This article talks about OSHA regulations employers must adhere to even if the employeeis working at home as well as a list of other topice. You should not miss reading this.
Your Success Is Our Success
Toni
TelecommutingPro.com
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Old law vs. the new economy
In August 1997, a certain Mr. T. Trahan of CSC Credit Service wanted to let his sales executives work out of their home offices. He was uncertain about his possible obligations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, so he wrote to OSHA, the agency that administers the act.
Showing posts with label Rise in Telecommuting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rise in Telecommuting. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Monday, December 17, 2007
Telecommuting Information and Videos
Here are some great articles and information regarding Telecommuting. Please see my new RSS Feed from YouTube regarding Telecommuting.
Your Success Is Our Success
Toni
TelecommutingPro
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Flexibility can boost employee moraleNashua Telegraph - Nashua,NH,USA... it may be time to consider instituting family-friendly workplace policies such as flextime and telecommuting, say human resource experts.
Ecommerce saves the planetInquirer - Harrow,England,UKTop "carbon savers" are ecommerce, Telecommuting, Teleconferencing, ematerialization (that'sa new one!) and Telemedicine - ecommerce alone will save the US ...
Telecommuting top work choice for small business ownersTelecommunications Magazine - Norwood,MA,USAby Telecommunications staff, from news reports Small business owners in the US are more likely than employees to conduct business away from the traditional...
Flexible work life good for your health: studyReuters India - Mumbai,IndiaA flexible work life, including telecommuting and job shares, is good for your health, researchers said on Tuesday. They found that if people have the ...
Why Workforce Innovation Pays OffBroadcast Newsroom - Newport Beach,CA,USAEmployees get back time spent commuting and gain the flexibility telecommuting provides. Operators find they have more productive employees and also realize ...
Your Success Is Our Success
Toni
TelecommutingPro
=-=-=-=-=-
Flexibility can boost employee moraleNashua Telegraph - Nashua,NH,USA... it may be time to consider instituting family-friendly workplace policies such as flextime and telecommuting, say human resource experts.
Ecommerce saves the planetInquirer - Harrow,England,UKTop "carbon savers" are ecommerce, Telecommuting, Teleconferencing, ematerialization (that'sa new one!) and Telemedicine - ecommerce alone will save the US ...
Telecommuting top work choice for small business ownersTelecommunications Magazine - Norwood,MA,USAby Telecommunications staff, from news reports Small business owners in the US are more likely than employees to conduct business away from the traditional...
Flexible work life good for your health: studyReuters India - Mumbai,IndiaA flexible work life, including telecommuting and job shares, is good for your health, researchers said on Tuesday. They found that if people have the ...
Why Workforce Innovation Pays OffBroadcast Newsroom - Newport Beach,CA,USAEmployees get back time spent commuting and gain the flexibility telecommuting provides. Operators find they have more productive employees and also realize ...
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Telecommuting Becomes Intriguing
This article is published in the Daily Herald. It covers many issues potential telecommuters will encounter. Quick read yet informative.
Your Sucess Is Our Success.
Toni Grundstrom
TelecommutingPro
Commute times, costs make telecommuting intriguing
By Jim Kendall Columnist
Published: 9/17/2007 6:01 AM
Increasingly long drive times, gasoline that hangs stubbornly around $3.00 a gallon, and a mass transit system that never was designed for suburban businesses and their employees make telecommuting an intriguing idea.
Yet relatively few businesses seem to have bought into the concept - which means, if you're interested, you'll likely have to carve your own way. That's not necessarily a bad thing.
The little experience that's available indicates that telecommuting may work best on a part-time basis, at least in the beginning.
"Especially at a small company," explains Karen Codere, "employees wear a number of hats. They may need to be available" in person. As a result, Codere continues, employees who do work from home "still usually have at-office time."
That's the case at Schaumburg's IntelliSuite Technologies, Inc., an IT consulting firm. "Some things can't be done off site," says Erin Teegan. "I can access the computer and get company files from home as if I were sitting at my (office) PC; but I also get the mail, so I have to come in at least two times a week."
