Need another reason to offer telecommuting options? A new study fuels the argument.

Seems more than five million American workers have at some point called into work sick because they couldn’t face the commute.

The Workforce Institute at Kronos Inc. reports 4% of adults who commute to work called in sick rather than spend hours traveling. Their absences cost organizations 8.7% of payroll annually.

Only 6% of workers are paid for the time they spend commuting to their jobs, says the survey.

Almost half said commuting affected job satisfaction, 15% said they would change jobs to shorten their commute, and 11% feel their commute negatively affects their work-life balance, the survey said.

The online survey was conducted March 2-4 among 2,042 adults, of whom 1,077 commute to work.

With the flood of new mobile technology options, telecommuting is easier — and cheaper — than ever. Getting rid of “sick” days used by folks who dread their commute could be a healthy option.