Telecommuter Appreciation Week is coming to a close, which presents some key opportunities to brag on the success more employers are finding with telework as a critical workplace strategy that creates bottom-line benefits. Clearly, the current economic conditions employers are facing do not invite much capacity for expansion or risk-taking. The focus is squarely on riding out the financial storm, looking internally at operational efficiency and keeping the workforce motivated.

These priorities match extremely well with the adoption of telework programs. And when it's made available, employees are jumping at the opportunity to telework because of its myriad benefits: savings on commute costs and work attire, reclaimed time from not having to travel to work and enhanced work/life balance. Seldom have these factors been more important to employees than in the current economic climate.

The nation's most well-regarded employers are leading the charge, as evidenced by the latest release of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. 83% offer telework.

The numbers indicate occasional telework is becoming more widespread. A study found the number of employees who work remotely at least once a month jumped from approximately 28.7 million Americans in 2006 to 33.7 million in 2008 -- a 17-percent increase in that two-year span.

From The Clean Air Campaign's perspective, the best commute is the one that doesn't involve a tailpipe, as every mile driven puts a pound of pollution into the air we breathe. Telework stands out among the cleanest commute options available in a region that is regarded as one of the most wired in the U.S.

To the quarter-million-plus teleworkers in metro Atlanta, thanks for doing your part to make our roads a little clearer and the air a little cleaner. Your efforts are appreciated not just during Telecommuter Appreciation Week, but every time you work from home.

As Georgia's economy continues to scrape along, the question employers and employees are beginning to ask more frequently is, "Where else can I cut back?"

There are lots of signals being sent that indicate how individuals are prioritizing their finances while waiting for the financial landscape to thaw. But what are many of us unwilling to sacrifice?

A recent survey puts home Internet access and cell phone service at the top of a list of consumer "untouchables" that would not be slashed from a household budget. Four out of five consumers rank Internet as indispensable and two out of three consumers placed cell phone service off limits from being cut. From there, the list of perceived "must-haves" gets more subjective.

This, of course, leads straight to the question The Clean Air Campaign would ask: Where does commuting rank among the expenses you're willing to keep paying at the level you currently pay? If you're driving alone to and from work each day -- like 84% of metro Atlanta commuters do -- do you regard the commute costs that come with driving alone as an "untouchable" line item in your household budget?

The positive effect of this sour economy is that, when the smoke does clear, we will have an opportunity -- as consumers, capitalists and perhaps commuters -- to improve upon the choices of the past.