Sandy Wilson, a human resources representative with GE Energy, recently needed to read a 41-page document away from the distractions of her office, so she strolled out to her back deck.
"I sat in the sun, got some fresh air and re- energized while I made notes for a conference call," she said. Wilson has that privilege because she works from home. Two years ago, GE Energy implemented a formal program of flexible work options with the assistance of the Clean Air Campaign's Telework Leadership Initiative (TLI).
"We're a global company that operates 24/7 in 100 different countries," said Kate Lee, manager of community affairs. "We were already supporting our people as they traveled and worked -- if we could do it for someone in Asia, why not for someone in Norcross?"
TLI consultants helped the company identify and overcome the barriers to teleworking and explore its advantages. About 179 Atlanta GE employees (800 globally) now may choose one or more of seven options: a compressed workweek, flex time, job sharing, part-time work, reduced hours, totally remote work or teleworking one to four days a week.
"We took our time to develop a well-thought-out program that addressed many issues, like creating healthy home offices and training, and we're excited that it's picking up steam as it has gone along," said Lani Hall, GE Energy diversity leader.
The company pays for DSL Internet connections and office furniture, equipment and supplies for those who enroll in the program. With more workers located elsewhere, GE has greatly reduced its facilities overhead, saving about $210,000 a year.
"Our employees have really embraced it, and they work in all functions of the business, from engineering to finance to marketing," Hall said.
"It's a great deal for employees, especially in this congested city, but it's worked to the company's advantage as well," Lee said. "Morale is high, and retention is up. We have much happier employees, and -- as more see that face time is not an issue to their visibility within the company, promotions and leadership opportunities -- we expect more people to sign up."
Wilson decided to telework in March 2004, when GE's office move increased her one-way commute from 28 miles to 42 miles.
"I was traveling an hour or more each way and working at the office until 7 every night to avoid traffic," she said.
Her husband built in shelves and a desk in their bedroom.
Lotus Same Time software keeps her connected to GE managers and peers, and a computer, phone, fax, copier and scanner let her do business as usual -- only, she also can do laundry or meet a neighbor for lunch.
"It felt strange at first to walk out of my home office and not drive for an hour. I didn't know what to do," she said. "Then I thought, 'Hey, I could eat dinner now or go out ...'
"I've saved a lot of miles and wear and tear on my vehicle, and my work time is now 100 percent productive."
According to a survey for ITAC, the Telework Advisory Group for WorldatWork, there was a 30 percent increase in teleworkers in 2005. Recently, Sperling's Best Places and Intel Corp. funded a survey to see which cities were ripe for teleworking and would benefit from it most. Atlanta ranked third among large metropolitan areas.
It's not hard to see why: Try traveling I-285 during rush hour or filling up at the pump, with gas prices about 50 cents higher than they were last spring.
"Teleworking is an option whose time has come," said Michael Halicki, communications director for the Clean Air Campaign.
People still think it's just for top executives, techno-wizards and industries already heavily invested in information technology, or that it has to be an all-or-nothing arrangement -- real or virtual office.
"Our role is to bust those myths," he said. "If everyone worked from home just one day a week, the region's traffic would be 20 percent less, and there are many tasks one could actually do better away from the office. If everyone made modest changes to lifestyle, we would see a big difference in congestion and air quality."
Launched in 2003, the TLI program grants $20,000 in professional consulting services and cash reimbursement to selected companies that start or expand teleworking programs.
Its 13 original participants cut across the public and private sectors -- ranging from the Georgia Department of Corrections to Zoo Atlanta -- and included a variety of job descriptions, pay levels and reasons for remote working.
"The companies who embraced the idea saw some very positive results in terms of increased productivity, decreased costs and improved employee retention," Halicki said. The first phase resulted in about 2,300 teleworking jobs. Nine new companies are starting or expanding the option with employees this year.
By putting tools on the Web (www.cleanaircampaign.com ) to help teleworkers and telemanagers get started and making consultants available to its partners, the Clean Air Campaign has brought many companies on board.
"As wired as Atlanta is, it doesn't make sense for employees to drive to an office and spend all day at their desks, when they could have more time for work and family by working from home," Halicki said. "Teleworking isn't for every job or personality, but, when properly implemented, it's a win/win situation for employers and employees."
Family obligations
Attorney Lisa Higgins last fall decided to work from home when her infant daughter developed health problems. Her firm, Drew Eckl & Farnham, was an original TLI participant and now has about 45 associates, paralegals, legal nurse consultants and billing department staff working from home at least 10 hours a week.
2006 TELEWORK LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE EMPLOYERS Source: The Clean Air Campaign |
"We had an informal teleworking program, but we wanted to make it more structured, and that's what TLI helped us do," said Reinhard Breckner , executive director. The goals were to eliminate some of the time employees spent on the road, reduce the effect that commuting frustration had on their work and stagger company parking.
"We found it had a positive impact on morale and productivity. By spending less time in their cars, our employees had more time to work. That was a definite gain," he said.
Employees already were networked, so it was a matter of purchasing technology that allowed associates to scan legal documents and send digital dictation directly to staff computers.
Higgins practices construction defense law part time, working during her daughter's nap times, two nights a week and weekend hours. She goes into the Midtown office a couple of times a week for conferences.
Her home office has a desk, laptop and fax machine, as well as a couch, baby toys and the occasional load of laundry waiting to be folded. Her work attire: jeans, T-shirts and a ponytail. She's planning to hire a nanny for the summer and go back to work full time eventually.
The arrangement gives her more time for her role as a parent, and she bills more hours from home, because there's "no lag time in the car or chatting at the office coffeepot."
Sometimes she misses the camaraderie of colleagues. "A 9-month-old doesn't understand the frustrations of the job or care to celebrate the victories," she said with a laugh, "but I'm in the office enough to bounce ideas off co-workers."
"It's wonderful that they're so flexible and willing to let me work this way. Not every employer would, and it makes me very loyal," she said.
In turn, the firm gets a skilled, veteran lawyer who knows the ropes.
Halicki noted that teleworking gives employers access to a wider pool of skilled workers who can't work traditional hours.
Options for nurses
Wanting to attract and retain as many nurses as possible amid the nursing shortage, Grady Health System administrators listened intently when nurses in its Advice Nurse Center approached them with a model for teleworking from another hospital.
"They were proactive from the get-go," said Rhonda Edwards Fulwood, charge nurse for the advice center. Nurses in the center practice telephone triage, answering questions and offering advice to patients outside the hospital.
The staff of 25 handles about 16,800 calls a month.
"Our nurses helped us get the paperwork together for the TLI application, and we were very excited to be chosen for the program," said MarE Francis, coordinator of the teleworking program.
The hospital plans to supply the equipment and send 10 nurses home initially as part of a pilot program. It's already looking to expand the program in other departments, such as pharmacy, human resources and medical records.
"We've seen research that shows that teleworkers are about 20 percent more productive, and we have nurses who are eager to try it. They think we're not moving fast enough," Fulwood said.
"Real estate is at a premium at Grady, so if we could identify other staff willing to work at home, we could free up facilities for other services and reduce some of our parking woes. We're looking at the big picture," Francis said.
Not having to build a multimillion-dollar parking garage would be a huge savings for the hospital and would help reduce Atlanta's congestion and poor air quality, a primary goal of the Clean Air Campaign.
Longer commutes add up to lost time and productivity, more workers finding it harder to balance work and family life, and stress-related health problems.
"Previously, we had focused our efforts on carpooling, vanpooling and mass transit, but teleworking takes the car off the road altogether and has so many other positive benefits," Halicki said.