How many people dread the early morning commute? You have to wake up an hour early just to get ready and rush through breakfast. Then you have to account for the 45 minute commute through frustratingly clogged highways. By the time you walk into work, thoroughly frazzled from stress and lack of sleep, you need to gulp down a pot of coffee just to wake up.
Honestly, does this sound like the best way to foster employee productivity? Telecommuting may be the solution to increasing productivity while increasing satisfaction. If you already run a virtual call center, you might still be shocked by the statistics.
Telecommuting Saves Money
A recent report by Dice, a career website focused at technology professionals, found that over 33% of technology professionals said they would accept up to a 10% pay cut in exchange for full-time telecommuting benefits. What Dice find even more remarkable was that these workers are willing to sacrifice an average of $7,800, even after two years of nearly flat compensation growth. Clearly, telecommuting could translate to very real monetary benefits for a company.
Telecommuting can also reduce costs in other ways. Turnover costs can be reduced by increasing employee job satisfaction. A majority of hiring managers report the difficulty of retaining younger employees according to the 2008 Robert Half International Survey, yet 37% of employees say telecommuting would cause them to choose one job over another. Telecommuting and remote work benefits retention by giving employees reasons to stay. Telecommuting can also reduce absenteeism costs since employees do not need to leave their homes in order to complete work.
There are many other ways telecommuting and virtualization can save companies money. Infrastructure, utilities, ADA compliance, furniture, equipment, and office supplies are just some of the possible savings routes.
Consider the following examples:
- Cisco has saved an estimated $277 million in annual savings by allowing employees to telecommute and telework
- IBM has saved more than $100 million annually in its North American sales and distribution unit
- Sun Microsystems saves $70 million a year in real estate costs through its Open Work programs
Wayen Turmel, a management consultant, reported that:
The time saved in the commute almost always goes to productivity. Studies show that people who don’t spend lots of time getting to work actually spend most of that saved time working. If you can knock a half hour off your commute each day, that’s an hour we spend actually doing our jobs.
Call center research from a Booz Allen Hamilton study has found home based agents report higher overall job satisfaction rates, 25% higher productivity, and a 10% turnover rate vs 50% for in-house contact centers.
Flexible Work
A smart telecommuting plan is necessary to reap the benefits. Tailor your virtual call center to optimize employee productivity. Are they most productive at home? Do they want some place they can work with others remotely? Are they interested in using desks only on certain days or times? Likely more important than simply offering telework opportunities is being flexible with employees. Consider their needs and maximize the work arrangement so that they can be optimally effective.
Being open minded can be good for the employees–and the business too.