As the gas prices are climbing up, the employees are requesting for rise in telecommute as well. Keith Clouse, an employment lawyer in Dallas, has advised the employers who are contemplating to adopt a policy of telecommuting to consider some of the significant points.
Apart from the environmental gains, the employers will be benefited in several other ways through telecommuting. For example, the employers will be able to hire best job candidates without considering how far they live from the working place and also they will be able to keep hold of their key employees. Secondly, if the employees share office equipments and work space, there will be a considerable decrease in the overhead costs. There can also be a reduction in the labor costs as more employees will be willing to offer their service for less salary so that they can avoid long and stressful commutes. Ultimately, motivation and morale of the employees may also increase.
In addition to these advantages, there are also disadvantages associated with telecommuting. Many candidates are not ideal for telecommuting and residences are usually not well-equipped to do office work. Many managers question the employee’s ability to do work from a long distance and the office workers are likely to undervalue the contributions from telecommuters. Ultimately, all office work may not be favorable for telecommuting as there may be some tasks which require face to face interaction with the others.
Advanced preparation helps the employers to create a telecommuting experience successfully. First of all, they should choose only the right candidates who are motivated, trustworthy and independent. After that, the employers should clearly define their expectations related to the tasks and the availability of the telecommuters. Finally, the employers should be able to maintain a frequent communication with their telecommuting employees so that they can foster a productive relationship with them.
