Ebook The Costs And Benefits of Home-Based Telecommuting
Recent technological advances in the personal computer and telecommunications sectors have made information more accessible and telecommuting more viable than ever. Yet despite continued claims of great potential for mitigating urban traffic congestion and improving air quality, important questions remain unanswered regarding the cost-effectiveness of telecommuting as a business operations strategy.
The question of cost-effectiveness, however, depends on the perspective (Handy & Mokhtarian, 1995):
• Transportation planners, along with other segments of the public sector, see telecommuting as a solution for mitigating urban traffic congestion, and as a way to conserve energy and improve air quality;
• Businesses, along with other segments of the private sector, see telecommuting as a way to increase productivity while decreasing overhead costs;
• Individual workers see telecommuting as a flexible work arrangement that (among other potential advantages) helps to alleviate travel expenses, delay, and stress associated with most urban commute trips. Ideally, telecommuting would be both an attractive public transportation policy and a cost-effective business strategy for companies and individuals. Telecommuting probably will not be an acceptable work alternative to the telecommuter or the employer if it is not cost-effective. The transportation benefits of telecommuting depend on the extent to which it is adopted and that extent can be best identified by objectively evaluating telecommuting and outlining the conditions under which it is most attractive to participants.
Download
Ebook The Costs And Benefits of Home-Based Telecommuting
Posted in :
