Telecommuting Can Save Employers Money, Too
As I noted earlier this week, telecommuting can save employees money, especially as gasoline prices continue to rise. As I also noted, telecommuting can result in a more productive worker as well. And according to the Telework Research Network, companies could actually save $6,500 annually per employee. It could also save $600 billion a year for employees, companies and communities!
This was the finding of a recent survey that found that nearly 40 percent of Americans couldwork from home at least part-time. The study also found that companies across the nation could save $31 billion in reduced employee turnover, as remote workers tend to be happier, healthier, and less stressed compared to their office-bound co-workers.
Of course this study doesn’t address what the upfront cost is for a small business to let its workers go remote. For one thing, who pays for the broadband connection? How does IT resolve computer issues? But these upfront costs are just one factor that could be offset by other savings.
Telework Research Network also found that employee satisfaction for working from home could result in employees choosing the option to work remotely over a pay raise. In fact, more than a third of those surveyed would even take a pay cut for the option. Consider, too, that 14 percent of Americans have reportedly changed jobs just to shorten their commute, while 46 percent of companies that allow telework say it has reduced attrition, with 95 percent of employers noting that it has had a high impact on employee retention.
One issue for employers has been whether a telecommuting worker is really working, but consider this fact: Nearly 78 percent of employees who call in sick aren’t really sick. They do so because of family issues, personal needs, and stress. By working from home, the employee can take care of the problem or issue and actually get back to work – possibly working past normal “quitting” hours to finish his or her job. Likewise, employees who work from home tend actually to do some work while sick, instead of taking a full sick day, and they can do this work without infecting others.
Of course there are also some facts that maybe employers wouldn’t want their employees to know, either. Telework Research Network’s studies found that some remote workers actually put in more time weekly than those who commute. This is a fact to consider for those “clock watchers,” as they might tend not to watch the clock quite so much if they’re already home.
