AMiable Solution #75: Going the Distance

What makes Cisco, the networking experts, so attractive to employees that it has helped land the company on Forbes’ list of “Best Companies to Work For” 14 years in a row? 

In addition to offering a high average pay and on-site childcare, the company supports a successful telecommuting program.  How successful?  According to Forbes, more than 80% of Cisco’s employees regularly work from home or outside the office.

Would your organization have a happier workforce if it offered a telecommuting program?  Odds are, yes.  According to the folks at Global Workplace Analytics and the Telework Research Network, 47% of employees who have the option to telework say they are “very satisfied” with their jobs. Only 27% without a telecommuting option claim the same satisfaction, and 50% of the U.S. workforce (64 million employees) holds jobs that are compatible with at least part-time telework.

So why don’t more employers offer telecommuting?  For starters, supporting such a program requires the right tools: hardware and software that enables the necessary communication and document sharing.  In addition, some organizations are just too small to be able to offer telecommuting.  Maybe the biggest reason employers hesitate to offer telecommuting to employees, however, is a matter of trust. Employers don’t want to be played for fools by employees who take advantage of the opportunity to work fewer hours, accomplish less, and ultimately cost the company more.

But that fear is unfounded.  While it’s true that some folks are better suited for working at home than others, those who take the opportunity seriously are actually--as reported by the Global Workplace Analytics folks--more productive than their coworkers in the office.  Because they have fewer interruptions, better time management, and greater flexibility in their hours, they not only work harder, but they also work longer hours.

And they aren’t the only benefits.  Every employee that works half time at work can save an organization up to $10,000 per year!  Those kinds of numbers make everyone happy.