According to a recent study published by Global Workplace Analytics, 3.7 million U.S. employees currently work from home at least half of the time. That’s a mere fraction of the total work force, but we’re still talking about millions of people here. In a recent Gallup survey of 15,000 adults, 43 percent of Americans reported spending at least some time working remotely. And there is still room for that number to grow, as 56% of workers in the U.S. have jobs that are compatible with telecommuting. That number is up from 50% in 2014. So what we are seeing here is a kind of feedback loop: as telecommuting becomes more common, the nature of work becomes more amenable to telecommuting.
The rise of telecommuting is great for employees. According to the aforementioned Gallup poll, those who spend three or four days a week working remotely are also the most likely to report that they have a best friend at work and have opportunities for professional growth.
But none of this would be happening if it didn’t help a company’s bottom line. Sure, everyone wants their employees to be happy, but let’s be real: companies want solutions that will increase profit. Which is where telecommuting comes in. By adopting video conferencing and collaboration solutions that allow employees to work remotely, companies can increase employee engagement and satisfaction while saving money.
If you think about it, it’s pretty obvious how companies are saving money by shifting its staff into telecommuting roles. Fewer on-site employees means there is less demand for work space, so a company’s real estate needs decrease as more and more people work from home.
But space isn’t the only resource that can be conserved as employees move off-site. With shrinking real estate footprints come a reduction in utilities (electricity, heating, air conditioning) and technology (computers, phones, copy machines, etc.).
Let’s look at one telling example. At health care company Aetna, 14,500 of its employees don’t have an in-office desk, which allowed the organization to ditch 2.7 million square feet of office space, for a total saving of $78 million.
This is not to mention the huge amounts of money companies can save by “sending” their employees on business trips via video conference. With a one-time investment in a quality video conferencing solution, you can eliminate countless expensive flight and hotel reservations.
It’s rare one can get the best of both worlds, but with video conferencing and collaboration solutions, you actually can save money while making people happier.
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