Telecommuting becomes reality for many Tampa Bay workers

Posted: Nov 13, 2014 2:29 AM CST

Updated: Dec 11, 2014 2:29 AM CST

By Gayle Guyardo

 

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL (WFLA) -

What if you never have to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic commuting to and from work? It's a reality for millions of American workers who are part of the growing trend of telecommuting.

"By the year 2020, 50 percent of the workforce will telecommute." said Sara Sutton, the CEO and Founder of FlexJobs.com.

"That doesn't mean everyone will work at home 100 percent of the time", Sutton explained. "But, more companies will allow workers to do at least part of their jobs remotely."

FlexJobs is an online service that  hand-screens legitimate job opportunities for people who want to telecommute.

"There were days just to get from her to Pinellas, it would take two hours. If there was an accident on the Veterans Expressway, or the Howard Frankland Bridge, forget it, you're done," said Melissa Huston who found a job with DELL through FlexJobs.

"A lot of people thought I was crazy. They were like good luck with that," said Huston. 

The young working mom wanted to work from home to put an end to 3-hour daily commutes to and from work, and spending thousands of dollars every year on gas and tolls.

Turns out Huston wasn't crazy, she found what she calls her 'dream job'. 

"It actually strangely enough paid significantly more than what I was making working locally and commuting," she said.

At one time in history work from home jobs had a negative stigma attached to the idea. After the 2008 crash in the economy, more and more major firms started offering telecommuting jobs to cut down on the cost of employment.

"There are far more job opportunities in a wide variety of career areas entry level to executive then people generally think." said Sutton. She and her team find hundreds of job opportunities, and once they are vetted as legitimate, the opportunities are then posted Flexsjobs.

From careers in health care or finance, to a job as a virtual golf instructor, Sutton believes people might be surprised about the job opportunities available.

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http://www.wfla.com/story/27372100/telecommuting-becomes-reality-for-many-tampa-bay-workers