Supporting the Mobile Workforce

Following the widespread adoption of personal computing technology, businesses were quick to equip their employees with word processing, email and mobile phones, all of which led to the growth of telecommuting and made some business analysts quick to forecast the end of the physical office. Today, telecommuting has proven to be an important tool for businesses managing a mobile workforce. While not a replacement for the traditional office setting, the practice has changed the way managers think about productivity, work-life balance and the role of technology in the workplace.

Th e benefi ts of telecommuting are clear, as employees working remotely consistently deliver high productivity and report higher job satisfaction. Additional benefi ts include reduced real estate costs, reduced carbon emissions since employees are not driving to work or using energy in an offi ce and even possible tax credits, all of which are reasons why the number of employees who telecommute at least some of the time continues to rise. A 2009 study by WorldatWork found the number of U.S. employees who worked remotely at least one day per month increased 39 percent from 2006 to 2008 and the sum of all teleworkers reached 33.7 million in 2008.

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