As technology advances in many
areas of business, there are different avenues to consider when looking for
ways to maximize production resulting in higher profitability.
Telecommuting has become more
popular throughout organizations as it allows businesses to broaden their
employee hiring capabilities on a global reach, reduce overhead costs, and
encourage productivity among existing employees. Employees are more motivated when they feel
their company is considerate of their everyday life outside of the office. For example, if a stay at home parent can
work out of the house and not worry about full time day care costs, they will
feel more inclined to work harder and possibly for a longer period of time. For recruitment purposes, businesses that
have one office can consider hiring people all around the world and expand
their customer base by having sales staff and production teams locally to their
customers. Having employees in different
time zones allows productivity to continue all throughout the day and
night. If there are not as many
employees in a specific facility, companies can consider downsizing their
working space, equipment needs, and other real estate related costs including
but not limited to:
·
Utilities – there will not be as high of a demand
on electricity, water, and gas
·
Infrastructure – wiring and cabling, phones and
computers
·
Maintenance – a smaller building will require
less man hours and materials for cleaning
Another perk to telecommuting is
during disasters, employees can continue their work if they have everything
they need accessible to their home or remote work space.
There are a few caveats to telecommuting
that should be considered before implementing this type of policy:
· Hiring the
right type of employee: Although you cannot micromanage staff that is
working off site (unless you have a nanny cam), you want to make sure you
permit responsible and professional staff to work remotely.
· Expenses:
An employee working off site will need equipment to connect to corporate and
communicate with the outside world. It
is important to determine if these items are employee purchased and expensed or
company provided, paid and maintained. Depending on how you choose to proceed, keep in mind security issues,
policies, and liabilities.
· Compensation
and Benefits: Is the employee hourly or salary? Who is liable if there is an accident at a
remote site?
· Team Work:
When employees work remotely it may be difficult to engage with other team
members or have group meetings. One thing
to consider is setting up social media links such as a corporate Facebook or
other chat room type settings. This can
create a virtual “water cooler” where employees can chat about their work or
discuss projects with coworkers and feel like they are part of a team.
The decision to allow for telecommuting
should not be taken lightly. A formal
policy should be developed expressing the rules and potential penalties for
non-compliance. It might also be a good
idea to have a trial group of employees to see how things go. However business looking for that edge to
attract motivated employees, should consider it.
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