are becoming frustrated by the insistence that they come into the office every day. 4. Improves Health by reducing stress reated to compromises made between Family and Work. The stress associated with commuting back and forth to work away from the home is real, and telecommuting offers a renewed opportunity for workers to rediscover the joys of working from their homes. TELECOMMUTING 
Definition Telecommuting entails a work-at-home arrangement or a remote-access arrangement for at least part of the workweek on a regular basis. In general, telecommuting is a privilege which may be granted under appropriate circumstances to high performing officers whose job responsibilities are suited to such an arrangement, and each request to telecommute will be decided on an individual basis under the guidelines. In certain cases, telecommuting may be a requirement of the position, and employees will be so notified at the time of hire. Telecommuting White-collar employment which allows the worker to work in his or her own home, or in a neighborhood work centre, communicating with an employer through a terminal which is connected with the employer's computer either directly or via the telecommunications network. Although much discussed as a revival of cottage industry, and as an illustration of labor-market flexibility, there were almost no true examples of this work arrangement in Europe by the early 1990s. Most people who used desktop computers at home still used conventional forms of communication, such as the postal service, or face-to-face meetings with employers and clients. However, there are cases of telecommuters working for a firm in another country or continent. Exaggerated claims of the incidence and growth of telecommuting are attributable to the rediscovery and revival of home-based employment in industrial societies, the vast majority of which does not involve computers or telecommunications networks. Telecommuting, or working at home, has grown in popularity over the last 20 years. Telecommuting, which is growing in popularity, allows employees to avoid long commutes. Types of devices and software used in telecommuting
Without technology, especially Internet-based technology, telecommuting, at least as its known today, would be impossible. Before the Internet boom, telecommuters relied heavily on simple landline telephones to communicate with the office, and fax machines and delivery services to share information or work. There's no doubt the Internet has taken telecommuting to an even more practical realm. The American Telecommuting Association says personal computers are common among those who work from home. Companies often allow their workers whose primary duties involve computer work to telecommute before others. A computer -- desktop or laptop -- is probably the most basic telecommuting technology. Everything else is tied to it.
A computer by itself, however, is of little use to the telecommuter. To be used, it must have the means of communicating with other computers, especially those in the home office. This can be done through basic Internet software and e-mail. In some cases, a company may prefer to connect a telecommuter's computer directly into its network. A basic security password enabled from a Web page often will do this trick. Other online services, such as GoToMyPC, allow a worker to tap into his office computer from any remote location, taking the telecommuting experienc e mobile. In most cases, a high-speed Internet connection is a must.
Software needs will vary with your duties, but it's a safe bet you'll need basic word processing, spreadsheet and database software. Graphics software, such as photo and drawing programs, can be essential to workers whose jobs involve working with images. Also, it's highly likely you'll need Web conferencing software, what’ll allow you to participate in company meetings online. Reliable Internet and e-mail software is also a must, as is high quality security/anti-virus software.
Other technology you may want to invest in includes a fax machine with a dedicated phone line (if you use it a lot), a cell phone/smart phone, pager and printer/copier. If you do a lot of work with graphics, it may pay to invest in a high-quality scanner. Your computer should come equipped with a CD/DVD burner, to help you archive important work. You may also need a wireless router if you like to tote your laptop around the house to work.Advantages 
Telecommuting has shown increasing attention across the United States in the last several years. People commute in cars, buses, planes and trains to work and to other activities on a regular basis; commuting is part of our lives. However it has recently been challenged on the basis of concerns for energy conservation, the impact on our environment, a refocusing on family values, and other issues. Ten advantages future workers and our society in general might see are presented below:
1. Conserving Energy although energy utilization will continue to grow as we expand our industry and improve our standard of living, efficient use of energy will always be of prime importance. By telecommuting to work, there is a great potential to save energy. The three major areas where energy can be conserved are: Vehicle-related materials and resources; Highway-related materials and resources; and Office-related materials and resources. 
utomobiles, buses, trains and jet aircraft. If telecommuting is promoted, there will be less use of this equipment and less energy will be required. Fuel resources needed to operate this equipment will be reduced; an increase in the percentage of people telecommuting to work will decrease the need for expanded highways and associated road maintenance. Once a person arrives at work, he or she represents another energy consumer; often magnified many times over what would be required at home. The office building has heating, cooling and lighting needs, and the materials to build it and maintain it require energy in their production and transportation. 
2. Preserves Our Environment by reducing land use requirements for highway expansion and by reducing slow-moving automobile emissions. Highways and parking lots are continuing to consume large quantities of our land surface area. If a larger percentage of people would telecommute to work, existing highways could be reduced in size and parking lots could be converted to parks. One of the largest sources of pollution is the automobile. This is especially true of slow-moving automobiles that often exist in heavy, congested rush hour traffic. Of course, one solution to this problem is increasing the size and number of our roads, but an even better solution is to encourage those who can to telecommute. 5. Allows closer proximity to and involvement with family. Working in the home offers people a greater opportunity to share quality time with family members, to promote family values and develop stronger family ties and unity. The strength of a society derives from the strength of its individuals and the strength of its individuals often derives from the strength of their families.
6. Allows proximity to extended family. Often people are forced to leave a community where they grew up and have a large extended family of parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles and all sorts of family relations. Many people long for the opportunity to return "home" where they can spend their lives with old friends and family. While this is not true for some people, there are a large number of people who stand to enhance the quality of life through the flexibility that telecommuting offers. 7. Allows selection of a remote worksite that is mutually acceptable to all family members. How many times have you seen the situation where a husband or wife has a job opportunity in another town and must choose between the new opportunity and no opportunity, because their spouse does not want to or cannot change employment? If either person could telecommute, the decision is much easier. 8. Allows employee freedom. This occurs often, following a divorce or when a single person discovers an incompatibility with the area surrounding his or her employers business. Telecommuting affords an employee the freedom to look for another place to live, where he or she can feel comfortable both from a social. All this, while remaining loyal and productive for their employer. 9. Improves Productivity: Time saved can be used to improve productivity. Much time is spent on unnecessary activities by people who commute back and forth. And you no longer are interrupted by all the idle chatter that inevitably takes place at the central work place. For persons with health problems or handicapped persons, working from home may offer some comforting and productive opportunities, as well.10. Reduces number of people "job hopping"; decreasing training requirements. Many people job hop each year, and much of this "job hopping" is because people want to move to a new location. They enjoy their work, and they would keep working for their present employer, but they do not like their present location. If people could move without losing their jobs, because they could telecommute, the amount of retraining would be reduced substantially.
11. Useful during critical situations. The ability to keep a business functioning during or after a crisis such as a fire in the home office or major natural disaster. In the event the home office is without power or destroyed, telecommuting employees dispersed at remote locations can offer service continuity.
Disadvantages 
The disadvantages of telecommuting are tied to the main advantage -- you don't have to go into an office every day. But while it sounds great to avoid rush hour, consider the downsides.Becoming isolated. Loneliness is the number one disadvantage of telecommuting. If you're working from home full-time, you may start to time your coffee break to the arrival of the mail man. That's how desperate you can become for human contact!
Missing out on shop talk. You're so much more productive when you telecommute because you don't waste time chit-chatting with co-workers. But the gossip serves an important purpose -building relationships and allowing for casual brainstorming and information sharing. If you telecommute, make sure to regularly call colleagues and stop by the office to keep your network strong. Identify the important meetings and events to attend in person. Becoming the fallback child care provider. When you're working from home, people sometimes forget the "working" part. While it may be simple to let a repair person in the house now and then, you don't want to be called on for multiple errands and child care when you're supposed to be doing your job. Feeling work-family conflict. If you have young children at home, it can be hard for them to understand that you're physically present but unable to care for them. Some work-at-home moms even pretend to leave for work and sneak back into their home office! Older children and even spouses may fail to respect your work time or space and interrupt for just a "quick question."
TYPES OF JOBS INVOLVED IN TELECOMMUTING
With today's available communication technology such as e-mail, Web conferencing and cell phones, there's a wide variety of telecommuting jobs you can do from home. And the companies offering telecommuting jobs might surprise you. Jobs such as data processing and management, information technology, telecommunications companies, insurance companies and travel agencies often offer telecommuting options to their employees. Even professions such as accounting, banking, engineering and law participate. Retail companies and even some manufacturers also offer work at home options. Another sector supports self-employed freelancers who work via the Internet on contract to employers.In general, telecommuting jobs are those that use technology to allow the worker to remain part of the team. With a little imagination, this can apply to large number of jobs in many different fields in a wide cross-section of sectors. Office jobs especially lend themselves to telecommuting. That's because most deal with handling, processing and managing information and are heavily computer-based. Office jobs involve writing, thinking, telephone work, reading, communication and decision-making. All these functions can easily be handled from home, given the right equipment and mindset on the part of the worker.
Common jobs for home-based workers include telemarketing, telecommunications management and sales, insurance adjusting and sales, and travel agency functions. Accountants and health care managers also can telecommute, as can bank workers and data information processors. Many office-based government and municipal jobs can work as telecommuting jobs, along with marketing research, software writing and various types of engineering.
Freelancers such as writers, photographers, graphic designers and marketing professionals can telecommute in the same way as those who work for another company. They communicate with clients via the Internet and use it as a conduit through which to send their work and receive assignments.
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