Teegan is office coordinator at the 20-employee company. Four of IntelliSuite's employees work permanently off site, at branch offices in Michigan and Kentucky. That's more remote office than telecommuting, though the issues are similar.
Teegan says IntelliSuite has allowed telecommuting on an as needed basis so employees can "work around life commitments" since the company was born in 1998. "That's worked for us."
Still, she acknowledges, "Not everyone can work independently. It takes the right set of guidelines and the right personalities" for telecommuting to work.
Recordkeeping matters as well. What's needed, Teegan says, is a way to document time and work. "We know (technically) how telecommuting works, but we need a written set of guidelines."
Teegan has turned to Administaff for help.
"You have to look at the nature of the job," says Codere, a senior human resources specialist at Administaff's Rosemont office. Administaff is a Houston company that provides payroll and other HR-related support to smaller businesses. In addition to Rosemont, Administaff has a Loop office here.
"Obviously, a line job in manufacturing isn't suited to telecommuting. And sometimes (employees) simply have to interact with other people" which, Codere adds, perhaps can be done by phone or e-mail.
Key, Codere says, is "a really good performance management system." Among the pros and cons she says should be considered are company processes; whether there is sufficient IT support to allow off-site work; whether the company culture can adapt to a telecommuting lifestyle; whether employees are suited to the process; and the company's ability to help employees set up a home office.
Codere adds one more item to her list of telecommuting considerations: Disaster recovery. You're likely to be up and running again faster if provisions for at least temporary telecommuting are part of your disaster comeback planning.
E-mail questions, comments to Jim Kendall, JKendall@121MarketingResources.com.
Your Sucess Is Our Success.
Toni Grundstrom
TelecommutingPro
Commute times, costs make telecommuting intriguing
By Jim Kendall Columnist
Published: 9/17/2007 6:01 AM
Increasingly long drive times, gasoline that hangs stubbornly around $3.00 a gallon, and a mass transit system that never was designed for suburban businesses and their employees make telecommuting an intriguing idea.
Yet relatively few businesses seem to have bought into the concept - which means, if you're interested, you'll likely have to carve your own way. That's not necessarily a bad thing.
The little experience that's available indicates that telecommuting may work best on a part-time basis, at least in the beginning.
"Especially at a small company," explains Karen Codere, "employees wear a number of hats. They may need to be available" in person. As a result, Codere continues, employees who do work from home "still usually have at-office time."
That's the case at Schaumburg's IntelliSuite Technologies, Inc., an IT consulting firm. "Some things can't be done off site," says Erin Teegan. "I can access the computer and get company files from home as if I were sitting at my (office) PC; but I also get the mail, so I have to come in at least two times a week."
Teegan is office coordinator at the 20-employee company. Four of IntelliSuite's employees work permanently off site, at branch offices in Michigan and Kentucky. That's more remote office than telecommuting, though the issues are similar.
Teegan says IntelliSuite has allowed telecommuting on an as needed basis so employees can "work around life commitments" since the company was born in 1998. "That's worked for us."
Still, she acknowledges, "Not everyone can work independently. It takes the right set of guidelines and the right personalities" for telecommuting to work.
Recordkeeping matters as well. What's needed, Teegan says, is a way to document time and work. "We know (technically) how telecommuting works, but we need a written set of guidelines."
Teegan has turned to Administaff for help.
"You have to look at the nature of the job," says Codere, a senior human resources specialist at Administaff's Rosemont office. Administaff is a Houston company that provides payroll and other HR-related support to smaller businesses. In addition to Rosemont, Administaff has a Loop office here.
"Obviously, a line job in manufacturing isn't suited to telecommuting. And sometimes (employees) simply have to interact with other people" which, Codere adds, perhaps can be done by phone or e-mail.
Key, Codere says, is "a really good performance management system." Among the pros and cons she says should be considered are company processes; whether there is sufficient IT support to allow off-site work; whether the company culture can adapt to a telecommuting lifestyle; whether employees are suited to the process; and the company's ability to help employees set up a home office.
