Will swine flu affect you?

A recent news report mentioned that the impending swine flu outbreak may cause many companies to allow more telecommuting by employees. Hmmm...will that policy stick around after things settle back down? With a renewed emphasis on "being green" how many companies, especially smaller ones, might combine the swine flu temporary changes with more permanent ones? I think there will be some who opt for a four-day work week or other flex hours that save the extra expenses and environmental effects of having employees in the office versus at home.

With cell phones capable of so many functions, how many days do people really need to spend at the office anyway? As a freelancer, I learned early on that I could get double the work done at home as I previously did in an office. Take out all the interruptions, hour-long staff meetings that include 10 minutes relevant to your work, water cooler chatter and commute time and you can get the same, and more likely more, work done.

To my fellow creative types who don't already work from a home office, how would telecommuting change your work life? Will swine flu help you get the ball of change rolling in the right direction?