Going to the office becomes increasingly optional
U of M’s Earth Day event encourages growing trend of people working from home
by Jessica Harper
Dakota County Tribune
For Roberta Halverson most of her work is done over the telephone or via e-mail, making telecommuting an ideal work model. She said she likes that she can create or own schedule. -Photo by Jessica Harper
While thousands of Twin Cities workers sit in traffic for an hour or more each morning, Roberta Halverson of Burnsville starts her day by sipping coffee, reading the local newspaper and heading downstairs to her home office.
Thanks to advances in technology, Halverson, a part-time employee at Career Life Alliance, a Burnsville-based company that consults with businesses on how to create a flexible work environment, is able to do all her work over the telephone or via e-mail.
“I love the flexibility,” she said. “After commuting for 35 years, this is so much better.”
Halverson is among a growing population of telecommuters.
Ten years ago, only about 1 percent of the Twin Cities’ workforce telecommuted, said Adeel Lari, program director at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute.
This rose to 5 percent of the workforce (approximately 135,000 workers) in the Twin Cities, according to a 2009 survey conducted by the institute.
Those who telecommute do so 2.4 times a week, according to the survey.
The institute is hoping to further increase these numbers through an initiative it has launched with the Minnesota Department of Transportation called, “eWorkPlace: Telework Twin Cities,” which encourages people to telecommute for one or more days a week between April 11 and 24.
The event corresponds with Earth Day and is aimed at reducing carbon emissions, Lari said.
“If we increase telecommuting by 1 percent, we can reduce about 390,000 pounds of CO2 emitted into the air daily,” Lari said.
Recent studies have shown that people with a flexible work environment drive 46 percent less than those without the flexibility, he said.
Adeel Lari, program director at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute, telecommutes to work in Minneapolis about once or twice a week. He said telecommuting has numerous advantages for not only the environment, but also employers and employees. -Photo by Jessica Harper
Fewer drivers will also mean fewer highway-expansion projects, which will save local governments money, Lari said.
Wave of the future
“We hope this (event) will get people to see telecommuting as a viable option, and that they will hopefully do it year ’round,” said Lari, who telecommutes two to three times a week.
Lari has been telecommuting for about a year and said he thinks it has enhanced his quality of life by allowing for more time with family and to be physically active.
Halverson has telecommuted for 10 years, and said she, too, enjoys the flexibility telecommuting grants her.
The greatest advantage is no longer having to drive to work, she said.
Prior to working for Career Life Alliance, Halverson was commuting to Medina in the western suburbs.
One winter, it took four hours to drive home due to a snowstorm, Halverson said.
“That’s when I told my husband, ‘I needed another job,’ ” she said.
Halverson said she likes that she no longer has to sit in traffic or worry about the weather report.
In addition to saving on gas, Halverson said she has been able to save on clothing and meals.
“Most days, I can start work in my pajamas,” she said.
Both she and Lari said they are often able to be more productive by telecommuting.
“I don’t have to deal with interruptions from others in the office anymore,” Halverson said.
Employees are not the only ones reaping rewards.
Employers often see increased productivity and enhanced retention as a result of having workers who telecommute, Lari said.
Telecommuting also enables employers to recruit employees from a broader geographic area, which enables them to choose from a wider pool of candidates, he said.
But the greatest advantage to many employers in this economy, is the reduction in costs associated with real estate and overhead, Lari said.
For Kathy Kacher, founder and president of Career Life Alliance, the bottom line is precisely why she decided four years ago to close her office and have all five of her employees telecommute.
The move saved her about $15,000 a year in rent expenses.
In addition to the cost savings, Kacher said, the changes freed up her own time.
“I don’t have to spend so much time watching what my employees are doing,” she said. “I don’t care how they spend their time as long as I see the results I need.”
Although Kacher does not see her employees on a daily basis, she does touch-base with them quarterly.
“For my organization, this model works very well,” she said.
However, telecommuting has its challenges.
For some employees, it can be difficult to adjust or stay on task, Lari said.
For him, it is difficult to get away from the office when he is also already at home.
“Sometimes employers think telecommuting means you can be accessed 24-hours a day,” he said. “Sometimes, I have to just turn the phone off so I don’t get completely attached to work.”
Halverson said for her, it’s the lack of human contact that can be difficult.
“I miss being in contact with my co-workers,” she said. “But it is nice we meet quarterly.”
Halverson said another challenge for her, at times, is trying to stay up-to-date on the latest technology.
However, she said, if she needs to learn how to use a new software program or device, Kacher will meet with her to provide training.
Employers can also face challenges with telecommuting.
If it is not implemented properly, it could lead to poor performance, Lari said.
Employees and employers must be transparent with one another for telecommuting to be effective, Lari said.
“Expectations must be clear,” he said.
Additionally, employers need to transition from measuring activity to measuring results when assessing productivity, Lari said.
Kacher said she has had few obstacles in overseeing an entire telecommuting workforce.
So far, trying to organize emergency meetings has been cumbersome but “it hasn’t been a big deal,” she said.
Although telecommuting has been an efficient model at Career Life Alliance, it is not necessarily ideal for all companies.
About 40 percent of jobs can currently accommodate telecommuting, Lari said, adding that he expects the percentage will increase over time as “we become less of a manufacturing society and more of a knowledge-based society.”
The Humphrey Institute will be offering free training during the eWorkPlace initiative to help employers decide if and how telecommuting can work for them.
In addition to the training, participants will have a chance to win a mini-notebook computer and an Apple iPad, among other prizes.
For more information about telecommuting and “eWorkPlace: Telecommuting Twin Cities” visit www.eworkplace-mn.com or e-mail Adeel Lari at larix001@umn.edu.
Jessica Harper is at
jessica.harper@ecm-inc.com.
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