Arizona Workforce ConnectionWorkforce Prospective Articles
Welcome to the Arizona Workforce Prospective. This is a collection of short stories and articles focused on a variety of workforce related topics effecting today’s businesses. Some of the topics of these stories include: Human Resources, Business Development, Funding, Marketing and Social Media.
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2010
Telecommuting used to sound like science fiction, but it's a fact in the workplace now. According to Make Telecommuting Work for Your Business (Microsoft Small Business Center), more than 23 million people telecommute at least part time.
What is telecommuting, also known as "teleworking"? To most people, it's working from home all or part-time, and connecting to the office at least once a day by phone, e-mail, or Internet.
Today's workforce increasingly expects to telecommute. People have childcare, elder care, and other issues to contend with. Telecommuting can help them balance their work and private lives.
Employees often see telecommuting as a huge perk. And employers who once thought it gave their staff too much freedom are now finding value. If you see that your telecommuters are equally productive-or even more productive, you'll probably be delighted. The real issues are trust and accountability, as in every other aspect of business. After all, if you can't trust your employees in your office, then you can't trust them out of your sight.
With proper supervision, telecommuting offers great benefits for both you and for your staff:
- If your office is cramped, you can add employees without adding space. For example, two employees can share one office while working at home on alternating days.
- Telecommuting may be especially helpful for employees with disabilities.
- Less commuting saves energy; it's a great "green" technique.
- Best of all, you're likely to see a significant boost in employee morale-and productivity!
With today's technology, telecommuting is a lot like working with someone in the next office. But tools for staying connected are key:
- WebEx, GoToMeeting, and Skype are tools for conducting meetings over the Internet, where everyone can see the same document or presentation. These are useful for collaborating on a big project.
- Laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and other mobile technology can smooth the transition from home office to work office. Visit Mobile Office Technology (About.com) to see what's available.
- G-Mail is a free Windows-based messaging service from Google that staff can use to send quick questions to each other. Check out Twitter, too.
