Hello Alendr
A 185 page report prepared by the Department of Transportation, in
consultation with the Department of Energy and the Environmental
Protection Agency addresses the potential costs and benefits of
telecommuting.
Relevant excerpts:
Advantages of telecommuting from the point of view of the Employer
- Increased productivity
- Reduced facility space and expenses
- Labor economies, possibly via lower pay, benefits for workers
- Difficult shifts covered
- Retention of valued employees and access to wider (even
multinational) labor pool; - reduced retraining
- Lower sick leave utilization; reduced health care costs
- Telework can be used as a casual pool to protect against downswings in demand
- Savings in relocation expenses
- Off-hour utilization of mainframe computers
- Savings on shiftwork, overtime
- Improved motivation of employees
The following potential employer benefits are often cited as reasons,
motivations, or justifications for implementation of telecommuting
programs.
Improved Quality of Work Output
?Work quality can improve through faster customer processing, fewer
errors, shorter response times for communications, and faster and more
accurate responses to production failures. In particular, performance
of creative work can benefit from the person's having greater
flexibility in the work situation and scheduling. Quality of a
workgroup's performance can also be affected by improved (often
electronic) access to specific people on the team with special
expertise.?
Reduced Overhead
?The potential for reducing the need for expensive central business
district office space, greater use of computer resources, and fewer
parking space requirements is very attractive to businesses. Office
space savings amounting to between 30 and 40 percent of currently
leased space is not uncommon.?
Public Relations Value
?Hiring the otherwise unemployed or underemployed worker with limited
mobility or access to reliable transportation has public relations
value and also contributes to general societal goals such as reduced
pollution, congestion, and gasoline consumption.?
Increased Productivity
?Productivity increases reported from various studies average around
10 percent to 20 percent [Miller 1986 although some reports are as
high as 40 percent. The literature reports productivity gains ranging
from 15-25 percent found in a wide variety of telecommuting
situations, even where researchers (or workers or managers) had not
expected them, and better quality work was also reported throughout.
Indeed, it is hard to find a report or study that does not report
these.?
Possible Factors Contributing to Increased Productivity
- Productivity Improvement
- More Hours Worked per Day
- Some employees may work some of the time they would have been commuting
- Less nonproductive socializing
- No decompression time
- Facilitates evening, weekend work
- More Work Done per Hour
- No interruptions/distractions (assuming appropriate telecommuting setting)
- Work done at times which are suited to individuals internal clock
- Moving tasks off mainframes, or shifting to off peak hours,
increases productivity for those left on-line
- Less Time Missed from Work
- Less incidental absence
- Less sick leave
Handling of Work Overflow and Scheduling Fluctuations
?Use of home-based workers can ease the difficulty of hiring,
retaining, and mobilizing on-call workers in some areas. JC Penney
finds home-based telecommuters the answer to fast on-call operations.
The part-time workers, recruited in-house from experienced
telemarketers, receive the same pay and benefits as on-site workers
and are managed by phone or electronic mail and by twice-monthly
visits.?
Coverage of Difficult Shifts
?Similarly, unpopular shifts may be more easily filled if no travel is
involved, i.e., work from home is possible and/or a wider labor pool
is available.?
Meet Temporary Ad Hoc Needs
?The potential for meeting temporary needs using existing workforce
can be maximized by allowing existing staff to do extra work at home.?
Cost Savings
?Cost savings could be achieved through reductions in office space and
energy, and parking spaces. Credits may be earned under air quality
and congestion reduction plans. However, workspace-related benefits
may not be achieved for part-time telecommuters unless some form of
office-sharing is established.?
Improved Employee Recruiting
?The option to divide time between in-house and remote work can be an
important recruiting option where lifestyle, family, or other similar
issues are vital to a valuable prospect. Telecommuting provides access
to a larger and possibly lower-cost labor pool, including handicapped,
elderly, incarcerated, and geographically remote persons.?
Improved Employee Retention / Decreased Turnover
?Many telecommuting programs have been initiated in an effort to
attract and retain specialized talent regardless of location.
