In the past, telecommuting was mainly considered a way for employees to save money and time by avoiding a long commute to work. Businesses have often been uneasy about telecommuting, expecting employees to slack off without proper supervision. Increasingly, however, employers are opting to pay employees to work from home. In fact, a recent experiment at Stanford University actually showed that worker productivity improved with telecommuting. Here’s a look at how businesses can get more done by letting employees telecommute.
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Greater Job Satisfaction
As any manager knows, happy employees are often better workers, and working at home can put many employees into a more productive state of mind during the workday. It is no surprise that workers who telecommute report greater job satisfaction. Instead of looking for excuses to avoid more work, telecommuters often have a greater sense of control over their output, resulting in an improved work ethic. By working from home, employees can more easily balance time spent between work and family. Telecommuters are also less likely to be absent from work. In the end, more work gets done, and the results are often higher quality.
No More Miserable Commutes
By the time many employees get to work, they’re a bit worn down by an extended commute in busy traffic. Naturally, this can result in decreased performance, especially in the mornings. When workers are allowed to telecommute, they can skip the commute and dive right into the work ahead of them. This results in more time to complete work-related tasks and also more time to devote to family matters at the end of the day.
Part-Time Telecommuting
Not every employee is suited to the independent work atmosphere involved in telecommuting, and many employees enjoy spending time with coworkers. For this reason, many managers choose to have employees telecommute part-time, perhaps one or two days a week. Even this smaller amount of telecommuting can improve productivity and make the difference between a good worker and a great one.
Financial Efficiency
Employers can save between 30 to 70 percent in expenses on employees who telecommute just part-time. Certain jobs may be difficult to fill, but offering telecommuting can be an attractive benefit to job-seekers. When projects are nearing deadline, telecommuters are often more open to working long hours in the comfort of home. This can include parents, whose responsibilities at home can make onsite work difficult or impossible at times. As more households include two working parents, this can also make it possible for employers to retain top workers who otherwise might have had to quit or take another job that offers telecommuting.
Online Data Centers
The growing use of online data centers is one major reason why companies are becoming more open to telecommuting. According to our Atlanta data storage experts, a benefit of online data centers and cloud services is that they enable companies to store information securely on their servers – which can then be accessed by employees from work or home. This way, retention of sensitive data doesn’t depend on employees keeping up with hard drives, laptops or storage disks. With data centers, companies can save money not only by eliminating costly onsite data storage but also by enabling low-cost, hassle-free telecommuting.
For the best results in telecommuting, employers should choose workers with a proven track record of performance and responsibility. This way, companies can take full advantage of the cost-efficiency and productivity of telecommuting made easier by online data centers. As cloud storage continues to grow, telecommuting is likely to become more popular with the savvy employers of today.
About the Author
Ebele Okocha is a business and technology writer with an interest in the modern work environment. She is a contributing author for Atlanta data centers provider, Quality Technology Services, the third largest IT infrastructure firm in the United States.