telecommute

[ tel-i-kuh-myoot ]

verb (used without object)

, tel·e·com·mut·ed, tel·e·com·mut·ing.

1. to work at home by using a computer that is electronically linked to the network of one's place of employment.

Other Words From

• tel·e·com·mut·er noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of telecommute¹

First recorded in 1970–75; tele- ¹ + commute

Example Sentences

Business leaders say the return will likely continue to be gradual, with telecommuting remaining an option for many workers post-pandemic.

From Washington Post

When shops and restaurants shuttered at the start of the pandemic, causing widespread layoffs elsewhere, most residents were able to telecommute.

From Washington Post

According to a recent survey of 2,400 residents by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ Transportation Planning Board, 16 percent of area residents said they telecommuted at least once per week before the pandemic.

From Washington Post

Post-pandemic, 33 percent said they expected to telecommute at least once a week.

From Washington Post

Giving parents the freedom to go to work, even if they telecommute, rather than also having to oversee their kids’ school day, is what will get businesses going again, and get our economy back on track.

From Voice of San Diego

For the same reason that meetings are more efficient than endless email threads, not all business can be conducted by telecommute.

From The Daily Beast

More About Telecommute

What does telecommute mean?

Telecommute means to work from home or another remote location, especially by keeping in contact with coworkers through various forms of digital communication.

To commute means to make a regular trip. Most commonly, it refers to traveling to work and back each day. When people telecommute, they don’t go to a workplace but instead usually rely on the internet to communicate and send documents.

Example: The company allows some of its employees to telecommute when they have personal appointments during the day.

Where does telecommute come from?

The first records of telecommute come from the 1970s. It uses the combining form tele–, meaning “distant” or “transmission over a distance,” which is seen in words like telegraph, telephone, and teleport.

Telecommuting is a little like teleporting yourself to the office. The idea is to be able to do all the same things you would do at the office, but without physically being there—without the commute. The internet and its related technologies, such as email, chat applications, and document-sharing programs, have allowed telecommuting to become much easier to do and much more commonplace. Some people telecommute every so often (perhaps because they need to be home or are unable to commute that day), but many people do it on a permanent basis. As the practice has become more popular, it has become more common for many telecommuters to simply refer to it as working from home, working remotely, or working virtually.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms of telecommute?

• telecommuting (noun)
• telecommuter (noun)

What are some synonyms for telecommute?

• work from home
• work remotely
• work virtually

What are some words that share a root or word element with telecommute?

• commute
• telephone
• telegraph
• television
• telescope

What are some words that often get used in discussing telecommute?

 

• work
• home
• computer
• email
• remote
• virtual
• workplace

Hoe is telecommute used in real life?

Telecommute is often used in discussions of how to improve employees’ work-life balance. Work from home is a synonym that’s also commonly used.

If you start forcing employees to telecommute as a temporary precaution, and they figure out they don’t have to actually go into an office to do their jobs, there’s probably no going back to regular commutes, cubes and conference rooms ever again. So there’s a silver lining.

— Matt Charney (@mattcharney) February 28, 2020

I had just made a deal with my boss to telecommute and work 30/hours a week (kept me from having to work crazy hours because there was a pay cut, but still got benefits) so I'd have time to write. The happiest I ever was with a "day job." https://t.co/6KXprAjrEs

— Shanna Swendson (@ShannaSwendson) February 25, 2020

It's time to rethink how companies provision workers, both to telecommute and avoid group meetings where viruses could spread. With converged communications platforms employees can easily collaborate without physically coming into contact with each otherhttps://t.co/fJQqAgAI4e

— Alex Gault (@agault) February 28, 2020

 

 

Try using telecommute!

True or false? 

Telecommuting only refers to working from home on a full-time basis.