Professional isolation and a lack of resources have taken the shine off telecommuting for many employees in corporate Australia.

The concept of working away from the office has been rapidly growing in popularity over recent years and is part of a regular routine for more than 70% of respondents in last month’s Rewards survey.

While Rewards members acknowledged the obvious appeal of flexibility and choice in their working arrangements, their responses highlighted a growing disenchantment with the work from home concept.

The basic drive behind telecommuting has been its promise of delivering a less rigid work environment for employees, with greater flexibility to juggle work and personal commitments, resulting in improved staff retention and increased productivity for employers.

According to participants in last month’s survey, the reality is not that simple. Almost half of the respondents said poor access to resources was a major deterrent when they considered whether or not to telecommute.

Another significant disincentive was the unfulfilled expectation that telecommuting would make it possible to spend more time with the family. This often did not eventuate with most people experiencing difficulty separating work life from home life, as the eight-hour day often pushed to a 10 hour stretch, or longer.

Additionally, isolation from colleagues made it difficult for some workers to motivate themselves and sometimes lead to a drop in productivity. As more people chose to work away from the office, the question of how to effectively evaluate their productivity also became a concern.

There is no doubt that telecommuting’s role in working Australia will continue to grow as the population increases and the daily commute becomes less and less appealing. The challenge lies in identifying the real benefits for both employers and employees.

The most effective solution seems to be a hybrid arrangement where staff spend a couple of days per week at home tackling the heavy workloads and the rest of the week in the office with access to resources and interaction with workmates.