Can an economic downturn really be good for anyone? It can if it means more people will be able to telecommute as a result.
Mike Elgan of Computerworld says that companies are looking for ways to cut costs without hurting productivity, and that telecommuting is an efficient way of doing that.
Economic downturns, painful as they are, have a tendency to force new priorities on everyone. The cost savings and efficiencies inherent in the digital nomad lifestyle can become irresistible during recessions, and so the trend in that direction is accelerating.
It’s not just companies that are looking to cut costs either. Telecommuting can reduce costs for workers such as child care, business clothing, dry cleaning, lunches out as well as commuting expenses. A priority for many is to reduce their carbon footprint and telecommuting is one of the best ways to become greener.
The Wall Street Journal recently asked a group of energy experts how we can keep our oil addiction at bay depsite falling prices. One expert’s suggestion:
Employers should adopt four-day workweeks and permit or expand telecommuting. A four-day workweek would eliminate 20% of commuting. Telecommuting could eliminate even more. Management Technology Associates studies show win-win-win benefits. Businesses reduce premises’ costs, overhead and labor with gains in productivity of 10%-40%. Workers enjoy significant fuel and time savings. Society reduces fuel use, traffic congestion and pollution.
Today, more than 12 million employees telecommute or “telework” more than 8 hours a week, up from about 6 million in 2000, according to Gartner Dataquest, an IT research and advisory company. The number will hit nearly 14 million by 2009. The bottom line is that telecommuting is definitely on the rise and the economic downturn may very well help to accelerate it.
Tags: telecommuting, work at home
