Telecommuting may boost morale, and cut stress, but it can <A HREF="http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6225684.html?tag=nl.e550">have the opposite effect on those left behind in the office,</A> according to a new study. When a number of their co-workers toil away from the office by using computers, cell phones, or other electronic equipment, those who do not telecommute are more likely to be dissatisfied with their job and leave the company, said Timothy Golden, a management professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Telecommuting has been a growing trend in the United States since about 2000. About 37 percent of U.S.-based and international companies now offer flexible work arrangements, with the number of those programs growing at a rate of 11 percent per year, according to the Society of Human Resource Management.