information or questions need to be answered. With employees at the office, the employer can get in touch with their workers fairly easily, but this is usually not the case with telecommuting employees. Because most telecommuters set their own hours, they may not be available when the employer tries to contact them. Also, if the telecommuter is using the phone line to do his or her work, the employer will not be able to reach them because the line will be busy. The way to at least partially solve this problem is to have an extra phone line available just for business calls or a cell phone and possibly call waiting when the telecommuter is away from the office.SUMMARYTelecommuting is a prevalent business practice today, so both employees and employers need to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of this form of employment. Telecommuting advantages for employees include setting one’s own hours, having less/no childcare expenses, and reducing stress. Some disadvantages for telecommuting employees are household distractions, employee jealousy, work schedule, extra expenses, and work activities. Employers also experience both pros and cons when hiring telecommuters. Advantages for employers include retention of employees, reduced costs, increased productivity, and no OSHA regulations. Telecommuting also poses some disadvantages, such as new expenses, difficult transfer of information, security of company information, and availability of the employee. By being aware of all possible benefits and disadvantages of telecommuting, both employees and employers can make informed decisions about choosing this type of employment, and they can also recognize these effects ahead of time so that they are able to deal with them effectively. Works CitedCochran, Richard. Interview. Schwan’s 17 February 2001.Ridder, Knight. “Out of Sight, Out of Mind?” Tribune Business News. 30 January 2001. Webspirs. 8 Februa...
