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Are You Dialed-in to Telecommuting?

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atele

Communications technology is making the notion of working from home or other remote locations commonplace in today’s business world.

If your business and its employees are missing out on the convenience of telecommuting, then it’s time to give the “work from anywhere” approach a shot.

To give you a better idea of how the telecommunications atmosphere works, here are just a few advantages of going the telecommuting route with your business:

Keeping up with the Trend

Businesses all across the country are adopting a telecommuting mindset and the trend is continuing to grow.

In fact, according to the Telework Research Network, nearly 30 million Americans from all walks of life telecommute on a regular basis.

In addition, the number of telecommuters in the U.S. is expected to increase by more than 50% in the five years.

If your business is looking for a convenient, effective work alternative to the 9 to 5, then telecommuting has a number of built-in benefits for both your company and its employees.

Cost Effectiveness

Sure, telecommuting saves your employees’ money in terms of lunches, office attire, and daily commuting costs, but it also saves your business money.

Not only are telecommunication systems affordable, but telecommuting employees also reduces your business’s overhead costs.

Telecommuting employees free up more space in your office, which means you’ll save money on leased square footage.

As the following article shows, in terms of “How business phone systems can make telecommuting work”, your business can also route calls directly to your employees’ home offices. This means each telecommuter will save you money on office energy costs and your clients won’t even know they’re dealing with someone outside of the office.

Improved Productivity

Ask anyone who works 9 to 5 and they’ll likely tell you the same: schedule flexibility leads to improved productivity.

Although it may not seem like it, working from the office comes with plenty of distractions, such as disruptive employees or an environment that’s not always conducive to continuous work.

But, telecommuting provides your employees the quiet comfort of working from their own home, which oftentimes improves productivity.

With the right home environment, telecommuters can work continuously and without interruption, which means tasks, projects, and daily assignments will be completed much faster.

Increased Availability

The schedule flexibility and improved productivity that telecommuting provides leads to an increase in availability.

Telecommuting employees are able to get work done faster and more efficiently, which means they’ll have the opportunity to increase their workload. Likewise, by working from home, your employees will have the opportunity to take on assignments at any time without any 9 to 5 constraints.

Setting up the Ground Rules

As with implementing any new protocol into your business, you will need to set up some telecommuting ground rules for your employees. These might include requiring your employees to have an adequate, dependable workspace in their home.

Additionally, you may have to require your telecommuting employees to check in with you or their supervisor at least once a day. This will cover any accountability issues that may arise with employees who might take advantage of their newfound freedom.

When it comes to workplace efficiency, it’s plain to see that telecommuting can improve your business and the lives of your employees.

Photo credit: Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

About the Author: Adam Groff is a freelance writer and creator of content. He writes on a variety of topics including employee health and workplace productivity.

Is Your Home Office What You Want It to Be?

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aofficeMore and more people are working from home.

Maybe it’s telecommuting for an international multi-billion dollar company, or it could be running your own small business from home where you are your only employee. Maybe sometimes you’re in a company’s office, other days you’re at home.

Whatever the case may be, it’s becoming more the norm for people to be working at home.

According to a Forbes piece, at least 30 million Americans work from home at least one day a week. This number is growing and is expected to continue to do so over the next few years.

One of the main reasons people do opt to work from home, and why companies are supportive, is because work productivity is shown to increase for those who work from home.

Not only do home officers save time (which means money) by skipping the commute, they also can be more productive at home by working in more personalized comfort.

When it comes to that personalized comfort, which is conducive to productivity, how do you get the optimal home office for an affordable price?

Take a look at some of these tips to find what works for you and enhances your own space:

• A designated space – It’s important to have a designated work space aside from your home life. Keep the doctor bills and PTA forms somewhere else. Make sure this space stays all business and your productivity will increase. It’s not cost prohibitive to do this, you just might need to do some organizing.

• A comfortable space – If you are at your desk for any extended time, you need to be comfortable. Major retailers, including Walmart, offer great specials on affordable and comfortable office desks to make working from home a positive, comfortable and productive experience. Along with the desk, you need a comfortable chair to keep your posture and back healthy.

• A well-lit space – You will be happier working in a space with good lighting. If you can’t have natural lighting, find some lamps that offer good light. Even the paint color on the wall adds to the lighting feel; choose a color that works well for you, makes you happy and that you find positive energy from. Paint is an affordable way to make a big change in a space.

• A clutter free space – Even if you’ve banished all your home clutter from your work space, make sure you continue to keep it clutter free. Toss or file old documents, organize material on a regular basis and keep what you can electronically, toss the hard copies.

If you can set up your work space when you first start your home office experience, your productivity will shine. It’s beneficial to do it the right way from the start so you don’t need use valuable time to make changes.

But if you do need to change something, do it – it will be worth it for your comfort and productivity.

Photo credit: decoist.com

About the Author: Heather Legg writes about small business, staying within a budget and making the most of what you have.

 

Are You Better Off Working From Home?

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If you trudge off to an office five days a week, have you ever stopped to wonder what it would be like to work from home?

For many professionals, that opportunity is pretty much a pipe dream, this given the fact that many companies still run the standard office.

You know the office, the one where employees report in for their daily shift, do their jobs with a lunch break and one or two 10-minute breaks during the day, then get in their cars or on mass transit for the ride home. The next morning means the same all over again.

What Opportunities Are in Your Future?

So, what if you had the opportunity to work from home?

Do you think you would be more or less productive from your residence? Could you focus in on work and turn away the various distractions that can all too easily present themselves? Lastly, would you miss spending time in an office setting with co-workers, meaning you basically rely on yourself for entertainment during the day?

Over the last seven years, I’ve had two opportunities to work from home as a freelance writer, both the result of job layoffs. I can say with much certainty that the two experiences have been positive for the most part.

One of the keys to being successful while working part-time or full-time at home is having an employer who avoids micromanagement.

In what should be labeled a disease in the workplace, micromanagement simply means that your boss and/or company owner feel they need to hold your hand during the day in the office or if you work remotely. In such cases, they will oversee you with questions, suggestions and comments, leaving you wishing Friday’s Happy Hour was five days a week and not one.

So, with the micromanagement factor out of the way, here are some pros/cons of working from home:

Pros –

* Avoiding a possibly long and expensive commute daily;

* Ability (with your company’s permission) to set your own hours;

* Not having to deal with constantly ringing office phones;

* Being void of co-workers who have nothing better to do than to talk your ear off while you’re trying to work.

Cons –

* Unless you’re well disciplined, it can be easy to get distracted at home;

* Not having others around to bounce ideas off of, answer your questions and/or solve work related issues;

* Potentially not having access to necessary equipment like a printer, fax machine, tech help if your home computer goes down.

At the end of the day, finding the right work at home situation can be tricky, though well worth your time.

Work is ultimately what you make of it.

If you are one who wants to be successful, potentially make a decent amount of money, and avoid having to deal with office politics, working from home can be just what you are looking for. The tricky part is locating that company that will employ you under those circumstances or being able to get your own business off the ground.

In the event you work from home for yourself or an employer, what have your experiences been like to date?

Photo credit: metro.us

About the Author: With 23 years’ writing experience, Dave Thomas covers a variety of business topics and individuals, including Gary Crittenden.