It's Time to Consider Remote Workers, Part I

In 1981, J C Penny became the first employer to hire home based call center agents to take catalog orders. AT&T brought telecommuting into the forefront, in 1994, with a nationwide Employee Telecommuting Day to spread the benefits of telecommuting.

Telecommuting has continued to expand and grow, with the increase in internet speeds, more sophisticated cell phones, and teleconferencing.

Has your organization considered offering telecommuting or using telecommuting resources?  Are you already using them?

Benefits of Using Telecommuting Staff

Improves employee satisfaction 
-      People are tired of the rat race. They are eager to take control of their lives, and desperate to find a balance between work and life.
-      Gen Y’ers are particularly attracted to flexible work arrangements. 

 Reduce attrition
-      Losing a valued employee can cost an employer somewhere between $10,000 and $30,000.
-      Almost half of employees feel their commute is getting worse, which may cause them to seek alternative employment.

Reduces unscheduled absences

-      Telecommuters typically continue to work when they’re sick (without infecting others).

-      Telecommuters return to work more quickly following surgery or medical issues.

-      Flexible hours allow telecommuters to run errands or schedule appointments without losing a full day.

Increases productivity

-      Best Buy, British Telecom, Dow Chemical and many others show that telecommuters are 35-40% more productive.

-      Results suggests that employees spend 60% of the commuting time they save performing work for the company. 

Saves employers money

-      Partial telecommuting can offer real estate savings by instituting an office hoteling program.

-      Telecommuting offers an inexpensive compliance avenue with ADA for disabled workers.

Increases collaboration

-      Once telecommuting technologies are in place, employees and contractors can work together without regard to logistics. This increases collaboration options. 

Expands the talent pool

-      Reduces geographic boundaries when looking for staff.

EDGE knows the benefits of telecommuting, first-hand. All of our corporate employees are telecommuters, which has allowed us to tap the greatest talent and set up a work environment that maximizes their ability to serve our clients and consultants.

Many of our consultants also prefer and are most effective when telecommuting. As a client, you may be able to tap an “A” player, with very sophisticated skill sets, if you are open to telecommuting.

Next week, we will talk about how to best hire and manage remote works.