Overall, teleworkers more
productive, happy at work
VandenBury agreed and said that besides being able to stay home with the kids and work at the same time, she enjoys the flexibility and convenience of her job. Because she is her own boss, she said, her hours vary depending on the time of year and what needs to be done.
“It depends on the workload when I want to start and when I want to be done,” she said, adding that she is more productive because she has everything she needs to do her job at her fingertips.
VandenBury is the company accountant and is in charge of things like paying bills, monthly reports, payroll and meeting with insurance companies. She says most of her work is done over the phone and through fax and e-mail.
“It’s nice because I don’t have to waste time going into the office for a few little things,” she said.
Giving employees the option to telecommute is not only beneficial to the worker but also to the employer. There is a 45 percent higher productivity rate among teleworkers as opposed to employees who work in an office, Rhodes said. She attributes this to distractions in the office and office politics.
“The employee satisfaction rate among those who telecommute is 25 percent higher then those who don’t,” she said. “This leads to increased productivity.”
Workingmother.com listed the 100 best employers for working mothers. One of the factors they considered when making the list was the flexibility of hours. Teleworking is highly sought after by these working mothers.
SC Johnson, based out of Racine, made the list. Twenty-five percent of its workers are allowed to telecommute.
“Employers are seeing this as a business necessity rather than a business strategy,” Rhodes said of giving workers the option of teleworking. She added that employees are using this as a hiring strategy.
There are some downfalls to telecommuting, however.
“There is the issue of trust,” Rhodes said. “When employers give an employee the option of working from home, they have to be sure that employee is dependable and can manage their time well.”
Since giving workers the option to telecommute is still a fairly new concept, it is not always easy for companies to monitor their employees, but Rhodes said employers are putting guidelines in place to make it easier to track.
Ruff said one thing he misses about working from an office is the interaction with his co-workers.
“There was a certain camaraderie that you don’t get when you work from home,” he said.
Ruff added that teleworking is not for everybody and it takes a fairly organized person to make it productive and successful.
“If you can stay on task, the distractions are very minimal,” he said.
VandenBury also said working for a company from home can lead to some communication barriers.
“A good percentage of our communication is nonverbal,” she said of her interactions with co-workers. “Because of this, you lose a little momentum.”
Technological advances have also contributed to the growth of telecommuting. Internet, cell phones and other technology has made it possible for people to work for companies in different states or even different countries.
Greg Cylkowski is a self-employed sports analyst in Little Canada, Minn.
He is constantly on the phone with clients organizing events, and said he doesn’t know what he would do without his cell phone.
“It’s how my clients get a hold of me,” he said, “Without it, I would miss important calls and nothing would ever get done.”
Cylkowski is also always on the go, and when he is out of the office, he said, it is imperative that people can still reach him.
VandenBury also relies heavily on technology as her main mode of communication with clients and co-workers. She said she communicates via fax and e-mail. VandenBury lives in Seymour and works with people all over Wisconsin.
She said that because she doesn’t see her co-workers very often, it is important that she can still be in contact with them.
“My cell phone and computer are vital for my job,” she said.
Ruff also relies on his phone and computer to complete his work.
“Technology has made it easier to have a home office,” Ruff said.
According to a report by The Dieringer Research Group, “Telework findings for 2005,” about the same number of men and women, and significantly more people who are married or living together, tend to telework. The report also found that significantly more teleworkers work for organizations with fewer than 100 employees.
Telecommuting is here to stay and on the rise. Rhodes said the numbers have been rising, and she believes they will continue to rise in the future. Many employees see telecommuting as an attractive option.
VandenBury said the numerous benefits of working from her home outweigh the downfalls.
"I get to work in my pajamas," she said.
Links:
Read about telecommuting at the International Telework Association and Council Web site:
www.workingfromanywhere.org