Is Telework for Your Business?

Telecommuting, telework or remote work is here to stay as many businesses embrace the practice.

The COVID-19 pandemic was the most expansive remote work experiment ever conducted. The crisis forced businesses to quickly pivot to enable employees to work from home. The lessons learned have revealed what many remote working advocates have been saying, teleworking does hold benefits for many businesses as well as for their employees.

Key Benefits of Working From Home

• Positive Environmental Impact. The impact of reducing commutes can be significant. For example, Verizon has been utilizing remote work for over a decade. The company “found that over six months, the employees avoided 10,680 hours (445 days) of commuting time. By March 2011, they avoided driving 62,000 miles. Fewer than 200 Verizon employees saved more than 18,000 gallons of fuel through teleworking in just six months.” Savings in office space can be even more significant
• Better Work-Life Balance Less commute stress. Remote work is a long-sought-after employee benefit. Studies and reports over the last two decades have shown increased productivity, higher employee engagement, and higher levels of key performance metrics for companies that maintain a robust remote policy. 
• Location Independence. A key benefit is resilience in having a distributed workforce. In an era of climate change, regional disruptions may become frequent, think power outages and weather events. Having remote employees in different locations allows for continuity of operations and the ability to overcome unexpected setbacks. There is also the benefit of a much larger recruiting pool to be able to hire the best team members regardless of location.
• More Inclusive. With more of the workforce under age 30, businesses need to do more to attract the younger generation. These workers often have critical, high demand skills and are generally more comfortable with the technology of telework. The benefits can be just as important for older employees who may want to work from home in semi-retirement while still contributing their skills and experience to the organization.
• Savings on commercial office space and parking. These are real dollars that can be converted for use to enhance the mission, reward and attract employees, and reinvest in future products and services. Yes, business will spend more on technology, but are saving money elsewhere. Prior to the pandemic, employers saved an average of $11,000 per half-time remote employee. Extrapolate that to a full year and every remote worker is reducing company costs by $22,000.
• Employees will save additional money, too. A recent FlexJobs survey shows the average remote worker saves $4,000 per year by not spending money on gas, coffee, lunches and more clothes for their wardrobe.

There are challenges with making the move toward a permanent remote work model, however, due to the realities of 2020, we are now in a better position to address them and be able to take advantage of all the benefits.

Establishing a Telework Policy is an important step. The policy will set clear expectations with employees, when they should be available during office hours, expectations for meeting deadlines, completing projects, and maintaining communication with their manager and co-workers.

Of course, teleworking is not for every business, but for those with office staff, this can be a beneficial new tool on the path towards sustainability.

Central Ohio Employer Telework Policy Guide

The State of Ohio’s stay-at-home orders prompted many businesses to implement teleworking policies. Teleworking can be viewed as working anywhere but the business’ designated office space. Once the stay-at-home orders had been lifted, both employers and employees have recognized that teleworking will likely continue to be utilized by businesses. Given the prevalence of teleworking, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), central Ohio’s designated metropolitan planning organization (MPO), as well as Smart Columbus, conducted a Central Ohio Telework Survey. The Survey, which was primarily taken by MORPC’s 70+ member municipalities, demonstrated that teleworking is likely here to stay. With that in mind, MORPC crafted the ensuing telework policy guide to help businesses transition into an effective teleworking environment.

Download the MORPC Employer Telework Policy Guide

Has your business considered or implemented a telework policy? How are you exploring telework opportunities? Comment below and share your thoughts.