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And, just for hell of it, I'll paste in my own personal list of why
telecommuting is a good thing ("RE/VO" is "remote employment / virtual
office"):
Benefits of RE/VO to Employers
>> Increased productivity from reduced absenteeism (no "snow days" for
home-office workers, plus a few extra hours from marginally s=
ick RE workers and parents of sick children who otherwise must take full sick
days).
>> Increased productivity when workers are freed from non-essential meetings and
office socializing/gossip, and when workers work in=
familiar, comfortable, quiet work environments.
>> Dramatically increased recruiting "reach," since RE/VO eliminates geographic
limits to employment, while worker benefits of RE/VO=
make employer much more attractive to prospective employees.
>> Financial savings from reduced demand for office space--typical space savings
of 80 to 120 sq. ft. per remote employee, not count=
ing savings in "common" space (lunch/break rooms, restrooms, etc.).
>> Financial savings and greater flexibility in choosing central-office location
(freedom to locate in less expensive areas).
>> Potential tax incentives (if gov'ts agree that the social benefits of RE/VO
justify such inducements).
>> Greater flexibility in staff size changes, since central-office facilities
are much less sensitive to RE staff size (e.g., can ad=
d 20 more employees without having to build a new wing or rent another suite, or
can lay off 20 and not have to deal with the newly =
vacant office space).
>> Greater flexibility in allocation of on-site facilities and resources.
>> Improved accuracy in employee performance evaluations based on net
productivity and quality of work.
>> Organization's RE/VO BBS can add another attractive channel to
customer/client support services (e-mail, and distrib channel for =
helpful info).
Benefits of RE/VO to Employees
>> Increased productivity when freed from non-essential meetings, office
socializing/gossip and office politics, and when working in=
familiar, comfortable, quiet work environment.
>> Greater fairness and accuracy in work performance evaluations based on
productivity and quality of work rather than by clock-punc=
hing.
>> Greatly increased flexibility in daily schedule, child-care/elder-care
arrangements, etc.
>> Flexibility for two-career couples to work for different employers many miles
apart (e.g., in different cities) without either ha=
ving to suffer a long commute.
>> Financial savings from greatly reduced commuting and at-work parking costs,
including substantial savings from increased longevit=
y of vehicles.
>> Financial savings from at-home vs. restaurant/deli lunches, at-home vs.
vending-machine snacks and beverages, and business-wardro=
be costs (savings can easily exceed $100 per month for full-time RE/VO workers).
>> Financial savings in mortgage or rent for residence in less-expensive (even
possibly rural) area.
>> Increased flexibility in residence location--e.g., can work at home in the
country (or in the woods, or at the lake, etc.), many =
miles away from urban employer.
>> Recovery of commuting hours (10%-20% of the work day for most workers).
>> Elimination of commuting aggravations (rush-hour traffic, parking, obnoxious
drivers, etc.).
Benefits of RE/VO to Society at Large
>> Fewer vehicle commuters consume fewer fossil fuels, reducing the demand for
this critical global resource, and also reducing the =
U.S. dependence on foreign oil.
>> Fewer vehicle commuters produce less air pollution.
>> Fewer vehicle commuters reduce traffic congestion and traffic accidents.
>> Fewer vehicle commuters reduce demand for urban parking facilities.
>> Fewer vehicle commuters reduce the need for road and highway construction and
maintenance (with a corresponding reduction in taxe=
s).
>> The widespread adoption of RE/VO arrangements could effectively reverse
urbanization, and thereby reduce or eliminate many of the=
social problems associated with the concentration of populations in urban
areas.
======================================================
Bob Morse e-mail: morse -at- inxpress -dot- net
Badger SoftWerks voice phone: 608-437-3348
Mt. Horeb, WI
