Everyone's had mornings when they'd rather stay in their bunny slippers and gloat at the traffic reports while sipping coffee and working from their "home office." But in the past (let's call it the dark ages), some bosses considered "working from home" a euphemism for "doing errands" and only allowed it in the event of major plumbing or medical emergencies.

Fortunately, progress in technology has made it possible to stay in your PJs and also be productive.

Besides the occasional blizzard, dentist appointment or teacher conference, there are uniquely modern motives for working remotely, such as needing to get kids to and from various activities, wanting to reduce gas consumption and carbon emissions, and avoiding the spread of contagious flu germs and viruses. In fact, with all the hurdles employees face simply getting to the office five days a week, the potential for costly absenteeism and inefficiency is definitely cause for concern.Here's the good news: With the advent of smartphones, laptop computers and remote technology, it looks like the days of being chained to your office may be over. And while the employeebenefits of working remotely (also referred to as telecommuting and teleworking) may seem obvious, studies show that even for many organizations, the advantages of having a plan in place for remote workers far outweigh the costs.

Surprisingly, studies have shown that stay-at-home workers are actually more productive than their cubicle counterparts and they report higher rates of job satisfaction.

Today, with the all possibilities created by virtual networking and remote technology, many bosses finally "get it." Here's some more encouraging news for potential telecommuters:
*42% of U.S. employers allowed staff to work remotely in 2008 -- up from just 30% in 2007.(WorldatWork 2008 survey of 2,288 U.S. employers)
*The number of Americans who worked from home or remotely at least one day per month for their employer ("employee telecommuters") increased from approximately 12.4 million in 2006 to17.2 million in 2008. A 39% two-year increase and 74% increase since 2005. (WorldatWork Telework Trendlines, 2009).

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