Working from Home

Tired of the hassles of a long daily commute? Want to spend more time with your family? Dread spending all of your money on gasoline to get to work? Working out of the home - often called "telecommuting" - may be a great option for you! Working from home even one day a week can provide great benefits to yourself and your employer.

Benefits to Employees

• Save money normally spent on the commute to work.
• Reduce the time you spend in traffic and increase your peace of mind.
• Reduce distractions from work tasks often experienced in the office environment.
• Gain the time that you usually spend on commuting.
• Enjoy the increased comfort, space and control of a home office.
• Decrease the influence of the weather on your commuting needs.

Benefits to Employers

• Reduce office costs.
• Increase staff productivity.
• Lower absenteeism.
• Increase employee morale.
• Lower employee turnover.
• Access a larger labour market.

Is Working from Home Right for You?

The type of job you have will obviously influence your ability to work from home. Tasks more appropriate to this activity are: telephone-based work, project and report writing, data entry and analysis,  planning and research, word processing and artwork and graphics.

When considering working from home, it is important to be realistic about your workplace habits and personality as well as your home workspace. Some people and some living situations are better suited to working at home. Are you self-motivated, adaptable, independent, computer literate and have good communication skills? Are you able to balance your work and non-work activities? Do you have enough room in your home for an office? Do you have easy access to all the files and equipment that your job requires? These questions must be addressed in order to ensure your at-home work experience is successful.

Setting Up a Work from Home Program

Set Program Goal. Your company must determine what it wants to accomplish. Do they have to reduce parking space? Increase productivity? Reduce employee stress and absenteeism? Reduce the need for parking spaces? Consider both the costs and benefits to ensure that the system works for you.
Set Policies and Procedures. To ensure your program runs smoothly, a system of rules and parameters must be devised. Roles as managers and at-home workers must be clearly outlined. You may also want to address such issues as: condition of home workspace, frequency of at-home work, communication, injury liability, etc.
Select Work-From-Home managers and employees. When starting up your program, start small and select high-performance employees. The managers should have particular qualities such as being able to provide clear direction and consistent communication. They should be results-oriented, have employee trust and manage by objectives rather than presence.
Implement the program. Be sure to orient and train employees well. A good understanding of how the program works and what is expected will minimize potential setbacks and misunderstandings.
Monitor the Program. Keeping track of the program is an important part of its success. Schedule regular employee check-ins and program evaluations. Finding out what works and what doesn't work is mandatory for improving effectiveness and employee productivity, especially if you plan to expand the program.