Telecommuting is a new normal for American businesses thanks to technology that allows employees to work from home. Instead of reporting to the office at 8 a.m. every morning, an increasing number of workers log in from a home office loaded with an Internet connection, desktop computer, tablet, smartphone and laser printer. Telecommuting sounds like a great idea for both companies and staffers, but there are some drawbacks.
Advantages for Workers
Employees tout tons of benefits to telecommuting, as working from home has several advantages. Once someone has a home office set up, it becomes relatively simple to remotely log in to the software, tools and accounts the worker needs to recreate a cubicle at the downtown high rise.
Telecommuting removes the need to drive to work every morning. Instead of getting up at 6 a.m. to fight traffic for an hour, workers can get more sleep, take several minutes to prepare for the work day and walk 10 feet down the hall to arrive at the office. A lack of a commute to work saves money on gas and car repairs.
Surveys show employees are happier when they work from home. This is partly because telecommuting helps workers achieve a better work-life balance. A flexible work arrangement allows staffers to manage their daily lives with greater efficiency.
Employees who telecommute enjoy higher productivity and actually work more versus those who come to the office five days per week. A home office means the employee has less contact with other people at the office, which could lead to fewer instances of illness because of sick co-workers who show up to work. All of these good things may outweigh any negative sides for employees.
Disadvantages for Workers
Staffers who work from home may feel isolated and disconnected from other workers. This could lead to a lack of engagement on the part of telecommuters, even if productivity increases. Less face-to-face collaboration may dampen creativity and innovation that come from spontaneous conversations among employees.
Telecommuters could face more distractions at home, including spouses, children and pets. Workers need to create a space at home that gets rid of any distractions that interfere with the work day.
Telecommuting staffers may feel as if they need to work more hours or atypical hours. Instead of working 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., an employee may work at odd times simply because she always has access to her home office.
Employees might feel left out of social and networking opportunities at the office. Getting to know people in the workplace fosters trust among co-workers, and telecommuting can dampen that atmosphere. Despite the drawbacks for telecommuters, workplace flexibility may help a company's bottom line in several ways.
Employer Advantages
Businesses save money on office space, equipment and office supplies when they employ telecommuters. Any reduced expenses allow more money for hiring employees, marketing, and research and development. Fewer expenses also means more revenue and greater profits. When staffers use less sick leave or vacation time, this saves money on benefits for workers.
A firm saves money on travel and relocation costs for employees by letting staffers work from home. Instead of paying for flights to conferences and networking events, businesses use videoconferencing and meeting room technology to have face-to-face contact with workers from all over the world.
Firms are able to find talent from greater geographic areas thanks to telecommuting. This allows companies to mine a greater labor pool to find the best possible workers. Interviews for these position can occur through remote technology instead of in person.
Talent retention also comes into play when it comes to productive employees. Many fantastic workers simply want a better way to juggle personal and professional lives, and employers that offer a telecommuting option have an advantage over ones that do not have this benefit. However, it's not all rosy for firms that want to give staffers this choice.
Employer Disadvantages
A lack of supervision of telecommuters may create wasted time and over-reported work hours. Companies can overcome this with an effective time-tracking tool that monitors a worker's time on a computer.
Cybersecurity is a huge issue for firms that have sensitive data. IT departments must ensure that staffers who work from home have the proper security protocols in place so data leaks do not occur. These procedures take some extra time, money and effort.
Equipment expenses may rise for employers that provide a telecommuting option. What happens to the equipment if this staffer quits? Luckily, these equipment expenses occur only once. Companies can create a benefit for employees who use their own equipment at home to help mitigate these costs.
Firms may need to spend extra money on team-building exercises so no one feels left out of the collaborative process. Computer programs and technology can alleviate this, but poor communication is one of the major pitfalls of telecommuting. Team leaders and executives must foster ways for telecommuters to become full-fledged members of the office as if they walk in the front door every Monday through Friday.
Telecommuting is not going away any time soon, and this way of working can benefit workers and companies if it is done correctly. Employers can conduct feasibility studies to determine if telecommuting works for them as part of an overall company culture.
Photo Courtesy of Instructional Computing at Flickr.com
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