While telecommuting isn’t exactly new news, it continues to be a growing trend. The pros and cons of telecommuting may have even become common knowledge. Depending on your stance of this topic, your list may vary a little, but here’s a list of common opinions:
Pros:
• Save on gas
• Increase productivity
• Flexible work hours
• Saves on costs for employers
• Flexible staffing for employers
• Extended customer services opportunities
Cons:
• Distractions – Some people work more efficiently in an office setting
• Adaptation – Many companies have not yet adapted their systems to allow for full telecommuting
• Isolation – Working from home 24/7 might get a little lonely
• Communication can suffer if staff are not fully involved with telecommuting communication mediums
Telecommuting can be beneficial to more than just the employee and employer, though – it is beneficial to the environment too.
Possibly the biggest advantage is the amount of gas that can be saved by not driving to work every day. Less gas equals less money spent and less pollution in the air. Also, that’s one less car on the roads which saves on traffic congestion (and keeps our highways safer!).
More communication over the internet will save on paper – both for personal use for the telecommuter and the company at the office.
While not every company or individual is made for telecommuting, the benefits for employee, employer, families, and the environment are hard to ignore. Even if your job does not allow for full telecommuting, many positions are great for part time telecommuting, creating a happy medium for everyone.
Let’s be green, guys! The link below provides a blog post by an environmentally concentrated site with some great resources of how to be a bit greener in your life.
http://www.theenvironmentalblog.org/2009/07/environmental-benefits-of-telecommuting.html
