Telecommuting in the U.S. is rising. Nearly 37 percent of U.S. workers have telecommuted, or worked away from the office, at least once, a recent Gallup Poll reports. This number is four times greater than the 9 percent of employees who telecommuted 20 years ago.
The poll revealed, "Technology has made telecommuting easier for workers, and most companies seem willing to let workers do their work remotely, at least on an occasional basis if the position allows for it."
The average worker telecommutes two days per month, however, the poll found that telecommuting remains the exception, rather than the rule for most employees.
Editor’s Note: Vending and OCS operators have themselves been able to use technology to combat this change in the workforce by implementing dynamic scheduling, which allows greater oversight over when a vending machine needs to be restocked. Still, the greater number of telecommuting workers means fewer onsite to buy from machines and micro markets, which may become an issue for the industry if this trend continues.
