When Lift was founded in 1975, it was one of the first firms in the world to specialize in telecommuting in the information technology industry. In the past twenty-five years, Lift has placed teleworkers at over eighty of the country's most prestigious corporations (see Client List). Today, not all Lift professionals work from their homes, although most do, either full-time (visiting the site once or twice a week) or on an occasional basis. Lift's goal in all job accommodation is to maximize each employee's potential to be productive. Very often, that means having the ability to do some or all of the job from home.

There are many reasons for management to consider telecommuting. Recruitment and retention of personnel often top the list. In the current environment of high demand for skilled workers, especially in technology fields, telecommuting has become an even more popular option for corporations in virtually every industry.

Gil Gordon of Gil Gordon Associates (www.GilGordon.com) is one of the country's foremost experts on telecommuting. Gil addresses the most common concerns about telecommuting in Telework: It's About the Work, Not about Tele.

Barry Mathews has a unique view of telecommuting from an employee's perspective. He humorously notes some issues that arise when working from home in It's About The Doughnuts.

John Fig, a project analyst at Wakefern Food Corporation, has worked as a telecommuter for more than ten years, first as a computer programmer, and now in a leadership position in which he manages projects and people from his home office. In the spring, he gave a talk to managers at Johnson & Johnson in which he discussed some of his experiences with and conclusions about the benefits and practicalities of working from home. Click here to read John's speech.

To all those who dream of telecommuting, Jeff Mayer says, “Get out there and stay home!” On a more serious note, the NECA applications developer analyst gives real-world advice for creating a positive experience in the following story, written by Carrie Smoot, Lift’s Christopher Reeve Intern for communications and outreach:  Click here: JobBound > in the news   Like Jeff, Carrie is an experienced telecommuter.