When you first get married, 9 out 10 married people will tell you the most important thing to do to maintain a happy marriage is to communicate. On MSNBC there is an article that discusses how communication is key in establishing a successful telework program. I definitely agree communication is critical but that's in in any job or relationship for that manner. I find that as a Telepeep you are probably communicating more often with peers, bosses and subordinates then when working in the office and sitting next to them. I sort of see it as the nature of the beast, but perhaps that's just me. The article has a lot of interesting facts like "Over the last five years, Sun has saved anywhere from $300 million to $500 million, mostly in real estate costs," by moving to temporary offices and promoting telecommuting. Another one was "about 42% of the company's [IBM] 330,000 employees work on the road, from home, or at a client location." That is really a huge number of Telepeeps - where are you folks? Come by here and give a shout out ;)
A funny tidbit I'd never before heard was "Employees used to feel that IBM meant 'I'm By Myself." Though I got imagine times have changed drastically in the last 3-4 years with email, IM, crackberries and everything else people use to stay connected. I would think in a consulting organization like IBM you're pinging and talking with peers and bosses quite often to collaborate and to perform your job. But then again, you know what happens when you assume.
