New Telecommuting Bill Aims to Reduce Carbon Footprint

According to legislation passed by the House of Representatives, the head of every federal agency must create a program allowing authorized employees to telecommute at least 20 percent of their work hours every two weeks. Following a growing trend of increased telecommuting in the private sector, the move will give employees the opportunity to work some hours from home saving money on gas as well as providing the employee more control over their environment. According to the Business Legal Review, over the past several years telecommuting has increased an average of 11 percent a year. In 2007 over 35 percent of jobs globally include some sort of telecommuting option.

While there are definite merits to creating a telecommuting program, there are also some pitfalls that need to be addressed to ensure its success. Providing such an option to certain employees and denying it to others for reasons such as home location and seniority can cause discontent from those unable. This can be especially dangerous in a team environment and can lead to lower morale as well as higher employee turnover.

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