Most HR professionals understand the benefits of letting workers telecommute. Top executives however, are traditionally harder to convince.
The Ireland-based office supply shop Needa.ie recently did some heavy fact-finding research into the benefits of telecommuting and came up with some interesting stats shown below.
- Telecommuting is what employees want— 66% of people would work from home if given the choice.
- One in three say it’s better than a pay raise— 36% would select telecommuting over a pay raise.
- It improves retention— 14% of Americans have changed jobs to shorten their commute, and 95% of employers said telecommuting had a high impact on employee retention.
- It reduces unscheduled absences— telecommuters are more likely to work when sick, and telecommuting makes it easier to schedule things like doctor appointments without having to take a full day off. Plus, employees can still work even when inclement weather would prevent them from reaching the office.
- Telecommuters put in more hours— roughly 60% of the commuting time employees save is used to perform work.
- It eliminates the need for office space— Dow Chemical and Nortel saved 30% or real estate costs by letting workers telecommute.
- It grows revenue— Businesses that allowed workers to telecommute at least three times per month were more likely to achieve revenue growth of 10% or more annually.