The trend to send employees home to work is slowly gathering momentum, both locally and internationally. The drivers are obvious: traffic (and the time wasted sitting in it), the high cost of office space, demand from employees seeking better work/home life balance, and environmental concerns (fewer cars on the road equals less pollution). Technology has caught up, too. Today, you can set up shop with a cellphone and a laptop, and work whenever you wish, wherever you are. South African management, however, appears to be lagging behind.

"Of primary concern," says Intel country manager Devan Naidoo, "is the lack of proper policies to manage [telecommuting]. There are benefits in terms of savings on fuel costs, increased time with family, and reduced stress levels for people who don't need to travel. But how do you chose who should telecommute? Is it specific to a job or a job level? The other thing is: how do you monitor performance? This is a new challenge for HR management in a very broad sense."