Telecommuting and productivity

Telecommuting Boosts Worker Productivity, CompTIA Survey Finds
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Cost savings, staff hiring and retention and improved employee health also cited as benefits. With ‘anywhere’ connectivity, faster broadband options and high-quality video and online conferencing choices, the opportunity for virtual offices is greater today and more affordable for businesses of all sizes and types

Companies that give their workers the option of telecommuting are benefiting from greater productivity, lower costs, more options for finding and retaining qualified staff, and improved employee health, according to a new survey released today by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA).

More than two-thirds (67 percent) of survey respondents said their organization has experienced greater worker productivity as a result of allowing employees to telecommute either full-time or part-time. Improved productivity is principally due to workers spending less time getting to and from work.

“With ‘anywhere’ connectivity, faster broadband options and high-quality video and online conferencing choices, the opportunity for virtual offices is greater today and more affordable for businesses of all sizes and types,” said Todd Thibodeaux, president and chief executive officer, CompTIA.

Companies who utilize telecommuting are also benefiting from cost savings through reduced use of office-related materials and resources and lower vehicle-related expenses. Nearly six out of ten respondents (59 percent) to the CompTIA telecommuting trends survey identified cost savings as a significant benefit.

Telecommuting is also helping organizations find and keep qualified staff, and keep their employees healthier.

According to the CompTIA survey, 39 percent of respondents said their companies have access to more qualified staff, especially those who may not otherwise be geographically accessible, because they offer telecommuting as an option. Another 37 percent of respondents said telecommuting helps their organization improve employee retention. One-quarter of survey respondents (25 percent) said telecommuting improves employee health, mainly though reduced stress levels associated with commuting to and from work.

Other benefits of telecommuting, as revealed in the survey, include promotion of safety through reduced highway use (18 percent); and environmental benefits (17 percent).

The survey was intended to better understand the benefits and challenges of telecommuting; and to determine how organizations are addressing these challenges. Businesses represented in the survey include information technology service companies, government, manufacturers, technology solution providers, not-for-profit training organizations and schools, telecommunications, healthcare, entertainment, and real estate. The Web-based survey was conducted between Aug. 27 and Sept. 23. It closed with 212 responses and has a margin of error of ± 5.6 percent.