All of those stereotypes are true. But like Hollywood movie stardom, the glitz has its price. As more and more workers are afforded the opportunity to work from home, society will start to see that there’s a load of compromising on the road to our horizon, to borrow a phrase from songwriter Glen Campbell.
First, let’s take a look at the demographics. The definition used by government to describe telecommuting workers is that they are full-time employees who are paid by someone other than themselves for more than half their working hours.
While the stereotype of a home worker has long been a mother with young children, the United States Census Bureau begs to differ. Its annual American Community Survey pegs the typical telecommuter as a 49-year-old college graduate (equally divided between men and women) who earns about $58,000 per year and works for a company that has more than 100 employees.
The number of telecommuters is growing as managers become more comfortable with technology and the ability to track productivity. The American Community Survey estimates that telecommuting has grown 79 percent between 2005 and 2012. It now comprises more than 2.5 percent of the American workforce, or more than 3 million workers.