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Fleixble Work-Options Gaining in Popularity

© Leslie Truex

A small blurb in The Times Crème section (UK) on April 18, 2001 indicates that Tony Blair is looking at plans that would offer rights to mothers who want to work part-time. According to a survey by the Equal Opportunities Commission, half of new working mothers who sought to reduce their working hours were refused. While these rights have yet to be established, it shows how the trend towards flexible work options is not limited to the United States. Indeed, there are many international telecommuting organizations (see the list in the links area) that offer information to companies and people interested in telecommuting programs. As more and more companies all over the world enjoy financial advantages to letting employees telecommute and take advantage of other flexible work options, more and more other companies are taking notice and beginning to open up to the idea.

Where does your company stand on telecommuting and flexible work options? If you are thinking of approaching your boss about letting you work from home, here is some research you should do to help assess your company's openness to flexible work options:

- Does your company have flexible work options such as part-time or flextime work?

- Has anyone worked from home in your office before? If so, what was the response? Was it successful?

- Does your supervisor take advantage of flexible work options?

- How are employees who take advantage of flexible work options treated?

- Is there a concern of the company's that telecommuting can solve. For example, is your office short on space or computers? Is traffic an issue in your town? Does your company lack adequate parking?

By understanding your company's attitudes about flexible work options, you can better prepare for presenting your boss with a work-at-home proposal. (You can learn how to prepare a proposal by visiting http://www.workathomesuccess.com/telecom...

If you find your company is not at all open to such arrangements, and you fear presenting a proposal to your boss, these questions can help you evaluate other companies in your area to find one that is more family-friendly.

Here some sites that offer information and resources on flexible work options:

Flexible Resources http://www.flexibleresources.com This site offers information on flexible work options such as telecommuting. The jobs currently posted are in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

GetaMom http://www.getamom.com This site is in the start-up phase. It provides placement services for parents wanting flexible work arrangements such as telecommuting.

Women's Work http://www.womens-work.com This site helps women find alternative work arrangements.

The copyright of the article Fleixble Work-Options Gaining in Popularity in Telecommuting is owned by Leslie Truex. Permission to republish Fleixble Work-Options Gaining in Popularity in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.