Telework Tampa Bay offers guidance for telecommuters and their employers.
By SHARON KENNEDY WYNNE
Published May 25, 2004
Thanks to the Internet, instant messages, cell phones and other now-common gadgets, working from home is becoming easier - but getting there can be half the battle.
For some, there's a corporate culture that likes to see all the workers at their desks.
Help is on the way for local companies interested in the idea of telecommuting. A government grant is paying for free consulting and expertise that normally costs thousands.
The new program, Telework Tampa Bay, was kicked off in February and aims to help more companies realize the productivity, reduced absenteeism, employee retention and flexibility that working from home offers the company.
Companies that sign on for the pilot project will get access to national telework experts, presentations designed for upper and middle management, help in developing policies, evaluation guidelines and training sessions for managers and teleworkers.
The key, according to employers who have made the leap, is having clear rules about how telecommuting will be done and what will be expected of the employee.
Four years ago, the Hillsborough County tax collector's office made a $53,000 investment in radios and Internet access for workers who collect delinquent fees and taxes.
Before then, the collectors had to drive downtown every day to check in at the office, then head out to the field, often losing two hours of their day in transit.
By heading out right from home or using field offices to file paperwork, the collectors increased their collections to $14-million in a four-year period, up from $9.1-million in 1995-1998.
"As managers we can still talk to the employees every day by phone," said Hillsborough Tax Collector Doug Belden, "but what we are looking at is results, and we saw an increase of 120 percent in some instances."
Telework Tampa Bay is a partnership between the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council and Bay Area Commuter Services, funded with a grant from the Pinellas and Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organizations.
They started the program to help solve a number of problems.
"Telework has many benefits to our regional community: reduced traffic congestion and pollution, enhanced economic development as well as increased employee morale and productivity," said Manny Pumariega, executive director of the Regional Planning Council. "Telework is one of the most important solutions in solving our transportation issues."
The Regional Planning Council and BACS provide the help, but first companies have to get around a corporate culture.
"Companies need to see this as a tool, not necessarily a benefit for employees like insurance," said Sandi Moody, executive director of Bay Area Commuter Services. "As a tool it can save space in the office, help the employers retain valuable employees, and it can be an emergency management tool" to keep the work flowing even when roads are washed out or illness strikes.
Stuart Anderson of Denver, a consultant with UrbanTrans Consultants, says his first goal is to get employers to look at "management by objective" rather than keeping an eye on employees.
An American Interactive Consumer Survey found 11.6-million people teleworked at least one day a month in 1997. By 2003, that number was 23.5-million.
It's ideal for jobs that require reading, writing, research, working with data and talking on the phone, Anderson said.
Many jobs that may not seem appropriate at first may be modified so that the employees can telework, at least on a part-time basis. In fact, part-time telework is the most common practice.
It seems getting the workers out of the workplace can sometimes mean more work gets done.
When police detectives in Irvine, Calif., realized how much of their time is spent on paperwork, Anderson created a pilot project in which the detectives did their paperwork at home. The result: The detectives found they were finally catching up on paperwork by spending time each week working at home without the distractions of the office. They got more accomplished and organized their time more effectively.
"We've found a typical productivity increase of 12 percent-plus" when working from home, Anderson said, "and that's significant."
At the Regional Planning Council, senior planner Jessica White, who is coordinating Telework Tampa Bay, hopes to see telecommuting reach a tipping point where it is normal to find some form of it going on in a wide variety of offices, from health care to government to high tech.
"It's a matter of getting the momentum going," White said, "because then other companies won't be as intimidated by it."
The following free workshops for Pinellas employers are scheduled:
TODAY: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (box lunch provided); Clearwater Countryside Library (Room B); 2741 State Road 580; Clearwater
WEDNESDAY: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (box lunch provided); Bay View Tower, 100 First Ave. S, 2nd Floor Conference Room, St. Petersburg.
Registration is required. Seating is limited. For information on these and coming workshops elsewhere, call Jessica White at (727) 570-5151, ext. 38, or toll-free at 1-888-736-8640.
