is there such tremendous growth in telecommuting now? There are many reasons:
• Advanced technologies. The Internet and personal computers have contributed significantly to the ability of people to work from disparate locations. We now have broadband capacity to homes through cable, satellites, fiber-optics, copper wire, and wireless networks; we have improved electronics and communication devices, mobile phones, palmtops, and portable computers; we have sophisticated voicemail systems. All of these factors mean that employees can be just as connected to the workplace from their homes — several hundred miles away — as they are from the office around the corner from the boss.
• Reduced costs for office space. In the United States, the federal government found that it could save money on office space — and attract top-notch workers — by allowing employees to telecommute. At Sun Microsystems, where more than 19,000 employees — or 56 percent of the workforce — work away from the office at least once a week, real estate holdings were reduced by 15 percent in 2007. Expenses for employees who work from home at least part of the time range from 30 percent to 70 percent less than those for employees who work in offices.
• Employee retention. In an era of double-income families, it is not uncommon for one spouse to accept a job in another location, requiring the other spouse to leave his or her place of employment. Flexible options like telecommuting allow companies to retain spouses who might otherwise need to change employers as part of their relocation. Telecommuting also allows the retention of employees who have family care needs (either for young children or elderly parents), and employees with disabilities who might be difficult to accommodate in the traditional work setting.
• Traffic patterns. Congestion is often an issue in metropolitan areas. Major events, in some cities, have led to more employers exploring telecommuting options. When Salt Lake City hosted the Olympics in 2002, for instance, preparation for the event meant major road construction and traffic problems. Consequently, a number of employers were more receptive to employees’ requests to telecommute. Even in less densely populated areas, travel time can play a role in the move to telecommuting.
• Environmental issues. One of the early drivers of the concept of telecommuting, particularly in large, metropolitan areas, was the reduction of air emissions and the elimination of pollution. The federal government in the United States was an early adopter of telecommuting, and President Obama has pledged to expand the option even further under his administration.
• Employer benefits. Employers are often initially hesitant to allow employees to telecommute, primarily due to concerns that lack of physical presence will denote lack of involvement on the part of the employee. However, those that have allowed employees to work from home have been surprised to find that productivity actually increases, and employees report higher job satisfaction and improved morale. Alongside reduced real estate costs, many companies have also found that their absenteeism and turnover rates have declined after instituting telecommuting programs.
• Employee benefits. Employees enjoy the flexibility of telecommuting as well as the reduced commuting expenses and hassles. They are better able to balance the demands of home and work; they report reduced stress and higher productivity, and demonstrate a strong sense of loyalty and commitment to those organizations that recognize and respond to their personal needs.
Literally thousands of organizations, large and small, have embraced the concept of telework. Some of the companies that have been trailblazers include AT&T, Sun Microsystems, Best Buy, SC Johnson, Yahoo!, Qualcomm, Eli Lilly, and Cisco.
5. Myths and Misconceptions
There are a number of myths and misconceptions associated with telecommuting. Here are a few examples:
Telecommuting is a good idea for women with families, but other employees are unlikely to take advantage of this option. While telecommuting certainly is a positive option for both women and men with young families and can be a great addition to any company’s work/life practices, telecommuting should not be considered a childcare option. Employees of both sexes, with or without families, can benefit from telecommuting.
Employees will be too isolated and will become alienated from the team. The fear of isolation is an issue for employees; it is also a concern for employers. Isolation may be a misconception, however. A study by Charles Grantham of the Institute for the Study of Distributed Work indicated that virtual office workers spend 43 percent of their time interacting with other workers. Sixty-one percent reported that they contacted their coworkers two or more times a day, and 94 percent checked in three or more times a week.
While there is certainly potential for isolation when employees are working from remote locations and are not physically located near coworkers, isolation is not a certainty. Much can be done to ensure that there is regular and meaningful contact between the telecommuter and other team members.
If an employee wants to telecommute, they’ll be out of the office five days a week. Telecommuting isn’t necessarily an all-or-nothing proposition. While some employees do literally work in a remote location eight hours a day, five days a week, arrangements are varied and dependent upon the employee’s — and the employer’s — unique needs. In fact, according to Telecommute America, a nonprofit organization that promotes telecommuting, telecommuters work an average of only 19.3 hours a week from home.
If I let one employee telecommute, I’ll have to let all employees have the opportunity. Not every job is appropriate for telecommuting and neither is every employee. Jobs, for example, that require frequent face-to-face interaction with internal or external customers are obviously not right for telecommuting. Similarly, employees who require direct supervision or who have not demonstrated a high level of competency would not be good candidates for such an arrangement.
The bottom line is that the decision must be made by the company and by the manager. With a telecommuting program, you make no guarantees that everyone can be a telecommuter. Part of the process is establishing clear guidelines, standards, and policies.
Everyone will want to telecommute and there will be nobody left in the office. Just as you may not want certain employees to telecommute, you will have employees who prefer the standard workplace environment. Many employees enjoy the social aspects of work. They like the interactions with others, and the opportunity to leave home and enter a different environment. For those people, telecommuting is unlikely to become a preferred option. As a manager, you are in control of how you staff your department. There are some managers of workforces comprised entirely of telecommuters — in fact, the manager may be a telecommuter too. There are others who, for whatever reasons, do not find that telecommuting is a viable option. And there are many, many more who find that the right solution is somewhere in between. Ultimately, though, you are responsible for staffing your workforce to provide the optimum service to your internal and external customers.
Only big companies are involved in telecommuting. Not true. In fact, a survey by Telecommute America showed that 65 percent of the respondents that participated in telecommuting were from companies with fewer than 100 employees. Telecommuting runs the gamut from small firms with only a handful of employees to multi-national firms. It’s not size that matters — it’s process and service.
It is too difficult to manage telecommuters. In fact, telemanagers and the companies they work for consistently say that good managers are good managers, regardless of whether they’re managing someone in the office or from a remote location. The skills are the same.
6. The Drawbacks and Challenges
Even though the time is right for telecommuting, there are a number of drawbacks and challenges of which both organizations and individuals need to be aware.
6.1 For employers
Resistance to change. Telecommuting has been driven largely by employees who, because of their unique personal needs, have requested flexible options for accomplishing their duties. While some employers were early adopters