One of the perks of telecommuting is working from the comfort of your own home, on your own time (Trevor Chambers, CMRU.ca)
If you want to work from home – Alberta employers seem happy to make that happen.
A recent BMO poll shows that 34 percent of Alberta business owners are willing to offer working at home as an option. Only 16 percent of companies in the Atlantic Provinces would consider it.
Working from home seems like the perfect scenario for many people. The internet and technology have really impacted the way people work. But is working from home the best option for anyone? This kind of work, known as telecommuting, is becoming the go-to way of work for many companies in Alberta.
Shif Gadamsetti telecommutes from anywhere (Trevor Chambers, CMRU.ca)
Shif Gadamsetti currently lives in Edmonton, Alberta. She works as the Executive Director for the Council of Alberta University Students. Her job requires her to do multiple tasks such as designing work, drafting priority documents and making calls of consultation to the government.
Telecommuting has given her the opportunity to work between the physical office space and from the comfort of her home. Working from home has allowed her to complete the wide variety of her responsibilities and feel less stressed. Gadamsetti states that having the option to get work done away from her traditional office space has improved her productivity.
“I think it’s great because a lot of my work does happen online so there isn’t necessarily a requirement for me to be in a physical space at any given time.” says Gadamsetti.
What are the benefits of Telecommuting?
Staples Canada conducted a survey regarding how employees feel about telecommuting. The survey revealed that 71 per cent of employees consider telecommuting an important benefit, as it enables employees to have a better work–life balance.
Calgary’s Economic Development’s telecommuting booklet points out the many benefits to telecommuting.
Specific benefits of telecommuting include:
- Telecommuters use their own equipment and work area. This saves the company money overall.
- New employees will sometimes accept a lower wage for the option to telecommute.
- Employees will save money on commuting and avoid bad weather and backed up traffic.
- They will also save money on buying work lunches and work clothes.
- Less sick time and childcare issues.
- Your talent pool is “virtually” expanded to being worldwide.
According to the Bank of Montreal’s Canadian Businesses Report Significant Divide on the Benefits of Telecommuting, the negatives that companies are worried about that come with telecommuting include:
- 61 per cent of Canadian businesses cite concerns about the possibility of lower morale.
- 53 per cent troubled by the prospect of a loss of productivity.
Negatives aside, telecommuter Gadamsetti says there are times where she is really tired and having the flexibility to work from home allows her to break up her day more.
“I can take an hour and go for a walk or cook some food or do a face mask. I can’t tell you the amount of times I have put on a face mask and done email power hours. It’s great.”
Listen to Shif Gadamsetti talk more about her telecommuting experiences below:
