Although organizations are offering telecommuting programs in greater numbers than ever before, acceptance and use of these programs are still limited by a number of factors. ① These factors include manager reliance on face-to-face management practices, lack of telecommuting training within an organization, misperceptions of and discomfort with flexible workplace programs, and a lack of information about the effects of telecommuting on an organization’s bottom line. ② Despite these limitations, at the beginning of the 21st century, a new “anytime, anywhere” work culture is emerging. ③ Care must be taken to select employees whose personal and working characteristics are best suited for telecommuting. ④ Continuing advances in information technology, the expansion of a global workforce, and increased desire to balance work and family are only three of the many factors that will gradually reduce the current barriers to telecommuting as a dominant workforce development. ⑤ With implications for organizational cost savings, especially with regard to lower facility costs, increased employee flexibility, and productivity, telecommuting is increasingly of interest to many organizations.

* telecommute: (컴퓨터로) 집에서 근무하다