Codere adds one more item to her list of telecommuting considerations: Disaster recovery. You're likely to be up and running again faster if provisions for at least temporary telecommuting are part of your disaster comeback planning.
E-mail questions, comments to Jim Kendall, JKendall@121MarketingResources.com.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
New Study Shows Rise In Telecommuting
This is a study released on 9-11-2007. It reveals information about how there has been an increase in IT professionals working away from the office. They refer to this as the 'virtual office'.
Your Success Is Our Success
Toni
TELECOMMUTING GAINING GROUND
Study Shows More IT Employees Working Remotely Today Than Five Years Ago
MENLO PARK, CA -- The proliferation of wireless technologies and feature-rich Internet applications is making it easier for information technology (IT) professionals to work outside of the office. A new study by Robert Half Technology shows that telecommuting is becoming more commonplace among IT professionals. Nearly half (44 percent) of chief information officers (CIOs) surveyed said their companies’ IT workforce is telecommuting at a rate that is the same or higher than five years ago; only 3 percent said IT staff work remotely less frequently today than five years ago (see table 1). Improved retention and morale, and increased productivity were cited as the greatest benefits among firms that allow telecommuting.
The national poll includes responses from more than 1,400 CIOs from a stratified random sample of U.S. companies with 100 or more employees. It was conducted by an independent research firm and developed by Robert Half Technology, a leading provider of information technology professionals on a project and full-time basis.
“Enhanced connectivity tools provide IT professionals greater flexibility and the option to work even when they are away from the office,” said Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of Robert Half Technology. “Consequently, working remotely is more commonplace today and more acceptable.”
Telecommuting Attitudes Explored
34 percent of CIOs whose companies allow telecommuting cited improved retention and morale through enhanced work/life balance as the greatest benefit. Increased productivity due to reduced commute time was cited by 28 percent of respondents (see table 2).
“For some, working from home on occasion can result in greater productivity because there are fewer interruptions than in the office,” Lee said. “Many IT professionals also appreciate not having to commute every day given today’s high gasoline prices.”
Companies may need to balance the desire of staff to work remotely against the expectation of accessibility, however. Indeed, survey respondents indicated that telecommuting programs can have drawbacks. Nearly half (44 percent) of all CIOs surveyed felt that quality of work suffers due to diminished in-person contact with colleagues (see table 3A). Furthermore, nearly one in three (30 percent) CIOs surveyed felt that telecommuting employees are not as productive because they have less oversight (see table 3B).
“Telecommuting isn’t a viable option for every type of employee in every scenario,” Lee commented. “Managers who need face-to-face interaction with staff, or individuals who meet frequently with clients, for example, may find that working from home hampers their ability to build strong business relationships.”
Implementing Telecommuting Programs
While telecommuting can benefit employers and employees alike, it’s important that companies have the appropriate infrastructure in place to facilitate staff working remotely. For example, nearly a third of CIOs (31 percent) surveyed felt that telecommuting employees generate too many security risks because they need to access elements such as corporate networks, systems and intellectual property off-site (see table 3C).
Clearly communicating guidelines about telecommuting also is necessary. Lee noted, “It’s important that employers set expectations up front about who can telecommute and how often they can do so, in order to avoid misunderstandings that might arise during a project.”
To help ensure a successful telecommuting program, Lee suggests employers consider the following questions:
What IT jobs are best suited for telecommuting? Alternative work arrangements are most suitable for individuals whose jobs can be performed with relative autonomy.
How frequently should IT employees be allowed to work remotely? Consider allowing employees to work from home one day a week, and try to schedule weekly meetings on days employees are on-site to provide project updates.
How will you ensure effective communication between team members? Keeping a schedule of workers’ on-site availability, and where and how they can be reached when off-site, can keep work flowing smoothly.
With more than 100 locations in North America, Europe and Asia, Robert Half Technology is a leading provider of technology professionals for initiatives ranging from web development and multiplatform systems integration to network security and technical support. Robert Half Technology offers online job search services at www.rht.com.
