A two-year Stanford study revealed something many employers in the Philippines don’t know yet: people who work from home are more productive than those who perform their tasks in the office.
Professor Nicholas Bloom’s study involving a Chinese travel agency with 16,000 employees found that work-from-home employees worked a “true full-shift” or more, and were able to concentrate better versus working in the HQ.
Employee attrition also decreased by 50 percent among telecommuters, they also had fewer sick days, they took shorter breaks, and took less time off. The company saved almost $2,000 per employee on rent by reducing its office space.
Telecommuting is seen as a viable business/work model in the Philippines, especially considering the worsening traffic in Metro Manila.
In a report published in Manila Standard, Maria Victoria Españo, chairperson and chief executive of P&A Grant Thornton, said telecommuting is an effective way employers can attract and retain premier talent, reduce overhead expenses, and increase productivity.
“Many workers welcome this development as it eliminates travel time and costs, which has significantly increased due to the worsening traffic,” Españo was quoted as saying.
Work-from-home scheme allows employees to save on expenses such as public transport or fuel and parking, food purchases, and clothing costs. They are also less distracted, thus more productive.
Employers, meanwhile, save money on office supplies, furniture, equipment, coffee, and janitorial services.
But of course, while viable, Españo said employers should first assess whether this arrangement is suitable for its operations or not. This means, telecommuting is not suitable for jobs that require face-to-face interactions, while those that do not require constant supervision and can be performed in other places—so long as the employee has access to the same resources they have in the office—can shift to this scheme.
“Telecommuting refers to working from an alternative workplace with the use of telecommunications and/or computer technologies,” said Españo. Here lies the importance of reliable technologies, as in Internet connection, gadgets, and software and apps.
Employees who are telecommuting must have stable, and ideally high-speed, Internet connection. Communication apps are also helpful when working from home.
For instance, Viber offers free group call for those meetings that can be done remotely. Telecommuters must also utilize applications that handle file delivery even in large sizes. Google Drive, Dropbox, and Viber send files such as documents, images, and videos, without reducing their quality and file size.
It is likewise recommended to use apps that sync across all devices to prevent gaps in communication and foster efficient workflow. It comes in handy when the employee needs to run a quick errand, among other circumstances.
Now, who wants to put on their pajamas and start working?
