About one in five workers around the globe, particularly employees in the Middle East, Latin America and Asia, telecommute frequently and nearly 10 percent work from home every day, according to a new Ipsos/Reuters poll. Telecommuting is particularly popular in India where more than half of workers were most likely to be toiling from home, followed by 34 percent in Indonesia, 30 percent in Mexico and slightly less in Argentina, South Africa and Turkey. But the job option is the least popular in Hungary, Germany, Sweden, France, Italy and Canada, where less than 10 percent of people work from home. Telecommuting refers to employees who work remotely from their office, communicating by email, phone or online chats, either daily or occasionally. Advances in technology and communications have enabled people to work effectively and efficiently without being constantly at their desks in the company office. It is a trend that has grown and one which looks like it will continue with 34 percent of connected workers saying they would be very likely to telecommute on a full-time basis if they could. More than half of people in Russia, South Africa and Argentina said they would work remotely often if given the opportunity, while employees in Japan, Sweden, Great Britain, Australia and Canada were the least enthusiastic about telecommuting. Twenty one percent of connected people globally said it wasn't a possibility for them because their job requires them to be in the workplace all the time. Most people, 65 percent, around the globe thought telecommuters were productive because the flexibility enabled them to have more control over their work life. -- SPA
