The Quiet Success: Telecommuting's Impact on Transportation and Beyond

Telecommuting is the only commute mode, besides single occupancy driving, which has increased its market share since 1980. According to a November, 2005 Reason Foundation study, "The Quiet Success: Telecommuting's Impact On Transportation And Beyond", telecommuting is uniquely suited to compete with solo driving to and from work. No matter how fast driving alone might be, it will never be faster than avoiding the trip entirely.

Telecommuting offers cost-effective congestion relief by, in effect, creating additional highway capacity by taking cars off the road. The study found that telecommuting has a considerable effect on traffic, with a 10 percent reduction in delays for every 3 percent of commuters who work at home during peak travel times. Citing census data that says telecommuters are more likely to be car owners, the study reasons that if the option to telecommute were to suddenly disappear most telecommuters would be likely to start driving alone in their cars again.

Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk Named Best Cities For Telecommuting
Hartford Ranked 3rd Best In US, While New Haven Placed 6th

The Intel Corporation recently released a study, conducted by Sperling’s BestPlaces, spotlighting cities across the country that hold the greatest potential for telecommuting.

Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut were named the medium metropolitan area "Best City for Teleworking" in America. In all, three of the top six medium sized metro areas with the most telecommuting potential are in Connecticut, with Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford placing third, and New Haven-Milford sixth.

Most Of Fortune's "Best Companies" Offer Telecommuting
4 out of 5 Allow Employees to Telecommute

According to a Fortune Magazine article, America's 100 Best Companies to Work For have pushed their employee-pleasing ways further than ever in the past year, blazing a trail for all organizations wanting to thrive in today's economic world.

According to Fortune Magazine's 2006 ranking of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, 79 of the 100 companies allow employees to telecommute at least 20 percent of their time. This adds up to more than a 335 percent increase since 1999, when only 18 companies on the list supported telecommuting.

Workplace Trends: Generation X Views Work Differently from Their Boomer Managers
Building the Business Case for Flexibility and Telecommuting

Unlike boomers, who tend to put a high priority on career, today's younger workers are more interested in making their jobs accommodate their family and personal lives. They want jobs with flexibility, and telecommuting plays a big role. "Boomer managers worry that work-life balance initiatives in particular will be too costly," says Charlotte Shelton Assistant Professor of Management at Rockhurst University Helzberg School of Management (Kansas City, MO).

Sun Microsystems Leads The Way In Telecommuting
After 10 years, program becomes essential component

During the ten years of its existence the telecommuting program at Sun Microsystems has really become an integral part of the work environment. Latest estimates have roughly 70 percent of Sun’s 40,000 employees classified as either “mobile” (travel frequently from place to place to do their jobs), or “distributes” (choosing to work in locations, some or much of the time away from their assigned office).

Making The Most Of Virtual Working
Rapid progress in technology and communications are changing the business landscape and leading the way for new work arrangements.

Whether due to travel restrictions, company mergers, or a need to optimize costs, an increasing number of employees are doing an increasing amount of work virtually. Working virtually means working together while physically in different locations using a combination of technologies like cell phones, virtual private networks, broadband, email, and collaboration software.

Nortel: Telecommuting 10 Years Strong
Telecommuting program evolves into a comprehensive mobility program

For networking products provider, Nortel, nearly 2 out of 3 employees (approximately 65 percent) take regular advantage of the ability to securely access corporate systems — intranet, email, people directories, business applications — from somewhere other than a traditional office desk.

State of Virginia Launches Telework Incentive Program for Businesses

Virginia businesses that begin or expand formal telework programs may be eligible for up to $35,000 in reimbursements for costs associated with such programs -- thanks to a new initiative launched by the state, under the auspices of telework!va, a public/private telework partnership for businesses in northern Virginia. The program is a two-year pilot program with a budget of $3 million administered by the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) through the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG).

If at First You Don't Succeed...Do Try Again

How Telecommuting Made a Triumphant Comeback at CRN

History suggests that companies which encounter difficulties in their initial attempts at telecommuting tend to give up on telecommuting -- without analyzing why their efforts failed and without thinking about how they could do better if they tried again. CRN, International has proven to be the exception to the rule -- an exception from which other companies can learn.

Cisco Systems says: Focus on Telecommuting's Strategic Goals

Cisco Systems' Small/Medium Business Center has published a comprehensive telecommuting guide which, at the outset, makes a strong case for focusing on the strategic goals of telecommuting and maintains that a telecommuting program will have a greater probability of success if the goals of the program match the strategic goals of the enterprise, rather than focus on short-term cost reductions.
While specific strategic goals for telecommuting will vary among businesses, Cisco suggests that telecommuting can address the following strategic goals, among others, for any company:

Tips on how to better manage working at home

Working at home as a telecommuter carries with it many proven benefits for the telecommuter as well as the employer. It also carries with it a number of challenges, not the least of which is separating work and home life -- or to put it another way, figuring out how to both work and live at home. An article in 6/1/01 edition of the Wall Street Journal ("How to Work and Live in the Same Building") offers some good advice.

Best Telecommuting Jobs

Any list of the "best" of anything is by nature somewhat subjective. However, June Langhoff, a well-respected and heavily published telecommuting guru has compiled a list of the "10 Best Jobs for Telecommuting."

Measuring Teleworkers' Productivity

Enhanced productivity is one of the chief benefits of a properly designed and deployed telework program. The question remains, though: How do you define and measure productivity, as it applies to employees who telework? Net.Worker columnist, Jeff Zbar interviewed Patricia N. Smith -- an experienced manager of teleworkers for a major multinational company -- on this very subject. As it happens, Ms. Smith is also pursuing a Master's degree at Fairleigh Dickinson University and is writing her thesis on measuring teleworker productivity.

Telemanagers Vs. Traditional Managers
How they compare -- how they are perceived by the workers they manage

Who makes a good manager? Can a good "traditional manager" be a good "telemanager" (a manager of teleworkers)? What skills, if any, are different for managing employees who work remotely? These are core questions for employees, managers and companies considering or actually implementing telework programs

Telecommuting Among Benefits for a Changing Workplace

As the demographics of the workforce change, so do their needs and wants. Employers who wish to attract and retain today's best employees have been adjusting their benefit offerings accordingly, according to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) 2001 Benefits Survey.

Companies in 5 Cities to Get Incentives for Telecommuting

Companies in Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Washington DC will be able to get air pollution credits by allowing employees to telecommute, thereby keeping those employees off the road and reducing auto emissions.