Telecommuting can be a selling point for technical talent whose
lifestyle or family needs are incompatible with daily commuting.
It is claimed that organizations can expect to have less turnover with
a telecommuting program. This can save a great deal; some estimate the
cost of training a new employee at between $20,000 and $25,000.
Pacific Bell has determined that recruiting and training a skilled
programmer can typically cost $100,000. ?
Eased Facility Moves and Avoidance of Employee Relocation
?When a business location is changed, the cost of relocating workers
can be quite large. This component has been valued at an average cost
of about $32,000 for home owners and $9000 for renters Others put
these relocation costs at between $30,000 and $50,000. Telecommuting
may make it feasible to move a corporate facility with minimum of
relocation or loss of employees.?
Reduced Absenteeism and Sick Leave
?Pacific Bell reports that telecommuters exhibit 25 percent less
absenteeism than do employees who work in their Central Business
District offices [Pacific Bell 1988]. Telecommuters in the state of
California Telecommuting Pilot Project reported an average annual
decrease in sick leave of 1.1 days. Several telecommuters reported
that they would otherwise have been on even more extended leave
because of illness, maternity or parental leave. Similarly, many
telecommuters report that doctor and dentist visits now do not require
taking sick leave since they can be fit into the regular telecommuting
schedule without reducing work time. There is a further possible gain
in sick workers staying home and telecommuting rather than infecting
others at the office. Also, telecommuting may allow employees with
illnesses or injuries that limit their mobility to do some work in a
comfortable home setting and to more readily "work around" personal
appointments, deliveries, etc.?
Extended Computing Capability
?Telecommuting could allow a company to delay the lease or purchase of
computers by shifting more of the workload to off-hours if
telecommuting results in spreading of the workload over a longer day.?
Labor Cost Savings
?Cost savings can be achieved by removing work from metropolitan
locations (for example, by JC Penney, who set up home teleordering
operations in the Far West) in 24-hour operations. Also, savings in
overtime labor may result when additional at-home shifts can thus be
arranged.?
Continued Operations in Special or Emergency Situations
?Telecommuting can be used as a tool in disaster management -- the
workforce can remain productive while lessening the impact on the
transportation system -- or when access to the normal worksite is
impossible or impractical. Telecommuting could diminish work stoppages
in emergency situations, earthquakes, storms, etc. Examples include
the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and San Francisco earthquake. Pacific
Bell's policy, set after the Loma Prieta earthquake, demonstrated the
value of telecommuting in emergencies. It defines ground rules for
what is generally part-time voluntary telecommuting, guarantees
workers their basic salary and benefits, and the right to be evaluated
on results.?
Read the complete report here:
http://ntl.bts.gov/DOCS/telecommute.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Making Your Case for Telecommuting: How to Convince the Boss
This informative article provides a wealth of information and links to
excellent resources:
Read the full text of this article here:
http://www.quintcareers.com/telecommuting_options.html
Statistics:
?According to the 2004 American Interactive Consumer Survey conducted
by The Dieringer Research Group for the International Telework
Association and Council (ITAC), the number of employed Americans who
performed any kind of work from home, with a frequency range from as
little as 1 day a year to full-time, grew from 41.3 million in 2003 to
44.4 million in 2004, a 7.5% growth rate. The number of telecommuters
is increasing worldwide. Canadian telecommuters, for example, can
recoup up to six full work weeks yearly -- an average hour a day -- by
eliminating their daily commute, according to Bernard Brodie, an
InnoVisions Canada consultant. ?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
According to Roger E. Herman, chief executive officer of management
consulting firm The Herman Group in Greensboro, there are several
reasons for the increasing trend toward telecommuting.
??affords employers a larger, broader range of people they can employ
without having to house them, thus saving real estate costs.
?By allowing employees to work from home, companies can more easily
use employees with disabilities, employees with small children or who
are caretakers of aging parents, as well as employees from other
geographic areas.?
He also states: "We can have people working here from anywhere in the world,"
"People who want to move to the Triad because of the quality of life
here but can't find a job here can telecommute to other areas. It's
the answer to the problem of the trailing spouse."
