Before I get started, I d like to ask you some questions. (Please keep your hand raised as long as the questions apply to you) How many of you have telecommuting programs in place currently? How many involve occasional work from home when necessary? 1 day a week every week? 2 days a week every week? Full time work from home positions? For the purpose of today s session, we define telework as an arrangement of working at least one day out of the office every week. We re not talking about occasional work from home in the event of a blizzard or an appointment with the cable company. 2
I know from experience why there were fewer and fewer hands raised as we got into a deeper commitment for telecommuting. (standard challenges, points of resistance) And yet, we know from the research that even 1 or 2 days working from home can have a big impact on both the company and the community. So what are those benefits? If we had time, you could tell me, couldn t you? I m going to call out a couple of my favorites, and shortly, we ll hear from our panel about the benefits they ve experienced. And there are also community and environmental benefits that will be discussed throughout the morning. As has been stated, the goal of today s event is to raise awareness of telework as a critical imperative for the competitiveness and sustainability of Chicago in the future. It s important to understand both the value of telework in both the private and public sector and to work together to increase the use of telework in this region. 3
1. One of my all time favorite pieces of research comes from salary.com s Wasting Time at Work survey. In their most recent 2008 survey, they found that 36% of office workers waste 2 or more hours at work Top Time wasting activities: Internet Socializing with co-workers Conducting personal business Personal phone calls Long lunches/breaks Why? Unsatisfied at work 46% Feel underpaid 34% Don t have deadlines 24% (90% are full-time (8-10 hrs/day), 70% spend 1 hr or less commuting Employees with at least a bachelor s degree waste a little more time (not under close supervision)) 2. And Sun Microsystems reports that 60% of the time their employees used to spend commuting, they now work.
Brigham Young conducted a Study with IBM employees: At what point do employees report work/life conflict? Telecommuters with flexible hours = 57 hours Office workers without flexibility = 38 hours Telecommuters can work a full two days more than office workers without negative effect.
Employers can save over $10,000 per employee per year If they work from home for half of their week. $10,000 is based on: #1 Productivity #2 Real estate and electricity #3 Absenteeism #4 Turnover (Based on 27% increase in productivity and value of employee time = $32, 136 per man-year.)
1. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in August 2010, the number of people leaving jobs voluntarily over the last 12 months exceeded the number of layoffs (1.998 million v. 1.83 mil layoffs). 2. Right Management reported in June: Over 50% of employers surveyed said they d involuntarily lost talent this year. And two studies last year showed that Workplace Flexibility is one of the top three decision criteria when making an employment decision.
Recent SHRM research: Talent is CEO s biggest concern over next 10 years: At the same time that HR managers say Flexibility and addressing the work/life needs of employees are the best strategies for winning the war for talent. 8
TechCast* projects 30% of employees in industrialized nations will telework 2-3 days per week by 2019. In a global war for talent, Chicago needs to support telework to compete. By encouraging strategies like telecommuting in our region, we provide an advantage to local business, and ensure that we continue to attract and retain strong businesses in Chicago. Because strong telework programs ensure that Chicago-area companies will be able to find and hire a consistent source of talent. That s because unlike previous generations, research shows that 20-somethings choose their city and then choose their work. Low traffic congestion, flexible work opportunities, access to public transportation are some of the factors that create a cool city where talented people want to live and work. So, we re competing for talent with Seattle, Denver, VA, CT, Houston, etc. (and quite honestly, the rest of the world). But that s where we have a problem
27 states in our union have statutes or proposed bills involving telecommuting. 21 have statutes, 16 have proposed bills on everything from state employees, telecommuter classifications for tax purposes, broadband, investigations into how to proceed, tax incentives, etc. To my knowledge (and I ve Ive checked with a number of people on this) IL doesn t have any laws on the books that support or encourage this practice. Let alone provide incentives to businesses who are interested. And a number of metropolitan areas, cities and states have created comprehensive programs to support and encourage businesses to implement telecommuting programs.
