Execs believe telecommuting benefits employers

October 23, 1995 -- WASHINGTON -- Nearly two-thirds of Fortune 1000
executives view telecommuting as not only good for employees but also
advantageous to employers, according to a survey released today by
Telecommute America! at an educational briefing in Washington, D.C.

Executives of companies with telecommuting programs were nearly unanimous
(92 percent) in agreeing that telecommuting benefits employers, citing
cost reduction, increased productivity and improved employee morale.

The study, conducted within the past month, reported that two-thirds of
Fortune 1000 companies currently have telecommuting programs, half of
which were instituted in the past two years. A majority of those with
telecommuting programs expect them to continue to grow, while nearly 60
percent of executives from companies without programs said they expect to
institute one within the next three years.

"Private and public sector employers initially may have established their
telecommuting programs to meet environmental requirements or to help
employees balance work and family needs," said Faith Wohl, director of the
U.S. General Services Administration's Workplace Initiatives and member of
the Telecommute America! (TCA) founding committee. "But in the process,
they discovered its benefits to the bottom line.

"The growth of telecommuting suggests that business and government now
depend on it as an important way to reduce costs and to maximize their
return-on-investment in employees," she said. Ms. Wohl, who presented the
survey findings at the educational session, oversees policy development
and implementation of telecommuting centers for employees throughout the
Federal sector.

Barriers persist - but companies respond

Despite continued growth in and management appreciation for telecommuting
programs, barriers to more widespread adoption persist. Executives
surveyed said the lack of management control and loss of the team concept
are the most common concerns they hear from would-be supervisors of
telecommuters. However, two-thirds of the companies surveyed are
addressing these and other barriers through training and policy
development.

Susan Sears, TCA founding committee member and Telecommuting Advisory
Council president, said that management education has proven very valuable
in overcoming supervisors' fears about telecommuting. "Through education,
managers learn to manage by results instead of observation," Ms. Sears
said. "They learn to identify employees with skills and jobs that are well
suited to telecommuting.

"Telecommuting isn't for every person or every job," she added. "But while
it is estimated that 40 percent of today's workers could be telecommuting,
only about 10 percent are doing so. There must be many more who could
perform their jobs as well or better when given the opportunity to
telecommute."

Ms. Sears referenced the fact that 69 percent of those surveyed identified
information specialists as good telecommuting candidates, with 68 percent
identifying sales representatives.

During the two months preceding Telecommute America! Week, TCA
representatives held seminars in 14 cities throughout the country to
educate employers on how and when to establish a telecommuting program. At
the beginning of the seminars, attendees were asked to name the biggest
barriers in their organizations. Their responses mirrored those of the
survey respondents. Seminar presenters provided information to counter
these concerns.

Despite continued skepticism by some managers, some nine million Americans
telecommuted from home in 1994, while millions more telecommuted from
virtual offices and telework centers. Another one million are expected to
join their ranks during Telecommute America! Week or within the following
year.

"There are plenty of barriers -- in the form of attitudes and myths -- to
telecommuting," concluded Ms. Wohl. "But millions of Americans and
thousands of employers are making telecommuting work -- for employers,
employees and society. Our job with Telecommute America! is educate
employers on the kinds of jobs that lend themselves to telecommuting and
on how to set up a program for those employed in these positions so that
employers, employees, families and society reap the benefits."
 
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