Energy: According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the bulk of commercial building energy goes toward heating or cooling air and water. A switch to telecommuting means that companies no longer have to pay to maintain the temperature in corporate buildings, which can lead to great cost savings.
These businesses use apps including Zoom, Skype, Slack, and Google Workspace to communicate and collaborate remotely. While the tools do not completely replace the experience of working face-to-face, they help with both productivity and team building.
Telecommuting can reduce stress levels in more than one way. Not only are professionals free of stress-inducing commutes and public transit delays, but they also can create their ideal work environment. Another great stress-reducing perk of telecommuting is that remote workers can remain geographically closer to their support networks of family and friends.
Plus, the elimination of gas and transit costs helps telecommuting employees save even more money. Reduced commu ting is also a potential savings area for companies that offer their employees a reimbursement or stipend for transit and parking costs.
Some challenges of telecommuting include a loss of the everyday office interactions that teams may take for granted, like "water cooler" chats and face time with leadership. With the help of video conferencing software and virtual events, though, employees can recapture some of these experiences. In the Prudential survey, 68% of respondents said they still found it easy to communicate with colleagues while telecommuting.
According to the American Psychological Association, remote work enhances job satisfaction. For one thing, telecommuters don't have to bear the costs—including time, effort, and actual money—of getting to and from a job site.
Businesses considering making a permanent switch to telecommuting should consider the need for added security measures, virtual private networks (VPNs), VoIP phone lines and new software licenses. IT teams must rethink their approach to support when working with a remote workforce, and managers need to learn new best practices for telecommuting. These practices include building and communicating policies around cybersecurity, onboarding, sick days, absenteeism and flexible scheduling.