Telecommuting
A leaner, cleaner, greener way to work
THE LATES T TREND in workforce management is fast becoming
the latest weapon in the fight against climate change, urban
sprawl, and ever-increasing business expenses. Telecommuting,
or ‘teleworking’ as it is now commonly called, has matured into a
sophisticated, savvy, and smart way of doing business.
Thanks to the Internet, email, and other advancements in
telecommunications, it is now easier than ever to work from
almost anywhere in the world. But locational independence is
just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what’s great about
telework. It also serves important triple bottom line (3BL)
objectives; enabling companies to achieve critical economic,
environmental, and social targets.
Telework is seen by enlightened corporations as a way to
reach corporate goals while at the same time helping to attract
workers, keep costs down, and ensure productivity.
Municipalities, those entities responsible for building
roads and providing public transportation, have
discovered that teleworking is a good way to ease
their infrastructure burdens.
Local businesses benefit, too. When more residents
stay within the market area of their home base, more
trips to local grocery stores, stationery suppliers and
coffee shops are bound to keep local cash registers
ringing. The environment is also a big winner, with
fewer emissions of greenhouse gases and fewer roads
being built.
Right now, there is a concerted push to develop
telework opportunities. For example, Calgary
Economic Development
recently received $800,000 from
Transport Canada to accelerate
telework in the Calgary region,
including Okotoks, over the
next three years through a
project called WORKshift
( www.workshiftcalgary.com).
Wanting to find ways to get
cars off of Calgary roads, CED
is connecting with businesses
in the region to develop
awareness and provide organizations with the tools
and resources to pilot telework initiatives.
Why is CED spearheading such an initiative?
According to Robyn Bews, CED Telework Co-ordinator
and WORKshift Project Manager, “Because it’s good
for business. Counteracting the distractions so
common in the cubicle world, telework can increase
productivity by about 40 per cent.”
Shane Olson, Economic Development Team Leader
for the Town of Okotoks, is excited about Okotoks’
prospects associated with teleworking. According
to Olson, about 50 per cent of Okotoks’ labour force
commutes into Calgary — so keeping people in
the community will be a great way to encourage
sustainability. In addition to environmental and
economic benefits, Olson notes that telework
makes it easier for individuals to achieve a
‘Teleworking’ as it is
now commonly called,
has matured into a
sophisticated, savvy,
and smart way of
doing business.
