Comments on: Is Telecommuting Still an Option in an Economic Downturn?

By: noora

noora — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 09:20:55 +0000

I am doing some study on teleworking and it’s a initial stage at this point. What interest me is to look at how teleworking change the working relationship between superiors (managers, employers) and subordinates (workers, employees. Anyone has any view on this??

By: Is Telecommuting Still an Option in an Economic Downturn? | NorthernTelework.ca

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 01:08:37 +0000

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By: Ruud Padt

Ruud Padt — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:51:57 +0000

In my opinion telecommuting is possible for professionals but it has to involve every employer AND Yes it can involve every Desk-worker !!!!
.
This means Team-Building, Training on the job, Trust and unofficial gossip to match ideas….all during Telecommuting
.
We can give this trough Full-time HQ Video and Audio for every person.
.
Constantly seeing eachother will really build a team.
Check it out at hr.telebeing in the Netherlands (nl)
or join the linkedin group: “teleworking”
Ruud Padt

By: jopincar

jopincar — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 03:25:10 +0000

I’ve been working from home for almost two years now. I can’t imagine wasting time and money commuting to work again. It’s a true win/win situation. What company can afford not to look at telecommuting as an option, particularly in tough economic times?

By: John

John — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 03:21:50 +0000

I have been teleworking most of the time for the last 3 years. It takes some discipline, but there is no difference between being at home or in the office. I have my computer and phone. Everyone I work with are in other cities or offices.

What’s more, there is still a labour shortage on the horizon as baby boomers retire. The current market downturn job losses are a drop in the bucket in comparison to what is coming. Employers will HAVE to offer alternative arrangements and innovation will be key.

I even refused a job offer because I would have to go in to the office every day. I value the extra time I get from not having to fight traffic and the flexibility working from home affords me. I also appreciate that my employer is forward looking enough to realize it!

By: Telesaur

Telesaur — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 03:14:13 +0000

Tons of companies are fence-sitting between innovation and protection. I feel innovation is the only way to survive in our down economy. I’m not sure how layoffs and downsizing will help in the long-term for struggling companies… just doing less of the same thing doesn’t improve anything!

The costs involved in layoffs (unemployment payments, etc.) minimize the financial relief they are supposed to create, while the ROI for starting a telework program adds up quickly. Real estate costs alone save millions of dollars a year (@thisismyurl: even in Canada- ie. IBM).

“Performance qualifying systems” like ROWE are really crucial to help managers make the shift towards telework. If employees want to telecommute, they can take the initiative to quantify their work performance. Proof of increased productivity goes a long way! Let’s give a gentle nudge to the fence sitters… the grass is greener, after all!

By: thisismyurl

thisismyurl — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:42:47 +0000

It’s interesting to me that the Canadian economy has never really become a strong supporter of telecommuting. I have friend in the UK and the US who do IT work from home but here, the market appears to still believe being ‘onsite’ is better. I’d love to hear from other web people in Canada, maybe there’s a big pool of work out there and I’m just missing it.