Call it AltWork. Alternative working conditions, especially telecommuting, seem to be the hot topic this week (and I say that knowing that it's cooled down to 88 degrees outside).

The obvious disconnect between gas prices and the reality of new ways of working keeps resurfacing, and a lot of people seem to be looking in their proverbial rear-view mirrors to predict the future of the workplace. Not us.

Offices are not what they were 20 or 30 years ago, nor should they be. Telecommuting (along with accompanying practices such as flextime, project-based work, and virtual communities) really seems to be what's evolving.

Now the 300-pound gorilla is about to enter the room. The U.S. House of Representatives just passed a Telework bill a few weeks ago, and that's a huge step. (The Senate still has to work out more details, but there's no real opposition, apparently!)

If you don't think this is important, think again. If the federal government institutionalizes a telework policy for its employees, you can absolutely take it for granted that private industry will follow. That means us, and that means a lot of changes possible over the next few years.

What's truly amazing about all this is the timetable -- just a few years ago, only a relative handful of technology firms really elevated telecommuting to a standard practice. Now, it's us.

Is your company likely to implement telecommuting any time soon. Are you already doing it regularly (and how is it going)?