Marissa Mayer and the Telecommuting Kerfuffle

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Forrester says that 34 million Americans work from home at least occasionally today and 63 million will in 2016.

I am one of those 34 million today. I save 2 hours of commute time, which becomes extra work time. I save 70 miles (gas, wear and tear on the car) each day I work at home. And I save a bridge toll.

You can read Ted Schadler's summary of this Forrester report.

Maybe this isn't what Marissa Mayer thinks Yahoo! needs as a company today, although others just think it is a way to reduce headcount without a formal layoff.

We agree with Forrester's research. This is a real trend. Of course, it has to be managed if it is going to be done right. I have had employees that I let telecommute liberally. I have had employees that I let telecommute occasionally. And I have had employees that I would not let telecommute at all. Each case was different and depended on various factors including their track records and need to collaborate face to face at the drop of a hat.

Would I let my contact center workers telecommute? Absolutely. In fact, that is a prime area where it makes sense. Here's why:

  • Contact centers try to locate in areas of low wages but with a well-educated workforce.
  • As an area gets a good reputation for contact centers, competition for the local labor force grows quickly.
  • Turnover and re-training are major costs for contact centers.
  • Geographically distributed workers are immune to these pressures.

And some of the past issues that may have limited telecommuting are becoming less and less relevant. Case in point: My home Comcast broadband connection totally outperforms our office network (I check it almost daily with www.speedtest.net).  I have used the ServicePattern Outbound Voice product with the built-in PC-based softphone with crystal-clear connections. Here's information on a free tool you can use to assess employee ISP suitability for work-at-home VOIP.

Of course, there are many issues to be considered when setting up a remote home-based contact center, but it is good to know that you can use a solution like ServicePattern with nothing more that a browser and broadband!

David

About David

I'm Sorry Sir, That's Impossible Now THAT'S Scalability

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