Telecommuting payoff: Happy workers, higher productivity
July 6, 2009 by Tom GuayPosted in: In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, News
More proof just emerged that telecommuting boosts worker productivity and comes with green bonuses for their employers and the environment to boot.
Cisco reveals that when it focused on improving its workers’ quality of life, productivity jumped sharply and contact with customers remained just as high as when everybody was working out of an office all the time.
After opening up telecommuting to his employees 18 months ago, Cisco CEO John Chambers says his company has tallied $277 million in productivity savings.
The company also claims credits for helping reduce smog and ozone air pollution as well as carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas emissions by keeping its workers’ cars off the road.
Of the 2,000 Cisco workers surveyed:
- 91% said telecommuting is “somewhat or very important” to their job satisfaction
- 69% said they improved productivity by working from home
- 75% said timeliness of their work improved
- 80% said ability to communicate with co-workers is the same or better when telecommuting, and
- 80% said telecommuting improved their quality of life.
Cisco workers averaged two days a week telecommuting.
The Cisco survey is here.
Part of the way to make telecommuting work is to use computer software — virtual office technology — that lets the employee link up with company and customer computers remotely. Cisco provides this type of networking gear under the name Cisco Virtual Office.
Tags: Cisco, CO2, greenhouse gas, telecommuting
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