?Another advantage of telecommuting is that it can increase productivity.
?The Canadian Telework Association estimates that teleworkers are 20
percent more productive because they have fewer distractions?
Statistics:
?The federal government estimates that 60 percent of Americans spent
some part of their workweek at home in 2002. The International
Telework Association and Council, based in Pittsburgh, estimates that
more than 28 million Americans work remotely, compared with 20 million
two years ago. ?
?That number is projected to soar to 67 million Americans, or half the
U.S. work force, by 2006, according to a March study from Access
Markets .?
The Business Journal: January 10, 2003
http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/stories/2003/01/13/focus1.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
In 2004, the International Telework Association & Council (ITAC )
decided to launch a research study focusing on the use of telework and
remote work as a business continuity strategy.
From its research sponsored by the AT&T Foundation and Cisco Systems,
ITAC has produced a comprehensive publication, ?Exploring Telework as
a Business Continuity Strategy: A Guide to Getting Started.?
The report provides brief case studies of organizations that have
effectively incorporated telework into their continuity plans.
Download an 8-page executive summary here:
http://www.workingfromanywhere.org/pdf/ITAC-ExecSummFINALweb.pdf
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Numerous studies support the notion that telecommuting workers are
more productive and have higher morale and less absenteeism.
Organizations that allow telecommuting have less employee turnover.
Some good sources for supporting statistics include:
Judy Wolf's Telework: An Overview of Benefits
http://www.judywolf.com/articles_pr/articles_news/telework_benefits_overview.html
Telework Facts and Figures
International Telework Association and Council (ITAC) Telework Facts and Figures
http://www.workingfromanywhere.org/resources/abouttelework.htm
Frequently asked questions when employers are investigating
telecommuting as a work option
http://www.workingfromanywhere.org/resources/faq.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telework Works: A Compendium of Success Stories
This report showcases examples of telework success stories from a
variety of jobs and work situations.
http://www.opm.gov/studies/FINAL-TELEWRK.txt
http://www.opm.gov/studies/FINAL-TELEWRK.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
e-Work Brief for Managers
?This short guide gives business managers a summary of what are the
benefits and issues in E-Working. It is written in a manner that
allows the manager to assess the relevance of E-Working to their
business.?
Download here:
http://www.e-work.ie/downloads/brief.pdf
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-Work
This guide provides more detail on the process of introducing E-Work
to any business.
Download here:
http://www.ework.ie/downloads/guide.pdf
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gil Gordon Associates
Telecommuting And Telework Sources, Information About Telecommuting
Implementation, News About New Products, Conferences, Newsletters, And
Much More.
http://www.gilgordon.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
InnoVisions Canada,one of Canada's premiere telework and flexible work
consulting organizations provides excellent information on their
website.
Here are a few good articles.
US Telework Scene - stats and facts
http://www.ivc.ca/studies/us.html
Potential advantages and disadvantages ? for employers
http://www.ivc.ca/proemployer.html
Information for tele-managers & employers
This section is for those who are already telemanagers, those who
think they might become telemanagers, and for employers
http://www.ivc.ca/Part8.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
What are some of the advantages and disadvantages about teleworking?
http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/hsprograms/telework.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The "e-Work Guide: How to Make Telework Work for Your Organization" is
a 100-page report on recommended practices, compiled by telework
experts who served on a Blue Ribbon Panel formed by ITAC.
The e-Work Guide covers:
Costs and Benefits of Implementing Telework
Program Management: The Overall Process
Human Resource Management in the Remote Work Environment
Legal and Employment Issues
Environmental and Facilities Concerns
Information Technology Considerations
Order the e-Work Guide for $35 online.
http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?binid=1&bevaID=39518
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Search terms used:
Telecommuting report OR statistics benefits OR advantages OR
beneficial OR advantage
Employer benefits +telecommuting reports OR study
I hope you find this information helpful!
Best Regards,
Bobbie7 |
,
0 Comments
)