Telecommuting 1.0 is defined as anyone working from home across the internet. When high speed internet was made available to people's homes, it was generally assumed that telecommuting would take over the world. In reality, only a very small percentage of the work force telecommutes on a full time basis.
So, why hasn't telecommuting reached a high saturation level? There are several important problems with telecommuting for the masses. Many people do not have the discipline to work from home. They do not have a professional segregated workspace that is free from distractions. They do not have reliable network access. They also do not have the confidence of management that they will put in a full day's work with all of the distractions available in the home (TV, video games, family members, etc). All of these problems combine to keep telecommuting from being anything more than a niche option for the work place in general. Telecommuting needs an upgrade in order to be fully utilized by the average worker.
What is Telecommuting 2.0?
For workers to be effective they need a real office. They need to be free from distractions. They need a place to go to and a place to come home from so that work and home life can be separated (too much spillover in either direction can be detrimental). Telecommuters also need professional grade internet access from an ISP that has SLAs and treats its customers like business customers, not home internet surfers. They need personal firewalls. They need a real desk (not part of a desk, coffee table, or couch). They need a professional grade phone system. They need a real mailing address. They need all of the things that a traditional office provides.
In this current environment where the cost of a gallon of gasoline is over four dollars and roadways are hopelessly congested to the point of standstill, what they do not need is to spend an hour on the road going to and coming from work.
The solution is Telecommuting 2.0. In Telecommuting 2.0, workers drive a few blocks down the street to a conveniently located Remote Office Center. The Remote Office Center leases office space to individuals from different companies in a Remote Office "Center". Centers are not owned by the employer. They are owned and managed by commercial real estate companies throughout cities and suburbs. They are located near where people live, so the commute can be as short as a mile or two. Chances are most people live within a mile or two of some industrial complex, strip mall with vacant space that be converted, or an existing office building which is conveniently near by (and probably not fully leased out. All of these locations are candidates for leasing under the Remote Office Center model.
Remote Office Centers are the key to Telecommuting 2.0. They provide professional facilities and a convenient location.
A Remote Office Center would provide:
Professional grade internet access (as well as personal firewalls and assistance with network issues.)
Professional phone system with voice mail, long distance, and other professional features which are available with VOIP.
Professional work area, (i.e. desk, chair, lighting, seclusion and proximity to other workers for much needed social contact.
Scan card based security system (which would log arrival and departure for verification of attendance and work hours). Security logs could be provided to management for work hour verification.
Flexible leasing agreements. Companies would not want to be stuck with a long term lease in case of employee turnover.
Remote Office Centers would also allow companies to expand and contract, or change staff without the constraints of existing infrastructure and office leasing limitations. Companies would also have a larger work pool to hire from since many people are not willing to move or make long commutes even if they are a perfect fit for one company or another.
Remote Office Centers would also be able to generate additional revenues by offering additional services such as tech-support, optional equipment, high speed printers, and video conferencing for additional costs.
There is currently a bill being proposed in congress that would require 20% of eligible federal employees to work from either home or a convenient location. A recent survey showed that 30% of office workers would be willing to accept slightly lower pay if they would be allowed to telecommute. The next presidential election may well be decided in part based on which candidate is able to find a solution to the current energy crisis.
If the congress truly wants to solve the fuel crisis, it needs to get people to drive less, but they still need to be able to do their jobs (so they can continue to pay taxes.) Rather than spending hundreds of millions on subsidies for alternative fuels, the government should strongly consider offering tax credits to companies that allow workers to telecommute from either home or from a location near where they live. Every car that is off the road means less fuel is consumed, fewer dollars transferred over seas to foreign oil companies, and more efficient travel (less traffic) for those who really need to drive to work in order to perform work that can not be done remotely.
Unlike hydrogen fuel cells, the technology and infrastructure already exists. The only thing that needs to change is the way that office space is leased, marketed and used by corporate America. Telecommuting 2.0 is not new technology. It is just a new way to work.
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