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All the comforts of home – Telework
Pajamas and bunny slippers, while frowned upon as business attire, are perfectly acceptable to wear when working from home! Teleworking helps save space on our roads by taking trips off the road, can increase employee performance and job satisfaction. Teleworking can also expand a company's opportunities for recruiting and retaining employees, and improve their bottom line.
Am I the right candidate for teleworking?
Teleworking will change how you communicate with management, co-workers, and clients. Some considerations are:
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Time management: Will you be distracted at home? Remember, teleworking should not be an alternative to childcare.
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Communication with co-workers and customers: How can you be reached? Will you have phone calls transferred to your home line or will you check your business phone periodically throughout the day? Clients and co-workers should understand and feel comfortable about contacting you.
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Home office set-up: Do you have available space? Will your employer provide a computer?
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Social contact with co-workers: If you are a full-time teleworker, what might you miss by not being in the office on a regular basis? Consider using free or low-cost technology to video conference during staff meetings.
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Workflow and project reporting: How will you report your productivity to management?
I am interested in teleworking, how can I talk to my employer?
When discussing telecommuting with management, here are a few tips:
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Establish teleworking as a critical business issue. One company in Tennessee closed its facilities for 5 days due to bad weather conditions. The teleworking champion took that opportunity to document the rather high 6 figure financial impact of the closings and demonstrated how teleworking could help save money moving forward. In other words, teleworking is great for employees, but it’s also great for business.
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Form partnerships with other areas of the organization to create a multi-dimensional team approach to teleworking. This way teleworking won't be viewed as another program, it will be viewed as a cross-organization business objective (courtesy of ITAC).
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Identify which positions are good candidates for teleworking. Not all jobs or people are well-suited to teleworking. Selecting positions that already require independence and self-management will help ensure the telework program is successful.
Don’t just save, win!
You can save some cash by riding the bus. Check out this calculator to see how much. Even better, if you log your trips in the Pierce Trips Calendar you can win great prizes. Check out the Campaigns page to see what you could win!
Need some resources?
Check out these links for more information.
www.teleworktoolkit.com
This web site is a complete resource tool with sample policies, agreements, forms, checklists and links to other resources.
Commuter Challenge
Commuter Challenge has compiled case studies of Washington businesses implementing teleworking programs.
International Telework Council and Association (ITAC)
A not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing the growth and success of telework.
Telework Manual
Example of telework policies implemented at the Washington State Department of Transportation.
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Working from home or a satellite location, often called teleworking or telecommuting, is growing as employees and employers recognize its benefits.
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