Teleworking
What are the benefits to me as an employer?
You can improve employee recruiting and retention by offering telework options at your workplace. Additionally, financial savings can result from no longer needing to provide office or parking space for all employees, every day. Many employers report that costs associated with setting up an employee to telework are offset by the cost savings and are key to helping employees decrease their stress and balance their work life. Research shows that many employees who telework report higher levels of productivity because they are not constantly interrupted by workplace issues.
What can my company do?
- Establish a telework coordinator and/or implementation task force.
- Identify and screen positions or employees with job skills that make them suitable for telework and determine their level of interest.
- Determine whether employees will telework from a telework center or be a home-based teleworker.
- Design and implement incentive and a recognition program that rewards employees who successfully telework or managers who effectively supervise telework employees.
- Provide necessary technical support so that technology equipment or connections are not a barrier to productivity.
- Be sure to provide an orientation and on-going training on how to telework successfully.
- Develop company policies and procedures on telework for future use.
Case Study: Sun Microsystems, Santa Clara, California
Sun is involved in both offering a telework program to employees as well as using its established program to help other companies set up their telecommunications technology and infrastructure. Sun's internal telework program, iWork, enables 3,000 employees to work from all over the country. Results include:
- Employees have reported a 34% increase in productivity and increased job satisfaction.
- Ranked 5th in the list of top 20 Best Workplaces for Commuters. (September 2004)
Source: Best Workplaces for Commuters: United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Air and Radiation, January 2005
Case Study: AstraZeneca, Deleware
AstraZeneca, a pharmaceutical company, created its telework program as a result of merger and headquarters relocation from Pennsylvania to Delaware in 2000. Facing the loss of many well-qualified employees, AstraZeneca explored how to make their workplace more flexible to accommodate long commute times for Pennsylvania-based employees. After introducing the telework program, over 600 employees signed contracts and received training on effective teleworking and 275 employees are actively teleworking.
Additionally, Delaware state traffic mitigation law requires that at 1east 15 percent of AstraZeneca employees not drive in single-occupancy vehicles; the telework program helps them meet this mandate.
Source: http://www.bestworkplaces.org/pdf/telework_07.pdf
Weblinks
www.telecommute.org -- International Telework Association and Council
www.teleworkarizona.com - Telework Arizona
www.reason.org/ps338.pdf - Telecommuting: The Quiet Success
www.bestworkplaces.org/pdf/telework_07.pdf - Telework Programs
www.telework.gov - Federal Government Telework Program
www.gsa.gov/awa - U.S. General Services Administration