[GTE/ADSL in Tampa in "a few months"]
From todays...Tampa Trib. Good article on telecommuting...but read the very last paragraph...interesting & good to see.
<<Telecommuting gains, but not everywhere yet
A Tampa Tribune staff, wire report
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NEW YORK - Larry Madsen has had to teach his kids to knock at the study
door, and he has weaned neighbors off the idea that they can drop by at
all hours. But after seven years of working at home for AT&T, he's a
confirmed telecommuter.
``You have to get used to it,'' says Madsen, a father of eight who works
as a sales manager in suburban Salt Lake City. ``But I love the freedom
of having my office here at home.''
Armed with high-tech gadgets and the growing acceptance of companies, 11
million Americans are telecommuting at least one day a month - a 30
percent increase in two years, according to a survey released Wednesday.
The survey by Telecommute America, a public/private telecommuting
advocacy group, didn't include people like Madsen, who work full-time at
home but no longer have a corporate office. Including those like him who
have ``virtual offices,'' the ranks are even larger.
That's not to say telecommuting has become a beloved idea.
Many managers remain skeptical of loosening traditional control over
workers. Unions say the change raises health, safety and other concerns.
Still, workplaces including the federal government are increasingly
interested in promoting telecommuting as a way to boost productivity,
save on real estate and keep good workers.
``We've heard from employees that the flexibility that teleworking
provides them certainly has been a benefit to them,'' says Sue Sears,
project director for telecommuting at AT&T.
--Snip---
But increasingly, companies are introducing formal telecommuting
programs - complete with training for both manager and employee and
guidelines for how to make it work.
One in four Fortune 1,000 companies now have employees who regularly
telecommute either part-time or full-time, according to a study released
this week by the consulting firm KPMG.
The Tampa Bay region probably isn't keeping pace with the national
growth pace, though it is considered one of the most attractive areas
for telecommuting.
Tampa-St. Petersburg ranked seventh on Money magazine's April list of
the nation's best places to work from home. The magazine credited the
high-tech infrastructure and services available as well as quality of
life.
But businesses in the region may not be as motivated as they are
elsewhere to encourage telecommuting, says Donna Harak, a consultant in
the marketing development group at GTE. Work around Tampa Bay is rarely
interrupted because of bad weather, and there are no air-quality
regulations that affect commuters, she notes.
Harak sees pockets of small businesses and individuals blazing the
telecommuting trail in the region.
The Integrated Services Digital Network equipment critical to
cutting-edge home offices has evolved into ``plug-and-play technology,''
she says, so that it doesn't take a ``chip head'' to get up and running
from home.
Coming in the next few months is a ``digital subscriber line'' that
represents the next step in that technology, Harak says.>>
tampatrib.com
Bob |
