New technologies, the proliferation of high speed internet
and other wireless access have encouraged employers and employees to embrace
flexibility and work-life balance. Nowadays 45% of the US
workforce holds a job that is compatible with at least
part-time telework.
The CEO of Yahoo, Marissa Mayer, sparked
controversy by announcing that employees of
the technology giant may no longer work from home. And now Best Buy is
following this initiative by ending it's own flexible work program. Mayer
stated that the goal is to achieve greater collaboration, and could be right: A
study, led by Isaac Kohane of Harvard Medical School, suggests that
the proximity between colleagues is essential for innovation.
However, there is also research that suggests that employees
who work from home can be more productive than their office
counterparts. The most commonly cited study in the field of work from home vs. productivity comes from Stanford. The results were clear: Telecommuting is
nothing to be afraid of. Workers at a Chinese travel agency took fewer breaks
and sick-days, answered more calls every minute, and reported improved work
satisfaction when they worked from home. Later, the agency allowed the
employees in the experiment to choose if they wanted to work from home, and
productivity increased by 22%.
Indeed, 21% of all medium/large businesses (100+ employees) in the US support some level of formal or informal telecommuting. This covers
710,000 telecommuters. And many businesses, both small and large, have found
that telecommunications can create an environment with "the best of both
worlds" generating happier employees more productive and loyal.
So... Should you let your employees work from home? Good
question. Very difficult to answer. It definitely depends on the circumstances.
The fallowing decision tree created by Mindflash,
will help you decide if you should let your employees work remotely, or if they
should be required to work in-house.
Bottom line... Letting your employees work from home is not a bad idea. Actually it can be an effective alternative, either full or part time. Just be sure to evaluate the company culture, the job requirements and the character of the employee when making your decision.
What do you think? Have you ever worked from home? Have you ever let your employees work from home?
