Office Productivity
Telecommuting Linked to Job Satisfaction, Employee Productivity
Published June 29th, 2009 by Jennifer LeClaire
What are the social, economic, and environmental impacts of teleworking? That’s what Cisco set out to discover with its Teleworker Survey, an in-depth study of almost 2,000 company employees. The overarching results: a majority of those surveyed experienced a significant increase in work-life flexibility, productivity and overall satisfaction as a result of their ability to work remotely.
Approximately 69 percent of the employees surveyed cited higher productivity when working remote, and 75 percent of those surveyed said the timeliness of their work improved. By telecommuting, 83 percent of employees said their ability to communicate and collaborate with co-workers was the same as, if not better than, it was when working on-site.
What’s more, 67 percent of survey respondents said their overall work quality improved when telecommuting. An improved quality of life through telecommuting was cited by 80 percent of survey respondents. Telecommuting can also lead to a higher employee retention rate, as more than 91 percent of respondents say telecommuting is somewhat or very important to their overall satisfaction.
Modern, Greener Workforce
“In the age of a global market, time and distance separates people and workspaces. Cisco has long recognized that telecommuting and collaborative technologies are effective in breaking down separation barriers and enabling the transition to the borderless enterprise,” says Rami Mazid, vice president, Global Client Services and Operations at Cisco. “In addition…a properly executed program for telecommuting can be extremely effective at unlocking employee potential by increasing work-life balance, productivity and overall satisfaction.”
As the modern workforce continues to evolve and globalize, more companies are evaluating a telecommuting strategy to save costs and lower carbon emissions as well as to retain top talent. For these companies, Cisco said its survey highlights the gains that a sound telecommuting strategy provides for employees and employers alike. Consider the green benefits discovered in the Teleworker survey:
In 2008, Cisco teleworkers prevented approximately 47,320 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from being released into the environment due to avoided travel. The average distance for round-trip commutes varied among global regions: employees in U.S. and Canada reported on average a 30-mile round-trip commute; Asia Pacific employees cited a distance of about 14 miles; Japanese employees cited a 26-mile commute; employees in emerging markets commute an average of 16 miles; and European employees reported a 46-mile commute. Cisco employees report a fuel cost savings of $10.3 million per year due to telecommuting.
Not every small business can afford Cisco’s solution. But don’t miss the important point in this study: telecommuting drives productivity, work-life balance, job satisfaction and a green workforce. Virtual office companies like Davinci Virtual and virtual office technology providers serving them should be latching on to these statistics to prove the business case for telecommuting.
Watch the Cisco video for a deeper explanation. TeleCommunting SMR
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Elizabeth Sanchez June 29th, 2009 at 7:09 am
This is solid data. The only caveat is that Cisco is providing its employees with the very best virtual office technologies on the market. That might raise those numbers a little bit. Still, I think the benefits of teleworking/telecommuting are clear for companies of any size even if they have a virtual office technology system that’s less robust.
Maggie Correta June 29th, 2009 at 9:59 am
If those numbers are accurate, it sort of makes you wonder why companies invest in real estate at all. Then again, there is something to be said for personal interaction and group dynamics. I think some folks might not take as well to telecommuting. You have to be self-disciplined to make it work.
Bill Brookshire June 29th, 2009 at 10:01 am
It seems like everything has a green angle it in these days. Ten years ago, you didn’t see a focus on how much gas you could save, etc., in conjunction with teleworking benefits. It was about saving time and not having to purchase additional office space. Now, it’s so focused on greenhouse gas emissions avoided by not driving to the office.
Marcus Hester June 29th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Just a thought… Approximately 69 percent of the employees surveyed cited higher productivity when working remote, and 75 percent of those surveyed said the timeliness of their work improved. Could it be possible that these results are biased because these Cisco employees really want to keep working from home? Or because Cisco sells virtual office technologies? Cisco is credible, but doing his survey among its own employees using its own technologies is a little, well…
Rob Zeus June 29th, 2009 at 10:31 am
I agree with the bottom line as you spelled it out: telecommuting drives productivity, work-life balance, job satisfaction and a green workforce. There’s no doubt about that. These numbers from Cisco may indeed be somewhat inflated, but overall the trend is real and growing. Virtual office providers should definitely communicate some of these findings in their marketing materials.