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Should I Let My Employees Telecommute?

Tina Samuels

May 13, 2013

Employees are enjoying the comforts of home more than ever while they work in the 21st Century.

More employers are allowing employees to telecommute due to a number of reasons. There are some jobs where it can be hard to telecommute, but with technology heavy jobs, it's almost a no-brainer. People are finding that telecommuting can save them a lot of money in child care, fuel costs, food for lunches, and more. Employers are saving money, too.

As many who follow the news may know, Yahoo Inc. recently chose to revoke employee's right to work from home.

This step has caused a shake up in the world of HR. People had long looked to Yahoo Inc. as an innovator with employee working environments. As the 2000's progress, Yahoo may have lost its' relevance in the technology race. Information is now spread faster by Google and social media...one bandwagon Yahoo Inc. missed.

Savings

If you allow all or some of your employees to telecommute you can save a bundle on office space.

With most of your employees working off site you can rent a small office, heat and cool less, and pay for less electricity. These savings can be huge if you have a large work force. You can allow workers to use their own computers – this alone can save you thousands.

Production

Some employers worry that allowing employees to work from home can have an effect on productivity. That can be true.

Some people crave the structure that comes with an office environment. Some prefer a more free form approach to work. Still others will procrastinate and still finish all the work – while crying ten minutes before deadline. You can allow employees to choose which works best for them. Give a trial period or better yet, combine on-site with telecommute to help employees find their best working environment.

Safety

Did you know that you're still responsible for your employee's safety during their work hours?

If an employee develops pain or injury while working for you, even at home, you can be held responsible. This is why more employers that allow full time telecommuting will hire an adviser to help employees set up an ergonomic work area. These advisers visit the employees at home and evaluate and help set up the working area.

Distractions

This one goes hand in hand with production.

How will you know your employee won't get distracted by all of their cool and fun gadgets at home? What if they decide to blow off work to go to the beach or a movie? Well, you can't. While you could insist they use a software program to clock their actual hours, with a webcam snapping random pictures during work hours – there's a line you shouldn't cross. Some employees (a lot of them, actually) would find this an invasion of privacy and as if you think they need a babysitter.

People will get distracted while working from home. Some can resist the distractions while others may need to move back to the office. You can evaluate production after a trial period and go from there.

So, do you allow your employees the freedom of working from home?

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