Telework Part 1: What it is and Why it Sells

Advocates see telework as the solution to a variety of problems, from congestion and environmental issues to employment for disabled veterans.

by Alex Goldman ISP-Planet Managing Editor [August 31, 2006]

It's that moment in the day when the rhythm of work hits a short, five minute pause, and you get to think about what you would change if you could, what you would do if you had the time to start a new project.

If you're even thinking along these lines, consider telework (sometimes called telecommuting: obviously, advocates for the practice prefer to focus on work done instead of commuting time saved).

We're talking to John Edwards, chairman of the Washington, D.C-based Telework Coalition (naturally, however, we reach him at home). He's already sent us a page full of bullet point items full of reasons why telework is useful to businesses divided into three categories: employer benefits, community benefits, and employee benefits.

As an ISP, your focus is on the employer benefits when you're selling telework services (of course, keeping employees happier and reducing congestion and pollution are also very good things, but will not necessarily be part of your sales pitch).

Benefits for the employer
Edwards says that telework allows companies to employ disabled people, including injured veterans. (His colleague at the Telework Coalition, Chuck Wilsker (president) recommends Jefferson, NJ-based CORA to those looking to employ disabled veterans. We expect to write more about CORA in a future article.)

Edwards adds that telework also enables companies to comply with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), allowing employees to work at home while raising a baby or caring for a family member. The act allows employees to use accumulated sick leave and vacation days, he says, but after that the employee is on their own. Employers can step in and allow their employees to work at home, part-time or full-time, after they have used up their accrued sick leave and vacation days so they can continue to earn during what would otherwise have been unpaid leave.

Companies doing business with the U.S. government can employ disadvantaged and disabled employees to make their company a more desirable business partner. "Telework allows companies to employ disabled people, retirees, and people in rural and tribal areas. I encourage ISPs to get into WiMAX and deploy in remote parts of the country. We're trying, as well, to push BPL. There's a successful deployment here in Manassas, Va."

When we tell Edwards that we know of many rural ISPs, some of whom are getting USDA grants, he tells us that other government funds are available to ISPs. "There are also state by state grants available for companies working with people with disabilities."

Call centers
Currently, Edwards is working on call centers. The association will be presenting eight sessions at an upcoming call center conference in October. "We're working on getting bricks and mortar call center people to change to using the home-based agent model."

He says telework is one of Jet Blue's secrets to success. "All of Jet Blue's call agents are home-based."

Telework lowers costs, Edwards says, and those lower costs bring jobs back to the U.S. Of course, there are other reasons to bring jobs back. "We want to repatriate call center jobs. They're getting our personal data, and these countries don't necessarily have the laws in place or the legal system to enforce the laws, all of which are needed to protect Americans from ID theft. In some countries, $25 can buy a lot of stolen ID."

Edwards adds that the telework coalition is attempting to get lawmakers to modify Sarbanes-Oxley to require companies to include the widespread capability and use of telework to provide organizational resiliency as part of their "due care" clause compliance.

People do work when they telework
Edwards says that employers tend to believe that employees won't work if they're at home, but he argues that the reverse is true. "They say you have to be a self-starter to work from home, but in reality, the biggest problem seems to be being a good stopper! If you go upstairs at 10 PM to check e-mail, you may easily find yourself there two hours later!"

He adds that time saved on the commute is usually split between the employee and the company. "When somebody does work from home, they usually give back 50 percent of the time spent commuting to work. For example, if they have a commute that takes an hour and a half, they'll work an extra 45 minutes, but not because they have to! They just do."

— End

 

Telework Part 1: What it is and Why it Sells

Telework Part 2: What You Need

>Telework Part 3: iPass Sells a Telework Package

Telework Part 4: Jobs for Disabled Veterans