Recruitment & Retention
Telecommuting is becoming a make-or-break issue in employee career decisions. A recent study shows that 33% of employees would choose telecommuting over a salary raise, 43% would quit for another job that allows it. Telecommuting is also a morale builder. Not offering it can damage morale, especially when your competitors offer it to their own staff.

Real estate & office costs
Your organization can save 1 office space for every 3 telecommuters. That equals savings of approx. $2,000 per telecommuter per year, or $200,000 per 100 employees.

• AT&T saved $3,000 per office for approximately $550 million by eliminating or consolidating office space no longer needed.
• 25% of IBM's 320,000 workers worldwide telecommute from home offices, saving $700 million in real estate costs.

Relocation costs
Instead of moving people – move their work. Telecommuting is a much cheaper option than relocating staff and/or replacing those that quit rather than moving to a new location.

Productivity
Numerous studies show that telecommuting 1 to 3 days per week increases overall employee productivity by 10 to 20 percent. Thus, five to 10 telecommuters can provide the equivalent of one "free" extra worker.

• American Express telecommuters handle 26% more calls and produce 43% more business than their office-based counterparts.
• Compaq Computer Corporation documented productivity increases ranging from 15 to 45%.

Stress & work/life balance
Work / home life conflict is a top work issue. Telecommuting offers fewer interruptions and gives employees the flexibility to catch up on their work. It also reduces their stress, burnout risk, going-to-work costs and commuting time.

Absenteeism & emergency preparedness When telecommuters become ill, they can often perform at least some of their normal work. Studies show that telecommuting also can cut absenteeism by 20%. An additional benefit is that distributed employees provide a buffer and insurance against business disruption resulting from floods, power outages, epidemics, bad weather and other emergencies.