From Deseret News archives:
Telecommuters tout lifestyle as great for them and their employer
Then the phone rings. It's a co-worker from the mainland. Ready for the conference call?
It happened to Darlene Frudakis, president of PetAg Inc., a pet food maker based in Hampshire, Ill. Even more surprising was Frudakis' reaction.
"It was just a fabulous feeling," said Frudakis, a full-time telecommuter who is very comfortable blurring the line between work and play. She relishes the "freedom and creativity . . . to think outside the box" that comes with being physically detached from her company's headquarters whether that is at home in Novato, Calif., or on vacation and says that makes her more productive.
Still, there is a downside to a lifestyle in which the "office" is really a state of mind: "You can't leave," she said.
In 2005, 44 percent of U.S. companies offered at least some telecommuting options, according to a survey of 1,043 large employers by Mercer Human Resources Consulting. That is up from 32 percent in 2001.
In the post-9/11 era, corporate America views a work force that can function remotely as a strategic advantage, experts said.
"The reason I think it's gaining momentum is because of natural-disaster preparedness," said Ellen Galinsky, president of the New York-based Families and Work Institute, a nonprofit that researches work force trends for corporations. Galinsky said it was the less centralized companies that were up and running fastest in the days following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Comments
- E-signatures considered for petitions 12:06 a.m.
- Curtis spent $20K on Layton race 12:06 a.m.
- Therapeutic hypothermia a lifesaver 12:06 a.m.
- New LDS Spanish Christmas program 12:03 a.m.
- When reporters go, so do facts 12:00 a.m.
- Who's in, who's out for 2010? 12:00 a.m.
- Organ recpient in Rose Parade 12:00 a.m.
- Recovery linked to private-sector 12:00 a.m.
- Bad choice on land mines 12:00 a.m.
- Grief is OK, even for Mormons 12:00 a.m.
- Hate not limited to 1 in-state rivalry
- Mr. Football 2009: Tuni Kanuch
- Aggies shoot past Cougars
- Mitchell said to share LeBaron traits
- Phoenix signs off on LDS temple
- BYU prof a 'Top Global Thinker'
- Toddler dies trapped under mattress
- Aggie 'D' holds BYU to season low
- Miles is back, but others still out
- Doctor deems Mitchell competent
- Cougars beat Utes in overtime
483 - Hall reprimanded by MWC
406 - Max Hall issues apology
393 - Hall's pain reflects self-betrayal
361 - Why is Y. ignoring spew of hatred?
287 - Utes won't respond to Hall
278 - BYU says Hall incident resolved
247 - Letters: Liberal because LDS
216 - 2 citations issued at Y.-U. game
188 - Aggies shoot past Cougars
175
University of Phoenix Utah is collecting "oft-forgotten gifts" like...
First, a big thank you to all who posted questions here for me to ask...
The more people there are helping the less supervised the children present...
Thanks for the passion and intensity you brought to the court day-in and...
Sloan, comeon, we're talking about the same guy that gave jarron collins...
Those Jazz teams in the early eighties must have had a horrible record in...
I love this story! I was terrified as snakes as a child. Mainly, because I...
I have to admit. I am glad it died. The article makes light of the fact that...
are guilty of hate themselves.
I still have my green Jazz jacket that I will wear to the game when the Jazz...
just wait a day
@cl, I'm with you, it would be nice to see feztheb and miles play up to...


You can be the first to comment on this story.