Policies and Engagement
Implement a Work-from-home Policy
What Is It?
Working from home (sometimes referred to as telecommuting) is the practice of working off site via telecommunications technology. Often, employees arrange with their managers to carry out all, or part of, their work away from their normal place of business, usually from home or a telework center.
Benefits
Working from home improves air quality by decreasing vehicle trips, vehicle miles traveled, and traffic congestion. It can provide employees with an important alternative to driving alone to work at peak hours. Employee telework practices even one or two days a week, or one or two days a month, can have a measurable impact on congestion and improve employee morale. Additionally, it can save both the employee and the employer money on commuting and parking expenses.
Drawbacks
While working from home can provide environmental and financial benefits, some employers worry about the decrease in oversight over employees and the decrease in face-to-face communication—and the potential decrease in productivity that could come with both. Others argue that it increases productivity by reducing time spent commuting and eliminating the distractions of the office.
NEWS
- “Flexible Work Arrangements: Tips for Mastering the Telecommute,” The Huffington Post, June 6, 2017
- “IBM Signals End of Telecommuting Craze,” Entrepreneur Magazine, May 24, 2017
- "The downside of telecommuting," The Boston Globe, February 10, 2017
- “It’s Unclearly Defined, but Telecommuting is Fast on the Rise” New York Times, March 2014
RESOURCES
- Massachusetts Executive Office for Administration and Finance:
- Villanova University: Telecommuting Benefits and Drawbacks for Employer
- Monster.com: Working From Home can Benefit Employers as much as Employees
