Why Let Staff Telecommute? Why Not?

[Excerpts from a workshop sponsored by the American Society of Business Publication Editors, D.C. chapter]

“Offices are evil, inefficient, and costly.”

- David Silverberg, editor, HSToday

And that isn’t all …

“Journalists have always telecommuted. Why was there a newsroom in the first place? Because the printing press was in the basement and you needed a place to assemble copy and lay out pages.”

“We have writers in Athens, London, Madrid, and all over the United States. We get a lot more work out of people because we concentrate on results, not on atmospherics.”

“I can take a 5-minute nap at 2:30.”

“Today, people need to justify telecommuting, but in the future, they will have to justify an office.”

Picking up the thread is June Fletcher, a long-time reporter for The Wall Street Journal, who works out of a house in Virginia with Mr. Silverberg, to whom she is married …

“It comes down to trust. Do you consider your employees grown-ups?”

“At the same time, management must be clear about expectations.”

The downside for a telecommuter? “Isolation,” says Fletcher, who finds solutions in lunches with sources–and with Mr. Silverberg.

The opposing view …

From Joe Haas, managing editor of CD Publications:

“An office encourages collegiality and give-and-take. Many people are terrific at keeping themselves on track, but working at home can be distracting.”

“An employer who permits telecommuting is taking a great leap of trust. That’s multiplied when the employee has kids.”

“Ultimately, there is not a one-size-fits-all answer. A Washington office, like ours, covering the Capitol for the rest of the country, is different from a national publication with reporters everywhere.”