Telecommuting Benefits Documented

Many employers have discovered the benefits of allowing employees to work at home through telecommuting programs. Employers have found telecommuting boosts productivity, helps attract and retain valuable/experienced workers, maintains or increases employee loyalty, and lessens sick leave and absenteeism.

Companies agree there are sound business reasons for implementing telecommuting regardless of their original motivation for doing so.

In an evaluation of the State of Arizona's telecommuting program, senior managers cited increased efficiency, greater productivity, and enhanced employee morale as the greatest program benefits.

An assessment of 12 pilot telework programs, which operated in either the private or public sectors (including Apple Computer, AT&T, and the State of California) found that, "by all measures, productivity changes were positive". The Travelers Insurance Company says their telecommuters are 20 percent more productive.

"Despite its appeal from a technology standpoint, telecommuting is really a business solution to business problems," says Gil Gordon of Gil Gordon Associates, an acknowledged expert in the implementation of telecommuting and telework. "Both the employer and the employee can come out ahead in such a situation, something we don't have an opportunity to see happen very often.”