We were eligible for many millions of $$ from a federal Urban Partnership Agreement back in 2007, but it fell through. Why? Because our idea of congestion pricing was to regulate parking prices charged by private garage owners based on time of day. That was an unpopular idea, proposed without enough lead time to rerack and get the UPA funds. From a legislative perspective: We had a statute on the books in response to potential EPA regulations that were never realized, so it was revoked. There hasn t been a strong advocate or consensus built to encourage incentives. As a result a number of metropolitan areas have enacted programs to enhance the competitiveness eness of their region. They ve found a way to connect what s good for the community with what s good for business. Public departments, funding, legislation to support businesses, improve the lives of employees and the community they live in.
CDOT program provides: free consulting services to employers for the design and implementation of telecommuting programs, Established in 1996 Goal setting Proposal writing Program design Training Technology strategies Free website tools Motivation: to reduce traffic congestion, energy consumption and air pollution
Virginia s program offers companies up to $10,000 toward cost of leasing computers and high-speed internet $3,500 per employee (up to $35,000) for equipment and services $25,000 for consulting assistance Free phone consulting for all businesses More than 120 participating companies since 2001 10.8 million vehicle mile reduction annually Motivation: reduce traffic congestion, real estate, parking costs, improving productivity
1. Governor announced Telework Week: August 23-27, 2010 Companies register online Tracking environmental savings New air quality standards and tax incentive filing deadline are a big motivator 2. Since 2003, they ve helped more than 250 companies establish or expand telework programs at no charge: workplace audit customize policies onsite training for managers and employees measure ROI assist in completing tax credit form Georgia Telework Tax Credit provides up to $20,000 ($2.5 million total) in tax credits for expenses to employers who establish or expand telework programs PLUS up to $1,200.00 per new teleworker (for computers, telecommunications, software, etc.)
Flexible Workplace Initiative Flex in the City: two weeks in May where companies adopt flex and traffic is measured Every year productivity goes up, traffic congestion decreases Flexible Workplace Employer designation they can apply for (72 organizations currently carry the designation) Motivation: reduce peak hour congestion Has expanded beyond Houston to the state
One of several initiatives of Urban Partnership Agreement (to reduce traffic congestion) Governor issued a proclamation Explore and Experience Telework Month (April 2010). eworkplace initiative to encourage Twin Cities employers to offer telework to employees. eworkplace provides free, online tools free consulting and expert advice Goal to recruit 2,700 teleworkers to work remotely 1 day per week in the first year through partnerships with employers. Those teleworkers (2326) reduced overall trips by 26% and 30% fewer trips during peak hours. (commuting 2.4x/wk) Eliminated 125,000 commute trips each day State appropriation of $3.2 million Collaboration between MnDOT and University of Minnesota
Commute Trip Reduction Program from WsDOT (Law passed in 1991) statewide program to promote commute options 1100 worksites participate, In 2007, 4000 tons of air pollution reduced, reduced by 7.9 million gallons of gas Motivations: reduce traffic, air pollution, petroleum consumption Requires all employers with over 100 people to develop and implement CTR programs for their full-time employees. They can pick from a menu of options. Commuter Challenge is an initiative of enterprise Seattle which is their economic development group Commuter Challenge offers: Free consultations, online tools, workshops
On top of the innovative programs and strong levels of support at a state and local level, the federal government is committed to expanding telecommuting. Legislation?? Top priority of the Obama Administration Workplace Flexibility Forum in March National Flex Challenge (SEE FORM IN YOUR FOLDER) National Dialogues on Flex throughout the country including Chicago in April 2011. In November, Congress passed the Telework Enhancement Act which requires: This act requires agencies to (among other things): determine telework eligible employees establish telework policies and establish programs to communicate these telework policies to employees
We re here today to take the first steps toward improving the support and visibility for telework in the Chicago-region. There are a number of things you can do: --Apply for the Sloan Awards and get a free benchmarking report to understand how you compare in support of telework and flexibility. --Sign the National Flexibility Campaign letter found in your folders. --Participate in the National Dialogue on Workplace Flexibility in the Spring. --Take steps to implement or improve telework practices in your own company. --Participate in today s discussion and share your ideas. --Tell others about the importance of telework for our region.
But we need your help. If you d like to show your support for telecommuting in Chicagoland, here are some things you can do: