By Karen Robes Meeks, Columnist
When Pat Fieldgrove started working from home in 2005, the Long Beach resident wasn't sure if she could make it work initially. "I had never telecommuted before, so I was concerned that I would be distracted and wouldn't be able to work," said Fieldgrove, who works as a design engineer for Carousel Inc., a technology solutions provider based in Rhode Island. "But actually you can get more done when you telecommute because you don't have anybody popping into your cubicle asking questions all day."
Fieldgrove is among the 2.8million people in the U.S. who call home their primary place of work, according to the latest American Community Survey data. (That doesn't include the self-employed or unpaid volunteers.)
Telecommuting, or working remotely, is hardly a new concept. The term was coined in 1973 by Jack Nilles, who thought of ways to cut down on time and energy-wasting commutes and allow people to work locally.
But the number of those in the telecommuting workforce is growing.
In the Los Angeles, Long Beach and Santa Ana area, the number of telecommuters grew 38 percent in the last five years. That's 9.6 times higher than the growth of the nontelecommuting population, said Kate Lister, president of Telework Research Network, a Carlsbad-based consulting and research group that specializes in "making the business case for workplace flexibility."
"Three years ago, private companies used telecommuting as a way to hire and retain good people - saving money was rarely mentioned," Lister said. "But then came the recession and the tables turned." As fuel prices rise and commercial office space grow scarce, more and more companies have looked at telecommuting to save money.
"This economy has really changed people's minds," Lister said.
As for Fieldgrove, telecommuting has allowed her to work from the comfort of her Bixby Knolls home office instead of driving long distances or having to move to San Diego or San Mateo, the closest Carousel office locations.
"I have spent the majority of my career driving to offices that were an hour away - in Pasadena, Glendale and Santa Fe Springs," she said.
"I could work in an office again, but I really do enjoy working from home. I have flexibility in my job. I can take the dogs to the vet or be here when the plumbing needs fixing. I can take breaks in the middle of the day. As long as I get my work done and am responsive to work issues, I can make my own hours."
karen.robes@presstelegram.com, 562-714-2088
Fieldgrove is among the 2.8million people in the U.S. who call home their primary place of work, according to the latest American Community Survey data. (That doesn't include the self-employed or unpaid volunteers.)
Telecommuting, or working remotely, is hardly a new concept. The term was coined in 1973 by Jack Nilles, who thought of ways to cut down on time and energy-wasting commutes and allow people to work locally.
But the number of those in the telecommuting workforce is growing.
In the Los Angeles, Long Beach and Santa Ana area, the number of telecommuters grew 38 percent in the last five years. That's 9.6 times higher than the growth of the nontelecommuting population, said Kate Lister, president of Telework Research Network, a Carlsbad-based consulting and research group that specializes in "making the business case for workplace flexibility."
"Three years ago, private companies used telecommuting as a way to hire and retain good people - saving money was rarely mentioned," Lister said. "But then came the recession and the tables turned." As fuel prices rise and commercial office space grow scarce, more and more companies have looked at telecommuting to save money.
"This economy has really changed people's minds," Lister said.
As for Fieldgrove, telecommuting has allowed her to work from the comfort of her Bixby Knolls home office instead of driving long distances or having to move to San Diego or San Mateo, the closest Carousel office locations.
"I have spent the majority of my career driving to offices that were an hour away - in Pasadena, Glendale and Santa Fe Springs," she said.
"I could work in an office again, but I really do enjoy working from home. I have flexibility in my job. I can take the dogs to the vet or be here when the plumbing needs fixing. I can take breaks in the middle of the day. As long as I get my work done and am responsive to work issues, I can make my own hours."
karen.robes@presstelegram.com, 562-714-2088
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