Telecommuting won’t help your career; But don't rule it out

Telecommuting could be detrimental to your career according to a career study by search firm Korn/Ferry International.

In a recent survey of 1,300 executives, Korn/Ferry found that 61 percent of them said telecommuters were less likely to get promoted than workers who show their faces at the office. Yet in the same survey, some 48 percent of executives polled believe telecommuters are at least as productive, if not more so, than those who trek to the office.

The downside is that “Companies are used to measuring time, not productivity,” says one management consultant. “If you come in early and stay late you must be a good worker. Forget about if you get the job done.”

That said, the trend is not going away. The U.S. Census Bureau tallied 4.2 million telecommuters in 2000. Furthermore, companies like Best Buy are making a conscious effort to embrace the practice.

In addition to employee satisfaction, telecommuting has other benefits:

Employers tend to save on real estate costs associated with running a business and on productivity lost to commuting to and from an office, she says. Concerns about global warming and the need to reduce oil consumption are mounting.

Where carpooling previously failed, telecommuting could succeed.

What does this mean to you if you are interested in telecommuting? First off, even if it does hurt your career advancement possibilities it still may be worthwhile to you--you have to factor in the positive effects it will have on other aspects of your life. Also, don't take the detrimental effect on you career as a given. First try and work out ways how to measure performance (as opposed to just being a warm body in the office) with your employer. If you are really more productive working out of the office then you should make sure they have the tools to see it.

Update: New research shows that telecommuting may not be detrimental to your career. More importantly it lowers stress and increases job satisfaction. Full story here.

This post is part of LifeTwo's Midlife Career Change FAQ covering all aspects of changing careers in middle age.