NorthernTelework.ca

Not many people can claim to have been telecommuting for as long as Jack Nilles has been untethered from office life.

In 1973, Nilles coined the terms “telework” and “telecommuting,” and he’s been an ardent supporter of the trend and a die-hard telecommuter himself for decades. Nilles is the cofounder and president of JALA International, which helps organizations develop their telecommuting programs, and authored several books on the topic.

With thousands of people losing their jobs each week, Nilles offers five pieces of advice for those CIO.com readers who might have little if any experience working outside an office environment and now find themselves working from their homes full-time—looking for new jobs, or working on contract assignments until they find other full-time gigs.

According to a recent study completed by WorldatWork, in the five-year period since 2003, the total number of once-a-month telecommuters in the U.S. has risen 43 percent — from 23.5 million to 33.7 million Americans. “Our study shows that occasional telework has risen dramatically,” said Rose Stanley, work-life practice leader at WorldatWork. “Employers seem more willing to try new ways of working. We receive calls on a daily basis from employers wanting to learn how to pilot a telework program, the do’s and don’ts of managing virtual workers, and how to use telework to reward and motivate talent.”