FRAMINGHAM, Mass., July 19, 2011

Telecommuters say they are:

• Happier and healthier – When asked to draw comparisons, telecommuters say their stress levels have dropped 25 percent on average since working from home. Seventy-three percent even say they eat healthier when working from home.
• More loyal – Without the trek to the office – on average, a 75-mile round-trip for respondents – 76 percent of telecommuters are more willing to put in extra time on work and say they are more loyal to their company since telecommuting.
• Better balanced – More than 80 percent say they now maintain a better work-life balance.

Considering these benefits, it’s no wonder the number of telecommuters is on the rise – expected to reach 63 million in the United States by 2016, according to a March 2009 report, “U.S. Telecommuting Forecast, 2009 to 2016,” from Forrester Research, Inc.

The survey pointed to opportunities for companies to better assist their workers. For instance, most telecommuters said their companies don’t provide furniture (87 percent), office equipment (60 percent) or supplies (57 percent). Improving in these areas can help create an environment that simulates corporate office conditions and maximizes productivity.

Furniture and Equipment Set-Up

Important considerations for telecommuters include:

• Finding the perfect chair – The top item on the wish list for a home office is a more comfortable chair, as 44 percent give their current one a “C” grade or lower. Qualities to look for include upper and lower back support, adjustable armrests and seats that support even weight distribution.
• Maximizing space – Nearly 50 percent of telecommuters say their home office clutter hinders productivity. Desk and drawer organizers are cost-effective ways to tame clutter, and multi-function devices, such as all-in-one printers, can help save space.
• Improving ergonomics – When constructing their home office, only 1 percent of respondents received support with ergonomic set-up. Companies can help employees be more productive and healthy by providing ergonomic equipment that maximizes comfort, along with set-up assistance and tips for use.

“It’s important to make the work-from-home experience a safe, productive and positive one for employees, with quality furniture and a layout that’s conducive to maximum efficiency,” said John Michael, vice president and general manager of Business Interiors by Staples, the furniture and interior design division of Staples Advantage. “We make it easy for companies to support telecommuting programs in a cost-effective way, by simplifying furniture procurement and home office set-up.”

Business Interiors by Staples is one of the largest commercial furniture dealers in North America and offers comprehensive telecommuting solutions for enterprises, including:

• Space planning consultations to simplify and improve home office design
• Extensive product selection to fit any budget
• Customized furniture packages for turnkey implementation
• Easy online ordering for remote workers
• Delivery, installation and clean-up services

Technology Needs

In addition to Internet connectivity and access to company networks, key considerations for telecommuters include:

• Communication tools – Telecommuters say they rely on email (96 percent), instant messaging (68 percent), videoconferencing (44 percent) and unified communications technologies (25 percent) to stay connected.
• Security – A proactive security strategy can help telecommuters prevent data loss, breaches and viruses, which can be spread to company networks. More than two-thirds of telecommuters say they didn’t receive IT security training in preparation for home office work. Fortunately, many are applying good judgment and security best practices – 95 percent say they install operating system updates right away and 84 percent don’t store personal data on their machines.
• Data backup – Nearly 1 in 3 telecommuters say they never back up their data – leaving themselves and their companies vulnerable to data loss. It’s important to educate telecommuters on how and when to back up their data. Data backups should be automated and tested to ensure functionality.

“Data can be the lifeblood of an organization, so it’s important to provide telecommuters with IT training and security best practices,” said Ed Ludwigson, vice president and general manager for Staples Technology Solutions, the technology products and services division of Staples Advantage. “Because advances in technology continue to help dissolve geographical barriers, companies should also provide their telecommuters with tools that make it easy and efficient to collaborate and stay connected.”

With the right set-up and support from employers, telecommuting programs can be rewarding and productive options for employees. In fact, telecommuters claim they’d even be willing to sacrifice a few of their favorite things to continue working from home. Respondents would give up their favorite TV show (54 percent), forgo an extra hour of sleep (48 percent), swear off a favorite food (40 percent) or take a pay cut (40 percent) rather than stop telecommuting.

For more information about Staples Advantage and solutions to support telecommuting programs, please visit www.staplesadvantage.com.

About the Survey

Staples Advantage conducted an online survey, with responses from more than 140 telecommuters at companies of various sizes and across industries. The survey, conducted in May 2011, asked respondents, who work at least one day per week from home, about their home office set-up, furniture and technology, as well as their overall experiences telecommuting.

About Staples Advantage

Staples Advantage, the business-to-business division of Staples, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPLS), serves organizations of 20 or more employees up to the Fortune 1000, including global businesses, local, state and federal government, healthcare organizations and educational institutions. The Staples Advantage one source solution includes comprehensive products and services from office supplies, technology and printing to promotional products, furniture and facility supplies. Dedicated to providing organizations with greater cost savings and improved ordering efficiencies, Staples Advantage provides a customized level of account support and best-in-class customer service. More information is available at http://www.staplesadvantage.com .

About Staples

Staples is the world’s largest office products company and a trusted source for office solutions. The company provides products, services and expertise in office supplies, copy & print, technology, facilities and breakroom, and furniture. Staples invented the office superstore concept in 1986 and now has annual sales of $25 billion, ranking second in the world in eCommerce sales. With 90,000 associates worldwide, Staples operates in 26 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia, making it easy for businesses of all sizes, and consumers. The company is headquartered outside Boston. More information about Staples (Nasdaq: SPLS) is available at www.staples.com/media.

Follow Staples on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/staplestweets and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/staples.

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Resources:

Hawaii does not currently have any established telecommuting resources or tax credits available to business owners or Hawaii employees.

