What is TeleCommuting Meaning - Part 2

In addition, telecommuting reduces family related stress by allowing involvement with family and flexibility in location of a remote worksite.  

Working in the home offers people a greater opportunity to share quality time with family members, to promote family values and develop stronger family ties and unity.  

Also, time saved through telecommuting could be spent with family members constructively in ways that promote and foster resolution of family problems.  

Since the actual location a telecommuter works from isn't relevant, the person could actually move to another town.  

This would alleviate the stress caused when a spouse has an opportunity to pursue his or her career in another town and must choose between a new opportunity or no opportunity, because their spouse does not want to or cannot change employment.  

If either person could telecommute, the decision would be much easier.

     Also, telecommuting promotes safety by reducing high way use by people rushing to get to work.  

There are thousands of traffic-related deaths every year and thousands more people severely injured trying to get to work.  In addition there is substantial property loss associated with traffic accidents that occur as people take chances in order to make the mad dash from home to the office.  

Often times people have mad the trip so often that they are not really alert, often falling asleep and frequently becoming frustrated by the insistence that they come into the office every day, when, in fact, most, if not all of their work could be accomplished from their home or sites much closer to their home.

     Telecommuting, however does have its disadvantages.  The most obvious disadvantage is the overwhelming cost of starting a telecommuting program.  

A study by Forrester Research, Inc. reveals "that it costs $30,000 to $45,000 a head to" train prospective telecommuters.  

After the first year, however, "per-user spending [is] cut to about $4,000", also,  "employees are starting to see telecommuting policies as a benefit, and companies offering it will be more competitive."  Another disadvantage is the psychological impact is may have on employees.  

"Executives who have labored for years to win such corporate status symbols as secretaries and luxurious corner offices are reluctant to shed their hard-won perks."  Some employees also complain that their "creativity... has been dampened" by lack of interaction with their co-workers.

     Despite the disadvantages, though, telecommuting is a viable option to any future plan to preserve and protect our environment from encroachment and pollution caused by auto emissions and the consumption of land by enlarged highways and an increasing area for parking.  A telecommuting program can be put in place by following a few tips from Mindy Blodgett in her article "Lower costs spur move to more telecommuting":

          "Form a telecommuting team that includes technical experts, upper managers and human resources staff, and assign a telework coordinator."

          "Contact other companies to learn from their experiences."

          "Train participants and supervisors."

          "Monitor the program through surveys before and after a pilot."

     Measuring productivity in actual dollars is difficult.  The actual productivity is best measured by the satisfaction and enjoyment by employees.

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