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Teleworking
"work
is something you do, not something you travel to"
-Leonhard, Woody, The
Underground Guide to Telecommuting, Addison-Wesley
1995
Teleworking, also referred
to as telecommuting, is the act of working without going to
the office, and thereby avoiding commute trips. It's
one solution to traffic congestion caused by single-car commuting,
and the resulting air pollution and petroleum use.
A successful telecommuting
program requires a management style based on results and not
on close scrutiny of individual employees, management by objectives
as opposed to management by observation. According to a 2001
Employment Policy Foundation Study (www.epf.org),
25 million working Americans worked at home once a month and
19.8million (15%) of those workers worked at home once a week.
This indicates that the teleworking is a growing trend.
The benefits effect both
the employee and the employer, especially those who face large
operating costs related to the need for a central office.
For the employee, initial investments in the network infrastructure
and hardware are balanced by the potential for increased productivity.
Employees working from home experience overall greater well-being
as they spend more quality time with their family and endure
less travel-related stress.
Telework flexibility is a desirable prerequisite for future
employees. A 2008 Robert Half International Financial Hiring
Index, a survey of 1,400 CFOs by recruitment firm Robert Half
International, indicated that 13% consider telework the best
recruiting incentive today.
Software has become available
for employers and employees to use so that users can access
their work PC desktop from any internet-ready computer. (e.g.
GoToMyPC, LogMeIn, VNC, etc.)
FlexScheduling
Increasingly, innovative
companies are discovering the benefits of FlexScheduling,
which typically includes Flextime and Compressed
Work Weeks.
Flextime is when employers
allow flexible or staggered work hours for employees.
This allows employees to avoid commuting during peak traffic
times, making for a faster, less stressful commute. Employees
enjoy an easier commute, while employers can able to stretch
work shifts and reduce parking demand.
Compressed Work Weeks
are weeks where employee can work more hours per day, in order
to work less days per week. This allows employees
an extra non-working day once
a week, typically, when they avoid
commute trips all together.
This would also reduce parking demand for the employer during
the week.
For more information on setting-up
a telework or flextime program for your business visit the
Let's
Ride Program website!
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