There’s no denying that working from home, even occasionally, can be a dream come true for working mothers or. Often times, however, for the privilege of cutting out a commute, women can shortchange their career path.  Although there are a variety of reasons this can happen, if telecommuting is done right, you deserve to be paid well and up for promotions.



First, companies save money on overhead by having employees work from home. 
According to the Telework Research Network, Sun reported 19,000 teleworkers saved them $96 million on real estate, electricity and IT; Oracle reduced office space from 248 square feet to 140 square feet per person and US Patent Office saved $11 million a year.



Second, studies have proven that working from home is more productive and companies are citing the results:

• Best Buy’s average productivity increased 35% through its flexible work program.
• British Telecom estimates productivity increased 20% through telecommuting.
• Dow Chemical estimates a 32.5% increase in productivity among its teleworkers.
• Alpine Access, one of the nation’s largest all-virtual employers, attributes a 30% increase in sales and 90% reduction in customer complaints to its home-based agents.
• merican Express teleworkers handled 26% more calls and produced 43% more business than their office-based counterparts.
• Compaq Computer Corporation documented increased teleworker productivity ranging from 15 to 45%.

  (source: Telework Research Network)

With that in mind, let go of your guilty conscience and feel confident that you shouldn’t be holding yourself back professionally if you are a telecommuter. To secure a promotion with an increase in pay, follow these steps:

• Track your successes for the company. It’s hard to argue not paying you well when you can prove you earn your keep!
•  Communicate often with your managers and keep them apprised of your consistent hard work and contributions to the team.
• Detail your increase in productivity, both in accomplishments and money saved/earned for the company.
• Provide a list of future goals you plan to work on and what they will mean for the bottom line.
• If you're due for a promotion or raise, schedule a meeting with your manager rather than waiting for them, and be prepared with all of the proof you've been accumulating.

Remember replacing you will cost the company time and money. When you can demonstrate your worth it’s definitely worth it for them to give you the compensation and career advancement you deserve. Good luck!