Telecommuting

1
Telecommuting
2
Summary Slide

• What is Telecommuting
• Current Status
• Types of Telecommuting
• Impact to Individuals (possitive)
• Impact to Individuals (negative)
• Impact to Business
• Impact on Working Parents
• Impact on the Disabled
• Impact to Society and Environment
• Impact on International Business
• The Safety of Telecommuting
• The Telecommuter Profile
• Telecommuting Technologies

3
What is Telecommuting

• Telecommuting is the use of computers and
  telephones to enable an employee to work off-site
  and outside the traditional workplace. This could
  include working partially, like one to three days
  a week from home, or working entirely at home
  corresponding when necessary with the employer
• Making use of information and communication
  technologies to practice some form of remote
  working
• Telecommuting is moving the work to the workers
  instead of the workers moving to work
• Flex-work
• Term was coined by Jack Nilles in 1973
• Telecommuting centers

4
Current Status

• In 1995 9 million Americans telecommuted and in
  2002 29.7 million
• 28.9 of American businesses practice
  telecommuting
• 15-20 growth annually

5
Types of Telecommuting

• Cisco Systems classifies telecommuters in three
  types
• Day extender
• Part-time teleworker
• Full-time teleworker

6
Impact to Individuals (possitive)

• More time at home with family (30 minutes - 2
  hours/day)
• Money Savings (150/month on clothing)
• Decreased sick time
• Increases pool of possible employers (not
  confined to small geographic area)
• Improved morale
• Improves relationship with supervisor by 43
• Improves quality of life 10 hours/week to spent
  with family, personal growth activities, sleep,
  happier
• Lowers stress
• Care for people at home (kids, elderly)

7
Impact to Individuals (negative)

• Lack of social contact
• Do not participate in group projects
• Work hours become longer
• Difficulties balancing work and personal life
• Difficulties drawing a line between work and home
• Distractions
• Lack of assistance

8
Impact to Business

• Could utilize abilities of the disabled
• Reduction of capital expenditures
• Harder working employees
• Increased productivity by 20 25
• Lower turnover rates
• Cost Savings (ATT saved 10,000/year from each
  telecommuter and Merrill Lynch 10,000 through
  lower absenteeism alone)
• Safety issues from telework
• Possibility of loosing control over employees
• Gratitude effect
• Hoteling

9
Impact on Working Parents

• Impact on the Individual discussed above and,
• Allows parents to participate in school
  activities
• Care for the elderly
• Nursing mothers (feeding, pumping breast milk)
• 74 of telecommuting workforce are couples

10
Impact on the Disabled

• 52 of the 54 million disabled Americans suffer
  from mobility disabilities
• In 2001, 4.3 billion was spent out to Social
  Security recipients (10 million young and
  disabled Americans receive Social Security
  disability)
• U.S. Department of Labor introduced 2.4 million
  in grants for telework programs administered by
  the Office of Disability Policy
• New technologies help (infrared headsets, voice
  recognition etc)

11
Impact to Society and Environment

• Savings of 1.2 million gallons of fuel per week
  for every 10 of workers telecommuting (11 of
  energy in Japan is wasted through delays)
• Yearly Telecommuting Cost Savings in the US is
  estimated at 23 billion
• Less congested roads (road rage)
• Fewer accidents
• More free parking lots
• Less cost in building and maintaining highways
• People move away from the city creating areas of
  de-forested land
• May increase cabin-fever trips
• Increase in high-tech waste in landfills

12
Impact on International Business

• Lower cost cost in face-to-face meetings is 7
  times more expensive than conference calls
• Less time traveling (average time flying is 10
  hours)
• Items described in previous slides also apply here

13
The Safety of Telecommuting

• Reducing risk of traffic related injury
• Children stay at home with parents
• Terrorist acts
• Employer is responsible for telecommuters safety
  
• Home safety inspections (fire, electrical,
  equipment, home office space, air quality,
  accident sources)
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration
  (OSHA) guidelines

14
The Telecommuter Profile

• Telecommuters earn on the average whitle colar
  worker
• Telecommuters work in small companies (65 in
  companies of less than 100 employees)
• Telecommuters are concentrated in service
  industries like health care (13), education
  (9), architecture/engineering (8.8),
  communications (8.8)
• Telecommuters are accountants, bookkeepers,
  programmers (best fit jobs for telecommuting)
• Telecommuters understand technology (or so we
  hope)
• Telecommuters are self motivated, results
  oriented, self disciplined and have good time
  management skills

15
Telecommuting Technologies

• Telecommuting usually involves all the elements
  of a Computer Based Information System, including
  hardware, software, telecommunications, data,
  procedures and people
• Hardware Computer, Printer
• Software Job specific
• TelecommunicationsPhone lines, Modems, Fax
  machines, Videoconferencing equipment
• Data Access to databases
• Procedures Related to telecommuting
• People That make telecommuting happen (not only
  telecommuters)