This subject came up in a conversation with a friend of mine who runs a sizable plumbing service company. This article will share the issues we discussed.
This subject came up in a conversation with a friend of mine who runs a sizable plumbing service company. A valued employee who worked as a dispatcher had just become a new mom and wanted to continue in her job working from home. It was possible to set up a computer terminal in her home tied to the company's service dispatch network. My friend asked my opinion whether he should go ahead. This article will share the issues we discussed.
In general, so-called telecommuting is becoming more and more prevalent for office workers throughout the business world. One study by the Dieringer Research Group found that the number of full-time employees allowed to work from home at least one day a month reached 9.9 million in the last year.
I'm one of them, by the way. I don't do it all the time, but some of my duties-including writing these articles-can be done at least as well and sometimes better from my home office, minus the distractions I face every day at work. For various reasons, I generally spend a couple or three days each month working from home rather than coming into the office.
Yet, there are down sides to this as well as advantages, which is why I'm not a full-time stay-at-home worker. I'll explain as we go along.
Telecommuting is usually seen as a perk to accommodate the needs of employees, such as parents of young children or those faced with elder care responsibilities. However, business owners also realize benefits, as follows:
Aids in recruitment and retention. In the case of the plumbing company dispatcher, there was a chance that if the owner didn't grant her request to work from home, she would look for another job in which she could. Every business owner seems to have trouble finding and retaining good people. If you can offer a telecommuting option, you expand your horizons to attract them. Telecommuting also opens doors to hire talented people who may be wheelchair-bound or otherwise disabled.
Reduces office expense. Companies that allow employees to work from home generally will realize a one-time expense of setting up telephone lines, computer, printer, fax, etc., at the employee's home. However, it also means the business can get by with less office space. That's a big potential savings over time. (I've heard of some companies insisting that work-from-home employees pay for their own office equipment. Bad idea, in my opinion. That means the employee owns it all, and if s/he quits or gets fired, you'll suddenly face the need to buy all the equipment for a replacement worker. Even worse, the former employee gets to keep everything stored in the computer, and that's not good. Unless it's an independent contracting arrangement, you need a signed agreement that if the employee leaves, s/he gives back all company-owned information and equipment, and in good working order.)
Reduces tardiness and absenteeism. Telecommuting employees don't get tied up in traffic jams or blizzards. They are more likely to shrug off the sniffles and put in a full day's work if they don't have to drive to the office.
Can be used as a trade-off with pay. The most affordable housing in major metropolitan areas tends to be located 25 to 50 miles outside the city limits. This means many employees of modest means face two-way daily commutes of 50 to 100 miles, with no alternative to the auto in most cases. This chews up one to two tanks of gas a week, along with serious costs of auto depreciation and maintenance. Plus, the need for daily business attire boosts clothing expense. Add all this up and working from home can be worth $5,000 a year or more in savings, which is something to keep in mind when negotiating pay scales. Plus, think of how much it's worth to a person to trade two hours of stressful rush hour traffic for two hours of free time each day.
All of this is to say that telecommuting is not just a favor to employees. It can be a win-win for the employer as well.