Is homeworking bad for career prospects?

An interesting press release from Los Angeles-based 'global provider of talent management solutions' Korn Ferry reveals that more than half (61 percent) of 1,320 global executives surveyed said they believe that telecommuters/homeworkers are less likely to advance in their careers in comparison to employees working in traditional office settings. However, nearly half (48 percent) of respondents indicated that they would consider a job which involved telecommuting on a regular basis and the vast majority (a combined 78 percent) stated that telecommuters are either equally or more productive than those who work in offices. When asked which type of flexible working arrangement they found most attractive, nearly half (46 percent) of respondents most preferred the option of working flexible hours.“Smart employers know that flexible working conditions can be an effective means to creating a productive workforce,” said Robert McNabb, chief executive officer of Futurestep [the subsidary which carried out the research]. “Often when employers offer the option of flexible hours and telecommuting, they help employees maintain balance in other parts of their lives which, in turn, fosters loyalty, satisfaction and retention.”