Telecommuting as an Employee Perk in a Recession

The prevailing wisdom about telecommuting in a bad economy is out of sight out of mind. Telecommuters and telecommuter wannabes fear that when lay off decisions are made their contributions will be overlooked…but their salaries won't.

And, well, that could be true. My husband was laid off from his telecommuting job in 2001. Though, it is hard to say whether telecommuting triggered the lay off as much being a Web editor during the dot com bust.

But the flip side to this wisdom is that working from home can be an inexpensive perk companies can offer employees. Companies can allow employees to enjoy the cost savings of reduced commuting expenses and other benefits of working at home as a means to better compensate them when pay is stagnant. And in some cases some companies that hire telecommuters decrease overhead by reducing office space.

Web Worker Daily has an interesting take on the matter saying that in an economic downturn companies waffle between plunging into innovation, which might include teleworking, and taking a protective stance, which often includes lay offs.

That is true for most people on a personal level as well. In tough times, we see opportunity around us--whether it's that flat screen TV reduced by 75 percent at a going-out-of-business sale or a new telecommuting job--but we're not sure if the timing is right. Problem is those kind of opportunities don't always present themselves in good times.

But, frankly, now may not necessarily be the time to buy a TV or start a new job. While sometimes opportunity should be grasped, at other times we must lay our plans carefully. That could mean building a nest egg making some extra money by moonlighting from home or saving money on other expenses.

Which way to you find yourself leaning in the current economic climate?