Toni Grundstrom is a freelance writer focusing on work from home work options. I have over 17 years of Marketing experience, 15 of those as a Telecommuter. I provide articles, research, and information on telecommuting, home based business, and work at home jobs. Visit her website at Telecommuting Pro
Telecommute more/less
Benefits of telecommuting
Statements about telecommuting
Your Success Is Our Success
Toni
TELECOMMUTING GAINING GROUND
Study Shows More IT Employees Working Remotely Today Than Five Years Ago
MENLO PARK, CA -- The proliferation of wireless technologies and feature-rich Internet applications is making it easier for information technology (IT) professionals to work outside of the office. A new study by Robert Half Technology shows that telecommuting is becoming more commonplace among IT professionals. Nearly half (44 percent) of chief information officers (CIOs) surveyed said their companies’ IT workforce is telecommuting at a rate that is the same or higher than five years ago; only 3 percent said IT staff work remotely less frequently today than five years ago (see table 1). Improved retention and morale, and increased productivity were cited as the greatest benefits among firms that allow telecommuting.
The national poll includes responses from more than 1,400 CIOs from a stratified random sample of U.S. companies with 100 or more employees. It was conducted by an independent research firm and developed by Robert Half Technology, a leading provider of information technology professionals on a project and full-time basis.
“Enhanced connectivity tools provide IT professionals greater flexibility and the option to work even when they are away from the office,” said Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of Robert Half Technology. “Consequently, working remotely is more commonplace today and more acceptable.”
Telecommuting Attitudes Explored
34 percent of CIOs whose companies allow telecommuting cited improved retention and morale through enhanced work/life balance as the greatest benefit. Increased productivity due to reduced commute time was cited by 28 percent of respondents (see table 2).
“For some, working from home on occasion can result in greater productivity because there are fewer interruptions than in the office,” Lee said. “Many IT professionals also appreciate not having to commute every day given today’s high gasoline prices.”
Companies may need to balance the desire of staff to work remotely against the expectation of accessibility, however. Indeed, survey respondents indicated that telecommuting programs can have drawbacks. Nearly half (44 percent) of all CIOs surveyed felt that quality of work suffers due to diminished in-person contact with colleagues (see table 3A). Furthermore, nearly one in three (30 percent) CIOs surveyed felt that telecommuting employees are not as productive because they have less oversight (see table 3B).
“Telecommuting isn’t a viable option for every type of employee in every scenario,” Lee commented. “Managers who need face-to-face interaction with staff, or individuals who meet frequently with clients, for example, may find that working from home hampers their ability to build strong business relationships.”
Implementing Telecommuting Programs
While telecommuting can benefit employers and employees alike, it’s important that companies have the appropriate infrastructure in place to facilitate staff working remotely. For example, nearly a third of CIOs (31 percent) surveyed felt that telecommuting employees generate too many security risks because they need to access elements such as corporate networks, systems and intellectual property off-site (see table 3C).
Clearly communicating guidelines about telecommuting also is necessary. Lee noted, “It’s important that employers set expectations up front about who can telecommute and how often they can do so, in order to avoid misunderstandings that might arise during a project.”
To help ensure a successful telecommuting program, Lee suggests employers consider the following questions:
What IT jobs are best suited for telecommuting? Alternative work arrangements are most suitable for individuals whose jobs can be performed with relative autonomy.
How frequently should IT employees be allowed to work remotely? Consider allowing employees to work from home one day a week, and try to schedule weekly meetings on days employees are on-site to provide project updates.
How will you ensure effective communication between team members? Keeping a schedule of workers’ on-site availability, and where and how they can be reached when off-site, can keep work flowing smoothly.
With more than 100 locations in North America, Europe and Asia, Robert Half Technology is a leading provider of technology professionals for initiatives ranging from web development and multiplatform systems integration to network security and technical support. Robert Half Technology offers online job search services at www.rht.com.
Toni Grundstrom is a freelance writer focusing on work from home work options. I have over 17 years of Marketing experience, 15 of those as a Telecommuter. I provide articles, research, and information on telecommuting, home based business, and work at home jobs. Visit her website at Telecommuting Pro
Telecommute more/less
Benefits of telecommuting
Statements about telecommuting
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