Working from home is the new casual Friday. It's one of those perks that many employers have incorporated into their policies, but it's still not the norm and most everyone wishes it were.

Employers have several reasons for wanting to limit the amount of work you do from home. They're not just being sourpusses about the situation, even if that's what you think. Most bosses who are hesitant to expand their telecommuting policies are afraid of giving employees too much room to mess up. Think about how many business casual experiments went awry when someone showed up in clothes more suitable for club-going. All you need is one blockhead to ruin it for everyone.

The buzz is all about customer service and call center outsourcing, also known as BPO (Business Process Outsourcing). According to Gartner, the outsourcing market in Europe has grown with over 6%, BPO with 10%. The market for offshore outsourcing (to low wage countries) is growing with a whopping 40% this year! However, the subject of outsourcing is not without controversy. So what's it all about?

Consumers are increasingly accepting of businesses running from virtual offiices rather than bricks and mortar buildings, according to the Institute of Risk Management (IRM).

This is because with the spread of the internet, email, mobile phones and other communications technology, homeworking and out-of-office working are seen as more normal, Ian Fraser, IRM's marketing manager, says.