Telecommuting can be a viable option to control the spread of the H1N1 virus in the workplace. Whether we like it or not, the H1N1 virus is among us. While the virus affects our health, it can also affect our business. But smart CEOs are taking precautions to end the virus's daily commute.

“If an employee is feeling ill, they should be given the opportunity to work from home if they can still be productive,” says Eric Thomas, CEO, FreedomVOICE systems. “If the entire company is infected with the flu at the same time it could be devastating.”

Telecommuting is a weapon being used at the forefront of the fight against H1N1. And with today's advances in telecommunications technology there are a variety of options available to business owners who want to enable their employees to work from home. For example, a popular telecommuting technology is hosted VoIP PBX phone systems. These Internet-based phone systems allow you to seamlessly connect all members of your office, regardless of where they are located.

While working from home used to be frowned upon, today, the practice has been largely adopted by companies in the United States.

“According to recent research conducted by Techaisle, currently more than 80 percent of businesses in the U.S. have a work at home policy,” Thomas says. “But all businesses have the ability to help alleviate fears associated with the H1N1 virus by allowing those concerned to work from home.”

Here are some basics to establishing work from home policies:

* Employees feeling ill should immediately be given the opportunity to work from home.

* Employees can continue to work from home as long as their manager feels they are being productive.

* The manager should delegate a set amount of work to the employee each day.

* Each day the employee should submit a list of what they have accomplished.

* Based on the accomplishments, the manager can decide whether the employee can work at home again or should take a sick day.

* Employees should only return to the office once they have been cleared by a doctor.

What do employees need to be productive while working at home? 

 * Employees must be able to access all of the same items they can when they are in the office.

* Employees should be able to take their computer home or connect to their work computer remotely.

* Employees must set up their call forwarding to forward to a line that can be answered from home.

* Employees must have an area at their home where they can work without being distracted.

Other Considerations

* Employees should be able to be reached by phone at all times.

* Employees should be able to be reached by e-mail at all times.

* Employers should be able to be reach employees by dialing their work extension.

* If an employee misses a call they should call the employer back ASAP.

With the correct tools, including telecommunications technology that allows managers to track phone data, managers are able to keep a close eye on employees, and employees can have all the advantages of an office at home.

To learn more, visit www.freedomvoice.com.