Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION 2
WHAT”S IT ALL ABOUT? 2
THE BASICS OF TELECOMMUTING 2
VARIETIES OF TELECOMMUTING 2
TYPES OF TELECOMMUTING 3
THE BENEFITS OF TELEWORK 3
BIGGEST CHALLENGES OF WORKING AT HOME 4
WHAT IN IT FOR EMPLOYEES 6
CONCLUSION 6

INTRODUCTION

Telecommuting is a very interesting and complex subject. The pros and cons of this concept are numerous and both sides have excellent arguments. This report will help introduce you to the telecommuting basics; it will help you sort out the benefits and pitfalls so you can decide whether it will work for you; it will help develop and implement a program that meets your individual needs.

WHAT”S IT ALL ABOUT?

Telecommuting started in California in the 1970’s to reduce traffic and save the earth. It involves working from just about anywhere besides a company’s main office—including workers’ homes, clients’ facilities, and employer-owed satellites offices, and even from a hotel room while on the road. Companies implement these programs for many reasons besides keeping employers happy or saving money in office space. They see it as a way to stay in operation during natural disasters, epidemics, and other emergencies, while others may view it as a key recruiting tool or a way to keep employees closer to customers.

THE BASICS OF TELECOMMUTING

Telecommuting, as it is referred to in the United States, teleworking, as it is
Referred to in Europe, home-working, working-at-a-distance, off-site workers,
Or remote workers are all terms that are used convey the idea that work is
Something you do, not someplace you go (Baruch, 2001). Due to its various
Labels and definitions, a lack of clarity exists regarding many telecommuting
Issues, including an agreed-upon number of telecommuters in today’s workforce.
In their study Measuring the Impact of Workplace Flexibility the
Boston College Center for Work & Family defined telecommuting as Oaf schedule
In which employees conduct their work off-site for some portion of their
Core working hours’ the location of work may be the employee’s home, satellite office, or some other location outside of the traditional office space
(e.g., while on the road or from a client site).

VARIETIES OF TELECOMMUTING

According to a February 2000 Work Trends studies show that 62% of employees who have the opportunity to telecommute do so at least one day per week, whereas37% of employees who have the option choose not to telecommute. Various factors influence telecommuting arrangements within organizations. Telecommuting programs can be full-or part-time, formal or informal, and employee- or company-initiated. Individuals who telecommute full-time conduct all of their work off-site in a location other than their employer’s office with little to no face-to-face interaction with managers and co-workers. Individuals who telecommute part-time conduct some, but not all of their work from a location other than their
Employees’ office and interact with managers and co-workers on a limited but scheduled basis. Although the frequency that telecommuting is supported or utilized varies by organization, findings from the Center for Work & Family study indicate that the optimal telecommuting arrangement occurs when

TYPES OF TELECOMMUTING

Telecommuting is about flexibility so many variations exist on the general theme of working outside a traditional office. Employees can either work full-time or part-time, according to a fixed schedule or as needed. There are many different types which include:

• Working at home (usually one or two days per week). This one is most common and the most popular form.

• Working in a satellite office or telework center. These facilities may be operated for a single employers or more that one employer. They’re separate from a company’s main offices and located in a suburb or near employees’ homes.

• Working on the roads from a motel, hotel, or even a car.

• Working from offices of a client or customers.

THE BENEFITS OF TELEWORK

As telecommuting has become more common place, its benefits have grown.

• They have lower Real Estate and over head expense. Many companies that allow telecommuting report significant saving in real estate cost.

• It can improve employee morale. Many people who are telecommuters are often happier employees. The show that the employer trusts that they’ll spend time in the home office wisely, and employees appreciate being treated as responsible adults. Working at home also elimates the hassle of commuting, increases time available for work, cuts commuting costs, and potentially lower stress. Teleworkers also may save money on career clothing, since they probably won’t have to dress up to work at home. All these benefits can improve satisfaction and motivate employees to work harder.

• It can increase employee productivity because teleworkers don’t commute; they have more time to work. Also, their working time is generally quality time since they usually encounter fewer distractions and interruptions. And reducing workers’ stress levels often mean they’ll stay highly motivated. Reports if increases in productivity range from 10 percent to 30 percent.

These are just some of the benefits that using telecommuting at your company. There are many more that I could list if necessary.

There are also the downfalls of telework. When business use this program they risk the lost of contact with employees. The informal interaction that comes from having a group of employees together in one place can mean a lot to an organization. It can also affect the cost of providing office equipment. Management issues are also affected as it can be tough to adequately manage employees, who are out of sight, so managers often are out of sight, so managers often are resistant to telecommuting—both for themselves and for their team members. A company improves customer service by using telecommuting. It would cost much less to have a few people answering phones at home at 3 o’clock in the morning than running a skeleton crew in a heated air-conditioned, lighted and such office building.

BIGGEST CHALLENGES OF WORKING AT HOME

There are many distracts also working at home like the dog barking, children screaming or people flushing the toilet. But as the chart shows below it isn’t serious that would be not be a good idea to not do telecommuting.

[pic]

WHAT IN IT FOR EMPLOYEES

It depends mostly on which particular employees are referring too. It allows someone with physical handicap that could not actually commute to the workplace to still function as a valuable employee. It would allow someone who has small children and feel and great need to be home for them to still work and have a career. The distant an employee must travel daily to work is a factor that can induce great amounts of frustration and expense into their lives. By telecommuting you can alleviate this stress. Job satisfaction can be enhanced by allowing greater freedom and bestowing greater responsibility.

There are many people who love working at home and if this option was taking away from them that were already telecommuters do you think they would like their job less. The chart below shows the results:

[pic]More people would like their job less because they have to give up working in the comfort of their own home, they would have to get up and travel to work which they really don’t like seeing they telecommute in the first place.

CONCLUSION

All these considerations must factor into a decision by a company to implement a telecommuting program. I am very impressed with the possibilities that telecommuting presents and daunted by the problems that can crop up. I feel that a well thought out, carefully planned and conscientiously applied program can benefit most companies and I think it will benefit this company.