High gas prices fuel options for getting to work

Telecommuting is the best thing which ever happened to me. I will
continue to work for my same company as long as we're in business.
Being a single mother, it allows me to be around my son more and
still do well on my job. I do put more hours in, than my co-workers,
because they are needing to go home and spend time with their families
while, the rush hour and babysitting necessities are simply not of a
concern.

Happy work force: Some employers help with transit costs; others allow
telecommuting for some jobs. At one company, Draper, 50 of the
company's 600 employees telecommute, taking calls from home as
customer service agents. Most of the telecommuters are mothers
and enjoy being home with their kids in addition to saving money
at the pump.

"We find that the people who telecommute usually stay
with the organization longer, have a lot more satisfaction and they
get to work in their pajamas - that's always a bonus," says Seth
Picket, who works in human resources at 1-800 CONTACTS.

Alexis Evers manages the company's telecommuters from her home.
Before she started telecommuting, she spent $40 on gas every week.
She estimates that not driving to work has cut her gas costs by
two-thirds. "I find that I'm able to get more done just because
I don't have all of the other distractions" that were in the
office, Evers says.

Employers who allow employees to work from home can expect
productivity gains of 10 to 20 percent, says Pat Katepoo, founder
of Hawaii-based WorkSolutions.com, which helps people negotiate
flexible work arrangements.

"Now that gas is going up so dramatically, I'm seeing a spike in
[interest in] telecommuting," Katepoo says. People are wondering,
"Why am I driving to a desk to do the same things I can do at a
desk in the next room?"

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