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This
organization (Company A) is a private, nonprofit
corporation that provides health education training,
technical assistance and resources for children, youth,
and their communities.
"I
believe that telework has helped us recruit and retain
qualified employees. Generally, the benefits of telework
far outweigh the barriers. We are now applying for
grant funds that would require us to hire at least
six new staff, all of whom will be teleworkers. I
believe that telework will keep us at the cutting
edge in our business."
-
Company A, Executive Director
Background
and Implementation
Company
A implemented a telework program in 1999 to improve
employee morale, recruitment and retention. Company
A has three teleworkers who telework from one-to-three
days per week. One teleworker was recruited as a home-based
worker (three days at home, two in the office) and was
provided equipment and furniture. The others were full-time
office-based employees and were given equipment previously
used in the office or they provided their own. Technical
support is available to all teleworkers. The employees
do pay the costs for a second phone line, but can access
the company network from home. Teleworkers also have
access to office laptops.
The
teleworkers' schedules are communicated through a shared-files
network and through white boards in the office. The
teleworkers receive calls at home from clients and coworkers
and typically work hours similar to what they would
work if they were in the office. While teleworking,
these employees read, write, word process, develop training
modules and conduct business by phone.
Company
A developed formal policies for the telework program.
These policies describe the telework arrangement as
voluntary, and not as a universal employee benefit.
The core company hours are to be maintained by the teleworkers.
Restricted
access materials such as personnel or financial records
are not to be taken home without prior consent. The
telework policies also indicate that the work responsibilities,
benefits, status and compensation do not change due
to participation in the telework program. All three
teleworkers have signed the teleworking policies and
have agreed to abide by the guidelines. To identify
problems and develop solutions, Company A has used internal
discussion forums with the teleworkers and non-teleworkers.
Results
The
Company A teleworking program has been extremely successful.
Both employees and the managers agree that teleworking
has improved productivity and has resulted in improved
employee morale, greater job retention and enhanced
recruitment capabilities. Company A estimates that it
costs approximately $15,000 to recruit, relocate and
train new program staff and, therefore, has recognized
a potential saving of $45,000 by retaining three staff
members who might have left if teleworking had not been
an option for them.
Company
A teleworkers estimate that on average they save about
120 minutes per teleworking day by not commuting to
and from work. They use the saved time by doing more
work, spending more time with the family and exercising.
On an annual basis, the three Company A teleworkers
are reducing vehicle-miles-traveled by 31,500 miles
and are preventing about 1,200 lbs. of pollution.
In
1999, Company A applied for a state grant that required
prospective employees to reside in several different
sections of the state. The grant application was recently
approved, strengthened by having a telework program
in place, and Company A is currently recruiting six
full-time teleworkers from around the state.
"Communication
among staff has always been a critical issue for us,
particularly because we operate in a team environment
and often have staff traveling to participate in workshops
and conferences. Teleworking provided us an opportunity
to think about our communication issues in a new light.
It forced us to be intentional about how we communicate
when we are away from the office for any reason, and
gave us the opportunity to develop new structures
that help us communicate more effectively. I think
teleworking has enhanced our ability to function in
teams because we pay attention to communication issues
more closely than before."
-
Company A, Project Director
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