Has the Telecommuting Tipping Point Finally Arrived?

Everywhere I turn I see another article or story about companies (and state agencies) moving to a four-day work week to help employees reduce their commuting costs. And of course there are millions of us already telecommuting one or more days a week as it is (many under the radar, of course, without "official" permission to do it).

I'm hardly the first to note the rise in interest in telecommuting, but I can't let any more time pass without commenting, and pointing you to several important "markers" that tell me (once again) the future is already here.

The latest story that particularly intrigued me appeared today in the Worcester [Massachusetts] Business Journal Online. The article, "Say 'So Long' to the Five-Day Working Week," by Livia Gershon, cites an earlier piece in Workforce Management that included this provocative comment by the CEO of a Midwestern placement firm:

“The idea of a set workday or a five-day workweek doesn’t make sense."

In essence that CEO was suggesting that the combination of telecommuting, four-day weeks, and other changes to the way companies get work done is destroying the idea of "work as a place you clock in and out of at any particular time."

Well, pardon me, but isn't work about getting something done at a reasonable cost and by a certain deadline? How did we ever get to the point where all that matters seems to be showing up at the office every morning and being there all day? How did "management by walking around" turn into a way of making sure that everyone looked busy, instead of focusing on being productive?

There's really nothing new about Management by Objectives, and Managing for Results - but legions of senior executives seem to have forgotten all about it. Best Buy made headlines (and the cover of Business Week on December 11, 2006 - see "Smash the Clock") when the company introduced a "Management by Results Only" program and abolished all requirements for headquarters staff to be in the office at any particular time - no more "punching in" either literally or figuratively.

If you went to college you've been "managed" exactly that way by your professors. When did a professor ever tell you where or when to read the homework assignment or write the term paper? College students have been treated as adults for centuries (not that they always act like adults, but that's a whole different story).

Why can organizations learn to treat their employees/members that way? There's lots of evidence that people who don't have required office hours, or a permanently-assigned workspace, are much more highly motivated and engaged with their employer than they office-bound colleagues. Why? One word: trust. They feel trusted, and in turn they do their best to be successful and produce what the company wants/needs them to do.

Our own research has shown us time and time again that "telecommuters," or mobile/flex workers, are between 15% and 20% more productive than office-bound folks too.

How much more evidence do we need? Maybe this high gas price thing is exactly the "kick" that companies need to start focusing on results instead of how many hours people spend in the office.