(FORTUNE Magazine) – DEAR ANNIE: I think that my job is perfect for telecommuting, but my boss has shot down the idea when colleagues of mine have proposed it in the past. He says he doesn't believe that anyone can work effectively from home. Any suggestions on how I might change his mind? CUBICLE RAT

DEAR C.R.: As home computers, fax machines, and handy new phone technology make telecommuting more practical, the ranks of at-home workers are growing by 15% a year. About 7% of U.S. white-collar employees now say they telecommute at least part of the time. Apart from the hassles it spares workers (one survey found that the average telecommuter has dispensed with 90 minutes a day of travel time), there is some evidence that employers are finding the arrangement highly cost-effective. A study from the Society for Human Resource Management found that a person who works at home just two days a week saves his or her employer between $6,000 and $12,000 a year in office-space requirements, equipment costs, turnover, and increased productivity.

I suspect, though, that you could show your boss all the research in the world and still not convince him that people who are not in the office are not watching reruns of I Love Lucy. (A consultant friend of mine once worked for a supervisor who said to him, "If you telecommute, how will I know you're really working?" To which my pal replied: "Well, how do you know I'm working now?") To overcome your boss' skepticism, you are going to have to build a strong case based on your own situation, beginning with a written schedule detailing how you plan to spend your days at home. For example: 8 A.M. to 9 A.M.: Read and answer E-mail. Reply to voice mail. Check in with secretary. 9 A.M. to 10 A.M.: Write the Prendergast report. 10 A.M. to 10:30 A.M.: Conference call with marketing team...and so on.

Don't forget to say what's in it for your company. If, for instance, you really believe that you can concentrate better and produce higher-quality work without the noise and other distractions from surrounding cubicles, be sure to stress that. And at the outset you could offer to telecommute just one day a week for a couple of months--an eight-day trial that is essentially risk-free.

Gil Gordon, a consultant who helps companies set up telecommuting programs, suggests you seek out others in your company who are working from home and encourage your boss to talk with their bosses about how it's going: "Your manager might be more open and receptive to what his peers have to say than he is to you."

For more tips on how to start telecommuting, including answers to specific questions your boss might raise, take a look at Gordon's Website, www.gilgordon.com. BellSouth's www.bellsouth.com/workathome is another useful site. During the '96 Olympics, the Atlanta-based company encouraged its employees to work at home to reduce downtown traffic jams. About 2,500 of them have barely set foot in the office since.

DEAR ANNIE: I recently came into some money and would like to use it to strike out on my own and start (or buy) my own franchise. Where can I get reliable information about available franchises? CHAMPING AT THE BIT

DEAR CHAMPING: The best resource I've seen on this vast and tricky subject is The Franchise Opportunities Handbook: A Complete Guide for People Who Want to Start Their Own Franchise, by LaVerne Ludden (Park Avenue, $16.95). An outsized, 417-page paperback, the book lists more than 1,700 businesses in 78 fields--from auto repair to pet grooming--with complete information about what each will cost you and how much assistance you can expect from the franchisor. There is also a detailed appendix with sources of advice. Good luck!

DEAR ANNIE: I started working 20 years ago (I'm 43) with a degree in art, eventually moving into graphic design at some major high-tech companies and picking up a fair amount of technical and managerial experience. To move to the next level in my career, I feel I need more education; luckily my wife makes a good enough salary that I could go back to school full-time for two years. But if I start working toward an MBA now, I'll be 45 when I finish. Do you think I should do it anyway? REDWOOD CITY

DEAR REDWOOD: Well, you'll be 45 in two years in any case, so the only question is, Would you rather be 45 with an MBA or 45 without one? Since you're in the enviable position of being able to afford full-time studenthood, why not go for it? Having the degree might give you not only the boost you need to reach the next rung in your career but also a valuable edge over the 28-year-olds who are doubtless already eyeing your current job.

DEAR ANNIE: A couple of months ago you recommended a book about how people get ahead in corporations. It was called something like How to Be a Star. I hate to be a nuisance, but could you repeat the information? SORRY

DEAR SORRY: No need to apologize. You're the 152nd person who has written to ask the same question--maybe because that column (July 6) coincided with so many vacations. Your memory's good, though: The full title is How to Be a Star at Work: Nine Breakthrough Strategies You Need to Succeed, by Robert E. Kelley (Times Books, $25).

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