Homeward bound: off road experiences from America's largest telecommuter.

When you say the word "homework" to AT&T employees, they smile. That's because thousands of our workers in Los Angeles and throughout the world now have the option to "telecommute" -- which means work from home.

Approximately 7.6 million employees now work from home during a portion of the business week, according to LINK Resources, a New York-based technology research firm. As the trend towards flexible work options continues to grow, shared experiences can help to alleviate the confusion that comes with substituting technology for transportation.

The value in flexible working conditions is tremendous, and can equated to considerable cost savings, enhanced productivity, positive environmental impact, and improved employee morale. Many Southern California-based companies have found telecommuting to be an excellent business solution to such problems as traffic, air quality restrictions and geographic dispersion of workers.

Telecommuting takes on many forms, depending on the unique needs of a particular worker and their job functions. Some employees telecommute from home just one day a week, while others operate in a "virtual office" environment with a completely portable office platform to accomplish their work from home, in the car or at a customer's location.

Since the start of telecommuting by AT&T in 1989, benefits have exceeded all expectations. Crediting alternate work options with a $25 million annual savings; they have found that for every dollar invested in setting up a virtual office program, two dollars have been saved in real estate expenses. In addition, productivity has gone up an average of 20% for telecommuting employees, and customers claim to receive even better service because their account teams are more accessible.

Offering employees the telecommuting option has also been a significant recruitment advantage. Reduced commute times and expanded flexibility have boosted employee job satisfaction ratings and translated into decreased absenteeism and turnover. Internal surveys reveal that 63% of our telecommuters believe that having the option to work from home would affect their future career choices.

Results from an AT&T pilot program proved that telecommuting has a positive environmental impact. A six-month study of 134 telecommuters found that telecommuting just two days a week reduced air pollutants by 1.9 tons and conserved over 48,000 gallons of gasoline.

The benefits to employees are equally encouraging. Flexibility to balance personal and professional life is a key selling point.

"Yesterday I worked until 4:30 p.m., took my son to soccer practice, made dinner and then finished a bid that I faxed to New Jersey so that they would have it when they arrived in the morning," said Sherry Plotkin, AT&T national account manager. "I probably work more now that I'm at home but my day is not nearly as stressed. I can do things whenever I think about them."

Increased productivity is easily explained: "Along with fewer distractions, I feel as if they (AT&T) trust me and I don't want to let them down," Plotkin said.

Telecommuting also has some financial advantages for employees. The AT&T pilot program revealed an average monthly savings of $35 in travel expenses for employees who telecommute just two days a week. Additional savings in reduced dry-cleaning and lunch bills, as well as clothing expenditures add up to more reasons favoring telecommuting.

The AT&T technology that enables so many businesses to communicate with their customers now empowers employees to efficiently interact with the business. AT&T provides each off-site employee with the necessary tools to do an effective job. For virtual office salespeople that usually includes: NCR laptop computers with built in fax modems, Audix voicemail, portable printers, ATTMAIL, cellular telephones, pagers, and business telephone lines. Audix voicemail, for instance, gives employees the ability to access their voice messages from any telephone, while ATTMAIL acts as an electronic mail system providing immediate on-line communication.

For employees who perform telemarketing center functions, new call phone system capabilities such as "Home Agent," featured as part of the AT&T Definity Telecommunications System, allow remote workers to be part of an on-site call distribution group. The home agent is assigned an incoming call in exactly the same manner as an on-premises agent. The remote employee is also held to the same level of accountability. Supervisors can continue to monitor conversations and productivity, while offering telecommuting agents assistance when requested.

Working from home, however, is not a feasible alternative for all employees. Not every job nor every person is well suited for telecommuting. "The employee must be disciplined, a self-starter and hold a position that is conducive for working from afar," says Sales Manager Francois Levy. "Some of our employees find that telecommuting just isn't for them and for that reason, we always give them the option."

Most telecommuters experience some anxiety during the initial transition period. Employees must feel comfortable with the technology provided to ensure their success.

The best way to alleviate frustration is to develop a strong training program. Telecommuters should never feel as though they are all alone. AT&T maintains "drop-in" office space for employees who need to access the office. Most working teams also hold weekly group teleconference calls and maintain some type of monthly face-to-face team meeting.

Telecommuting requires an adjustment for the supervisor as well as the work-at-home employee. "Convincing a manager that they don't have to see the employee to know that they're working is a real challenge," explained Jeffrey Fink, co-chairman of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Telecommuting Advisory Council.

"Managing remote workers is a definite transition," stated AT&T Customer Service Center Manager Dan Dykuizan, "but I've actually found that employees seem to get more done because of the lack of distractions." Establishing a list of measurable expectations such as: revenue generation, projects worked on, and number of calls made also enables employees to be more productive from home.

Carol McLarty is the General Manager for AT&T's Global Business Communications Systems Division.