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From inside the walls of a corporate office, it's easy to conjure up negative images of people who work from home.
Work for an hour; do the laundry. Work for another hour; eat a snack. Watch some TV. Walk the dog. Take a nap.
Perhaps that's why traditional employers have been hesitant to allow their employees to "telecommute," for fear they wouldn't actually do much work without supervision and a structured environment.
But a recent survey suggests attitudes are changing. Nearly 70 percent of executives responding to a recent OfficeTeam staffing agency survey said it's common for employees to work off site. More than 80 percent of managers said they expect the number of employees who work remotely to increase over the next five years.
"We've seen a shift," said Barry Roy, regional vice president of the Robert Half staffing agency in Manchester, which also oversees the Nashua office. "The one-hour commute that may not have bothered people before is becoming an issue, not because of the time, but because of the price of gas."
Today's employees are also looking for a bit more flexibility, whether that means working from home full time or just one day a week, experts say. The youngest generation entering the work force is particularly concerned with that so-called "work-life balance."
Becki Parkhurst, 33, a Nashua mother of two, says she feels more productive working at home, where there are actually fewer distractions.
"You don't have people physically stopping by your office," said Parkhurst, whose small children, ages 21 months and 5 months, attend day care.
Unlike some people who work from home, Parkhurst, an account supervisor for virtual public relations firm PerkettPR, has set working hours. Her day is 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., with an hour for lunch. But she's allowed to wear sweatpants, and she doesn't have a commute.
"I make it a point to shower every morning . . . get up early. Have enough coffee to start my day," Parkhurst said. "But to be honest, most days, I don't put makeup on. I wear comfortable clothes like jeans."
Denise Short, 47, of Exeter, an editor for an engineering consulting company, made the transition to working from home two years ago, when she adopted her now 4-year-old daughter. Her daughter also attends day care, but Short appreciates the fact that she's close by in case she's needed.
With e-mail and remote access to her company's network, Short says she is still in constant communication with co-workers.
"There's really so little reason to have to be physically in the same place," said Short, who makes a point to go into the Manchester office once in a while for meetings or human interaction.
Working from home has become so popular that Web sites have popped up geared strictly to job seekers looking for that flexibility at least one day a week.
Sara Sutton Fell is the chief executive officer of a site called FlexJobs.
"I work from home and our whole staff works from home," said Fell, 34, of Boulder, Colo. "It's such a growing trend in hiring. The Wall Street Journal listed it as the number one employment trend."
Fell said she has heard of statistics that say 80 percent of employees consider the ability to work from home a job perk and 36 percent would choose working from home over a pay raise.
But according to Roy, the Robert Half regional vice president, it takes a certain kind of personality to make a work-from-home arrangement, well, work. Companies need to look for people who are self-sufficient and motivated, and they need to present clear expectations from the start.
There are also drawbacks for employees. Short said the flip side to having flexibility during the workday is often working nights and weekends. The computer is always on at home, she said.
Ashley Smith can be reached at 594-6446 or
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