Well, I am in sales... and have been working from a home office(virtual office) for 13 years. My metrics may differ from general "IT People," because I am paid on what I produce... monthly, quarterly, and annually. I guess since I am responding to this during normal business hours means I am goofing off? I have worked harder and longer from home than I ever have from an office (for 20 years), and am much more productive from home... but wait... is it because I start each day at 6:00am and end "sometimes" at 9:00pm? It gets lonely at home sometimes without the "shuck'n and jive'n" of the office. Is it a case of the grass is greener? Mine is because I can take some time on those "off" days to spread fertilizer. Ha!

Employees are allowed to telecommute in inverse proportion to their replaceability. In my discipline (IC design), that typically means that only analog designers, who can just about name any working conditions they want, are allowed to telecommute. Anyone else had just better be at their desk on time, with a bright shining face, looking like they're enjoying themself.
Companies allow and disallow telecommuting in direct relationship to the job market. If they're having trouble keeping employees, they start allowing telecommuting, but anyone who's telecommuting is almost certain to be out of a job the instant a business downturn occurs (analog designers always excepted, of course).
Let's face it... it's all about control. Your average manager just wants all the employees right there where they can be monitored face-to-face. (The fact that they themselves would like to telecommute while denying that privilege to their employees, is a good indication of the hypocritical mentality of management in general, of course.)

I'm in Management and have hired and managed many resources who telecommute. Here's my opinion: Telecommuting works great with self starters, responsible people. The biggest drawback to telecommuting is DISCIPLINE. I personally could not telecommute because I'm not disciplined enough on my use of the time. At home I rather spend the time with my kids during the day and work at night, but then I would miss others and I would not be as productive since I'm physically tired. So in order to be a great telecommuter you need to be very disciplined with your time. My hat's off to those who have mastered it.

As IT infrastructure has evolved the viability of telecommuting has evolved as well. What was an absolute no-no because of network issues, connectivity problems, about a decade or so ago, is no longer valid. Businesses are now almost 24x7 and telecommuting facilitates ensuring that business systems are available 24x7
But having said that, the paranoid managers need to manage their telecommuting employees too. If their style of management is "I don't care what you do, as long as you are in front of me", they will be paranoid about telecommuting.
Just as you expect deliverables from your regular employees on a daily or weekly basis and track the success of these deliveries, managers should assign deliverables and track their successes for their telecommuting employees as well. Their could be an employee or two who could misuse the policy, but then there is a regular employee or two as well, that misuses a perk even when he or she is onsite. So let us be open and hold all employees accountable to deliverables - onsite or not. Isn't that the basic premise of "offshoring" itself?

Ajay Kaul

Maybe the data shows that career advancement has more to do with creating a personal relationship with your boss than with being productive. We all know the folks that couldn't compete with the rest of the team, but they spent their time 'pleasing' the boss, and the next thing you know they are promoted. I could retire if I had $5 for every time my boss told me that the company couldn't afford not having me in my current position because I was so productive. Career advancement is all about getting in to the decision maker cliques; productivity has nothing to do with it.