A Telework Program for Your Small Business: The Why and the How
by:
Brandi Cummings
What started in the 1980's and 1990's as web commuting, which was then termed telecommuting, and more recently coined teleworking is not a trend that is going away. In fact, working from home is getting increasingly popular and with advances in technology, quite feasible as well. According to a recent study conducted by The Polling Company on behalf of Citrix Online, nearly 25% of US workers and 41% of small business owners regularly work from home or another offsite location. As a small business owner and employer, it may be time to consider a telework program for your company.
First let's take a look at some of the benefits of teleworking programs.
* Decreased costs in overhead and real estate. The average office space requirement is roughly 130 to 140 square feet per employee. Assuming a rental cost of $50 per square foot, a small business can save over $6,500 per teleworker, per year.
* Increased productivity of workers by 25%-30%. This is attributed to less commute time, less stress, less distraction, and the ability for workers to manage their time better.
* Better health of employees due to less stress and decreased sharing of viruses with other employees.
* Better for the environment with less commuters on the roads.
* Teleworking programs can be used to recruit and retain talented workers. According to The Polling Company's survey, 70% of workers 18-34 would welcome the opportunity to work from home.
* Many businesses find they can take advantage of these benefits while allowing employees to telework even just part time.
Here are 6 tips on how to make your telework program successful.
1. Establish a telework agreement so that it is clearly understood by both worker and employer what is expected. Depending on the business, some things to include in the agreement might be how many hours will be worked, what deadlines will be met, if the employee will be required to come into the office a certain number of hours or days per week, and how often they will be evaluated and on what criteria.
2. If many or all of your employees are teleworkers, consider a newsletter, email or podcast that keeps everyone informed about what is happening in the company. As well as keeping them informed, these communications will also remind them that they are still part of a team. Conference calls and face to face meetings can also keep employees from feeling disconnected.
3. Ensure a proper workspace for your teleworkers. That can mean supplying an ergonomic workspace for them or at a minimum giving them a guide on what they will need.
4. Train them on how to work from home. Working from home may sound like a dream to most people, but it can sometimes be a difficult transition if they have to learn to use different technologies to connect to company based intranets or extranets, access their work email, and manage different kinds of distractions than they are used to in a traditional office.
5. Supply them with the technology to do the job right. This would include a computer, software and intranet/extranet to access company documents and email. Without the right equipment teleworker's productivity will be diminished.
6. For communication with your teleworkers, as well as their communications with customers, clients, potential customers and other co-workers, consider a virtual or hosted PBX. Keeping all teleworkers on the same virtual phone system will reduce your costs, enable you to track calls made on the business line, still allow you to maintain one number for your business regardless of your employees' locations, and control the image that is portrayed when communicating with your customers by using professional automated attendants and system recordings.
In the recent survey by The Polling Company, the ability to work remotely was more highly valued by respondents than stock options and onsite child care. If your small business does not already have a telework program, it may be time to consider one. With the right program and technology your business will be reaping the benefits in no time.
About the Author:
Brandi Cummings, an expert author on the unique issues facing small and home based businesses, recommends checking out
http://www.Freedom800.com a leading provider of
virtual PBX technology for teleworkers across North America.
No. of Times this article has been viewed :
549
Date Published :
Feb 15 2008
Most Recently Published Small Business Management Articles as of
|
|
Jul 15 2010
Bankruptcy for Small Businesses
by
Bass Franklin
Filing for bankruptcy as a small business owner can have it's advantages, but it can also be complicated.
|
Jul 14 2010
Have You Used a Checklist to Ensure that Your Small Business is an Effective Organization?
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
In this article we discuss what you need to do, and provide you with a checklist to make sure that your small business develops and grows as an effective organization.
|
Jul 14 2010
Business Energy Woes? There are Ways to Cut Costs
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
Running a business is tough enough without having the added stress of having to worry about how you are going to manage paying high energy bills every month. There are however, some measures you can take which will lower those costs.
|
Jul 11 2010
Consider Utilizing a Mobile Card Swiper for PayPal Credit Card
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
The development of the credit card swiper that could be moved anyplace permitted handy swiping of the plastic card for the automated input of the important data into the laptop or computer. And with PayPal credit card processing now achievable, vendors could experience improved sales.
|
Jul 10 2010
Think You Can't Afford Your Own Vending Business? Think Again
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
Some people think they will have to make a huge initial investment to start their business, but one advantage of a vending business is that is can be started with a small investment and can grow at your speed.
|
Jul 9 2010
Small Business Coach Vs Consultant
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
Small business coaching entails bringing about positive change in the working of an organization and the workers as a whole. It helps to determine goals that meet the best potential of the organization.
|
Jul 9 2010
How Small Business Coaching Works
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
Small business coaching not only helps you move forward but also helps in ensuring professional and personal development, which will eventually lead to your personal growth, and success in business...
|
Jul 9 2010
Factors To Consider Before Selecting the Right Payment Gateway for Your Retail Business
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
In conclusion, it is very very important to know your specific needs and available options prior to selecting the right payment gateway for your retail business. Whether your priorities are with costs, integration, or security, plan ahead and decide what your goals are for your business.
|
Jul 9 2010
How Will This Year Be Different?
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
Any fool can be busy. Just as it takes no special talent to run around like a headless chicken, it takes no special talent to be consumed by other people's deadlines.
|
Jul 6 2010
How To Apply for Government Grants: Your First Steps to Avail Government Funding
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
Even if you are looking for additional funds for education, for small businesses, housing, or you are promoting an environmental project, you can also avail of grants from the government.
|
Jul 6 2010
Pros and Cons of Credit and Debit Card Processing
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
The question of whether or not a small business owner should or should not allow credit card transactions is one that is difficult to answer. There are various pros and cons to making either choice which is why it is important to decide if it makes sense ...
|
Jul 5 2010
Why Should a Small Organization Pay Attention to Organizational Effectiveness?
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
In many organizations the way that things are done today often owes more to the history of how the products or services have evolved than to the logic of what is currently required to deliver to the customer.
|
Jul 5 2010
One Small Business Loans Solution for People in a Tight Economy
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
For a year now, most lenders have kept it hard for current and future small business owners to acquire the necessary capital to get things going. The current administration is trying to push things forward, but so far, it has failed to output the results to turn things around.
|
Jul 1 2010
Free Grants for Small Business - Availing More Funds for Your Business
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
If you are looking for free grants for small business to get additional funding to your business's capital, you can explore the possibility of getting financial help from the government.
|
Jul 1 2010
Wholesale Opportunities for Home Based Small Businesses
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
For a home business, no matter what size home business you might have, you are going to want to look into buying items wholesale. There is simply no other way that this can be a success for you - there is something great about buying wholesale and about enjoying the benefits...
|
|
Search for ebooks on Management & Business