Working from home: productivity boost or compromise to quality?

Over the past week, Yahoo's decision to ban telecommuting has made many headlines. According to a report from USA Today, 10 percent of U.S. workers regularly do so from home. A 2012 report from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that 2.5 percent of workers at private companies telecommuted in 2010. In addition, a new report from the Oregon Employment Department finds that 12 percent of private firms in the state offer managers the option to telecommute, while 8 percent extend the option to full-time employees, and 4 percent allow part-timers to work from home.
 
Opinions vary about telecommuting. According to NPR, Yahoo cited a loss of speed and quality in work as one reason to eliminate telecommuting. However, a recent University of Iowa survey found those who work at home put in five to seven hours more time each week than those working in the office. Others wonder how truly separated work and home are for many workers, who answer work e-mails from home at night, or on their way to and from a doctor's appointment mid-day or a child's soccer game in the evening.

You can find more on this topic in the USA Today story, today's report from NPR, or many other news sources.