It adjusts to companies’ needs and provides employees with more flexibility. Telecommuting is becoming increasingly popular with employers, and rightly so—good reasons for adopting it abound.
Slowly but surely, telecommuting is catching on. According to the Centre francophone d’informatisation des organisations (CEFRIO), telecommuting in Canada increased from 600,000 to 1.5 million over the 1993 to 2002 period. In 2001, Canadian consulting firm Ekos conducted a survey that estimated the number of Canadians working primarily from home at 11%. While there is no particular legislative framework for telecommuting in Canada, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat implemented a “Telework Policy,” effective December 9, 1999. Government departments are required to periodically evaluate the implementation of this policy.
Many benefits for companies…
According to various studies, telecommuters working from home as part of a tightly knit team are more productive. Their concentration is greater, and absenteeism is significantly reduced. Similarly, the use of mobile technology allows nomad telecommuters to be more effective. Sales and technical support teams observe schedules more closely, enjoy greater flexibility for setting appointments and respond more quickly to clients’ needs. Finally, telecommuting provides more flexible management of jobs by allowing companies to deal with various events, e.g. office reorganization.
When telecommuting is considered and negotiated, it can contribute to the social well-being of companies. It entails a change in the management culture by modifying how workers’ activity is measured: with this new form of organization, work time becomes a less relevant indicator than the evaluation of results based on objectives.
Another non-negligible advantage of telecommuting is the modern image of the company it projects, which attracts young, qualified workers who care about finding a balance between their professional and personal lives.
Finally, if protecting the environment matters to you, good news: telecommuting is green! Allowing employees to work from home a few days a week reduces C02 emissions and produces energy savings (e.g. heating).
…and their workers
Independence, working at your own pace, choice of work hours, enhanced ability to meet family responsibilities. . . telecommuting provides employees with greater flexibility in organizing their work, and also reduces stress. Time savings can be significant as a result of eliminating travelling time to work. Breaking up the daily routine, and waking up later because traffic jams are no longer an issue are good ways of getting rid of accumulated fatigue and stress.
In addition, telecommuting seems to make it easier to adapt to a change in situation. Workers who are offered a new assignment but who do not wish to move could take advantage of telecommuting, by alternately working from home or in a centre close to their homes.
Finally, telecommuting facilitates the access to work of handicapped people. An evolution of the work environment that does not require the worker to be physically present on site opens new perspectives with respect to access to jobs or the creation of activities. Telecommuting thus becomes the only way of practising a professional activity for people with reduced mobility.
Still many pending issues
There are still many concerns involved with implementing telecommuting, however. The question of how to measure work time remains problematic—it is difficult to accurately determine the time actually worked by telecommuting employees. But attention, overwork is as real a risk as not enough work. It should be noted that employers are required to observe statutory breaks. In this respect, information technology provides a very effective way of tracking activity (e.g. time spent on the computer).
Secondly, the use of professional equipment is an issue. Once again, control is difficult, and numerous disputes may arise in relation to the costs of installation, maintenance and use, or with respect to use for possible illicit purposes. It is up to employers to pay particular attention to determining their degree of liability. Another issue being debated is the security of computer systems: what steps need to be taken to secure work done outside the office? The risks are many, and as such, it is critical to rethink the company’s entire information system architecture, which generates costs.
Many employers also fear not being able to properly manage their employees if they are not physically present. Employees, for their part, may fear losing contact with their company and finding themselves marginalized.
Let’s keep in mind, however, that a physical presence does not guarantee the quality of work, the appropriate use of material, or even effective communication between coworkers. Absolute control of the activities of employees does not exist, unless one is continually looking over their shoulder! Telecommuting remains an increasingly appealing solution for companies interested in enhancing their cost-effectiveness while maintaining good working conditions.