Businesses, federal government embrace telecommuting

Multinational Internet corporation Yahoo! Inc. announced Feb. 22 via company memo it would no longer allow its 11,500 employees to telecommute, a move counter to the recent trend of employers offering the option of working from home and other flexible working arrangements.

“I don’t think we service a single company that doesn’t want some form of telecommuting or remote access,” said JMark Business Solutions Inc. President and CEO Thomas Douglas, of the company’s more than 200 clients. “Whether it be working from home on a snow day, a CEO checking their email at night or true telecommuting – it’s in demand right now.”

The number of people who work at home has increased steadily, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2010, 9.5 percent of the U.S. workforce worked from home at least one day a week and, of those, about 25 percent were in management, business or finance.

Recently, more companies are encouraging telecommuting. Through the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010, the U.S. government is promoting telework to cut down on commute times, decrease traffic congestion, require less space at offices and let employees work flexible hours.

According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management 2012 Status of Telework in the Federal Government report to Congress, 684,589 agency employees had been determined eligible to telework, resenting almost 32 percent of the 2.16 million employee population. The report also found greater participation among females, with 24 percent, compared to 18 percent of males.

The trend continues to spread with Americans taking part in Telework Week March 4–8, an annual global effort that encourages companies to telework to improve productivity, reduce traffic and greenhouse gas emissions and aid in personnel retention.

More than 135,000 pledged to telework this year, compared to 71,000 in 2012. Telecommuters saved an estimated $12.2 million and removed 7,872 tons of pollutants from the air during the week. If all pledges teleworked for a full year, they would collectively save $612 million, according to Mobile Work Exchange, the business that supports the effort.

On the go
Springfield Paper Co. General Manager Kevin Smith knows the value of telecommuting for his sales staff. Of the Springfield-based company’s 20 employees, five currently telecommute daily, a move Smith said was vital.

“We don’t want the sales representatives in the office. We want them out selling,” he said. “They can work more efficiently when they have the tools to do their jobs correctly.”

Kicking off in July 2012, Smith brought the 107-year-old company into the new millennium by investing $100,000 in a new computer and software system, a redesigned website design and tablet PCs for each sales representative.

“The ability to allow our sales representatives to telecommute was a big part in deciding on the upgrade,” he said. “Since then, we’e seen positive growth in our customer base as a result.”

Springfield Paper contracted with JMark on its new system, an effort Douglas said is about more than just new computers.

“If you are going to have telecommuters, you have to do it properly and securely,” he said of the virtual private network JMark set up for Springfield Paper. “There are cheaper ways to telework, but working securely and correctly requires an investment.”

According to the U.S. government report, the top three reasons offices don’t telecommute are management resistance, outdated technology and security concerns. Douglas said as a younger generation shifts into a management role, resistance has gone out the window.

“Everyone is so connected today. It just makes sense to be able to work anywhere, and people want that ability,” he said.

Springfield Paper sales representative Tiffany Sarmiento said telecommuting gives her the ability to be in more than one place at a time.

“My territory goes as far out as Clinton, but when I’m in another town, I still need to conduct business in Springfield,” she said. “I don’t feel as tied down to the office. I can be out there on the street where the people are.”

Despite stereotypes that telecommuters sit at home in their pajamas all day, Sarmiento said she typically works a normal 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. day and finds her work time outside the office more productive.

“I typically check in at the office each morning, but I know I accomplish more telecommuting than I did sitting at a desk,” she said. “I’m focused on my work, not those small office distractions, which can really add up.”[[In-content Ad]]