AT&T reportedly is pulling back on its extensive and much-celebrated telecommuting program. Network World reports that some AT&T employees are being told they must come back to traditional workplaces, though AT&T says this is happening only in isolated instances.
Depending on how broad this pull-back is, it raises some interesting questions: if the company that once bragged its teleworking program saved millions in real estate costs scales back, how might it affect other firms just starting to put their trust in telecommuting? Or has AT&T figured out something the rest of us haven't about the effect of telecommuting on teamwork and overall organizational competitiveness?
We think telecommuting is grand (says a telecommuter). We're just so glad we don't have to deal anymore with those goofballs at our old office, you know--Michael, Dwight, and especially, Creed.
For more:
- read this story in Network World
Related articles:
- AT&T made our list of Top 10 Service Providers on the Cutting Edge. (But scaling back the telework program could get them booted next year...)