Telecommuting is neither the novelty it was two decades ago nor the complete solution to traffic and parking woes promised by some in the 1990s. “Telecommuting has been more of an evolution, not a revolution,” says Gil Gordon, a telecommuting expert based in Monmouth Junction, N.J. and cited in a July 5 Seattle Post-Intelligencer article.
Telecommuting—or telework—has not rescued us all from the 9-5 office, but don’t leap to the conclusion that it is a failure or on the decline. With 12 million teleworking employees in the U.S., it is a practical and valuable application forecasted to continue increasing at a modest rate. “Telework has evolved into a growing acceptance of flexible work schedules and locations that answer a variety of employer and employee needs,” says Steve Gerritson, Commuter Challenge Executive Director. “When telework addresses a business need and receives corporate and managerial support, the benefits far outweigh any costs.”
In 1996, Commuter Challenge sponsored research into the attitudes of major King County employers toward telework. Not sure of specific, measurable business impacts other than “keeping employees happy,” employers were allowing but not actively promoting work at home. Since then the number of teleworkers reported at major King County work sites has more than tripled. But a 2002 national study commissioned by the American Business Collaboration for Quality Dependent Care, a group of nine large corporations, indicates that many employers still have the same sense of laissez faire when it comes to telework.
The study suggests that more than 80% of the workforce has experienced working over a distance with colleagues. On the other hand, few companies provide training or guidelines for addressing off-site work issues; and few support off-site workers with the same levels of infrastructure, communication or technology that on-site staff receives. With input from 2,057 employees, managers and family members, the study is titled, “When the Workplace is Many Places: The Extent and Nature of Off-Site Work Today.” The summary is at www.abcdependentcare.com/docs/pubs.shtml.
Key findings and conclusions:
- The most common barrier to an effective “everywhere workplace” is an out of sight, out of mind” culture and not technology. The report advises developing a technology plan that fosters communication not just connectivity.
- While only 12% of managers nationwide have received any training on how to manage off-site employees, 92% of managers who were trained found it greatly helped manage off-site workers better. The survey findings suggest that this may be the single most important and high-impact action companies can take to make off-site arrangements even more successful.
- Employers should consciously replace the office-centered model of work with a mental model of an omni-site extended network, in which distinctions of on- and off-site disappear—and no one is considered remote.
- Companies that correct the weaknesses in managing off-site work and draw on its strengths will find clear advantages: heightened employee commitment, increased retention of key talent, reduced stress levels, and even possibly improved management effectiveness.
|
Did you know?
|