There are many myths surrounding the concept of telework, some are emotional assertions resulting from the fear of change:
Teleworkers don't work as much at home- in reality they work 10-20% more and are over 15% more productive
You Don't know if they are working or not- Do you know they are working IN the office? Good evaluation techniques are not as common as many believe
Teleworkers will lose out on promotions, career advancement opportunities and good assignments- Studies indicate that teleworkers continue to match, often exceed those remaining in the office.
Managers can't telecommute- Given the proper management techniques, proximity should not be required for proper management.
Others accurately reflect the characteristics of the typical accommodative approach:
The employer will lose money implementing telework- While there are significant "Soft dollar" savings at even one-day per week, the hard savings are achieved when workers consistently telecommute two, preferably three, days a week. Depending upon how workers are deployed, you then have the opportunity for space reductions.
It will be difficult to manage teleworkers- Employers will not update their evaluation techniques unless there is a significant number of teleworkers. The real benefit is then achieved when these more objective measures are applied to all workers.
Still others are valid and pose a challenge to the community:
Teleworkers will be isolated working in their homes- How do we support people working in our neighborhoods again and how does the neighborhood capture the benefits of having working adults in the neighborhood during the day?
The necessary infrastructure is not available to properly support the teleworkers connectivity requirements- What can be done to ensure that bandwidth it available in all communities?