Hawaii Telecommuting Articles:

High Time for Telecommuting

Photo courtesy of fadedpictures

Resources:

The Clean Air Campaign

The Clean Air Campaign provides employers with assistance in identifying positions that may be eligible for telework within their business.  Rewards and incentives are also offered to employees for carpooling and switching to compressed work weeks to help reduce pollution.  They also have help sections for employees on how to write a proposal for telecommuting to approach your boss, as well as a home office safety and materials checklist.

The Georgia Telework Tax Credit  Code 48-7-29.11

Georgia currently offers employers up to $20,000 in tax credits for implementing a telecommuting or telework program for employees.  The $20,000 is for the initial program development, with an additional $1,200 per employee that begins telecommuting.

Georgia Telecommuting in the News:

Georgia Telework Week

The State of Georgia ‘Work Away’ Telework-Telecommute Program

The jobs are as diverse as career fields, with something for just about everyone who is looking to work from home. In addition to their telecommute jobs database, VirtualVocations has expanded over the years to provide additional services to their members including professional resume’ enhancements, online portfolio creation, an additional listing of over 500 work at home companies, a growing community forum and the newest benefit, an eBook, The Telecommuting Handbook, written by VirtualVocations’ CEO, Laura Spawn, who has 9 years of telecommuting experience.

Over the past six months, VirtualVocations has added several new services for their customers, including a new work at home company database featuring over 500 telecommute-friendly companies, an online portfolio creation option that allows members to create multiple portfolios for skill showcasing, a new downloadable ebook written by Laura Spawn, called ‘The Telecommuting Handbook’. They have also added live online customer chat support and a live phone support agent.

VirtualVocations has two different options for membership, the first is their free registration which provides people with email job alerts of jobs in the main database so they can keep watch on any telecommute jobs that may come in that suit them, they also provide a number of telecommute job leads daily in their forum area, and the opportunity to download the first three chapters of the new eBook, The Telecommuting Handbook.

The second option, a paid membership ranging from $6.99 per week to $49.99 every six months provides all of the benefits of a free registration, but comes with complete access to the main telecommute jobs database, a professional resume’ enhancement geared towards telecommuting, the option to create multiple online portfolios, access to the 500+ work at home company listing, and the full version of The Telecommuting Handbook.

VirtualVocations is an essential tool for all those who are seriously considering telecommuting. The jobsite saves hours of research time, and was originally started because Spawn, a first-time mother in 2002, was spending close to 5 hours per day on the computer researching work at home jobs for herself, and realized the need for a job site that had all the ‘legitimate jobs’ in one place. Today, members are still benefiting from the time saved in researching telecommute jobs and the many other benefits that have been added over the years.

To learn more about VirtualVocations, visit VirtualVocations.com, or email laura@virtualvocations.com

VirtualVocations
14525 SW Millikan Way #26125
Beaverton OR 97005
Phone: 1-866-899-6574
Fax: 520-838-8649

Bizymoms.com boasts business-expert resources, online courses, business articles and blogs for all parents but they have even more than that to offer. It is important to note that the site is specifically geared towards moms, dads, etc. who are already at home or working at home. Since the site is more a resource, rather than a job board, it won’t be relevant for those who don’t fit into those categories.

It’s also important to note that the site is more geared toward the mom or parent who is trying to start her own business rather than looking for freelancing gigs or a 40-hour work week.

The site becomes more cluttered deeper in, from the “ideas 100” to “ideas 400” categories, which feature fairly similar topics. It’s difficult to discern the differences from some of the categories, except that they exist to organize the mountains of information.

Ideas 100 features articles about beginning many different types of businesses. From women making money by newspaper clipping to selling vacation spots, this section informs users on how to begin businesses while offering advice to do so.

The Top 40 category highlights the top 40 best home based business ideas. On this page users can also navigate to franchise opportunities, resources for online business as well as more information on business loans.

The e-courses section is full of many in-depth learning tools that can only be accessed by members. While this may be a deterrent for those who don’t enjoy signing up for multiple communities, the information in these courses is valuable and should be seriously utilized. A plus: membership is free!

Underneath the resources, the site does feature a job board (navigate to it on the lower left side of the home page) that members can access as well. It allows a few search filters. This site is definitely a one-stop-shop for work at home moms, but the articles and networking options available are much more valuable than the job board.

All together, if you’re a parent looking for career advice, business advice, writing advice and even advice on home life, bizymoms.com is an amazing resource.

If there aren’t neighbors, in-laws, or stay-at-home moms nearby to watch your children, you may have to consider working while your children are at home. For older children this most likely won’t be a problem because will be able to understand the work-at-home boundaries your family has set (if you haven’t set boundaries for when you’re working at home, now is a good time to do so).

The first option for parents of younger children is calling in sick – or taking a half-day – and letting your employer know you’ll be otherwise occupied. If you don’t work for one specific employer, this won’t be an option. This is where it’s critical to plan ahead. Consider – and ask in advance – other parents who may be able to watch your children while you’re working; or whether your child can entertain him/herself for an extended period of time.

Pre-plan activities and special treats (like a new movie or toy) for your child to keep them occupied and remember that you’ll need to take frequent breaks in order to keep an eye on them. This may make your workday last a while longer so try to make compromises. Judge which projects must be completed by the end of the day and which can wait until the next business day. Keep in mind; you may have to put in few extra hours to complete everything.

A snow day doesn’t have to be loads of work for the parent – if you haven’t taken a vacation in a while, give yourself one and go play in the snow with your children. Although, it is important to first think in the mindset of a commuter: if you worked in an office, would you be able to take this time off? Staying in the mindset of a commuter will help to delegate time wisely without becoming unnecessarily attached to your work.

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