Telecommuting: an alternative to the freeways.

Did Southern California's "Culture of the Car" come crashing down with the freeways on Jan. 17? Not entirely, but many die-hard freeway commuters have taken a turn on the information highway and have found a life without speed limits or spilled coffee at stop lights.

These ex-freeway people have discovered telecommuting, a combination of people and technology that brings the work to the employee, so employees don't need to drive to the work. And in the aftermath of the recent earthquake, telecommuting has helped many businesses stay productive and has helped employees stay on the job.

"Telecommunications technology can make the difference between a business staying open and successful, or shutting down altogether," said Larry Sparrow, president of GTE West Area, which includes California. "We encourage businesses and individuals to look at telecommuting as a viable option to keep working and to avoid nightmarish commutes over a damaged freeway system." GTE has taken its own advice, setting up a remote work site in Lancaster for about 150 employees who worked in the San Fernando Valley before the quake. The company installed work stations for operators, service representatives and other employees who now report to the remote center, which opened Jan. 28. "The tragedy has been enormous, but it also presents an opportunity for Californians to do what they do best -- think creatively and work together to achieve success," Sparrow said. "We are proposing several packages that will meet a variety of telecommuting needs and keep residents working, and businesses productive."

What is Telecommuting?

Telecommuting lets workers use telecommunications tools. The tools can be as simple as the telephone, or pen and paper. Many telecommuters use a personal computer which, in most geographic areas can include an easily dial-up into the company computer network at the office. Nationwide last year, 6.6 million people worked from home or remote sites as employees of organizations, and 22% more people telecommute now than last year.

Telecommuters work from four types of work sites when they're away from their offices: their homes, portable offices, satellite offices and local work centers.

The most common form of telecommuting is working from home. By using a personal computer, modem, and fax machine virtually all office tasks can be completed at home. In many cases, an employee's work number can be made to ring at the employee's residence.

To create a portable office, sales representatives and other field personnel are provided with cellular phones, voice mail access, and portable computers that let them work at home, in cars, in customer's offices, or in public waiting areas. There's no need to come into a traditional office except for occasional staff meetings.

Satellite or branch offices are owned or leased by the company and are used by employees who live near the facility. From there, employees telecommute to their work groups at main offices. Space in existing branch offices or surplus facilities is sometimes used.

Local work centers operated by a third party for multiple companies contain desks and telecommunications equipment in open office space or in small rooms. Usage is leased one desk or a block of desks to a company wanting to provide a work place for telecommuting employees besides their homes. Users share common space, support services, and high-end office equipment such as copiers and fax machines.

GTE, in cooperation with Southern California developers, has eleven SmartParks -- enhanced business parks that provide an optimum environment for telebusiness centers -- throughout Southern California that have the capability to provide the most advanced telecommunications services such as video conferencing, high speed data transfer, and electronic mail, among others. SmartParks are strategically located and accessible to major markets as on-ramp "nodes" connected to the evolving information highway by fiber optics and traditional copper cabling.

Is Telecommuting For You?

How do you know if you should telecommute, or allow your employees to telecommute? The ability to do productive work at a remote location is the simple foundation for telecommuting.

The benefits of telecommuting extend to employees, employers, and the environment. Studies have shown that productivity for telecommuters is up as much as 15%, and absenteeism and employee turnover is down. Employees don't fight the commute, nor suffer the wear and tear on person and vehicle. Workers also have the opportunity to work closer to home and family. The advantages to the environment are obvious: less freeway congestion equates less pollution.

In addition, if workers can be transferred from the roads to the telecommunications network, the clogged L.A. roadways will have a bypass that will do more than provide a detour through once quiet neighborhoods.

Network Reliability -- The Key To Success

Unfortunately, earthquakes are a fact of life in California. The recent 6.1 earthquake in Palm Springs in 1992 was followed the same year by the 7.5 Landers quake. The San Fernando quake reinforced the need for Southern Californians to be personally prepared, and focuses attention on the need to change lifestyles. It's time to get workers off the freeways and get work done over the information highway.

"In less than two years, three earthquakes measuring more than 6.0 have struck GTE's Southern California Territory, and the telephone network hardly missed a beat," Gov. Pete Wilson said, "That kind of reliability is typical of the state's telecommunications network, and it's exactly what we need to keep Californians productive in the short term, and to fully revitalize our economy over the long-term."

Telecommuting is just one of many solutions for Los Angeles's earthquake recovery, and it goes beyond recovery into a sound way of doing business.

The Southern California Emergency Telecommuting Partnership

Last week of the Southern California Emergency Telecommuting Partnership was formed, a collaborative effort designed to get Los Angeles area residents off damaged freeways and onto the information highway. The partnership includes the city and county of Los Angeles with the participation of GTE and the Center for the New West. Other participants are the RAND Corp., IBM, Pacific Bell, CalTrans, Commuter Transportation Service, and the state and federal government. The Partnership's features to relieve the traffic include: Establishment of telecommuting work centers; Support of home telecommuting; A one-stop 800 phone line with "Help Desk" and referral services including equipment, software, real estate, connectivity and other expert referral services; Multi-media, multi-lingual information kiosks with disaster relief, transportation alternative and telecommuting information; Telecommuting information, education and training assistance; Response to demand for distance learning for stranded teachers and students.

Mike Murray is the state assistant, Public Affairs for GTE.