Telecommuting
ENG122
July 14, 2014
Telecommuting a Growing Trend
With today's technology, a telecommuter’s office is no longer restricted to the walls of their workplace. The traditional workplace has seen many changes in the past decade, among which telecommuting stands out as the most promising trend to grow. With that in mind, the most important factor for telecommuting to be successful is communication. Including, technologies such as computers with high-speed internet email, voicemail, fax, and video conferencing has made staying in contact with the office much easier to do. Working at home is a job opportunity that many workers would dream about ...view middle of the document...
Undoubtedly, telecommuting is an emerging trend in the workplace. It has been a great advantage for the family and many of my extended family members, giving the opportunity only to commute to the workplace once a week. In addition, the U.S. federal agencies are providing some family friendly policies that include alternative work schedules, part-time employment, job sharing, and telecommuting or telework. Not driving into the office daily is what attracts many that want to work from home.
Technology has changed the workplace a good deal in the past ten years and is advancing at a fast pace. As a result, conducting work from home one or more days a week has had a positive effect on many people, such as, being a more efficient worker, better concentration, less stress, and better family life. In addition, another great benefit of offering a choice to telecommute in the workplace is the broader talent pool. You will get job candidates that once lived too far are now available for that job. Many of the companies that made the “100 Best Companies to Work For†allows employees to work from home at least 20% of the time. The ability to telecommute has helped employees obtain balance between work and home responsibilities, which has resulted in them having more control of their family and home lives.
Meanwhile, the Eurescom project did a study on the influence telework has on one's quality of life. The three main factors used when studying teleworkers include control, flexibility, and concentration (Eurescom 2001). Control includes self-determination, autonomy, freedom, lack of personal initiative, and judgment. Flexibility includes complete flexibility, work hours flexibility, and flexibility in the workplace. Concentration involves easy concentrating, easily distracted, or noisy home office. The conclusion of the study revealed teleworkers are more productive, because of the flexible work schedules, and because of improved concentration at home and control over how the works performed.
A few of the companies that have successfully implemented flexible work arrangements include Pitney Bowes, IBM Corporation, AT & T, Merrill Lynch, U.S. federal agencies and Cigna. IBM is one of the most progressive companies for developing groundbreaking training and telecommuting arrangements (Hamilton, 2002). In addition, IBM Corporation implemented the telecommuting program in 1992 and has now reduced its need for central office space by two million square feet. In addition, cities such as New York require fewer commuters driving on the city streets during rush hour. As a result, this has forced many companies like Merrill Lynch to start their own telecommuting program. This continual rise in telecommuting is likely due to the growth of wireless internet access, cost of rising fuel and commuting. Now employers are more willing to embrace work-life balance. Most telecommuters would discover that working from home is a more comfortable...
