Telework Benefits
Telework provides advantages for individuals such as saving time, reducing expenses and balancing work/life but it also offers benefits to employers and society which strengthen our position in the New Economy.
Employer/Business
- Expands talent pool
- Provides competitive workforce attraction and retention strategies (i.e., hard to fill skill sets, X/Y generations, critical retirement-eligible employees)
- Eliminates geographic boundaries (i.e., rural residents, global citizens)
- Increases ability to hire disabled workers, seniors and caregivers challenged by commuting
- Increases productivity – improves work processes
- Gains in work output
- Improves performance measurement systems
- Increases entrepreneurial skills (i.e., autonomy, focus, innovation)
- Expands workplace flexibility/agility (i.e., peak demands, project work, cross-training)
- Reduces meeting time
- Decreases absenteeism (i.e., inclement weather, reduces sick time, road/bridge closures)
- Increases employee satisfaction, morale and loyalty
- Boosts technology skills and use
- Communication tools (i.e., email, list serves, IM, audio/videoconferencing/telepresence)
- Collaboration tools (i.e., blogs, wikis, online forums - group publishing, presentations and training)
- Reduces facility expenses (i.e., office space, utilities, parking)
- Decreases human capital expenses (i.e., lower turnover, reduces new hire costs)
- Insures business continuity
- Provides compliance for clean air regulations
- Demonstrates good corporate citizenship (i.e., transportation demand management, green initiatives)
- Expands business offerings and innovation opportunities to support remote workers (i.e., broadband, software, hardware, e-commerce, e-learning, “smart” building design, manufacturing)
Community/Society
- Reduces traffic congestion through transportation demand management
- Lessens dependency on foreign oil
- Supports environmental requirements and initiatives
- Redistributes wealth (i.e., employment opportunities for rural residents, seniors, disabled)
- Increases demand and use of broadband as well as other digital technologies
Telework Challenges
The economic benefits of telework have long been understood but there are barriers to its growth. These include security concerns, potential need for changes to IT infrastructure and human resource management challenges (i.e., teleworker selection, interactions with co-workers). By far the greatest barrier to telework is management distrust when staff can not be seen. Each of these downsides can be addressed through development of policies, procedures and training.
Why WSU Extension Should Lead Telework Efforts in Washington
Telework is a strategy that can be used to assist in the transformation from the old industrial economic model of "smokestack chasing" to one focused on the creation and retention of high value-added, family-wage jobs.
WSU Extension has a long, successful history of supporting telework implementation dating back to 1989. Our efforts have included telework implementation in both urban and rural communities. Extension is uniquely positioned to lead an expanded statewide effort in partnership with industry and government to research, promote and demonstrate the role of telework in the New Economy. Collaboration with efforts such as Commute Trip Reduction, the Governor’s Climate Action Team, High Speed Internet Strategy Work Group, public/private research, as well as business associations, economic development organizations and others will be critical to our success.
For more information contact:
Monica Babine
Washington State University Extension
babinem@wsu.edu
425.827.8015