Telework ranks swell

Working from home is an increasingly popular option for US employees - at least occasionally. The number of U.S. employees, contractors and business owners who worked remotely at least one day per month increased 17% in the past two years, from approximately 28.7 million in 2006 to 33.7 million in 2008, according to global HR association WorldatWork. In the five-year period since 2003, the total number of once-a-month telecommuters in the U.S. has risen 43%. Interestingly, there has been a shift away from full-time telework to occasional telework. The number of employee teleworkers who work remotely at least once a month grew, while the number of those who work remotely almost every day decreased slightly, WorldatWork found in its survey brief, "Telework Trendlines 2009."