ways2work > How to do it > Re-thinking commuting > Reducing commuting through ICT > Benefits of teleworking > Benefits to managers and organisations
Benefits to managers and organisations
Benefits for managers and organisations are considered together here because they are often closely aligned, especially in small companies.
One set of benefits for managers and organisations arises from more productive staff. Teleworkers are very likely to be more productive than office workers for a number of reasons.
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Teleworkers suffer less distraction and interruption at home and they often work through some if not all of their commute time. BT reports teleworkers' being 15 to 30 % more productive than office workers’. In a US survey for Microsoft, 60% of those surveyed said they were more productive and efficient when working remotely. The UK Telework Association asked 350 teleworkers in 2009 if they were more productive working from home, and 85 % said they were
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Teleworkers appreciate well-implemented teleworking arrangements and are more likely to 'go the extra mile' when a productivity boost is required (TfL)
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Teleworkers can, within agreed limits, work the hours of the day that they are most productive. They may also, with greater ease than in the office, be able to take a refreshing nap
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Telework reduces absenteeism. Staff feeling unwell can take a few hours off rather than a whole day (BT)
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Working at home can mean that staff are accessible outside normal working hours to provide customer contact and support
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Field workers do not have to come into the office and so often travel less.
Another set of benefits for a managers and organisations is about attracting and retaining staff.
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The employee benefits of teleworking reviewed above are reasons that employers who offer teleworking are seen as employers of choice. People may join that employer in preference to others. They may stay with that employer rather than moving on
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Staff who might otherwise have to resign because of parenting or caring responsibilities can be retained (BT). As can staff who have to move home. Staff who due to disability would find office work or commuting difficult can work at home. Older staff considering retirement might stay on if they don't have to commute
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Managers and organisations can recruit staff from a wider area than would be possible if regular commuting had to be considered. It is also possible to have staff located at particular locations (for example, near key customers) which are outside a regular commuting distance
Another benefit for managers and organisations arises from the changing nature of work.
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Telework is an example of the more autonomous, technologically-enabled, remote and mobile working that many predict will be how most knowledge-based is conducted in years to come. Through experience of telework, managers and the organisation get a foothold on the future of work
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Telework also introduces managers and the organisation to the concepts and processes of post-geographic, location-independent work. Employing or managing staff who telework makes the prospect of remote collaboration with distant partners, suppliers or customers less daunting
Another set of benefits for managers and organisations is the ability to continue with work in the face of disruption. This is known as maintaining business continuity. As long as servers and networks can be maintained, teleworking allows people to work during severe weather, disease epidemics, and disruption to places, buildings and transport. For example:
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very severe snowfalls around Washington DC in February 2010 led to teleworking being recommended by the US Government's Office of Personnel Management and being endorsed by President Obama (Reference)
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an article in Personnel Today advises human resources departments to plan for a 2010 rail strike by having people work at home. It also mentions similar preparedness for snow and ice
The final set of benefits is for organisations rather than managers and is to do with costs.
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If staff or managers telework full-time, they do not need office accommodation. If they telework less than full-time the organisation should consider a hot desking arrangement. This means that an individual does not have a permanent desk, but has a time-share in a smaller pool of desks. Thus there is a reduction in office space which can reduce the cost of premises. Heating, lighting and cooling for unoccupied offices or floors can be shut down. As a further step there can be consolidation into fewer or smaller buildings
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The impact of teleworking on office costs should particularly be considered at times of change. If two organisations merge, are both sets of buildings necessary? If an organisation grows, is extra space really needed? If opening an office in another part of the country, is quite such a big office necessary? One of the earliest teleworking programmes in the UK started in 1992 when an office building burned down and was replaced with one half its size
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Travel costs are also likely to be reduced. Employees and managers involved with teleworking are likely to have a better understanding of the way in which ICT can make travel for meetings unnecessary. So the organisation has less travel expense
