The Ultimate Guide to Telecommuting

The Ultimate Guide to Telecommuting

Remote workers. What Is Telecommuting? Telecommuting means working remotely, from home or another location outside the office. A study by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans found 74% of employers now offer the option to telecommute. Remote-specific job boards like FlexJobs, Remote.co, We Work Remotely, Remote OK, and Jobspresso target (but can't guarantee) people with remote experience. On the plus side, you're saving office space, which means there's no need to worry about your company's potential growth. And happy employees are usually great employees. An enormous 91% of remote workers feel more productive working at home. Perhaps it's not the right time for your employees to telecommute yet. How can you make yourself and your remote worker's team as approachable as possible?

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Remote workers. Mobile professionals. Digital nomads. Road warriors. Call them what you will, but telecommuters are driving the future of work.

Telecommuting was once shrugged off as another trend for choosy millennials. Now, it’s an accepted approach to how we work (and live) and an opportunity for hiring managers to cast a global net. The World Economic Forum calls it “one of the biggest drivers of transformation” in the workforce.

But some employers still aren’t sure whether to take the plunge, worried that allowing employees to work from home means they’ll never work. As it happens, the opposite is true.

If you’re curious about why so many people are going virtual or how it could benefit your business, this is the guide for you. Let’s explore how the world of remote work works and what you’ll need to get started.

What Is Telecommuting?

Telecommuting means working remotely, from home or another location outside the office. Not to be confused with self-employed freelancing, this is a working arrangement between a company and an employee. The idea is that the employee “travels” via telecommunication channels like phone, email and video conferencing when they don’t need to travel to the office.

Telecommuting Stats for 2018

According to Global Workplace Analytics, telecommuting has grown by 115% since 2005. That’s nearly 10 times faster than the rest of the workforce. GWA’s research also shows:

  • 80% to 90% of people say they’d like to telework at least part of the week.
  • 36% would choose telework over a pay raise, and 37% would take a pay cut.
  • For 95% of companies, telework increases employee retention.
  • 6 in 10 employers enjoy significant cost savings.

And that’s only the beginning. A study by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans found 74% of employers now offer the option to telecommute. Gallup found that employees feel most engaged at work when off-site three or four days a week. And participants of a UK-based survey think traditional commuting will be unheard of by 2036.

Wondering why you haven’t caught on yet? Don’t worry. Before you hit stakeholders with the numbers, consider whether telecommuting really is the best move.

What Types of Companies Offer Telecommuting?

Impressive though it sounds, telecommuting isn’t a catch-all solution. Activities that require face-to-face contact, equipment handling, or some sort of physical presence don’t lend themselves well to remote environments.

As a rule of thumb, remote-friendly work falls into two categories: It’s online, and/or it’s independent. Telecommuting works particularly well for companies in the following industries:

  • Sales and marketing
  • Customer service
  • Healthcare
  • Computer and information technology
  • Education and training
  • Administration

Telecommuting companies of all sizes report multimillion-dollar cost savings from blanket telework programs. Of course, some roles translate to virtual environments better than others. Most companies evaluate eligibility on a case-by-case basis, according to the candidate’s job requirements, past performance, and time in the role.

What about hiring remote workers? You have a few options. Remote-specific job boards like FlexJobs, Remote.co, We Work Remotely, Remote OK, and Jobspresso target (but can’t guarantee) people with remote experience. You could also post the job on LinkedIn, Indeed, or your job search engine of choice, making it clear that remote is an option.

The Pros and Cons of Telecommuting

Telecommuting benefits both employers and employees, but it isn’t without its drawbacks. Let’s compare both sides.

For Your Business

The best telecommuters are rare creatures. Not everyone can self-regulate and communicate effectively from anywhere.

On the plus side, you’re saving office space, which means there’s no need to worry about your company’s potential growth. And here’s the interesting part: Office space for the average worker costs about $11,000 per year. Limiting manpower reduces major overhead while doing the environment a solid. Even better, you increase employee satisfaction and retention, which leads us to the pros and cons.

For Employees

Developing the self-motivation and discipline needed to work from home is arguably more challenging than finding it. Some remote workers also report feeling lonely or directionless.

But if done right, telecommuting reaps big rewards. While saving time, money, and the planet, most telecommuters find that working from home (or coffee shop, or cabin in the woods) creates a work-life balance, a distraction- and stress-free environment, and a greater sense of control over their work.

Together, these benefits make for happy employees. And happy employees are usually great employees. An enormous 91% of remote workers feel more productive working at home. So, the more remote workers, the bigger the dent in the trillions of dollars U.S. companies lose to productivity issues each year and the greater your workforce retention. It’s a no-brainer, right?

For Both Employer and Employee

Well, not quite. It’s important that your candidate’s priorities align with your own.

For example, is…

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