In theory it should not be this way. since they have the internet in say…. Wyoming — why can’t people interview over Skype? Why can’t they work from their homes with two computers? One for the actual work they are doing. Spreadsheets, e mail, project planning, etc….., and the other always on a Skype type web cam interaction.
Their coworkers can visit me in my office all the time, They can attend meetings with people in the home office along with those who work from home in Nebraska, Alaska and other places not thought of as high tech epicenters. We can look at the same things, anything passed around a conference table can be e mailed as an attachment, be it powerpoint, annual report or product specs.
Can it really be that we need to use the other senses. On computer screen, we can see and hear people. In person, we can shake hands, smell their cologne, and taste the same coffee and donuts during the break. Perhaps this is why we still travel in person to conferences and expos.
But that alone cannot make the difference. the real reason working at home does not catch on is security issues. Without doors that lock, computers that can be controlled by the work environment, ID cards that can be revoked, we lack accountability. When we have a computer at home, we can sell corporate secrets to competitors and no one is the wiser. At the large corporate headquarters, it is almost impossible to steal and sell ideas. True, we can quit, but often we have signed non competitor agreements and cannot work for the competition.
