by Glenn Brittany

Created on: May 29, 2008

If you've yearned to telecommute, you're not alone. According to a 2006 study conducted by the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC), 87 percent of executives surveyed (ages 35 to 54) felt work/life balance issues were critical in their decision to join-or remain-with an employer. Another AESC survey indicated work/life balance has become the new deal-breaker: 85 percent of recruiters and candidates rejected job offers because they couldn't get the flexibility they wanted.

Additionally, three-fourths of 1,700 job seekers surveyed by Lee Hecht Harrison in 2003 and 2004 said flexibility and other efforts to enhance work/life balance were key factors in choosing a job.

You could be saving time and money if your employer allowed you the flexibility to telecommute. If you spend an hour driving to work each day, and an hour driving home each day, that's two ours of time that you could be working. Instead, you're wasting time sitting in your car, negotiating traffic. This is neither a productive use of your-or your employer's-time. You could be working those two extra hours.

It's also important to consider all the interruptions and distractions you encounter when you're at the office. How many times have you been interrupted by someone "dropping by" or distracted by others' conversations and laughter-right by your cube or office. You want to be polite, but they just interrupted you, and you were in the middle of a complicated task.

Then there's the money. At $4 a gallon, gasoline is becoming very near and dear to our bank accounts. How many times a month do you spend, say, $50 or $60 at the pump each month? Add that up, and compare that to telecommuting, which costs you ZERO miles a month. Unless you need to run errands in the middle of the day, of course.

Then there are the lunches. In corporate America, we like to ask each other out to eat for lunch. It's our way of bonding with our office mates. The problem is, it costs between $10 to $15 a lunch. If you're popular, you could be spending $75 a week or $300 a month. When you work at home, you tend to graze on whatever is around the house. Why put on clothes and go get something to eat when you can stay in your PJs and eat leftover pizza? You might want to don something decent, however, when fetching the mail. Otherwise, neighbors will think you're jobless.

What equipment do you need to telecommute? All you need is a high-speed Internet connection; a newer desktop (or laptop) computer and monitor; an all-in-one printer/scanner/copier/fax machine (around $125); desk, chair, paper, Rolodex, stapler, Post-it Notes, etc. Oh, and ink. LOTS of ink. Now that is an expense you WILL incur: ink. You'll probably go through about a cartridge every two weeks (@ $17 a cartridge or so, depending of what brand). However, you might be able to get your employer to reimburse you.

Now here's the real surprise: Despite the misperception that telecommuters spend all day goofing off, most telecommuters discover they can increase productivity due to the lack of distractions. It's a win/win for both employer and employee.

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