BRADENTON
Jennifer Golden admits work is more enjoyable now that she telecommutes. And, this confession doesn’t offend her employer one bit.
Home is where ComCenters wants the bookkeeper to stay.
After all, ComCenters officials are the ones who requested two years ago that Golden telecommute due to office space limitations. Ever since, the situation has been a win-win for both.
“I actually think I’m more productive at home,” Golden said. “I don’t get those constant interruptions, and I can get more work done that way.”
Telecommuting arrangements are being considered more and more by employers and job seekers in this economy.
The work-at-home opportunity allows employers to cut expenses on office space and equipment, while employees save on gas and vehicle maintenance costs.
ComCenters sees the potential in a telecommuting work force and recently introduced virtual office and virtual workplace services for small businesses.
“Last year’s gasoline crunch, plus today’s business crunch have told businesses not to waste money on office overhead, and they are taking advantage of it,” said Bernie Croghan, president of ComCenters.
Virtual work accommodations by ComCenters provide small businesses with remote tools such as servers, video conferencing, phone networks and unified messaging.
“We think more small businesses are going to see that office space does not make them revenue, so they’re going to shed that unnecessary space and obtain more freedom for their employees,” Croghan said.
A significant increase has already been seen in the telecommuting industry since 2006, according to a survey by WorldatWork. The global nonprofit human resources association reported the number of U.S. workers who telecommute at least once a month has grown from 28.7 million in 2006 to 33.7 million in 2008, a 17 percent increase.
And, according to the study, the number of people who work remotely at least once a month has risen 43 percent from 2003.
“Our study shows that occasional telework has risen dramatically,” said Rose Stanley, of WorldatWork. “Employers seem more willing to try new ways of working. We receive calls on a daily basis from employers wanting to learn how to pilot a telework program.”
When Kathy Durfee, chief executive officer of Tech House, transitioned her Bradenton-based technology consulting business into a telecommuting business, she implemented a clear list of guidelines for employees to follow.
In fact, working at home was previously forbidden for TechHouse employees. But Durfee changed her mind about four years ago when an employee had an injury that prevented him from reporting to the office.
“No. 1, we have really clear guidelines about how we communicate,” Durfee said. “One of the things that we found as tech consultants, depending on what we’re doing, we might need uninterrupted time to work on a problem.”
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