Are you tired of fighting traffic in the morning to get into town and to work on time and then sitting in traffic again at the end of the day to go home? Would you work later if you did not have to go home to cook dinner for your kids?

If the answer to any of these questions is "yes", you might want to consider telecommuting at least one day a week. Telecommuting uses telecommunications technology (the Internet) to bring work to the worker, rather than the workers going to the office.

Telecommuting isn't a new idea. It is a work option practised in Australia, Belgium, Canada, the UK, France, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Scandinavia and the United States. According to Link Resources, a New York based research firm, 7.6 million American workers telecommute and the number is growing every year. The US Coast Guard even has a telecommuting programme.

The benefits of telecommuting are obvious for employees - in general people who telecommute have less stress because they have a more flexible work environment and save money because they use less gas, go to the dry cleaners less often, and save money on lunch.

But how does the employer benefit by setting up a telecommuting programme? Employers are concerned that telecommuting costs too much and also have worries about workers' productivity - "If they are away from the office, how can I tell when I should try to get more work to my staff?".

However, according to the State of California Telecommuting Pilot Programme, productivity increased by between ten and 30 percent. Telecommuting employees and their supervisors both said that they are more effective at home than when they work out of the office. When employees arrive at work they often need to "decompress" - time to recover from a difficult commute before focusing on work. Then there are the multiple, seemingly endless, interruptions at the office that create a work environment with repeated restarts. These interruptions occur when co-workers stop by to chat or supervisors pop in to check up. The restarts from these interruptions absorb additional time while employees "catch up" to where they were prior to the interruption. At the end of the day office productivity declines as employees mentally start to prepare to leave and clear their desks. Telecommuters avoid these office cycles and work straight through the day.

Another way that telecommuting benefits the employer is through reduced absenteeism. Telecommuters are less likely to use sick days for their own minor illnesses. If an employee wakes up with a head cold, he or she may not be well enough to commute into work but they still might be able to work from home. Rather than take sick time and be unproductive for the entire day, telecommuters often find that the opportunity to work at home allows projects to proceed without risking the health of their office mates. Maternity time and other surgeries results in less time off because employees can work almost right up to and much sooner after "the event". Telecommuting also minimises the impact of other uncontrollable events such as hurricanes or road construction.

Telecommuters are also more loyal employees because flexible work makes employees reluctant to leave a job - a modem/ISDN line becomes an umbilical cord to a company. A lower labour turnover rate reduces recruiting and training costs for employers.

The most significant cost saving for employers comes from reduced physical overheads. Companies with a large number of telecommuters have actually reduced their office space requirements, and, consequently, their rents. Telecommuters share desks and other resources at the office. This type of savings can be gained if companies schedule their employees' telecommuting days appropriately. Organisations have reported up to 30 percent reductions in overheads by requiring sales and service personnel to telecommute.

If you would like to start telecommuting one or two days a week, you need to write up a proposal for your employer to show that you understand what telecommuting involves and how it relates to your job. With a written proposal, you look more professional.

In your proposal include a schedule of when you will be in the office, and when you will be telecommuting - include which days and hours. Scheduling is very important when you telecommute. The people who live with you need to understand that there are times that you are "working", and they should pretend that you are not at home. Having regular "business-hours" at home makes it easier for your co-workers to contact you without feeling like they are interrupting something, You also need to schedule regular meetings with your manager, so that your boss can keep track of your work without micromanaging you.

Telecommuting is not a substitute for childcare, especially if you have small children. Before you telecommute, you must first decide with your family how childcare will be arranged. If you have school-aged children, then it may only be a matter of working out how holidays and days off will be handled. Most telecommuters have some kind of childcare arrangement in place for smaller children. You might want to consider having someone come to your home for a few hours a day to help with the children.

Before you write your own telecommuting proposal, read the book, 'Telecommuting Success: A Practical Guide for Staying in the Loop While Working Away from the Office', by Michael J. Dziak and Gil Gordon. It is available from amazon.com.

There are four things most people need if they are to telecommute.

A quiet room at home to work in.

A computer with whatever software your office uses. Often employers giver their employees laptops, so that employees can use their computers from home or in the office.

A computer connection to the office. This can either be a second phone line or fast data connection such as ISDN or DSL.

A phone line with call waiting. It is best to have a separate phone line for work. Some companies let you transfer calls to your office phone directly to your home phone, and the person who is calling you assumes you are answering the phone at your desk.

This list is just "the basics". The nature of your job and the number of days you telecommute will affect what you need. And there are loads of books written about setting up a home office. But, often times I find that "the basics" are just right.